Improving pumpset selection to support intensification of groundwater irrigation in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains

2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 107070
Author(s):  
Timothy Foster ◽  
Roshan Adhikari ◽  
Subash Adhikari ◽  
Scott Justice ◽  
Baburam Tiwari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gangetic Plains ◽  
Groundwater Irrigation

Sustainable intensification of groundwater irrigation in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Foster ◽  
Roshan Adhikari ◽  
Subash Adhikari ◽  
Scott Justice ◽  
Anton Urfels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Agricultural Productivity ◽  
Sustainable Intensification ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Gangetic Plains ◽  
Groundwater Irrigation ◽  
Near Term

<p>Groundwater irrigation has played a critical role in the Green Revolution in South Asia, helping to increase crop yields and improve livelihoods of millions of rural households. However, the spread of irrigation has not been homogeneous, with many farmers in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP – Nepal Terai and parts of eastern India) still lacking reliable and affordable irrigation access. As a result, agricultural productivity in the EIGP is some of the lowest found across South Asia, with many farmers trapped in chronic cycles of poverty and food insecurity.</p><p>A major focus of government and donor efforts to support intensification of groundwater irrigation in the EIGP has been the replacement of existing diesel-based pumping systems with alternative electric or solar powered pumping technologies. These technologies are viewed as being cheaper for to operate and less environmentally damaging due to their lower operational carbon emissions. However, scaling these technologies in practice has proved challenging due to their high upfront capital costs and the unique socio-technical constraints posed by farming systems in the EIGP (e.g., land fragmentation and poorly developed supply chains).</p><p>In response to these challenges, our research explores whether opportunities exist to make existing diesel pump systems more cost effective for farmers to support adaptation to climate change and reduce poverty. In particular, we seek to identify what factors lead to disparities in groundwater access costs for irrigation, how these disparities affect farmers’ water use behavior, and in turn how this impacts agricultural production outcomes. Our work draws on evidence from a recent survey of over 400 farmer households in the Nepal Terai, along with detailed in-situ testing and analysis of the fuel efficiency and cost-effectiveness of over 100 diesel pumpsets in the same region conducted between 2019-20.</p><p>Our results demonstrate that substantial variability exists in the costs of diesel pump irrigation in the EIGP and that higher costs of groundwater access are associated with lower levels of agricultural productivity and household income. Dependence on expensive pumpset rental markets, in particular amongst credit constrained households, is a major driver of the highest irrigation access costs. Additionally, many farmers also continue to operate and invest in pumpset models and designs that are significantly oversized for local hydrological conditions, resulting in fuel inefficiencies and excess costs that reduce the overall profitability of irrigation water use.</p><p>Our findings have important implications for national and regional policy debates about sustainable intensification of irrigated agriculture in the EIGP and other regions. We suggest that intensification of water use and improvements in agricultural productivity can be achieved in the near-term without need for radical technology changes. Targeted credit support, combined with data-driven advisories and improved supply chains for maintenance services and spare parts, could incentivize and enable adoption of low-cost fuel-efficient diesel pumpsets resulting in substantial reductions in costs of irrigation for many farmers. This would have positive near-term impacts on agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, supporting adaptation to climate change and future transitions to alternative low-carbon irrigation technologies in the region.</p>

IPOMOEA LITTORALIS AND IPOMOEA CAPITELLATA VAR. MULTILOBATA : NEW RECORDS FOR UPPER GANGETIC PLAINS OF INDIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
JASWINDER KAUR ◽  
SATYA NARAIN
Keyword(s):  
New Records ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Gangetic Plains

The floristic exploration and critical examination of specimens collected of family Convolvulaceae from Upper Gangetic Plains of India, resulted in addition of 2 new records for the flora viz. Ipomoea littoralis and Ipomoea capitellata var. multilobata. Detailed description, phenology, ecology, distribution, locality, field number, type specimens examined, illustrations and other relevant notes are provided.

scholarly journals Social-ecological analysis of timely rice planting in Eastern India

