Your search found 12 records
1 Schulthess, U.; Krupnik, T. J.; Ahmed, Z. U.; McDonald, A. J. 2015. Decentralized surface water irrigation as a pathway for sustainable intensification in southern Bangladesh: on how much land can the drop be brought to the crop? In Humphreys, E.; Tuong, T. P.; Buisson, Marie-Charlotte; Pukinskis, I.; Phillips, M. (Eds.). Proceedings of the CPWF, GBDC, WLE Conference on Revitalizing the Ganges Coastal Zone: Turning Science into Policy and Practices, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 21-23 October 2014. Colombo, Sri Lanka: CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF). pp.542-552.
Surface water ; Salinity ; Irrigation methods ; Surface irrigation ; Decentralization ; Crop production ; Intensification ; Sustainability ; Farmland ; Land use ; Remote sensing ; Satellite imagery ; Soil salinity / Southern Bangladesh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047201)
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/66389/Revitalizing%20the%20Ganges%20Coastal%20Zone%20Book_Low%20Version.pdf?sequence=1
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047201.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047201.pdf
(0.61 MB) (11.9 MB)
2 Qureshi, A. S.; Yasmin, S.; Howlader, N. C.; Hossain, K.; Krupnik, T. J.. 2015. Potential for expansion of surface water irrigation through axial flow pumps to increase cropping intensification in southern Bangladesh. In Humphreys, E.; Tuong, T. P.; Buisson, Marie-Charlotte; Pukinskis, I.; Phillips, M. (Eds.). Proceedings of the CPWF, GBDC, WLE Conference on Revitalizing the Ganges Coastal Zone: Turning Science into Policy and Practices, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 21-23 October 2014. Colombo, Sri Lanka: CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF). pp.553-565.
Surface water ; Water management ; Irrigation methods ; Surface irrigation ; Canal irrigation ; Axial flow pumps ; Centrifugal pumps ; Discharges ; Agricultural production ; Crop management ; Intensification ; Land productivity ; Technology transfer ; Economic evaluation ; Performance evaluation ; Farmer participation ; Private sector / Southern Bangladesh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047202)
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/66389/Revitalizing%20the%20Ganges%20Coastal%20Zone%20Book_Low%20Version.pdf?sequence=1
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047202.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047202.pdf
(0.32 MB) (11.9 MB)
3 Amjath-Babu, T. S.; Krupnik, T. J.; Kaechele, H.; Aravindakshan, S.; Sietz, D. 2016. Transitioning to groundwater irrigated intensified agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa: an indicator based assessment. Agricultural Water Management, 168:125-135. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2016.01.016]
Groundwater irrigation ; Farming systems ; Transitional farming ; Intensive farming ; Indicators ; Principal component analysis ; Agricultural development ; Sustainable agriculture ; Population growth ; Market access ; Economic impact ; Social aspects ; Food security / Africa South of Sahara / Burkina Faso / Ghana / Malawi / Ethiopia / Nigeria / Zambia / Namibia / Cameroon / Zimbabwe / Kenya
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047631)
(0.89 MB)
Growing populations, changing market conditions, and the food security risks posed by rainfed cropping and climate change collectively indicate that Sub-Saharan African nations could benefit from transforming agricultural production to more intensive yet resilient and sustainable systems. Although highly underutilized, emerging evidence indicates that groundwater may be more widely available than previously thought, highlighting its potential role in facilitating such a transformation. Nevertheless, the possibility for such a transition is conditioned by number of complex factors. We therefore construct a transition index that integrates data considering groundwater and energy availability and cost, market access, infrastructural needs, farm conditions and natural resource stocks, labor availability, climate, population density, as well as economic and political framework variables, using a principal component analysis based methodology. Using the consequent multi-dimensional transition index and constituent intermediate indices, we provide an assessment of groundwater irrigation potential discussed in consideration of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zambia, Namibia, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe. Our results, though preliminary, provide a methodology for conducting such an integrated assessment, while deriving a holistic set of policy options considering the transition towards appropriate use of groundwater for agricultural development.
