Your search found 6 records
1 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.
2 Urfels, A.; Shakya, S. M.; Maharjan, S.; Lohanee, B. D.; Pandey, V.; Khadka, Manohara; Adhikari, S.; Neupane, A.; Karki, S.; Acharya, S.; Foster, T.; Krupnik, T. 2021. Framework for co-development of an open hydrological data system to enhance climate resilience in climate vulnerable countries: experience from a digital groundwater monitoring pilot in Nepal. [Abstract only]. Paper presented at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2021, Online, 19-30 April 2021. 2p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15104]
Groundwater ; Monitoring ; Hydrological data ; Frameworks ; Climate change ; Resilience ; Vulnerability ; Stakeholders / Nepal
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050377)
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/EGU21-15104.html?pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050377.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050377.pdf
(0.27 MB) (278 KB)
3 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.
4 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)
5 Urfels, A.; Mausch, K.; Harris, D.; McDonald, A. J.; Kishore, A.; Balwinder-Singh; van Halsema, G.; Struik, P. C.; Craufurd, P.; Foster, T.; Singh, V.; Krupnik, T. 2023. Farm size limits agriculture's poverty reduction potential in Eastern India even with irrigation-led intensification. Agricultural Systems, 207:103618. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103618]
Farm size ; Poverty reduction ; Intensification ; Food security ; Climate resilience ; Smallholders ; Rice ; Sustainable agriculture ; Cropping systems ; Households ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Farm income ; Crop production ; Value chains / South Asia / India / Bihar / Indo-Gangetic Plains
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051731)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X23000239/pdfft?md5=2a024959f5d2befb681e065be718b7c8&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X23000239-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051731.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051731.pdf
(4.48 MB) (4.48 MB)
CONTEXT: Millions of people living in the Eastern Gangetic Plains (EGP) of India engage in agriculture to support their livelihoods yet are income poor, and food and climate insecure. To address these challenges, policymakers and development programs invest in irrigation-led agricultural intensification. However, the evidence for agricultural intensification to lift farmers' incomes above the poverty line remains largely anecdotal.
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study is to use a large household survey (n = 15,572; rice: 8244, wheat: 7328; 2017/18) to assess the link between agricultural intensification and personal daily incomes from farming (FPDI) in the rice-wheat systems of the EGP – the dominant cropping system of the region.
METHODS: We use the Intensification Benefit Index (IBI), a measure that relates farm size and household size to FPDI, to assess how daily incomes from rice-wheat production change with irrigation-led intensification across the EGP.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Relative to the international poverty line of 1.90 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)$ day-1 and accounting for variations in HH size in the analysis, we found that small farm sizes limit the potential for agricultural intensification from irrigation to transform the poverty status of households in the bottom three quartiles of the IBI. The estimated median FPDI of households with intensified systems in the bottom three quartiles is only 0.51 PPP$ day-1 (a 0.15 PPP$ gain). The median FPDI increases to 2.10 PPP$ day-1 for households in the upper quartile of the IBI distribution (a 0.30 PPP$ gain). Irrigation-led agricultural intensification of rice-wheat systems in the EGP may provide substantial benefits for resilience to climatic change and food security but achieving meaningful poverty reduction will require complementary investments.
SIGNIFICANCE: Transforming the poverty status of most smallholder farmers in the EGP requires diversified portfolios of rural on- and off-farm income-generating opportunities. While bolstering food- and climate security, agronomic intervention programs should consider smallholders' limited monetary incentives to invest in intensification. Irrigation-led agricultural intensification programs and policies should explicitly account for the heterogeneity in household resources, irrigation levels, and degree of dependence on agricultural income.
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study is to use a large household survey (n = 15,572; rice: 8244, wheat: 7328; 2017/18) to assess the link between agricultural intensification and personal daily incomes from farming (FPDI) in the rice-wheat systems of the EGP – the dominant cropping system of the region.
METHODS: We use the Intensification Benefit Index (IBI), a measure that relates farm size and household size to FPDI, to assess how daily incomes from rice-wheat production change with irrigation-led intensification across the EGP.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Relative to the international poverty line of 1.90 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)$ day-1 and accounting for variations in HH size in the analysis, we found that small farm sizes limit the potential for agricultural intensification from irrigation to transform the poverty status of households in the bottom three quartiles of the IBI. The estimated median FPDI of households with intensified systems in the bottom three quartiles is only 0.51 PPP$ day-1 (a 0.15 PPP$ gain). The median FPDI increases to 2.10 PPP$ day-1 for households in the upper quartile of the IBI distribution (a 0.30 PPP$ gain). Irrigation-led agricultural intensification of rice-wheat systems in the EGP may provide substantial benefits for resilience to climatic change and food security but achieving meaningful poverty reduction will require complementary investments.
SIGNIFICANCE: Transforming the poverty status of most smallholder farmers in the EGP requires diversified portfolios of rural on- and off-farm income-generating opportunities. While bolstering food- and climate security, agronomic intervention programs should consider smallholders' limited monetary incentives to invest in intensification. Irrigation-led agricultural intensification programs and policies should explicitly account for the heterogeneity in household resources, irrigation levels, and degree of dependence on agricultural income.
6 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.
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