The food security challenge of the food-land-water nexus in India

Kumar, M. Dinesh; Sivamohan, M. V. K.; Narayanamoorthy, A.

doi:10.1007/s12571-012-0204-1

Cited by 79 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…1) (Vörösmarty et al 2000;Gleeson and Wada 2013;Rodell et al 2009;Tiwari et al 2009;Kumar et al 2012). Indian farmers are transitioning away from traditional sources of irrigation, largely reflective of the declining reliance on centralized surface reservoir and canal schemes, and the rise of the independent farmer which has been called the Bera of atomistic irrigation^ (Shah 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The limits of increasing food production with irrigation in India

2015

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Growing populations and dietary shifts to include higher proportions of meat are projected to double global food demand by 2050. Previous global studies have proposed and evaluated possible solutions by closing agricultural yield gaps, defined as the difference between current and potential crop yields. We compliment previous studies by developing a method for more accurately calculating potential changes in cereal grain production under different irrigation scenarios, explicitly incorporating yield differences associated with different sources of irrigation. Irrigating with groundwater often leads to higher crop yields than irrigating with surface water because of the greater facility to tailor both the volumes of water and the timing of application. Two possible scenarios for increasing production in India are examined, the first where all non-irrigated fields are irrigated proportionally to the State-specific distribution of irrigation sources, and the second where all non-irrigated fields are irrigated with groundwater: Rice production increases by 14 and 25 % in scenarios 1 and 2 respectively, but wheat production increases by only 3 % in both scenarios. Increased irrigation water consumption from irrigating fields that are currently non-irrigated is estimated at 31 % for rice and 3 % for wheat using the Global Crop Water Model. A third scenario estimates the potential loss in production without the use of irrigation: rice would be 75 % and wheat 51 % of current production. Our methodology and results can help policy makers estimate the current and potential contribution of irrigation sources to agricultural production and food security in India and can with facility be applied elsewhere.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The limits of increasing food production with irrigation in India

2015

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“…For example, in the present study region, the local geology consisting of hard rock basalt severely limits groundwater availability and recharge potential. Groundwater over-exploitation and mismanagement is a common characteristic across all the semi-arid regions in India (Kumar et al 2012 ; Kulkarni et al 2015 ). Therefore, overdependence on groundwater could have serious implications for sustaining the agriculture in the region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying hotspots in land use land cover change and the drivers in a semi-arid region of India

Duraisamy¹,

Bendapudi²,

Jadhav³

2018

Environ Monit Assess

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The study examines long-term land use/land cover change (LUCC) at a finer scale in a semi-arid region of India. The objectives were to study and quantify the spatiotemporal LUCC and uncover the major drivers causing the change in the Mula Pravara river basin, which is located in a semi-arid region of Maharashtra state, India. Advanced very high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR)-Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) 3g data for the years 1982–2015 were used to identify the ‘hotspot’ with significant positive and negative LUCC. Multi-temporal Landsat imagery was used to produce finer scale land use maps. From 1991 to 2016, the agricultural land area increased by approximately 98% due to the conversion of uncultivable and fallow lands to agriculture. The built-up area increased by 195%, and in recent years, an urban expansion has occurred in agricultural lands close to the urban fringe areas. There has been a shift from food crops to commercial crops, as observed from the steep increase in the amount of land under horticultural plantations, by 1601% from 2001 to 2016. In addition, the area under forest canopy was reduced in the protected regions. Institutional factors that improved access to water resources were the major drivers of change in hotspots, especially in the context of agriculture. Technological and economic factors were the other supporting factors that contributed to the change. This study demonstrates the advantages of using satellite remote sensing techniques to monitor the LUCC, which is useful for predicting future land changes and aids in planning adaptation strategies.

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“…Construction or removal of major dams alters human ability to appropriate surface water flows. Perhaps most significantly, extensive exploitation of groundwater reserves is rapidly depleting aquifers in some of the world's most important food basket regions (Liu et al, 2011;Kumar et al, 2012;Scanlon et al, 2012). Against this backdrop, the need to monitor, understand, and, when possible, project the future distribution of water resources is a recognized research priority.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining National Trends in Terrestrial Water Storage

Bruss

Nateghi²,

Zaitchik

2019

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Access to fresh water is critical for human well-being, economic activity and, in some cases, political stability. Data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has been used to monitor variability and trends in total water storage. This makes it possible to associate changes in water storage with both climate variability and large scale water management. Recent research has shown that these trends can be associated, globally, with rainfall, irrigation, and climate model predictions. This research indicates a need for further investigation into specific human predictors of trends in terrestrial water storage. This paper presents the first global scale analysis of GRACE trends focused on national scale socioeconomic predictors of terrestrial water storage. We show that rainfall, irrigation, agricultural characteristics, and energy practices all contribute to GRACE trends, and the importance of each differs by country and region. Additionally, this work suggests that other factors such as GDP, population density, urbanization, and forest cover do not explain GRACE trends at a national level. Identifying these key predictors aids in understanding trends in water availability and for informing water management policy in a changing climate.

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The food security challenge of the food-land-water nexus in India

Cited by 79 publications

References 10 publications

The limits of increasing food production with irrigation in India

The limits of increasing food production with irrigation in India

Identifying hotspots in land use land cover change and the drivers in a semi-arid region of India

Explaining National Trends in Terrestrial Water Storage

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