The central government of India had realized for quite some time, that India’s future food security is dependent on the stability and the sustainability of its smallholder farmers. India’s population, 1.2 billion now, is estimated to grow to 1.6 billion in 30 years, and the demand for food is expected to grow from 270 metric tons to 450 metric tons. More food has to be grown in order to feed the growing population but resources are limited. Land allocated to agriculture cannot increase and with 90% of freshwater already used by the agriculture sector, the availability and amount of freshwater are also maxed out. How do you cope with a growing population and their demand for food with limited resources to grow that food?
The government understood that improving water use efficiency and reducing the cost of irrigation in the agricultural sector is critical for the country’s future food security. In 2014, it introduced two concepts: Water to all Fields, and Per Drop More Crop. With only 58% of Indian agricultural land being irrigated, the ambitious plan was to invest in the infrastructure to deliver water to every farmer.
Irrigation in India was usually done through traditional methods of canal networks and flooding. Using these methods, about 60% of the water is lost due to conveyance, evaporation, percolation, and seepage. The government understood that improving irrigation infrastructure is critical but upgrading the canals and building new canal structures was an expensive, complicated, and time-consuming process that in some cases, takes more than 10 years to complete.
An Innovative Model To Create A Sustainable Farming Community
When the State of Karnataka decided to irrigate the 12000 Ha area in Hungund Taluk of the Bagalkot District with conventional canal irrigation, we approached them with the idea of them investing in community drip irrigation rather than the traditional canal infrastructure.
Community Irrigation is an innovative model that provides advanced drip irrigation technology to a large community of smallholder farmers. It is made possible by using economies-of-scale to develop the needed infrastructure at a large scale, and enables farmers to grow better crops, become less vulnerable to climate change and thus guarantees the stability and economic growth of each farmer and the entire region.
The Community Irrigation model offers key benefits to farmers:
Water saving: Water use efficiency of 81-85% compared to 30-45 % when using flood.
Fertilizer efficiency
40% less consumption of fertilizers.
Farm productivity
More efficient water and fertilizer usage results in higher yields and increased farm output.
Farming diversity
Access to water year-round enables farmers to add another crop cycle each year and diversify their crops.
Social equality: Drip irrigation ensures equitable distribution of water to all farmers regardless of their proximity to the water source.
The government also benefits from this communal model. When deploying a community drip irrigation project there’s minimal need for land acquisition as most drip lines are underground. The cost of maintenance is significantly lower and the entire project can be completed in under two years, as opposed to canal-building projects which can last over 10 years.
The numbers were on our side and the government of Karnataka listened. Government officials understood that the implementation of drip irrigation would result in more economical use of water and improve the economic status and livelihood of farmers in the region. In 2014, we won the tender and the largest community irrigation project in Asia was underway.
A 360° Project; Infrastructure, Irrigation & Education From The Government To The Smallholders
Executing such a large and complex project involved a variety of energy, infrastructure, and organizational challenges, and required the synchronization of activities of multiple governmental agencies, local water associations, and third-party contractors. They provided the pipes, the pumps, the heavy equipment for getting the water from the dams to the project area. They even take care of implementing the dripline structure and delivering water to each and every farmer.
We quickly learned that one major challenge that we would have to face was educating the local farmer about using the system. In a regular irrigation project, the farm owner is the customer and the user. In the case of community irrigation projects, the customer is the government but the users are the farmers. Many of the users weren’t ready at first to accept the gift of drip irrigation. Some feared they were actually getting less water than they would with flooding. Others were suspicious of the technology element and the scientific approach to irrigation. There were political agendas, social issues, and socio-economic barriers. Handling these issues required a great deal of creative thinking and we embraced the challenge. Establishing collaboration with the local farmers was a fascinating process and we have learned a great deal from it.
From Challenging Farming Operations To A Successful Community Irrigation Project
Local farmers are now willingly embracing the technology and they appreciate the change and prosperity it has brought to their lives. They go to professionals to learn and to train, and they want to maximize their use of the drip irrigation system. They employ precision-farming techniques and realize its impact on their farm productivity; they double their yields, lower their expenses on fertilizers and labor, add a second crop cycle each and every year, and are able to diversify to high-value commercial crops.
The government is also pleased. Its mission to improve the livelihood and sustainability of smallholder farmers is well underway, and the future of local food production is looking brighter. The success of the Ramthal project led to the commissioning of three more community irrigation projects in the region with an additional four projects signed up this year.
Being involved with the Ramthal project right from its inception, I can appreciate the innovative and out-of-the-box thinking that played a critical role on its journey to success. A forward-thinking government embraced the community irrigation concept; a modern drip irrigation system replaced the traditional inefficient canals and flooding infrastructure. Ingenuity and creative thinking managed to generate engagement, motivation and capacity building that led thousands of traditional smallholders to dramatically improve the viability of their farming operation and their livelihood. These thousands of smallholders are our ambassadors for change, by accepting progress and science, and by doing so they are guaranteeing India’s future food security.
