Benchmarking performance in the irrigation and drainage sector: A tool for change

Abstract

With increasing pressure on available water resources, irrigation systems in many countries are having to find ways to improve performance. As often the main consumptive user, irrigation systems are having to release water for other uses and to produce "more crop per drop". Benchmarking is a valuable tool that has proven itself in the business and commercial sector, as well as in public sector enterprises. This paper describes and defines the benchmarking process, and goes on to outline its current application in the irrigation and drainage (I&D) sector. The paper highlights the difficulty of benchmarking in the I&D sector given the complexity and site-specific nature of irrigation and drain..