INTRODUCTION

Agriculture plays a critical role in development of many countries including the

COMCEC Member Countries. It plays an essential role in economic growth,

employment and poverty reduction. In many COMCEC Member Countries, agriculture

is not only about food production but also a very important means of broad-based

income generation. It remains the function of being the largest contributor to the

livelihoods of millions of people in the COMCEC region.

Agricultural production has considerably increased worldwide since 1960s.

Ascending crop yields have crucial role in this increase. Progresses in quantity and

quality of agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer, water, mechanization, fuel, seed, land

and labor, have been the main reasons of crop yield increase. It is estimated that

growing fertilizer and irrigation applications have been responsible for over 70% of the

crop yield increase throughout the world.

Water is the most crucial input for agricultural production. Globally, agriculture

accounts for more than 80% of all freshwater used by humans, most of which is for crop

production. Besides being an indispensable input, water acts as an augmenting input in

agriculture when combined with other inputs of production such as improved seeds and

fertilizers. Thus, it has a tremendous role to play in agriculture in increasing both

production and productivity.

Today, most of the COMCEC Member Countries are suffering from water

scarcity or absolute water deficits. In addition, modern irrigation methods and water-

saving technologies are either rare or totally absent.

This study was prepared upon the request of the COMCEC Coordination Office

to elaborate on the relationships between irrigation and agricultural productivity in the

COMCEC Region. Within this framework, first of all, current agricultural status of the

COMCEC Region including agricultural population and economy was disclosed briefly

in this Report. Then, the issues regarding the irrigation in the COMCEC countries were

analyzed comprehensively. The common problems experienced in irrigation were put

forward and possible solutions were proposed and formulated for such problems.