4 Qureshi, A. S.; Ahmad, Z. U.; Krupnik, T. J.. 2015. Moving from resource development to resource management: problems, prospects and policy recommendations for sustainable groundwater management in Bangladesh. Water Resources Management, 29(12):4269-4283. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1059-y]
Resource management ; Groundwater management ; Sustainability ; Water use efficiency ; Surface water ; Water table ; Water policy ; Tube wells ; Pumps ; Energy consumption ; Aquifers ; Recharge ; Discharges ; Irrigated farming ; Cropping patterns ; Rice ; Arsenic ; Contamination ; Health hazards / Bangladesh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H047757)
(1.75 MB)
Increased groundwater accessibility resulting from the expansion of deep and shallow tube wells helped Bangladesh attain near self-sufficiency in rice, with national output increasing over 15 million tons in the last two decades. However, problems associated with the excessive exploitation of groundwater notably declining water tables, deteriorating water quality, increasing energy costs and carbon emissions are threatening the sustainability of Bangladesh’s groundwater irrigated economy. The forefront challenge, therefore, is to shift the focus from development to management of this precious resource. To ease out pressure on groundwater resources, attention must be diverted to further develop surface water resources. In addition to increasing supplies, water demand also need to be curtailed by increasing water use efficiency through the adoption of water conserving practices such as reduced tillage, raised bed planting, and the right choices of crops. Decreasing water availability both in terms of quantity and quality suggest that the unchecked expansion of dry season boro rice cultivation may not be a long-term option for Bangladesh. Therefore less thirsty wheat and maize crops may be promoted as feasible alternatives to boro. In addition to technical solutions, strong linkage between different institutions will be needed to evaluation strategic options and effective implementation of national policies for the management of groundwater resources.
5 Mottaleb, K. A.; Krupnik, T. J.; Keil, A.; Erenstein, O. 2019. Understanding clients, providers and the institutional dimensions of irrigation services in developing countries: a study of water markets in Bangladesh. Agricultural Water Management, 222:242-253. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.05.038]
Irrigation management ; Water market ; Water pricing ; User charges ; Developing countries ; Groundwater ; Pumps ; Tube wells ; Farmers ; Human capital ; Social capital ; Seasonal cropping ; Rice ; Surface water ; Institutions ; Risk management ; Sustainability ; Models / Bangladesh
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049294)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377418306620/pdfft?md5=8dc52896fbc756e5dd42214a7992ff74&pid=1-s2.0-S0378377418306620-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049294.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049294.pdf
(3.14 MB) (3.14 MB)
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated nations that nonetheless has largely achieved staple self-sufficiency. This development has been enabled in part by the rapid proliferation of small-scale irrigation pumps that enabled double rice cropping, as well as by a competitive market system in which farmers purchase water at affordable fee-for-service prices from private irrigation pump owners. Excess groundwater abstraction in areas of high shallow tube-well density and increased fuel costs for pumping have however called into question the sustainability of Bangladesh’s groundwater irrigation economy. Cost-saving agronomic methods are called for, alongside aligned policies, markets, and farmers’ incentives. The study assesses different institutions and water-pricing methods for irrigation services that have emerged in Bangladesh, each of which varies in their incentive structure for water conservation, and the level of economic risk involved for farmers and service providers. Using primary data collected from 139 irrigation service providers and 556 client-farmers, we empirically examine the structure of irrigation service types and associated market and institutional dimensions. Our findings demonstrate that competition among pump owners, social capital and personal relationships, and economic and agronomic risk perceptions of both pump owners and farmers significantly influence the structure of irrigation services and water pricing methods. Greater competition among pump owners increases the likelihood of pay-per-hour services and reduces the likelihood of crop harvest sharing arrangements. Based on these findings, we explore policy implications for enhancing irrigation services and irrigation sustainability in Bangladesh.
