The current focus on water saving in drip irrigation projects has stifled more classical engineering debates on the relevance of different irrigation techniques for specific field conditions. We show that these debates remain important by analysing a drip irrigation project implemented in a sprinkler irrigation district in north‐west Morocco. The objective is to understand the apparent paradox of a state‐promoted switch to drip irrigation, provided free of charge to farmers who welcomed the project but continued using sprinkler irrigation. Data were gathered during field observations and in interviews with 138 farmers, while secondary data came from the irrigation authority. The results show that most farmers were interested in the drip irrigation project, which solved existing problems of the sprinkler network, including the difficulty of sharing hydrants, high water bills and sharing mobile sprinkler equipment. However, once the project had provided individual water access and customized water bills, 48% of farmers switched totally or partially back to sprinkler irrigation, which they considered better suited to field conditions (soils, crops, irrigation frequency). The implementation of drip irrigation in large‐scale irrigation schemes needs to go beyond the objective of water saving and be adapted to specific natural and socio‐economic conditions.