Economic Opportunity Mailing List Archive

["James BISCOE" <<address removed>>]

I see several contributions suggesting that irrigation should be used as a 
means of enhancing the productivity of agriculture especially in sub Saharan 
Africa.
Technically this is excellent in my view. There is great scope for better use 
of available water by changing to drip technology, better fertilisation through 
fertigation and reduced energy use because smaller volumes are pumped and in 
many cases gravity can also be mobilised to assist.

However, in practice I suspect that paucity of land tenure is a serious 
constraint to such capital investment. On the one hand who will provide the 
capital if there is inadequate collateral and on the other who will undertake 
the maintenance of an asset which they do not own?

Perhaps there are answers to these conundra which have escaped me which will 
now be aired to assist my education.
Thank you
JAmes Biscoe
8/5/04
0845hrs