Building on tradition: Indigenous irrigation knowledge and sustainable development in Asia

Indigenous irrigation systems have been a central feature of Asian agriculture since prehistoric times, and reflect technical knowledge with a proven record of sustainability. Modern agricultural development efforts often ignore this indigenous knowledge, replacing traditional infrastructure with new construction, and replacing indigenous management arrangements with state bureaucracies. For reasons of environmental conservation as well as institutional stability, indigenous irrigation systems should be intelligently assisted, rather than mindlessly replaced. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1991