Irrigation
Performance audit of Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) by CAG (2010)
Posted on 23 Jan, 2011 07:29 PMThe audit was conducted as a follow up audit of the earlier report on AIBP (No 15 of 2004) to assess whether the performance of AIBP had improved, and also whether the key issues highlighted in the earlier report had been appropriately addressed.
Geo-hydrological studies for augmentation of spring discharge in the Western Himalaya – Final technical report by the MOWR
Posted on 23 Jan, 2011 04:39 PMIt is an attempt to understand the effect of rainfall, physiography, lithology, slope and aspect, land use practices, vegetation, altitude, soil type and anthropogenic interference (e.g., road construction and settlement etc.) and other characteristics in the spring recharge zone on the water yield and water quality of the selected springs in the mid-altitudinal belt (lesser Himalaya) in western Himalaya (Uttaranchal).
The worsening water crisis in Gujarat - The Earth Institute
Posted on 20 Jan, 2011 04:41 PMIt was the kick-off event of an ambitious project to find solutions to the groundwater crisis in Gujarat, funded by the PepsiCo Foundation. More details of the project will follow this overview post.
Gujarat and the Mehsana region, India Source: Columbia Water Center
Managing Natural Resources -A report by IDSAsr
Posted on 18 Jan, 2011 04:24 PMThe scarcity value of natural resources has risen due to rising pressure of human population and demands made by modern economics progress. As such managing these resources has become very important.
Potential of the System of Rice Intensification for systemic improvement in rice production and water use - The case of Andhra Pradesh
Posted on 13 Jan, 2011 03:54 PMThis paper discusses the advantages of system of rice intensification over normal paddy cultivation. The researcher compare the performance of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and normal rice fields in two mandals (subdistricts) of Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. The yields from these two systems and agronomics are compared.
The need to find less water intensive methods of agriculture become important as there is a reduction in the scope of enhancing irrigation base for increase in food production. It is in this context that this research has been carried out.
Climate change: Vulnerability and adaptation experiences from Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh – A report by SDC
Posted on 05 Jan, 2011 06:44 PMThis document discusses the process oriented programme of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) on Vulnerability Assessment (V&A) and Enhancing Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change initiated in the semi-arid regions of India. The aims of this programme include strengthening the resilience of local communities to conditions of unfavourable weather, like adverse alterations in temperature and precipitation leading to the more frequent occurrence of drought and to use the experiences for policy development for climate change adaptation measures at various levels.
Over 60 per cent of the cultivated area in India is rainfed & unfavorable and uncertain rainfall patterns will seriously affect the food, drinking water and livelihood security of millions of children, women and men. Since the initiation of this project, the emphasis on proactive research on adaptation mechanisms has increased at the national level.
The present decade may mark the beginning of a new climate era, characterized by extreme and often unpredictable weather conditions and rise in sea levels. The greatest casualty of climate change will be food, water and livelihood security.
Blueprint for farm growth
Posted on 28 Dec, 2010 03:12 PM
Since the start of the 11th Five Year Plan, the growth rate in agriculture has virtually remained stagnant. A scene at a paddy field in the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Mitigating climate change through organic agriculture - Keynote address at the Third Organic Farming Association of India Convention, held at Anand, Gujarat (2010)
Posted on 25 Dec, 2010 10:43 PMGreen Revolution (GR) technologies, supported by official policies, and fuelled by agro-chemicals, machinery and irrigation, are well known to have improved agricultural production and productivity. While these technologies greatly helped developing countries to address their food-security and food-sovereignty needs, farmers using these technologies have had to depend on external inputs.
Rainfed areas and rice farming Crucial agricultural water issues
Posted on 25 Dec, 2010 08:30 PMJohn Thompson works on power, policy and sustainability issues in food and agriculture, water resource management and rural development. He is a STEPS Centre member, IDS Fellow and joint Co-ordinator of the Future Agricultures Consortium. He presents two crucial agricultural water issues to take priority on World Water Day.
Saving rice - Ambitious plans to increase productivity
Posted on 24 Dec, 2010 10:13 AMEnormous funds are being poured into research aimed at improving seed varieties, with a heavy focus on developing hybrid rice. Is it the right option for millions of small rice farmers who are already battling high input costs and increasingly unpredictable weather? Or does part of the solution lie in efficient methods of cultivation that will cut down water use and improve yield?