Molle François auteur aut IRD Rap E. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access In the past three decades successive "Irrigation Improvement Projects" (IIP) have been implemented in the Nile Valley and Delta of Egypt. They have consisted in replacing scattered individual pumps by collective pumps serving distribution networks at the tertiary level, while ensuring a continuous flow in secondary canals, in lieu of the rotational system. This intervention has been praised as "a state-of-the-art project" spearheading the 'modernization' of irrigation in Egypt. Given their ambitious objectives and the massive investment of capital planned - the 1986 policy's target was to 'improve' one million ha by the year 2000 - these modernization efforts warrant thorough independent evaluation. This article attempts to revisit the achievements of the project after 30 years of implementation by presenting findings derived from fieldwork surveys carried out in the central part of the Delta. We document how these socio-technical innovations perform on the ground, how they change water distribution and how, in turn, they are adopted and reshaped by farmers. Understanding the contexts in which improvement projects are most beneficial, and the conditions under which such investments may be at risk, leads us to make recommendations as to how the design and implementation of these projects can be improved but also to ask whether such investment is essential for the country. specialized Irrigation efficiency Water user association Pump station Development project Nile Delta Egypt EGYPTE 062 098 216 425-435 2019 0378-3774 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075479 10.1016/j.agwat.2019.02.013 0378-3774 [F B010075479] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010075479 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2019/04/010075479.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2019-05-13 2025-02-24 fdi:010075479 fre