The CDAA Framework for Development of Sustainable Large-scale Smallholder Irrigation Schemes in Swaziland

Poverty affects nearly a billion of the world population and many of these people are living in rural communities. Smallholder irrigation development plays a pivotal role in reducing rural poverty. Many smallholder schemes have failed in the past due to poor planning and community disputes. This paper presents a promising framework, the CDAA, for developing sustainable smallholder irrigation schemes which is currently applied in the LUSIP project in Swaziland. The strength of the framework is that; 1) it makes the primary beneficiary (community) the main driver of the development, and 2) it significantly changes the economic state of the community.