Management Of Water Use In Agriculture

The role of irrigation in gearing agriculture development towards a broader economic growth is undeniable. Accordingly, irrigation is growing into key operational strategy for governments and their agencies to increase agricultural productivity, thus combatting food insecurity and boosting overall growth. While agriculture absorbs rural workforce, generates income and increases food security, it has become the most important driver in freshwater exploitation. The rapid expansion of water demand leads to the generalized phenomena of imbalance between water supply and water demand. This increasing pressure on water resources urges enhancing Water Use Efficiency. Enhancing Water Use Efficiency requires actions at all levels, from agricultural practitioners to scheme managers, and up to the policy-makers. The objective of this Field Guide is to show practical measures to improve Water Use Efficiency in small-scale agriculture based on case studies from Burkina Faso, Morocco and Uganda. The Book not only presents applicable Water Use Efficiency measures, but also guide the readers through their real-term implementation. While the Guide provides complete set of instructions to improve Water Use Efficiency in order to reach optimal irrigation practices, the successful outcome still depends on the farmers’ willingness to embrace and adopt the recommended measures. The Guide holds in evidence that farmers are often constrained by available resources to improve their practices in terms of budget, inputs or labour. In order to take these issues into account, the recommendations are limited on practical measures, which can be followed by farmers without requiring additional resources.

As the world population increases, there is increasing competition for waterquantity as well as quality. Provided here is an up-to-date perspective on Available Water Resources (Part I), Water Conservation and Technology inAgricultural Systems (Part II), Problem Water Uses and Treatment (Part III),and Management and Policy Evaluation (Part IV). The book is an invaluable source of information for water resource planners, managers and policy makers, researchers and students, and irrigationists.

Rapid Industrialisation Coupled With Population Explosion Has Resulted In Greater Urbanisation. Because Of These, The Water That Was Available For Agriculture Is Now Being Shared By Various Sectors. This Has Resulted In A Gradual Decline In Per Capita Land And Water Availability. At The Same Time The Need To Increase The Food Production To Feed The Increasing Population Is Being Increasingly Felt. Mismanagement Of Available Water Has Added One More Dimension To This Problem Resulting In Development Of Problem Soils, Thus Causing Reduction In The Production Per Unit Quantity Of Water. Hence It Has Become Absolutely Necessary To Use The Available Water Resources In Such A Manner As To Get The Maximum Returns Per Unit Quantity Of Water. At Present No Book Covers The Multifaceted Nature Of This Problem. Hence In This Book All Aspects Like Methods Of Irrigation, Measurement Of Water, Quality Of Waters, Water Requirements Of Crops, Scheduling Of Irrigation, Water Budgeting, Irrigation Efficiency, Drainage, Recycling, Agronomy, Soil Science, Crop Physiological Aspects Of Irrigation System, Etc. Have Been Covered. A Separate Section Of Constraints And Weakness In The Current Water Management Practices Is Also Included In This Book.This Book Will Be Of Great Help To The Administrators Dealing With Water Management, Water Technologists, Scholars And Farmers Who Are Taking Steps To Maximise The Benefits Of The Available Water Resources On The Scientific Basis To Get The Higher Productivity Of Water.

This report calls on policy makers to recognise the issues at stake in water resource management in agriculture and gives them the tools to do so, offering a wealth of information on recent trends and the outlook for water resource use in agriculture.

In December 2002, a group of specialists on water resources from the United States and Iran met in Tunis, Tunisia, for an interacademy workshop on water resources management, conservation, and recycling. This was the fourth interacademy workshop on a variety of topics held in 2002, the first year of such workshops. Tunis was selected as the location for the workshop because the Tunisian experience in addressing water conservation issues was of interest to the participants from both the United States and Iran. This report includes the agenda for the workshop, all of the papers that were presented, and the list of site visits.

Managing water resources is one of the most pressing challenges of our times - fundamental to how we feed 2 billion more people in coming decades, eliminate poverty, and reverse ecosystem degradation. This Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, involving more than 700 leading specialists, evaluates current thinking on water and its interplay with agriculture to help chart the way forward. It offers actions for water management and water policy - to ensure more equitable and effective use. This assessment describes key water-food-environment trends that influence our lives today and uses scenarios to explore the consequences of a range of potential investments. It aims to inform investors and policymakers about water and food choices in light of such crucial influences as poverty, ecosystems, governance, and productivity. It covers rainfed agriculture, irrigation, groundwater, marginal-quality water, fisheries, livestock, rice, land, and river basins. Ample tables, graphs, and references make this an invaluable work for practitioners, academics, researchers, and policymakers in water management, agriculture, conservation, and development. Published with IWMI.

This book is an outcome from the International Expo 'Water and Sustainable Development' held in Zaragoza (Spain) in 2008. Support from the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Caja Rioja, Government of Aragon, and the World Bank is acknowledged. 'Few resources will play a more important role in shaping our economic future, or face more daunting challenges, than water. This internationally acclaimed team of experts has produced a first-rate volume that is full of intriguing, practical ideas for meeting those challenges in a rich variety of institutional settings.' Tom Tietenberg, Mitchell Family Professor of Economics, Emeritus, Colby College, USA 'This volume brings together two critical but interrelated dimensions of water challenge, i.e. water pollution, particularly from non-point sources, and water conservation. The editors are well known experts on the subject as are the contributors.' R. Maria Saleth, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka and Associate Editor, Water Policy 'The profound contribution of this volume is that it brings together various economic concepts and policy dilemmas regarding water shortages, non-point source pollution, efficiency of water use and irrigation technology. Recommended reading for anyone working in the area of water management.' Henk Folmer, University of Groningen and Wageningen University, The Netherlands As countries face deteriorating water and environmental quality as well as water shortages, pollution control and the efficiency of water use become of paramount importance. Agriculture is one of the main non-point polluters of water bodies and irrigation for agriculture is one of the main consumers of water. While it is very hard to regulate pollution from agriculture, attempts have been made via economic and command and control instruments, and also through investments in technologies and ecosystems recovery. Coping with non-point pollution takes the form of both policy intervention and technology development. Likewise it is recognized that irrigation efficiency varies across countries, influenced by both technology and supporting adoption policies. Countries that lead in irrigation technology and supporting policies have certain traits in common. They face very high scarcity and are pushed to find innovative solutions, both technical and policy related. The recent multibillion investments in irrigation technologies in Spain, and similar proposals in Australia, for example, highlight the potential of irrigation technologies to cope with scarcity and water quality degradation. This book reviews all of the above issues, presents experiences in selected countries, and assesses the degree of success of alternative policies for coping with non-point water pollution and improving irrigation efficiency.