Sustainable agricultural water management strategies for higher water use efficiency.

Abstract

Food requirements of the fast growing global population, exerts constant pressure for increasing the food production. Since, agricultural productivity depends on availability of water, there is increased demand of water also in agricultural sector. On the other hand, due to increased demand of water for other sectors, quantum available for irrigation sector is getting reduced. So, for meeting the increased irrigation demand, it is necessary to economize the use of water for irrigation by adopting improved technologies and improving the water use efficiency. It is estimated that, population of India may stabilize at around 1600 million by the year 2050. The available utilizable water resources would be inadequate to meet the future water needs of all sectors. Therefore, to meet the challenge of water shortage, it is imperative to use the water efficiently and increase the utilizable quantity by all possible means. Vigorous efforts would be needed by all concerned including people from all walks of life in water conservation effort.