India: Technology and Policy for Water and Food Security

Technology and Policy Support for
Ensuring Water and Food Security in
Dry Areas: India’s Experience
International Conference on Policies for Water and Food Security in Dry Areas
24th to 26th of June, Cairo, Egypt
Alok Kumar Sikka
India
InternationalConferenceonPoliciesforWaterandFoodSecurityinDryAreas–
24-26June,Cairo,Egypt
1

Overview of the national agricultural sector
 India has
 2.3 % of world’s land
 4.2 % of world’s freshwater resources
 16 % of world’s population
 17 % of world’s cattle population
 Agriculture supports livelihood
for 52% of workforce
 Contributes 14% to GDP
 Key role in national food
security, supports increased
population from 361 to 1180
million between 1951 & 2010
 Net sown area increased from
119 (1950-51) to 140 (1970-71)
M ha, and still about 141 M ha.
 Untapped potential in rainfed
areas (60% of NSA)
 Challenged to produce 345 Mt by
2030 from 141 M ha or less.
 80% small & marginal holders
posses 36% landChanges in Man- Arable Land ratio over the years
2

Major Agro-ecosystems, Crops &
production systems
3
.
Rice-based

Water Resources
4
 Irrigation uses 83% of water, diversion
of water to agriculture expected to
reduce (72% by 2025)
 Increased water use efficiency and
water productivity as response to
growing challenges
Source Quantity (BCM)
Annual rainfall (1190mm) : 4000
 Estimated Utilizable water : 1122
Net Irrig. Area : 60 Mha (40%)
Groundwater Contribution : 60%
Rainfed Area : 83 Mha (60%)
GAP
Plan-wise irrigation potential created and utilized in India
(Cumulative)

Key drivers for agricultural growth
 Agricultural Research and Technology Development
 Enabling Policies and Programmes
 Enabling Institutions
 Water and rural Infrastructures
 Investment in agriculture
 Incentivization
5

Constraints
 Increasing population pressure (1210 million)
 Monsoon dependent agriculture, low and/or erratic
rainfall
 Pre-dominance of small and marginal farmers
 Declining land- base for agriculture
 Severe land degradation
 Declining per capita water availability
 Falling water tables and water quality
 Resource poor farmers with low risk bearing capacity
 Shortage of farm labor
 Increasing cost of inputs
 Declining profitability in agriculture
 Uncertainties associated with prices/ realization
6

7
Agricultural Development Scenario
I. Before Mid 1960’s Low input and low productivity technology– subsistence agriculture.
II. Mid 1960’s to 1990 High input and high productivity technology – production enhancement to
meet food grain demand of growing population (GRT- 1967).
III. 1990 onwards
(Post Economic Reforms)
Over-exploitation of resources – deceleration in productivity growth rate;
unsustainability of agriculture.
IV. Mid 2000’s Initiated different Missions and focus on certified seed production improved
growth
Trend growth in GDP-Agriculture
based on 10 years period: From
1951-1961 to 2001-2011 (%)

8
Water & Agriculture Policies/Programs
 Technological reforms (Research & Development)
 Institutional reforms
 Reforms related to marketing and prices
 Inputs and subsidies
 Extension and education reforms
 Green Revolution supported by HYVs of rice and
wheat with emphasis on irrigation development and
fertilizer in the late sixties gave the major
breakthrough.

9
Contours of Water & Agricultural Policy
 Land reforms 1950s
 Public Investments on Irrigation Dev., 1961 onwards
 Setting up of Agricultural Prices Commission and FCI, 1965
 Green Revolution, 1966-70s
 Setting up of RRBs,1975
 Integrated Rural Development Program, 1976
 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, 1982
 Economic Reforms, 1991
 Initiating large scale watershed development programs, 1990s
 Implementation of WTO agreement, 1995
 Targeting of PDS, 1997
 Rationalization of MSP Policy, 2000
 National Agricultural Policy, 2000
 Encouragement to food processing industry, 2004
 Enhancing the flow of institutional agricultural credit, 2004
 National Policy for farmers, 2007
 National Water Policy 1987, 2002, 2008 and 2012
 Setting up different Missions for speedy agriculture growth 2007
 Bringing Green revolution to eastern India, 2010
 Encouraging crop diversification

Programmes/Schemes in the Water
Sector
Major and Medium Irrigation
Projects
Irrigation potential created increased from
9.72 M ha (1950-51) to 46 M ha (2011-12);
utilized only 35 M ha (2011-12)
Accelerated Irrigation Benefits
Programme (AIBP)
108.21 M ha irrigational potential created
(about 77% of UIP)
Command Area Development and
Water Management Programme
(CADWM):
About 22 M ha covered since inception upto
March, 2011
National Project for Repair,
Renovation and Restoration
(RRR) of Water Bodies
Restoration completed in 1054 water bodies
in 15 States
Artificial Recharge to Ground
Water through Dug wells
Implemented in 1180 over exploited, critical
and semi-critical blocks in 7 States.
National Water Mission Major goal to improve water use efficiency at
least by 20%
National Mission on Micro
Irrigation (NMMI)
Promoting enhanced WUE 10

