The study on women's roles in irrigated agricultural systems was conducted as part of the Diagnostic Analysis (DA) Project. The OA Project is an interdisciplinary research effort funded by the USAID/Colombo Mission with support from the Water Management Synthesis II Project (WMSIIP). The WMSIIP is an extensive project sponsored by the USAID, through the Consortium for International Development - a group of eleven western U.S. universities. The DA Project seeks to gather background information concerning selected irrigation systems, identify and prioritize constraints, and discuss various approaches for solving irrigation-related problems. Fundamental to the DA Project, is the philosophy that irrigation problems are not confined to one single discipline, such as engineering or agronomy; but rather, involve a wide range of issues including social and economic aspects as well. In order to investigate both the physical and socio-economic aspects of an irrigation system, interdisciplinary teams work together using a process of diagnostic analysis. Initially the DA Project included engineering, agronomy, sociology, and economics. Through funding from the USAID/Colombo Mission, a component relating specifically to women was added to the study.