Two governmental approaches to small-scale irrigation projects - the traditional "top-down" approach and an evolutionary approach - are analyzed. Advocating a blend of the two, the report highlights key issues relevant to each of the approaches. Conventional projects need to increase local participation in project identification, data collection, and technical design; fit the designs to the data; make designs site-specific and have them balance water use efficiency and equity; and assess the use of local contractors on a case-by-case basis. Advocates of the evolutionary approach should realize that: government experience in technically assisting local irrigation projects is generally sparse (the U.S. Department of Agriculture may provide a model); the investment needed to spur development is low if limited to the technology farmers are prepared to use; more needs to be known about how long farmers take to gain the confidence and skills they need to operate the systems at full potential; too much help can smother local initiative; and the most appropriate technologies may be traditional rather than modern.