This publication examines the costs and general suitability of the different technologies to enable farmers and policy makers to make informed choices. More than one billion people still do not have access to safe drinking water, and almost two billion people suffer from diseases arising from contaminated water due to poor sanitation. Irrigation is essential for the basic food requirements of billions of people. The growing world population and global climate change make the challenges of providing adequate clean water, sanitation, and food ever more pressing. At the heart of effective irrigation lies the problem of lifting or pumping water. This handbook provides a detailed review of the water-lifting technologies available for irrigation, along with new information covering the provision of drinking water for humans and livestock. The book provides an overview of the entire spectrum of pumps and water lifting devices for small-scale applications and a basis for comparing and choosing between them. The main purpose is to provide a comprehensive single source of practical information for decision-makers concerned with the selection, sizing and procurement of water lifting systems and their power sources for both the supply of drinking water and for small-scale irrigation.--Publisher's description.