Record Details

Efficient Management of Rainwater for Increased Crop Productivity and Groundwater Recharge in Asia

OAR@ICRISAT

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/2286/
http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/9780851996691.0199
 
Title Efficient Management of Rainwater for Increased Crop Productivity and Groundwater Recharge in Asia
 
Creator Wani, S P
Pathak, P
Sreedevi, T K
Singh, H P
Singh, P
 
Subject Watershed management
 
Description Rainwater is the main source of water for agriculture but its current use efficiency for crop production
ranges between only 30 and 45%. Annually, 300–800 mm of seasonal rainfall are not used productively,
as the rainfall becomes surface runoff or deep drainage. The International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)’s long experience, in partnership with national agricultural research
systems, in integrated watershed management has clearly demonstrated that areas with good soils in
the semi-arid tropics (SAT) in Asia can support double-cropping, while surplus rainwater could
recharge the groundwater. In the integrated watershed approach, the emphasis is on in situ conservation of rainwater at farm level, with the excess water being taken out of the fields safely through com-
munity drainage channels and stored in suitable low-cost structures. The stored water is used as
surface irrigation or for recharging groundwater. Following conservation of the rainwater, its efficient
use is achieved through choosing appropriate crops, improved varieties, cropping systems and nutrient and pest-management options for increasing productivity and conserving natural resources. Longterm, on-station watershed experiments have demonstrated that Vertisols with a rainfall of 800 mm
have the capacity to feed 18 persons haϪ1 (4.7 t of food grains haϪ1) compared with their current productivity of 0.9 t haϪ1 supporting four persons haϪ1. This increased productivity can be achieved if the
productivity of rainwater is doubled (from 30% to 67%) and the soil loss is reduced by 75% compared
with the loss under traditional methods of cultivation. By adopting such a holistic approach to the
management of rainwater in partnership with the communities, crop productivity in the watersheds is
substantially increased (up to 250%), groundwater levels improved and soil loss minimized. Results
from such on-farm integrated watersheds are discussed. Conditions for success in the improved management of rainwater are: community participation, capacity building at local level through appropriate technical guidance and the use of new scientific tools to manage the watersheds efficiently. To
sustain agricultural productivity in the SAT, this holistic approach of watershed management needs to
be scaled up through appropriate policy and institutional support and its on-site and off-site impacts
need to be studied.
 
Publisher CAB International Publishing
 
Date 2003
 
Type Book Section
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
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Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/2286/1/Efficient_management_of_rainwater_for_increased_crop_productivity_and_groundwater_recharge_in_Asia.pdf
Wani, S P and Pathak, P and Sreedevi, T K and Singh, H P and Singh, P (2003) Efficient Management of Rainwater for Increased Crop Productivity and Groundwater Recharge in Asia. In: Water productivity in agriculture: limits and opportunities for improvement. CAB International Publishing, Europe, UK, pp. 199-215. ISBN 0-85199-669-8