This report presents a discussion among IWMI?s Asian researchers on the strategy for policy research on canal irrigation in India. Poor service delivery, persistence of head-tail inequity, growing gap between irrigation potential created and utilized, shrinking of command area despite growing…

This review paper evaluates the potential of remote sensing for assessing landscape and species diversity in mountainous terrain. Understanding the complex mechanism of biodiversity necessitate its spatial and temporal dynamics and synergetic adoption of measurement approaches with long-term…

West Bengal had started a program of metering of agricultural tube wells in 2007. Since then, the state has successfully metered almost 90 percent of its electric tube wells. This comes at a time when most other states in India have steered clear of metering even though universal metering is…

Groundwater irrigation over the past few decades has improved stability in cropping but resulted in aquifer depletion in semi-arid regions of India. To minimize decline of groundwater levels, Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) interventions are widely adopted, supported by local communities, state…

In this Highlight, the impact of metering of electric tube wells on groundwater use in West Bengal, India was quantified. Quantification of impact was made feasible through surveys conducted in 2004 and 2007 and then again a follow-up survey in 2010 by revisiting the same villages and households…

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - a package of practices designed to grow more rice with less water - is being widely promoted by governments and NGOs in India. In 2010-11, IWMI-Tata Program, in collaboration with local partners, undertook a study covering 2234 rice farmers in 13 major…

This study was conducted in two Indian states of Punjab (in the north) and Karnataka (in the south). An analysis of long term trends in groundwater development and agricultural growth in Karnataka shows two things. First, the growth in irrigation was largely contributed by expansion of…

This Working Paper summarizes research conducted as part of the AgWater Solutions Project in the State of Madhya Pradesh, India, from 2009 to 2012. Agriculture accounts for 21% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of Madhya Pradesh and state agriculture contributes substantially to India?s total…

This Working Paper summarizes research conducted as part of the AgWater Solutions Project in West Bengal between 2009 and 2012. Researchers from the AgWater Solutions Project conducted studies on rainwater harvesting with small ponds (known locally as hapas), improving Access to groundwater…

The AgWater Solutions Project, carried out between 2009 and 2012, focused on resolving water issues faced by smallholder farmers. The project examined existing Agricultural Water Management (AWM) solutions, together with factors that influence their adoption and scaling up. The project aimed to…

This Highlight reviews 34 papers that deal with interventions aimed at reducing negative impacts of irrigating with Arsenic (As) rich water. These studies show that there are six broad groups of interventions: deficit irrigation, soil fertilization, growing crops other than paddy, switching to…

In this Highlight, historical antecedents of energy-irrigation nexus in India are examined and it has been found that its genesis lies in policy decision taken over two decades ago to supply unmetered electricity to farmers. This has led to a number of problems, most important of which is lack…