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Urfels ◽  
Andrew J. McDonald ◽  
Gerardo van Halsema ◽  
Paul C. Struik ◽  
Pankaj Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Critical Threshold ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Gangetic Plains ◽  
Land Type ◽  
Groundwater Availability ◽  
Agricultural Input ◽  
First Time

AbstractTimely crop planting is a foundation for climate-resilient rice-wheat systems of the Eastern Gangetic Plains—a global food insecurity and poverty hotspot. We hypothesize that the capacity of individual farmers to plant on time varies considerably, shaped by multifaceted enabling factors and constraints that are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, two complementary datasets were used to characterize drivers and decision processes that govern the timing of rice planting in this region. The first dataset was a large agricultural management survey (rice-wheat: n = 15,245; of which rice: n = 7597) from a broad geographic region that was analyzed by machine learning methods. The second dataset was a discussion-based survey (n = 112) from a more limited geography that we analyzed with graph theory tools to elicit nuanced information on planting decisions. By combining insights from these methods, we show for the first time that differences in rice planting times are primarily shaped by ecosystem and climate factors while social factors play a prominent secondary role. Monsoon onset, surface and groundwater availability, and land type determine village-scale mean planting times whereas, for resource-constrained farmers who tend to plant later ceteris paribus, planting is further influenced by access to farm machinery, seed, fertilizer, and labor. Also, a critical threshold for economically efficient pumping appears at a groundwater depth of around 4.5 m; below this depth, farmers do not irrigate and delay planting. Without collective action to spread risk through synchronous timely planting, ecosystem factors such as threats posed by pests and wild animals may further deter early planting by individual farmers. Accordingly, we propose a three-pronged strategy that combines targeted strengthening of agricultural input chains, agroadvisory development, and coordinated rice planting and wildlife conservation to support climate-resilient agricultural development in the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

Energy budgeting and carbon footprints of three tillage systems in maize-wheat sequence of north-western Indo-Gangetic Plains

Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 229 ◽  
pp. 120661
Author(s):  
Shahida Nisar ◽  
Dinesh Kumar Benbi ◽  
Amardeep Singh Toor
Keyword(s):  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Gangetic Plains ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
North Western

scholarly journals Flow velocity and nutrients affect CO2 emissions from agricultural drainage channels in the North China Plain

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peifang Leng ◽  
Fadong Li ◽  
Kun Du ◽  
Zhao Li ◽  
Congke Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
North China Plain ◽  
North China ◽  
Groundwater Depletion ◽  
Agricultural Drainage ◽  
Agricultural Practice ◽  
The North ◽  
The North China Plain ◽  
Groundwater Irrigation ◽  
Drainage Channels

Abstract Background Groundwater is typically over-saturated in CO2 with respect to atmospheric equilibrium. Irrigation with groundwater is a common agricultural practice in many countries, but little is known about the fate of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in irrigation groundwater and its contribution to the CO2 emission inventory from land to the atmosphere. We performed a mesocosm experiment to study the fate of DIC entering agricultural drainage channels in the North China Plain. Specifically, we aimed to unravel the effect of flow velocity and nutrient on CO2 emissions. Results All treatments were emitting CO2. Approximately half of the DIC in the water was consumed by TOC production (1–16%), emitted to the atmosphere (14–20%), or precipitated as calcite (CaCO3) (14–20%). We found that DIC depletion was stimulated by nutrient addition, whereas more CO2 evasion occurred in the treatments without nutrients addition. On the other hand, about 50% of CO2 was emitted within the first 50 h under high flow velocity. Thus, in the short term, high nutrient levels may counteract CO2 emissions from drainage channels, whereas the final fate of the produced biomass (burial versus mineralization to CO2 or even CH4) determines the duration of the effect. Conclusion Our study reveals that both hydrology and biological processes affect CO2 emissions from groundwater irrigation channels. The estimated CO2 emission from total groundwater depletion in the North China Plain is up to 0.52 ± 0.07 Mt CO2 year−1. Thus, CO2 emissions from groundwater irrigation should be considered in regional CO2 budgets, especially given that groundwater depletion is expected to acceleration in the future.

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