Paper Title
On the Needs for Continued Development of AD HOC Instrumentation Systems for Optimizing Water Resources Management in Developing Countries: Local Action in the Global Context

Abstract
Over the last few decades, there has been increasing concern worldwide regarding appropriate management of water resources to achieve sustainable development. In particular, for developing countries, agriculture consumes the largest percentage of the water resources available. For instance, in México, 77% of the water available for consumptive use is used in agriculture; it is estimated that 50% is wasted by various inherent processes; thus improving irrigation practices can yield better irrigation efficiency. There are multiple issues that preclude the widespread adoption of new technologies for improving irrigation practices and planning allocation of water resources in developing countries. The authors present a summary of current policies that motivate the need for continued innovation and summarizes the results of a joint international initiative for developing ad hoc soil water content instrumentation considering final product acceptability in the Michoacán, Mexico region. Index Terms - Irrigation efficiency, soil moisture, instrumentation, water resources management, electrical imepdance.