Water and Indian Agriculture : Revisiting the Priorities , Problems , and Solutions
Addressing India ' s water crisis requires an integrated , multi-dimensional yet holistic approach involving all the diverse stakeholders , writes Raghavan Sampathkumar
The theme of World Food Day 2023 , " Water is Life , Water is Food . Leave No One Behind ," underscores the critical role of water in sustaining life and food production . This theme brings attention to the importance of managing water wisely in the face of population growth , urbanization , and climate change challenges . Notably , agriculture remains one of the largest consumers of water on a global scale .
In India , agriculture alone consumes approximately 80 % of the country ' s water resources , despite only about half of the total cropped area of 140 million hectares being covered under irrigation . This heavy dependence on monsoon rainfall , which is becoming increasingly erratic due to climate change , poses a significant challenge .
The Government has been pursuing several initiatives focusing on water use efficiency in other words “ Per Drop More Crop ”, aiming to promote watersaving practices among farmers for the past few decades . Collaborations with countries like Israel , one of the world ' s most water-stressed nations , have been initiated to learn about enhancing water use efficiency .
However , India must address its waterrelated challenges by focusing on several key areas , represented by ' P ' s . The first ' P ' stands for ' Policies .' Promoting water-saving techniques is essential , but farmers need incentives to save water . Often , they receive both power and water for free , making it necessary to establish pricing policies that highlight the value of water as a scarce resource . This approach could
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