6 Urfels, A.; McDonald, A. J.; Krupnik, T. J.; van Oel, P. R. 2020. Drivers of groundwater utilization in water-limited rice production systems in Nepal. Water International, 45(1):39-59. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2019.1708172]
Groundwater irrigation ; Water use ; Agricultural production ; Rice ; Shallow tube wells ; Irrigation scheduling ; Irrigation efficiency ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Resilience ; Water market ; Pumps ; Electrification ; Solar energy ; Model / Nepal / Eastern Gangetic Plains / Rupandehi / Banke / Kailali
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049516)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02508060.2019.1708172?needAccess=true#aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGFuZGZvbmxpbmUuY29tL2RvaS9wZGYvMTAuMTA4MC8wMjUwODA2MC4yMDE5LjE3MDgxNzI/bmVlZEFjY2Vzcz10cnVlQEBAMA==
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049516.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049516.pdf
(2.85 MB) (2.85 MB)
Most rice farmers in Nepal’s Terai region do not fully utilize irrigation during breaks in monsoon rainfall. This leads to yield losses despite abundant groundwater resources and ongoing expansion of diesel pumps and tubewell infrastructure. We investigate this puzzle by characterizing delay factors governing tubewell irrigation across wealth and precipitation gradients. After the decision to irrigate, different factors delay irrigation by roughly one week. While more sustainable and inexpensive energy for pumping may eventually catalyze transformative change, we identify near-term interventions that may increase rice farmers’ resilience to water stress in smallholder-dominated farming communities based on prevailing types of irrigation infrastructure.
7 Foster, T.; Adhikari, R.; Adhikari, S.; Justice, S.; Tiwari, B.; Urfels, A.; Krupnik, T. J.. 2021. Improving pumpset selection to support intensification of groundwater irrigation in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains. Agricultural Water Management, 256:107070. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107070]
Groundwater irrigation ; Pumping ; Technology ; Intensification ; Food security ; Energy ; Nexus ; Irrigation systems ; Tube wells ; Fuel consumption ; Supply chains ; Agricultural productivity ; Farmers ; Livelihoods ; Policies / South Asia / India / Nepal / Indo-Gangetic Plains / Rupandehi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050543)
(5.02 MB)
Intensification of groundwater irrigation is central to goals of improving food security and reducing chronic poverty faced by millions of rural households across the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) of Nepal and parts of eastern India. At present, levels of groundwater use and access in the EIGP lag far behind other areas of South Asia despite abundant available groundwater resources. A key reason for prevailing access constraints is the dependence on diesel pumpsets for accessing groundwater, which are typically unsubsidised and therefore expensive to purchase and operate. To date, efforts to reduce access costs have focused almost exclusively on how to incentivise adoption of alternative electric or solar-powered pumping technologies, which are viewed as being cheaper to operate and less environmentally damaging due to their lower operational carbon emissions. In contrast, there has been little attention paid to identifying opportunities to make existing diesel pump systems more cost effective for farmers to operate in order to support adaptation to climate change and reduce poverty. In this study, we use evidence from 116 detailed in-situ pump tests along with interviews with pumpset dealers, mechanics and farmers in the Nepal Terai to assess how and why fuel efficiency and operational costs of diesel pump irrigation are affected by farmers’ pumpset selection decisions. We show that costs diesel pumpset irrigation can be reduced significantly by supporting and incentivising farmers (e.g., through equipment advisories, improved supply chains for maintenance services and spare parts) to invest in newer low-cost, portable and smaller horsepower pumpset designs that are more effectively matched to local operating conditions in the EIGP than older Indian manufactured engines that have historically been preferred by farmers in the region. Such interventions can help to unlock potential for intensified irrigation water use in the EIGP, contributing to goals of improving agricultural productivity and resilience to climate extremes while also strengthening farmers capacity to invest in emerging low-carbon pumping technologies.
8 Khadka, Manohara; Uprety, Labisha; Shrestha, Gitta; Minh, Thai Thi; Nepal, Shambhawi; Raut, Manita; Dhungana, Shashwat; Shahrin, S.; Krupnik, T. J.; Schmitter, Petra. 2021. Understanding barriers and opportunities for scaling sustainable and inclusive farmer-led irrigation development in Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). 92p.
Farmer-led irrigation ; Sustainability ; Smallholders ; Small scale systems ; Agricultural value chains ; Gender equality ; Inclusion ; Livelihoods ; Irrigation equipment ; Supply chains ; Water management ; Multiple use water services ; Public-private partnerships ; COVID-19 ; Policies ; Innovation scaling / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050731)
https://repository.cimmyt.org/bitstream/handle/10883/21683/64317.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050731.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050731.pdf
(1.87 MB) (1.87 MB)
9 Urfels, A.; Khadka, Manohara; Shrestha, Nirman; Pavelic, Paul; Risal, A.; Uprety, Labisha; Shrestha, Gitta; Dile, Y.; McDonald, A. J.; Pandey, V. P.; Srinivasan, R.; Krupnik, T. J.. 2022. A framework for sustainable and inclusive irrigation development in western Nepal. Kathmandu, Nepal: Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA). 78p.
