Farmer-led Irrigation Development (FLID)

Farmer-led Irrigation Development (FLID) is the process through which farmers, individually or collectively, take the lead in establishing, improving, or expanding irrigated agriculture. These farmers are entrepreneurial innovators, investing their own resources, experimenting with new technologies, and linking to markets to build more reliable incomes and improve their livelihoods.

Across the world, farmers of all sizes are driving FLID and investing in irrigation to expand production, manage climate risks, and grow their enterprises. Larger commercial farmers often practice FLID by financing and operating their own systems, supported by stronger market linkages where International Finance Corporation (IFC) engagement is active. At the same time, 500 million smallholder farmers, who produce roughly 30 percent of the world’s food, still face significant constraints, including limited access to knowledge, technology, markets, and finance. Strengthening the enabling environment for all farmers while unlocking the untapped potential of smallholders is essential to advancing FLID at scale, enhancing food security, reducing poverty, and expanding rural economic opportunities.

That ambition lies at the heart of the World Bank Group’s AgriConnect initiative – a global effort to transform smallholder farming, create jobs, and strengthen food systems for a growing population. Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people will reach working age, even as the world will need 30 percent more food by 2050. Meeting this demand requires turning agriculture into a driver of opportunity.

This momentum is further anchored in the World Bank Group’s Water Forward agenda, which puts water at the center of jobs, growth, resilience, food security, and long-term prosperity. Through its Water Strategy Implementation Plan, the World Bank Group aims to improve water security for 400 million people by 2030, and the Water for Food pillar targets 50 million people through improved food security and farmer livelihoods. FLID is instrumental to realizing this ambition.

Governments and development partners are increasingly prioritizing the creation of enabling environments that allow farmers and the private sector to engage directly, complementing the traditional, government-led irrigation development with a FLID approach.

Why FLID Matters

Catalyzing farmer-led irrigation:

Improves productivity and income for smallholders;

Fast-tracks irrigation development at a larger scale;

Enhances inclusion, particularly for women and youth;

Strengthens resilience to climate shocks and market volatility;

Supports sustainability, economic growth, and poverty reduction;

Contributes to long term food security and nutrition outcomes.

Reduce the burden of irrigation development costs on public finances

The FLID Initiative at the World Bank delves into the challenges of feeding a growing population, improving nutrition, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and making agriculture a source of opportunity and shared prosperity. FLID also contributes to the attainment of many of the Sustainable Development Goals – particularly Goal 1: No poverty, Goal 2: Zero hunger, Goal 3: Health, and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

The Farmer-Led Irrigation Development Guide

About the FLID Guide

FLID requires a new frame of mind, new modes of engagement, new ways of learning, new technologies, new partnerships, and new tools. This is why the Farmer-led Irrigation Development Guide: A what, why and how-to for intervention design is an indispensable resource pack for government teams and development partners working in the agricultural, water, and irrigation sector. The FLIDguide has been created as a practical tool to help shape a new way of engaging in irrigation development. The guide can be used for many purposes, including but not limited to: 

Carrying out a rapid diagnostic

Guiding debate on outcomes with key stakeholders

Identifying critical and catalytic interventions and packaging these interventions into an operation.

The FLIDguide consolidates a wealth of knowledge on the topic and hopes to inspire informed action so that FLID continues to take root as a major driver of positive, inclusive, and sustainable change. And, importantly, it improves the lives of millions of small-scale farmers.

Download the complete FLID guide (English) here

Country Spotlights

Around the world, farmers are driving the shift from subsistence to enterprise. Governments, partners, and the World Bank are working alongside them to expand opportunities, using irrigation as an entry point to boost productivity, strengthen value chains, and unlock broader rural employment.

The examples below illustrate how this transformation is beginning to take shape.

Uganda | Scaling Micro-Scale Irrigation through Farmer Co-Investment

Uganda’s Micro-Scale Irrigation Program (MSIP) demonstrates how governments can catalyze farmer-led irrigation at scale by reducing transaction costs and creating a transparent market for irrigation services. Using the IrriTrack mobile application and a national management information system, farmers can express demand, receive tailored technical advice, and co-finance system installation.

To date, more than 4,700 smallholder farmers installed their irrigation system across 3,300 hectares, leveraging US $6.3 million in farmer co-investment. The program has stimulated a growing network of local installers and suppliers—creating jobs and service markets alongside improved productivity.

India (Uttar Pradesh) | Scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture through Public-Private Collaboration

The Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening (UP-AGREES) Project, supported by the 2030 Water Resources Group (2030 WRG) and implemented by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, represents a major push to scale farmer-led irrigation development (FLID) and climate-smart agriculture in India’s most populous state. Building on the UP PRAGATI accelerator, this US$325 million initiative aims to reach one million farmers across Eastern UP and Bundelkhand by promoting micro-irrigation, direct-seeded rice, mechanization, and digital advisory services.

Recent reforms under the UP Micro-Irrigation Program (UP-MIP) illustrate how a FLID-centered enabling environment can rapidly unlock adoption. Supported by 2030 WRG, the State standardized pricing and quality across suppliers, expanded private-sector presence in rural blocks, and introduced a digital single-window MIS linking farmers directly to companies. As of January 2025, 290,000 farmers have adopted precision irrigation, saving 18–35 percent water while boosting productivity., with installation rates exceeding 350 systems per day and private-sector participation doubling.

UP-AGREES builds squarely on this momentum, accelerating FLID and strengthening the service ecosystems needed for sustained, climate-resilient agricultural growth.

Sahel | Mapping Shallow Groundwater to Guide Investments

Under the Sahel Irrigation Initiative, a new AI-driven model predicts depth-to-water-table (DTW) at farm-plot scale in areas underlain by basement rocks by integrating satellite imagery with thousands of borehole and open-well records. The model systematically maps all farmland—including remote areas—providing a continuous DTW layer through a globally replicable workflow. This map pinpoint rainfed farmland suitable for shallow-groundwater irrigation, along with the associated pumping energy requirements, directly informing FLID and climate‑resilient investments. It helps planners identify areas where FLID is technically and financially feasible. The model uses open-access data to guide investment decisions, supporting employment and income growth through irrigated farming in fragile, climate-stressed regions. Its extension to areas underlain by basement rocks across SSA is currently underway.