Irrigation

Featured Articles
August 10, 2022 The irrigation at all costs mindset and narrow policies for drought protection during the colonial rule ignored rainfed agriculture and local practices that sustained agriculture in the Bombay Deccan. This continues even today.
Recurrent droughts and the struggle for survival (Image Source: Gaurav Bhosale via Wikimedia Commons):
August 9, 2022 Ensuring irrigation through farm ponds in tribal Chhattisgarh
Many tribal farmers opted for individual farm ponds under MGNREGA ensuring protective irrigation. (Image: Meenakshi Singh)
April 8, 2022 Lack of governance and six toothless irrigation acts have done very little to change the water situation on the ground in Maharashtra, argues water expert Pradeep Purandare.
Peanut irrigation in India (Image Source: Seratobikiba via Wikimedia Commons)
March 11, 2022 Subsidies enable tribal farmers to adopt micro-irrigation systems providing them assured irrigation
A key mitigation strategy to deal with water scarcity due to climate change is on-farm management of water using techniques like micro-irrigation (Image: India Water Portal Flickr)
September 17, 2021 Benefits of well-managed commons on livelihoods
Collective efforts revived the canal structure of Bichhiya dam bringing water to the village (Image: Foundation for Ecological Security)
August 29, 2021 Experience of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) in revitalizing the traditional phad irrigation system in hilly tribal villages of Western Madhya Pradesh
Community members contribute voluntary labour required for laying the pipeline network and tank construction (Image: Anjali Aggarwal)
Irrigation system operation practices - A handbook by Central Water Commission (1990)
This handbook on “Irrigation System Operation Practices” aims to build in a scientific approach as well as homogeneity in renewing the irrigation practices in the country. Posted on 21 Apr, 2011 10:36 PM

For increasing agricultural productivity from existing irrigation systems, improved operation of the systems coupled with timely maintenance of the systems has a major role to play.

An assessment of crop water productivity in the Indus and Ganges river basins: Current status and scope for improvement – A research report by IWMI
This paper presents a new approach for analysis of water productivity of rice and wheat in the Indus and the Ganges river basins Posted on 20 Apr, 2011 06:43 PM

IWMI ReportThis approach is based on the integration of readily available remote sensing, national crop productivity and land use statistics and weather data.

Comparing conventional and organic farming crop production systems - Inputs, minimal treatments and data needs - A research paper
The researchers here discuss the experiences gained from this experiment and those gathered from organic farmers. Posted on 19 Apr, 2011 02:45 AM

The following article is based on a field experiment in International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), where low cost farming systems that involve use of biological inputs obtained from the field is compared with conventional farming.

Further, the authors offer suggestions for future demonstration and verification experiments, to study the virtues of organic  farming.

Lessons from non-chemical input treatments based on scientific and traditional knowledge in a long-term farming experiment - A research paper
This paper reports on a field experiment where four crop-husbandry systems were studied. Posted on 19 Apr, 2011 12:32 AM

 

Two of the four systems are low-cost farming methods which are based on traditional and scientific knowledge on using crop residues, farm-waste, compost, Gliricidia lopping, bacterial inoculants, and herbal extracts as nutrients to nourish the soil, and as biopesticides to manage pests.

The third system is conventional agriculture which is the "control" and receives chemical input as suggested by research institutions depending on crop type. The fourth is a combination of the  first three.

The effects of agricultural water and landholdings to rural livelihoods in Indo-Gangetic basin – Research analysis by IWMI and ICAR with an emphasis on Bihar
Water use and landholding factors are widely acknowledged as major determinants of agricultural development and hence rural wealth in IGB basin and Bihar. Posted on 18 Apr, 2011 11:56 PM

IWMI PaperThe current research analysis by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in cooperation with ICAR Resear

Paddy and water management with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) – A special issue of the journal "Paddy and Water Environment"
The international journal “Paddy and Water Environment” has brought out a special issue on “Paddy and Water Management with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)” Posted on 17 Apr, 2011 10:30 AM

PAWEThis  brings together the results of formal research on SRI in a number of countries (Part I) and also reports on initiatives by government agencies, NGOs, universities, or the private sector, bringing knowledge of SRI to farmers in a wide range of agroecological circumstances (Part II). It has six articles and nine technical reports from Afghanistan, China, the Gambia, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Mali,  Pakistan, Panama, and Thailand as well as several review articles.

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), developed in Madagascar almost 30 years ago, modifies certain practices for managing plants, soil, water, and nutrients with the effect of raising the productivity of the land, labor, and capital devoted to rice production. Certain production inputs are reduced—seeds, inorganic fertilizer, water, and fuel where water is pumped—with increased yield as a result.

Evaluation of crop production systems based on locally available biological inputs - A research paper (2006)
This paper, part of a larger book 'Biological approaches to sustainable soil systems', reports the results of a field experiment, conducted in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, Posted on 14 Apr, 2011 01:28 AM

Here the yields of crops grown by low-cost inputs including plant biomass are compared with chemical fertiliser-induced production.

The study was conducted over 1999-2004, and the findings conclude that the yields of low intensive biological farming are as good, if not better than chemical fertiliser intensive farming.

Recommendations of Working Group on Agriculture to increase agricultural production and productivity in the country - PIB release
The Working Group on Agricultural Production has recommended a number of measures for increasing agricultural production and productivity. Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 05:40 PM


A summary of major recommendations of Working Group are as follows: -

Purushottam Patel's biogas-driven irrigation pump - A video case study
Purushottam Patel's biogas-driven irrigation pump Posted on 12 Apr, 2011 12:04 PM

 

 

Presentations and papers from the South Asia Conference on "Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques" organised by the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI) at Bangalore (2009)
The SAC conference was targeted at organic farmers, agricultural scientists interested in or working on organic farming and NGOs/CSOs involved in a sustainable agriculture outreach programmes. Posted on 30 Mar, 2011 06:32 PM

Image and Content Courtesy:  Organic Farming Association Of India (OFAI)

Seeds

A comprehensive set of presentations and papers from the "South Asia Conference on Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques" held at Bangalore, Karnataka on 10 and 11 September 2009, and organised by the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI), National Center of Organic Farming (NCOF) and the Third World Network, Malaysia, covering various aspects of organic, natural and sustainable agriculture, is now available on the India Water Portal.

×