Over the past 20 years, vast sums of money have been invested in irrigation and drainage infrastructure, but far less in the most important resource of all: the people who operate, maintain, and use the constructed systems. This document presents general guidelines to help developing countries formulate a systematic training strategy for their public sector irrigation departments. Following an introduction, Chapter II examines performance objectives in the irrigation sector, the use of these objectives to improve services, and related institutional questions. A survey of conventional forms of training and their effectiveness for irrigation departments is included. Chapter III reviews systematic approaches to irrigation department training, while Chapter IV discusses key choices managers must make in planning training strategies. Though specific recommendations are avoided because of country differences, some detailed examples are provided to help managers apply general principles to circumstances. Annexed are: lists of national and international irrigation training institutions; a step-by-step summary of how to assess training needs; a list of staff categories in a typical irrigation department; an agenda for an initial planning workshop; and the mission statement of a sample irrigation organization. (Author abstract, modified).