19
Aditi Mukherji (IWMI) Key messages from Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation Presented at 60 th IEC Meeting and 5 th Asian Regional Conference of the ICID 9 th December, 2009 New Delhi

Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Key messages from Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation , Aditi Mukherji, International Water Management Instittute (IWMI), Presented at 60th IEC Meeting and 5th Asian Regional Conference of the ICID 9th December, 2009 New Delhi

Citation preview

Page 1: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Aditi Mukherji (IWMI)

Key messages fromRevitalizing Asia’s Irrigation

Presented at 60th IEC Meeting and 5th Asian Regional Conference of the ICID

9th December, 2009

New Delhi

Page 2: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Revitalizing Asia’s Irrigation

• A collaborative exercise with

IWMI and FAO as lead partners• 12 consultative partners

including ICID*• Funded by ADB• Book released during

Stockholm Water WeekSource:<http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Other/PDF/Revitalizing%20Asia%27s%20Irrigation.pdf>

*ICID- International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage

Page 3: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Main message 1

• Irrigation is important in Asia– Asia contains 70% of world’s irrigated area– Irrigation was key to the success of Green

Revolution– This helped alleviate poverty and boost rural

growth– South Asia has the world’s largest irrigated

lands, but Central Asia is most intensely irrigated

Page 4: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Water use, poverty and irrigation in Asia

Source: Mukherji, A et al. Revitalizing Asia’s irrigation: to sustainably meet tomorrow’s food needs. 2009

Page 5: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Main message 2

• Asia still needs to invest in irrigation– To make irrigation perform better through

raising land and water productivity– To feed a growing population– Secure livelihoods and alleviate poverty– But within the limits posed by natural resource

base

Page 6: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Rising irrigation, falling food prices & poverty

But is irrigation expansion like1960s & 1970s possible, or even

desirable?

Population will increase,Climate change is

imminentDo we have enough

water?

Page 7: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Main message 3

• Irrigation schemes built in the past will have to be adapted for the future– Changing demography and dietary needs– But the old systems do not cater to these

demands– State built irrigation are under performing – Forcing farmers to invest on their own– Groundwater now provides the bulk of

irrigation in Asia

Page 8: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Source: Mukherji, A et al. Revitalizing Asia’s irrigation: to sustainably meet tomorrow’s food needs. 2009

Page 9: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

How will Asia meet its future food demand?

• Invest in rainfed agriculture• Invest in irrigation

Improve productivity of existing systems (How?)Expand irrigation (Where and of what type?)

• Promote trade from water rich highly productive areas

• Reform irrigation and unlock value

Page 10: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Scenarios

1.Focus on Rainfed Irrigation

2.Focus on Irrigated Expansion

3.Trade

4.CA* Scenario (Optimistic)

*CA: Comprehensive Assessment

Page 11: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Scenarios in South Asia

Crop evapotranspiration and irrigation withdrawals

Cubic kilometers

Harvested area

Millions of hectares

Source: de Fraiture, C. Scenarios on Water and Food in Asia. 2009. Forthcoming

Page 12: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Scenarios in East AsiaCrop evapotranspiration and irrigation withdrawals

Cubic kilometers

Harvested area

Millions of hectares

Source: de Fraiture, C. Scenarios on Water and Food in Asia. 2009. Forthcoming

Page 13: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Reflections on scenarios

All scenarios point to more irrigation – but this could be many types

Where should these investments be made?

Water storage becomes an important investment with climate change, but there are many types of storage – large, small, GW, etc.

Page 14: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Water and land productivity gains are a key – but will require actions outside of water management

Highly productive, flexible, diverse systems will require better water management, but the water investments may have to follow other changes.

Reflections on scenarios

Page 15: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Rise of the atomistic irrigation in South Asia..

Net irrigated area under surface irrigation (000’ha)

Net irrigated area served by groundwater (000’ ha)

1993-4 2000-1

% change 1993-4 2000-1

% change

Andhra Pradesh 2523 2269 -10.1 1678 1829 +9

Bihar & Jharkhand 1762 986.8

-44.02029 2111.5

+40.7

MP & Chattisgarh 2140 1279.1 -40.2 1535 2300.9 +49.9

Punjab 1283.4 1168.7 -8.9 2622 2438 -7.1

Rajasthan 1815 1439 -20.7 2702 3450 +27.7

UP & Uttaranchal 3837 2106.6 -45.1 5630 8493 + 50.8

Pakistan Punjab 4240 3740 -11.8 8760 10340 +18

Sind 2300 1960 -14.8 140 200 +42.9

Bangladesh 537 480 -10.7 2124 3462 +63

All areas 22709 17215 -24.2 28437 35762 +25.8

This calls for entirely different

paradigm of water management

Contours of irrigation is fast

changing

Source: Shah, Tushaar. Taming the anarchy: groundwater governance in South Asia.2009

Page 16: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Socio-technical Preconditions that support Surface Irrigation

1. Nature of the state1.1 Local authority structures :1.2 State interest in irrigation: 1.3 Ease of Forced Labor:

2. Nature of Agrarian society2.1 Irrigated cropping pattern2.2 Ease of exit from farming2.3 Agrarian institutions

3. Demographics3.1 Population pressure on farm land

4.State of irrigation technology4.1 Availability and Affordability of water lifting and transport

Future of surface irrigation?

FAVORABLECONTINGENCIES

STRONGREVENUE/LEVYHIGH

HOMOGENEOUSLOWFEUDAL/STATIST

LOW

LOW

BRIGHT

South Asia

WeakWelfareImpossible

Diverse;HighEgalitarian

Very high; intensification and diversification.

High

BLEAK

PIM/IMT will be difficult to sustain becausesurface irrigation as a technology of water

mobilization andapplication is being crowded out by

atomistic irrigation.Strategy? Reinvent surface systems to support

atomistic irrigation

Source: Shah, Tushaar. Taming the anarchy: groundwater governance in South Asia .2009

Page 17: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Some of the arguments in this section are developed in

this book..

Source: Shah, Tushaar. 2009. Taming the anarchy: groundwater governance in South Asia. Washington, DC, USA: Resources for the Future; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) 310p.

Page 18: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Main message 4

• 5 strategies to unlock value from Asia’s irrigation infrastructure– Modernize for tomorrow’s needs– Go with the flow– Look beyond conventional PIM* recipes– Expand capacity and knowledge– Invest outside the water sector

*PIM- Participatory Irrigation Management

Page 19: Key messages from revitalizing asias irrigation

Thank you

Publication available at:

http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Other/PDF/Revitalizing%20Asia%27s%20Irrigation.pdf

Related Publication: Mukherji, Aditi; Facon, T.; Burke, J.; de Fraiture, Charlotte; Faures, J. M.; Fuleki, Blanka; Giordano, Mark; Molden, David; Shah, Tushaar. 2009. Revitalizing Asia's irrigation: to sustainably meet tomorrow's food needs. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Rome, Italy: FAO. 39p.