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Over the last 15 years, smallholder drip irrigation has gained almost unanimous popularity as an effective tool to achieve the combined goals of sustainable water use, food security and poverty alleviation in the developing world. Based on a study in Sub-Saharan Africa, this article shows that this popularity does not stem from what the technology does in farmers’ fields, but is the result of the concerted efforts of a number of key spokespersons to align it with the projects and interests of a variety of actors, including development agents, researchers, NGO staff and pilot farmers.