As the standard of living for a large section of the world population continues to increase, the strategic importance of fresh water resources also rises. It is essential to seek ways of achieving the most efficient and equitable use of these resources at the same time as making their use sustainable. Even in those countries where fresh water is currently easily available, over-exploitation is leading to damaging long-lasting environmental effects, such as lowering of water tables or depletion of river flows. Adding to these effects, the problem of contamination effectively reduces the availability of sufficient clean water. Water is also essential for irrigation purposes, but its indiscriminate use can lead not only to shortages, but also to the deterioration of crop yields and soils. Hence it is vital to ensure that irrigation is applied as effectively as possible in order to achieve sustainability.Attracting researchers in academia and industry, as well as professional practitioners and policy makers, the Second International Conference on Sustainable Irrigation provided a platform for a review of the state-of-the-art from the scientific, technological, political and economic points of view. Papers from the Meeting are published in this volume, and cover the following topics: irrigation controls; irrigation systems and planning; irrigation modelling; irrigation management; remote sensing application; irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions; re-use of water; water and soil pollution control; and bio-economic modelling.