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12 Chapter 3. Constituents of irrigated agricultural systemFigure 3. The four main constituents of irrigated agricultural systemsPlot useIrrigationSchemeSocio-economicEnvironmentOrganizationIrrigation schemeAn irrigation scheme is essentially a physical infrastructure designed todeliver water to irrigated land; it can be seen as a technical system whosemain sub-constituents refer to land or water, as shown in Figure 4 below.On the left-hand side are the constituents that refer to the land; they should beconsistent with each other. On the right-hand side are the “water constituents”that should be fitted to the “land constituents”. In addition, at each horizontallevel there is a close link between the “land constituent” and the “waterconstituent” that should ensure the cohesion of the irrigation scheme.Figure 4. The six main sub-constituents of irrigation schemesLand subconstituentsWater subconstituents1. Site2. Waterresource and3. Layout4. Watercirculation5. Plots6. Waterapplication