Congress Theme: ‘Tackling Water Scarcity in Agriculture’

Increasing water productivity, within the agricultural water management domain, is analogous to achieving water savings (while maintaining yields), which can occur at the plot level and/or at the irrigation-system level, with or without adopting new technologies. With a diminishing share of water for agriculture, food security is feasible only with an increase in agricultural productivity, the efficient use of available water and increasing exploitation of new and non-conventional sources of water.

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) strives for a water-secure world free of poverty and hunger through its mission to facilitate prudent agriculture water management. “Enabling Higher Crop Productivity with Less Water and Energy” is the most cherished goal of ICID Vision 2030. Through its tri-annual Congresses ICID, provides a forum to exchange the knowledge, information and technology solutions that are needed to tackle water scarcity. The 25^th Congress, therefore, focuses on the possible solutions of tapping alternative water resources and increasing water productivity through on-farm interventions to tackle agriculture water scarcity.

Question 64: What alternative water resources could be tapped for irrigated agriculture?

The spatial and temporal variabilities in precipitation and water availability call for harnessing the blue water component for different uses. Most irrigation systems operate at levels below the achievable efficiency and have enormous scope to improve their productivity and efficiency. Water use and management in agriculture cross many scales: crops, fields, farms, delivery systems, basins, and the nations. Farmers, as end-users and the main actors in on-farm water management, need enabling conditions in which they are willing to take initiative for improvement in productivity.

In addition to the water withdrawn from surface sources, irrigation requirements of plants can be met through rainwater, greywater, recycled wastewater, and groundwater. Rain-fed agriculture continues to contribute to about 40 per cent of global food production and most of its problems are often associated with high-intensity rainfall with large spatial and temporal variability. The dry spells need to be overcome through supplemental irrigation with the help of rainwater-harvesting systems. Adopting under-irrigation is also a strategy that can be highly beneficial in water-scarce conditions.

As one of the key alternative water resources, wastewater can be used in agriculture to compensate for water shortages, particularly in peri-urban areas. Wastewater irrigation has long development history and has undergone different phases in developing and developed countries that desires appropriate safety practices.

Question 65: Which on-farm techniques can increase water productivity?

Substantially increasing productivity, not only in terms of physical outputs but also in economic terms is essential to meet the goals of poverty alleviation, food security and water security. Water productivity is dependent on, among others, water management practices and agronomic practices. Productivity at different levels of the irrigation system needs to be critically analysed to effectively guide policy interventions and practices vital to achieving the desired objectives. Interventions that close the “yield gap” between a farm’s current yield and its higher potential yield, are especially beneficial in regions where hunger is most acute.

There are several different approaches by which farmers can improve water productivity. Options include those related to plant physiology, which focuses on making transpiration more efficient or productive, agronomic practices, which aim at reducing evaporation, and on-farm agricultural-engineering approaches, which aim at making water application more precise and more effective. Resource conserving techniques such as laser land leveller for field preparation, and ridge-furrow method form part of such a wide spectrum of options. Emerging technologies present a vista of new opportunities such as precision agriculture, biotechnology, sensor technology, bioinformatics, climate-smart agriculture, robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, etc.