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)
Harvest of Grief: A film by Rasil Basu and Ekatra Production that explores the severe agricultural crisis in Punjab
The north Indian state of Punjab was once a land of plenty, considered the breadbasket of the nation. Posted on 22 Mar, 2011 02:48 PM

 

 

Measuring irrigation subsidies in Andhra Pradesh and Southern India: An application of the GSI method for quantifying subsidies – A paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
This paper deals with the application of the GSI method for quantifying irrigation subsidies in Andhra Pradesh and Southern India. Posted on 21 Mar, 2011 08:49 AM

 The objectives of the study included: i) assessing the application of a common method for measuring irrigation subsidies in order to develop accurate, replicable and reliable subsidy estimates and ii) providing policy advice aimed at improving and standardizing the reporting of data on irrigation subsidies. 

Sowing seeds of consciousness - Presentations from the South Asia Conference on "Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques", Bangalore organised by OFAI (2009)
Conserving seeds - from production to collection to storage - in organic and natural form is the key to sustainable agriculture. Posted on 20 Mar, 2011 06:14 PM

Conserving SeedsThis set of presentations from the conference on Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques held during September 2009 at Bangalore deals with the conservation of seeds particularly for small subsistence farmers who are not very well linked with local markets and for whom seed production is still an integral part of farming activity seamlessly merged with the growing of crops and the totality of work and life on a farm.

Promoting plant health and a living soil in organic, natural, sustainable agriculture - Presentations from the South Asia Conference on "Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques", Bangalore organised by OFAI (2009)
Tackling the vulnerability of plant health with organic farming. Devising ways and restoring traditional techniques to agriculture to improve quality and quantity of produce. Posted on 20 Mar, 2011 05:57 PM

SprayingThis set of presentations from the conference on Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques held during September 2009 at Bangalore deals with methods for promoting plant health through organic farming.

Healthy fields: Managing plant health

This presentation by S R Sundaraman of Tamil Nadu Farmers Technology Association, Erode on managing plant health begins with an account of the techniques that can be employed in TNRH 29 rice through organic SRI methods. The following are recommended in harvesting stage – (a) four irrigations with fruit gaudi (b) two applications of MEM (c) application of four sprays and (d) four applications of parasites. The growth promoters used are Archea solution, Concentrated Amudham Sol, Panchakavya, Butter Milk Sol, Fish/Egg Extract, Leaf Extract Solution-pest control and TFPE-MN Supplements. Apart from rice, the other crops dealt with are maize, kadali banana, turmeric, sugarcane and vegetables.

Introduction to organic, natural, sustainable agriculture - Presentations from the South Asia Conference on "Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques", Bangalore organised by OFAI (2009)
How organic farming is the solution to food security? Why is organic farming preferred? What are the costs it involves? These presentations introduce organic farming with the issues associated to it. Posted on 20 Mar, 2011 05:44 PM

Paddy SeedlingsThis set of presentations from the conference on Outstanding Organic Agriculture Techniques held during September 2009 at Bangalore provides an introduction to organic farming, and bringing together various issues related to organic farming.

Organic farming can feed the world

This presentation by Claude Alvares, deals with the work of India’s organic farming community and the Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI). It states that the best organic farmers look to the forest for their learning. It details out how one raises plants (or trees) without – (a) NPK (b) Dams and canal irrigation (c) Tractors (d) Pesticides, weedicides, fungicides, homicides (e) Bank credit or bank extension officers (f) Agricultural scientists or universities (g) Negative environmental effects like climate change and (h) Water pollution.

Channels of change - Down to Earth
Two villages in Uttar Pradesh have reversed the trend of migration by digging six kilometres of channels to bring water to drought-hit farms. Posted on 03 Mar, 2011 11:06 AM


Socio-economic implications of depleting groundwater resource in Punjab: A comparative analysis of different irrigation systems - An EPW paper
This article in the Economic and Political Weekly is based on a comparative analysis of different irrigation systems. Posted on 01 Mar, 2011 06:00 PM

It argues that while the consequences of negative groundwater draft have mostly been viewed as an ecological disaster, the externalities of groundwater depletion pose greater concern for socio-economic equity in the access to this resource.

Ancient, traditional water and agricultural management systems - A collection of papers from the national seminar on water and culture, organised at Hampi, by Sahayoga and Kannada University (2007)
Integrating traditional techniques with modern practices for those working towards providing sustainable access to water and food, for all common citizens. Posted on 14 Feb, 2011 06:28 AM

A National Seminar on Water and Culture was organised by Sahayoga and Kannada University between June 25-27 2007. The seminar was intended to provide useful documentation to those working on water and agricultural management systems, those interested in integrating these traditional techniques with modern practices and to those working towards providing sustainable access to water and food, for all common citizens.

Two ancient irrigation systems of India - Paper presented at the National Seminar on Water and Culture (2007)
This paper presents two different types of irrigation systems used in ancient India. Both are based on the overflow system of irrigation. Posted on 14 Feb, 2011 05:03 AM

The Phad system of irrigation, is found in Maharashtra over the rivers Panzara, Girna and Burai, which are tributaries of Tapi.

Water conservation in the dry regions of India for sustainable agriculture - Paper presented at the National Seminar on Water and Culture (2007)
Conserving water on the farms with different techniques and multiple cropping patterns Posted on 14 Feb, 2011 04:31 AM

This paper attempts to discuss farm water conservation techniques and multiple  cropping patterns with the idea of minimising water use. The authors provide a glimpse of agricultural facts that include total geographical area, net sown area etc. They provide population trends in the country to point out to the water and food stress.