SAILABA IRRIGATION PRACTICES AND PROSPECTS

Sailaba, or runoff farming, is among the oldest forms of irrigated agr iculture. While most existing sailaba farming systems use age-old prac tices and offer considerable scope for improvement, properly construct ed and managed sailaba systems can produce good crops of fruits, nuts, cereals, and vegetables. There is little available literature that de scribes sailaba system components or the institutions responsible for sailaba construction and management. Components of sailaba farming sys tems and the institutions involved in the construction and management of these systems are described as found in Baluchistan, Pakistan. Prob lems and needed improvements for these systems have been identified Re sults from several pilot studies of structural improvements and irriga tion efficiency for sailaba systems illustrate the potential for impro ving the importance of this ancient farming system.