Irrigation management ; Sustainability ; Social inclusion ; Frameworks ; Water resources ; Watersheds ; Groundwater management ; Groundwater recharge ; Surface water ; Irrigation water ; Farmer-led irrigation ; Agricultural value chains ; Crop yield ; Investment ; Multi-stakeholder processes ; Gender equality ; Socioeconomic environment ; Technology ; Climate change ; Food security ; Resilience ; Policies ; Governance ; Capacity development ; Modelling ; Case studies / Nepal / Babai Watershed / Mahakali Watershed / Karnali Watershed / West Rapti Watershed / Lumbini / Sudurpashchim
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051550)
https://repository.cimmyt.org/bitstream/handle/10883/22102/65416.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051550.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051550.pdf
(3.12 MB) (3.12 MB)
10 Nayak, H. S.; Parihar, C. M.; Aravindakshan, S.; Silva, J. V.; Krupnik, T. J.; McDonald, A. J.; Kakraliya, S. K.; Sena, Dipaka R.; Kumar, V.; Sherpa, S.; Bijarniya, D.; Singh, L. K.; Kumar, M.; Choudhary, K. M.; Kumar, S.; Kumar, Y.; Jat, H. S.; Sidhu, H. S.; Jat, M. L.; Sapkota, T. B. 2023. Pathways and determinants of sustainable energy use for rice farms in India. Energy, 272:126986. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.126986]
Energy consumption ; Sustainable use ; Use efficiency ; Rice ; Farms ; Agricultural production ; Policies ; Data envelopment analysis ; Fertilizers ; Agrochemicals ; Irrigation ; Tillage ; Farmers / India / Indo-Gangetic Plains / Haryana / Punjab
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051816)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544223003808/pdfft?md5=7b2e844c17f060ec2d4b8be07b1e9b11&pid=1-s2.0-S0360544223003808-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051816.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051816.pdf
(4.75 MB) (4.75 MB)
Rice cultivation in the Western Indo-Gangetic plains of India is often blamed for higher energy use. Thus, a bootstrapped meta-frontier approach with a truncated regression approach was used on a database of 3832 rice farms from the input-intensive rice production tracts of western Indo-Gangetic Plains for sustainable energy-use assessment. Farms were classified based on efficiency scores to screen the inefficient practices and farms in Indo-Gangetic Plains. The district-specific technical-efficiency scores ranged between 0.68 and 0.99, with a mean of 0.86–0.90, suggesting average improvement in energy-use efficiency by 10–14% within the district. The mean meta-frontier technical-efficiency score ranged between 0.60 and 0.81. On average, the energy-use-efficient farms had 42% or higher energy-use efficiency in the districts of Ambala, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Karnal. In contrast, in other districts, the efficient farms had 5-19% higher energy-use efficiency. There is evidence of a higher number of tillage, irrigation, and fertilizer application among the inefficient farmers, specific to some districts. The efficient as well as inefficient farmers in Kapurthala and Ludhiana spend similar energy in tillage, whereas, the energy output from both efficient and inefficient farms are similar in Kurukshetra. Thus, there is a need of differential attention specific to district and practices. The evidence provided in this study can help to identify pathways toward sustainable energy use for future rice production in other ecologies too. Similar type of analysis can be carried out for other parameters like profitability and carbon footprint to explore where farmers are spending extra monetary and carbon inputs, and not getting additional yield benefits.