Major Programs in Agriculture
National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY)
Accelerated pulse Production Programme (A3P)
Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA)
Integrated Scheme of Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil palm and Maize (ISOPOM)
National Horticulture Mission (NHM)
Oil palm development Programme (OPDP)
Initiative for Nutritional security through Intensive Millet Promotion
(INSIMP)
Brining Green revolution in Eastern India (BGREI)
Foodgrain production of 257.44 million tones during 2011-12.Foodgrain production of 257.44 million tones during 2011-12.
The production of rice, wheat and pulses increased by 11, 15, and 3 millionThe production of rice, wheat and pulses increased by 11, 15, and 3 million
tones against the targeted 10, 8, and 2 million tonnes respectively duringtones against the targeted 10, 8, and 2 million tonnes respectively during
2011-12 as a result of NFSM alone.2011-12 as a result of NFSM alone.
11
Conti……

Watershed Management Programmes:
• Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)
• Desert Development Programme (DDP)
• Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP)
• Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)
• National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA)
• Hill Area Development Programme (HADP)
• Western Ghat Development Programme (WGDP)
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA)
12

Features of the case study
InternationalConferenceonPoliciesforWaterandFoodSecurityinDryAreas
–24-26June,Cairo,Egypt
13

Rainfed/dryland Farming :
Challenges
 India has rainfed area of 83 Mha (60% of Net sown area),
spanning several ago-ecologies.
 Characterised by low/erratic rainfall and water scarcity
 Low rainfed yields of about 1 t/ha
 Supports 40% of population, 60% livestock and contributes
only 40% to the food grains production.
 Rainfed areas grow about 87% each of coarse cereals and
pulses, 80% oil seeds, 65% cotton and 50% cereals.
 Distress prone, vulnerable, under invested, more poverty.
 Climate change projected to have implications.
 Green revolution by-passed rainfed areas.
 Vast potential to contribute to food security and livelihood .
14

Major rainfed production systems of India
15

16
 Even with the cumulative policy neglect and low investments ($ 240-300 /ha against
$ 4000-5000 /ha in canal irrigation), rain-fed agriculture contributes significantly to the
national economy
 Rainfed crops have shown more impressive growth rates in recent years as
compared to irrigated crops like rice and wheat
 Growth rate in yield of coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds taken together was much
higher (2.18%) than that of rice (1.40%) and wheat (0.46%). Based on compound
growth rate (1998-99 to 2008-09)
Growth rate in area, production and yield of major crops in India,
1998-99 to 2008-09

 Rainfall surplus of 114 BCM available for harvesting from 27.5
M ha cropped rainfed area .
 A part of this adequate to provide one supplemental irrigation
of 10 cm to 20.65 M ha and 25.08 M ha during drought and
normal years respectively.
 Harvested rainwater used in SI had highest marginal productivity
and increase in rainfed production up to 50% was achievable.
 Demonstrate challenging opportunity for prioritising research
and development efforts in increasing rain water use efficiency
and rain water productivity.
Higher Marginal Return in Productivity of
Rainfed Areas
Source: Sharma et al. (2010)
17

18
Watershed Management - A Policy InstrumentWatershed Management - A Policy Instrument
 Initially Soil & Water conservation, now focuses on social,
institutional and livelihood aspects besides bio-physical
aspects.
 Watershed programmes implemented under an array of
national schemes/programmes.
 Watershed programmes have undergone revision and
reorganisation.
 With the introduction of Common Guidelines -2008, new
watershed projects have been taken up.
 Accordingly, DPAP, DDP and IWDP of the Department of
Land Resources have been merged into a single modified
programme called Integrated Watershed Management
Programme (IWMP)

Decentralization of powers to the States.
Dedicated multi-disciplinary professional institutions at national,
state, district, Project level.
Flexible project duration with 3 distinct phases.
Livelihoods focused through integrated farming systems, micro-
enterprises, marketing etc.
Clustering of small watersheds (1000-5000 ha ) to optimize
transaction cost & have more visible impact.
Scientific planning using new tools and technology inputs including
RS, GIS,GPS and modeling.
Capacity building planning.
Multi tier Ridge to valley planning and implementation including
treatment of forest areas forming integral part of watershed.
Key Features of Common Guidelines-2008Key Features of Common Guidelines-2008
19

CONTINUOUS CONTOUR
TRENCH
Earthen Bund After Plantation
EARTHEN STRUCTURES PERCOLATION TANK
Recharged open
well
Hiware Bazaar MWS Ahmednagar, MH
20

Cup and Saucer
shaped micro-
catchment
Trench at the
upstream
Half moon shaped
micro-catchment
21

22
22

 Success witnessed where water availability, surface and/or sub-
surface/groundwater, was increased and used for productive and
livelihood enhancement.
 Over-exploitation of groundwater and resulting well failure has
become risky even pushing farmers into debt trap, and also leading
to in-equity.
 Groundwater management through water positive on-farm
practices, water budget based cropping, generating hydrologic
information at village level involving community, demystifying
hydrology to make user friendly.
 Enabling policies, water rights and institutional mechanism for
water use.
 Key Issue: Integration of water management principles with WSM
Water Management in WSM Programmes
23

