Irrigation can sustain rural livehoods: evidence from Bangladesh and Nepal

This document is an output from a research project funded by the British Government’s Department for International development (DFID). It aims to provide information for decision-makers and policy-shapers to improve their awareness of the important role of irrigated agriculture to sustain rural livelihoods. Six case studies of small-scale irrigation systems in Nepal and Bangladesh provide evidence that irrigation can sustain and improve rural livelihoods as part of an overall package of rural development measures. The document identifies pre-conditions and complementary measures to help ensure the real benefits obtainable from irrigation.