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Creating and Calculating the Impact of Water for Sustainable Agriculture

Creating and Calculating the Impact of Water for Sustainable Agriculture. 3 rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture ‘The Art of Farming’ 11/12 May 2010, The Square, Brussels Bharat R Sharma (b.sharma@cgiar.org).

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Creating and Calculating the Impact of Water for Sustainable Agriculture

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  1. Creating and Calculating the Impact of Water for Sustainable Agriculture 3rd Conference on Sustainable Agriculture ‘The Art of Farming’ 11/12 May 2010, The Square, Brussels Bharat R Sharma (b.sharma@cgiar.org)

  2. The scarcity and excess of water can have large, immeasurable & negative impacts……..

  3. A Regulated Use Shall Have Good Positive Impact…………

  4. But An Over-Use Shall Create Unsustainable Negative Impacts….. India In INDIAN PUNJAB………..

  5. AND IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA…………………..

  6. Fall in water table during the last decade in Moga district in Punjab, India • Environmentally unsustainable • Falling Water tables • Critical in North-West IGB; Punjab (>1 m/yr)

  7. Water Users Must Understand and Able to Measure the Impact of Water for a High Value and Sustainable Agriculture. • ‘Water-Wise Agriculture’ Helps to: • Produce Higher Amounts of Goods (Commodities) and Services. • Improve Quality of the Goods and Services. • Reduce Water Pollution/ Grey Water Footprints of Agriculture. • Release More Water for other High- Value and Competitive Domestic, Industrial and Recreation Sectors.

  8. Water footprints of rice, wheat and milk production, Moga, India

  9. Gross and net value of production per unit of land used and per unit of groundwater irrigation footprints across production systems

  10. Sustainable Scenario : Productivity & Profitability • A5: Optimize the rice area, intensify dairy production (8 dairy animals/ 6 ha), and also increase the milk productivity of crossbred cows to 15 liters/animal/day, from the present level of 10.3 liters/day. • This scenario shall achieve the hydrological balance, and also generates US$ 552 more net value of output than in base scenario . At present, average milk productivity of only 16% of the total crossbred population is more than or equal to 15 liters/day, and they contribute to 24% of the daily milk production. Further improving milk productivity with more scientific animal husbandry methods could bring huge additional financial benefits.

  11. Delay Rice Transplanting to Reduce Non-Beneficial Losses (regulated through an ACT)

  12. Source: Sidhu & Jat (2009) • * • * • * * * • * • * • * * * • * • * • * * * But Small Interventions CAN HAVE BIG IMPCTS!! Laser Land Leveling- A Water Revolution No. of laser units Farmer Investments: USD 50Million • Area under laser leveling in IGP= 1.0 m ha • Energy saving in RW valued at 60 million USD/year • Water Saving ~ 10 km3/ year • Rural employment generation ( ~1million M DAYS/year for 3000Units)

  13. Average depth of irrigation withdrawals and net irrigation requirement (NET) in fields with or without laser leveling (LL).

  14. And small amounts of water with good technology (MIS) can also have large impacts !!!

  15. Impacts of MIS (based on Survey of 302 adopters in Gujarat)

  16. Non-availability of funds especially for the state share. • Very lengthy procedure for application. • Multiple agencies to release orders and payment. • Unrealistic unit cost ( as per present day material cost). • Systemic delay in making subsidy payments. • Undue delay in getting the sanction for installation. • Poor /nil after sales service. • Delay in the installation of the system in the field. • Lack and difficulty in getting bank loans. • Wavering mind of the farmers resulting in cancellations. • Inadequate infrastructure for extension support. • Lack of trained man power for installation, repair and maintenance. Perceived Constraints for Adoption of MIS (Stakeholder Survey)

  17. Moving from Technical Pilots to Actual Water Management…………………… Educating and Convincing the Farmers is Essential.

  18. And a Smart System Design Can Do Miracles in a Small Time

  19. Finally, the Policy Changes Help to Harness the Scale Effects…… • Enabling Conditions for MIS Adoption by the Farmers • Agronomical Service • System Maintenance Support Service • MIS Insurance Service • Establishment of Grievance Cell • Providing Toll free Number for any Queries/ Technical Guidance

  20. Fast Spread of Micro-Irrigation Systems in India……… Between 1991-2009, about 4.3 M Ha have been brought under MIS, out of which 1.6 M ha are under drip irrigation. And 1.1 M ha has been added between 2006-09 only indicating a fast development. But studies shows that small framers are ignorant about actual water needs and there is a tendency to over-irrigate the crops by 30-50%. The HELPING HAND IS A WATER CALCULATOR!!

  21. LAUNCHING OF MICRO-PROCESSOR BASED WATER CALCULATOR • Works on Climatological Approach • Water Requirements (WR) of different crops in different locations. • WR as per crop geometry. • WR at different stages of crop growth • Calculates MIS Operating time as per the system design. • Takes care of MIS efficiency • Highly affordable: Unit cost is US$ 35. (SYSLAB)

  22. And Now the Bigger Challenge !! ‘WATER CALCULATOR’ MAY BE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A ‘WATER IMPACT CALCULATOR’ AND WATER ADVISORY SERVICE/ GUIDE FOR THE FARMERS IN THE WATER STRESSED REGIONS OF INDIA AND ELSEWHERE.

  23. Potential Impacts Estimation…… • Water availability and water withdrawal (-/ +) balance (Farm/ micro watershed). • Actual water needs of crops and the existing farming system (individual/ community). • Energy and equipment needs for water withdrawal. • Estimated crop/ farm production under BAU scenario. • Financial impacts.

  24. Guidance for Sustainable Agriculture (Water-Efficient Farms and Communities) • Managing individual/ community water balance- Potential for water savings and reduction in water use. • Adoption of appropriate equipments for water withdrawal and conveyance. • Improved efficiency of water application- potential of micro irrigation systems for the high value crops and forages. • Improved farm enterprise design – : optimal mix of crops- horticulture- livestock- agro-forestry- fisheries ( economizing water use for maximizing the farm returns). • Reducing the grey water footprints in crops and livestock/ dairy production

  25. Knowledge Bank for All !!! • Best practices – global knowledge for local problems. • Practical tool-kits: • Calculate your water requirements (weekly/ monthly/ seasonal/ annual). • Forecast your yields (crops/ vegetables/ fruits/ fisheries/milk). • Media Publicity and Showcasing the Success Story: • Reaching the Unreached • ( Handbook, Thematic briefs, Leaflets, Videos, Hands-On Practice Sheets)

  26. Thank You

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