11 Pandey, V. P.; Shrestha, Nirman; Urfels, A.; Ray, A.; Khadka, Manohara; Pavelic, Paul; McDonald, A. J.; Krupnik, T. J.. 2023. Implementing conjunctive management of water resources for irrigation development: a framework applied to the Southern Plain of western Nepal. Agricultural Water Management, 283:108287. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108287]
Water resources ; Water management ; Water use ; Conjunctive use ; Irrigation systems ; Climate change ; Groundwater ; Surface water ; Water availability ; Water demand ; Water productivity ; Water policies ; Food security ; Agricultural productivity ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Planning ; Strategies ; Monitoring ; Energy sources ; Water governance ; Stakeholders ; Gender equity ; Social inclusion ; Awareness ; Capacity development ; Case studies / Nepal / Terai Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051837)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037837742300152X/pdfft?md5=6f8d1ca8970d974f2d0db5580c2c4dc1&pid=1-s2.0-S037837742300152X-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051837.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051837.pdf
(3.60 MB) (3.60 MB)
Climate variability and insufficient irrigation are primary constraints to stable and higher agricultural productivity and food security in Nepal. Agriculture is the largest global freshwater user, and integration of surface- and ground-water use is frequently presented as an strategy for increasing efficiency as well as climate change adaptation. However, conjunctive management (CM) planning often ignores demand-side requirements and a broader set of sustainable development considerations, including ecosystem health and economics of different development strategies. While there is generic understanding of conjunctive use, detailed technical knowhow to realize the CM is lacking in Nepal. This article presents a holistic framework through literature reviews, stakeholders consultations and expert interviews for assessing CM and implementation prospects from a systems-level perspective. We demonstrate the framework through a case study in Western Nepal, where climatic variability and a lack of irrigation are key impediments to increased agricultural productivity and sustainable development. Results show that knowledge of water resources availability is good and that of water demand low in the Western Terai. Additional and coordinated investments are required to improve knowledge gaps as well as access to irrigation. There is therefore a need to assess water resources availability, water access, use and productivity, to fill the knowledge gaps in order to pave pathways for CM. This paper also discusses some strategies to translate prospects of conjunctive management into implementation.
12 Khan, Z. H.; Islam, Md S.; Akhter, S.; Hasib, Md R.; Sutradhar, A.; Timsina, J.; Krupnik, T. J.; Schulthess, U. 2024. Can crop production intensification through irrigation be sustainable? An ex-ante impact study of the south-central coastal zone of Bangladesh. PLOS Water, 3(2):e0000153. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000153]
Crop production ; Irrigation water ; Coastal zones ; Rice ; Maize ; Wheat ; Grain legumes ; Oilseeds ; Freshwater ; Surface water ; River water ; Water flow ; Salinity ; Farmland ; Ecosystem services ; Water levels ; Dry season ; Models ; Water management / Bangladesh / Tentulia River / Buriswar River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052615)
https://journals.plos.org/water/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pwat.0000153&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052615.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052615.pdf
(7.57 MB) (7.57 MB)
In Bangladesh’s south-central coastal zone, there is considerable potential to intensify crop production by growing dry winter season ‘Boro’ rice, maize, wheat, pulses and oilseeds using irrigation from southward flowing and predominantly freshwater rivers. However, the impacts of surface water withdrawal for sustained irrigation and its safe operating space remain unclear. We used field measurements and simulation modeling to investigate the effects of irrigation water withdrawal for Boro rice–the most water-consumptive crop–on river water flow and salinity under different climate change and river flow scenarios. Under the baseline conditions, about 250,000 ha could potentially be irrigated with river water that has salinity levels below 2 dS/m. The impact on river water salinity would be minimal, and only between 0.71 to 1.12% of the cropland would shift from the 0–2 dS/m class to higher salinity levels. Similarly, for the moderate climate change scenario (RCP 4.5) that forecasts a sea level rise of 22 cm in 2050, there would be a minor change in water flow and salinity. Only under the extreme climate change scenario (RCP 8.5), resulting in a sea level rise of 43 cm by 2050 and low flow conditions that are exceeded in 90% of the cases, the 2 dS/m isohaline would move landward by 64 to 105 km in March and April for the Tentulia and Buriswar Rivers. This would expose an additional 36.6% of potentially irrigable cropland to salinity levels of 2 to 4 dS/m. However, Boro rice will already be well established by that time and can tolerate greater levels of salinity. We conclude that there is considerable scope to expand irrigated crop production without negatively exposing the cropland and rivers to detrimental salinization levels while preserving the ecosystem services of the rivers.
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