Methods to reduce water Demand Date: 8 August 2007 Time: to hrs. Venue: Aalankrita Resort, Hyderabad Topic: Methods to reduce water demand Faculty: Dr. K.A.S.Mani & S.S Kandgal

Reduce water use through new knowledge and Peoples wisdom The NGOs in partnership with farmers have successfully tapped farmers Wisdom and new Capacities in controlling their own situation and reducing vulnerability to fast spreading crisis of groundwater depletion and crop failures.

Summary of groundwater Estimation More water cannot be created, limits have been reached and water used for agriculture is simply not available Integrate water saving in full spectrum of crop production beginning with soil tilling to irrigation to post harvest. Relate water saving to ecological and economical context Improve water use to meet the groundwater crisis

Impact of Crop water Budgeting Relate Water scarcity with agriculture patterns Understand water use by different crops Change the way the water is used Improve agro eco system Ensure groundwater sustainability Increase productivity per unit water Enhance returns per unit water

Crop water Requirement based on discharge measurements

Debate on factors affecting Groundwater resource availability

Matching crop plan matching with water availability

Review total cropping system

Decision making on water savings Crop Water Budgeting (CWB) provokes discussion on complex questions on nature of GW development. Bring on stage complex issues on crop varieties, crop water requirement, food and nutrition, cash crop vs food crop, water sharing, water quality issues----- Set the framework for farmers to take appropriate decisions on managing the available water resources, reducing risks against failures while identifying new opportunities for sustainable crop production

Cropping pattern in the state

Crop diversification for reducing water pumping

Water Savings Adopted

Cut down groundwater pumping by reducing paddy

Abstaining from Paddy 30 Million cubic meter of groundwater was saved by abstaining from paddy cultivation in 5451 acres. A 50% reduction in area under paddy from acres has been witnessed..

Crop Diversification Adopting crop diversification, keeping market prices in focus This improved economic returns per unit of water pumped

Use of Water Saving Devices 3.5 Million cubic meter of groundwater pumping was reduced through adoption of number of water saving devices acres have been brought under sprinkler, Drip irrigation and water Gun.

Adoption of moisture retention techniques Farmers have adopted several agronomical practices to conserve moisture and reduce water use. Use of agronomic strategies helped minimize irrigation water requirements substantially.

DRIP- Groundnut

Use of sprinklers in peanut

Sweet orange inter crop Coccinia Gandis with Drip irrigation

Water saving techniques

Furrow irrigation in Tomato

Special type of nursery preparation by farmers

Water saving techniques

Reduced external Inputs Reduced use of external inputs largely fertilizers, pesticides for organic inputs have considerably reduced the demand of groundwater.

Reduced number of irrigations in each crop Increased awareness and skills on water saving techniques across the Project area Farmers experimenting various options on their field Increased over all natural resource consciousness and conservation Increased in mobilization of pressurized irrigation systems from the Govt.

THANK YOU