Multiple Uses of Harvested Rainwater in Rainfed Region
Cap. 1200 m3
Command area 0.7 ha
Vegetables , Fruits &
pulse
Agril. WP Rs. 31/m3
24

Kadwanchi Watershed, Jalna
Farm diversification by a
marginal farmer
Loose rock check dam
RKVY Pond with lining by
farmer’s own resources
Rain Water harvesting dam
Luxurious growth of fodder
grass in community land
Brought out difference in enhanced water availability,
fodder and drinking water during 2012 -13 drought
25

0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
Before Project 0.26 0.67 0.5 0.37
After Project 0.33 0.82 0.64 0.65
Cultivated Land
Utilization Index
Crop
Diverification
Index
Crop
Productivity
Index
Land Levelling
Index
Impact of Watershed Development
Watershed Water storage
capacity created
(ha-cm)
Wells
influenced
Increase in
well recharge
rate (%)
Irrigated area
increase (%)
Antisar 1584 73 23 90
Bada Khera 256 20 6 65
Salaiyur 266 46 10-15 84
26

Overall Impact of Watershed
Development Programmes
An area of about 57 M ha developed since inception upto 2010-11
Net sown area increased from 140.00 Mha in 1980-81 to 141.36
million ha. in 2008-09, despite increase in area of about 6.65 million
hectare under non-agricultural uses during the same period. Inspire
of that net sown area more or less remained same which could be
due to WSM
Wasteland has been reduced from 63.97 M ha to 55.27 M ha.
Comprehensive assessment of watershed programmes in India
concludes:
 Enhancement in rural income by 58%
 Increased agricultural productivity by 35%
 Additional environmental & social benefits
27

 Best performance in areas that targeted low & medium income
groups, and in medium rainfall (700-1100 mm).
 Greater benefits where people’s participation was higher.
 Water is the major “entry point”.
 GO-NGO jointly implemented programs performed better.
 Lack of efficient water use management interventions.
 Lack of linking resource conservation with productivity and
livelihoods.
 Lack of sustenance of local institutions, capacity building.
 Vast scope to improve, as 35 % MWS performing above
average.
Water Harvesting and WSM ProgramsWater Harvesting and WSM Programs
A Vehicle for Rainfed Area ManagementA Vehicle for Rainfed Area Management
28

Optimizing Crops
Horticulture
Live-Stock
Farming Systems
• IWMP
. NWDPRA
. Micro Irrigation
. AGWR, AIBP
. CAMPA
• Hort. & Bamboo
Mission
• NREGA
(40% material)
•SGSY
(Self employment)
•Vth & VIth
schedule
Forest &
Agriculture
Shared
Watersheds
•RKVY, BRGF
•State finance Commission
•MPLAD
•Others
•Planning at the grass-root
29

Lessons Learned
The under-invested rainfed areas have higher marginal productivity of
water, investments, fertilizers, energy and should be prioritized in the
investment portfolio
Well executed participatory watershed management programme can
contribute to drought proofing, food security and livelihood
improvement
Water budget based crop planning for improving crop water
productivity
Potential for combining natural resources conservation goals with
productivity, carrying capacity and and livelihood augmentation
Incentives and reward mechanism for conservation of water and
energy
Priorities for water management in rainfed areas and water markets,
water cooperatives and water franchisee
30

Emerging issues
Bridging demand-supply gap through more focused approach on demand
side management interventions
Small holder affordability and profitability calls for R & D into
development of farmer centric and location specific solutions.
Rationalization of input subsidies in irrigation, fertilizers and electricity to
reduce natural resource degradation
Stakeholder aquifer management through participatory monitoring and
planning
Managing soil health
Climate change adaptation for water and food security, and risk
management
How to coordinate and converge ? A Major challenge
Reforms in major and medium irrigation to bridge the gap between
potential created
Challenging task of coordinating water management issues as being
handle by multiple department/Ministries
31

Main recommendations to policy-makers for
scaling-up, and for reducing constraints
 Mixed Rainfed Livelihood: Focus on rainfed livelihoods through a mix
of agriculture, livestock, horticulture, fishery, agroforestry and IGAs
measures.
 NRM and Production System Integration: A single window inclusive
and holistic Flagship program for rainfed areas, combining natural
resource conservation and use with production and livelihood
interventions.
 Convergence: Unified mechanism for convergence of schemes,
resources and institutions (by design not default) in degraded/rainfed
areas, large scale pilots for demonstration
 Climate resilience: Re-orientation of on-going Schemes for enhanced
adaptive capacity to climate change. For ex., WSM as a strategy
framework, safety nets eg. insurance, credit.
32

Thanks for listening
Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome
34

 A four fold increase in land productivity
 A three fold increase in water productivity
 A six fold increase in labour productivity
 About Half through labour-capital substitution
Along with:-
 Energy saving and low emission
Main Target in 2050
33

India: Technology and Policy for Water and Food Security

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