Benny Farmer's book Pioneer Peasant Colonisation in Ceylon (1957) is a classic of agrarian studies; and its synthesis of environmental, economic and social analyses in explaining the pattern of development that has taken place in the settlement schemes of Sri Lanka's Dry Zone, represents an instance of the holism of the geographical tradition at its best. This study is intended as a small tribute to that book, which – though Farmer himself modestly describes it as ‘widely quoted and little read’ – comes to conclusions which are still of relevance today, while many of its practical recommendations have come gradually to be implemented.

This study is based on short periods of fieldwork in four of the older Dry Zone settlements, in the ‘H’ area of the new Mahaweli Project, and on Uda Walawe, all carried out in 1978, as well as on my earlier research in Hambantota District in 1974, which formed part of the Cambridge ‘Green Revolution’ Project that B.H. Farmer directed. The concern about water management which the essay reflects is one that Farmer himself identified in ‘Pioneer Peasants’ when he wrote: ‘One of the most urgent tasks if Ceylon's water resources are to be used to best advantage is to arrive at more economical use of irrigation water.’ This advice was largely ignored, however, until the recent past. Robert Chambers’ work, in particular, in the ‘Green Revolution’ Project, contributed much to increasing awareness of the importance of water management issues in official circles in Sri Lanka, and in development agencies.