Highlights•Groundwater sustainability requires challenging water-intensive forms of
agriculture.•There is a need for pluralizing ways of understanding and doing groundwater …

After a 30-year hiatus, large-scale irrigation projects have returned to the development
agenda in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the magnitude and drivers of past schemes' …

In spite of the investment and efforts made for irrigation development, many irrigation
schemes in Ethiopia are performing below design expectations leaving huge areas and …

CONTEXT Millions of people living in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of India engage in
agriculture to support their livelihoods yet are income poor, and food and climate insecure …

The rapid development of farmer-led irrigation is increasing agricultural productivity,
incomes, employment and nutrition, but it might well not achieve its full potential. Small-scale …

Efforts to mitigate the effects of invasive plant species (IPS) have not produced the desired
results due to poor adoption of land management practices developed by scientists and …

Small‐scale irrigation is one of the agricultural activities used by rural farmers to improve the
overall livelihood of the rural community by increasing income, securing food, meeting social …

CONTEXT Farmer-led innovation brings farmers together with other stakeholders in a
collaborative endeavour that recognises multiple forms of expertise. Critical engagement …

This introduction is a reflexive piece on the notion of farmer-led irrigation development and
its politics. It highlights the way the varied contributions to the Special Issue support a shared …

Small-scale irrigation has gained momentum in recent years as one of the development
priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, farmer-led irrigation is often informal with little …