irrigation; sustainability, The inclusion of farmers in the decision-making process of management of irrigation systems is now accepted as necessary to increase productivity and income among the poor in the Third World. Hence, farmer participation is not simply a call for empowerment and mobilization of a hitherto powerless group, but, more fundamentally, a development strategy. The author evaluates the experience of participatory management in Sri Lanka and arrives at general conclusions, taking into account the size and complexity of the irrigation system, objectives, and capacity of agencies and farmers for participatory management as key aspects in a sustainable development strategy. (original)
