Transcript Groundwater Use in Irrigated Farming and Links to Resource Availability, Poverty, and Energy in the Indus-Ganges and Yellow River Basins

Groundwater use in irrigated farming
and links to resource availability, poverty, and energy
in the Indus-Ganges and Yellow River Basins
Karen G. Villholth
Senior Researcher
GEUS
Copenhagen, Denmark
ATV theme day:
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADAPTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT IN EU AND BEYOND
Vingsted, Denmark, March 9, 2009
Content
• The GGA Research and Training project
• Groundwater’s role in irrigation in Asia
• The research component/outcomes:
– The resource perspective
– The agronomic perspective
– The economic, energy, and equity
perspective
• Coping and adaptation of smallholders
• Conclusions in the light of global change
CPWF Project on Groundwater Governance in Asia (GGA):
Capacity Building through Action Research in
the Indo-Gangetic and Yellow River Basins
Indo-Ganges Rivers
India
Pakistan
Nepal
Bangladesh
Yellow River/
North China Plains
China
795,125 km2
2,251,500 km2
Outline of GGA project
Research component
Training component
1st cycle
Training Program 2006 - 2007
2nd cycle
Training Program 2007 - 2008
Training School
Training School
Fellow Research
Fellow Research
Pilot studies, synthesis research
http://www.waterandfood.org/gga/
How to convert knowledge gained from
research into GW management?
?
?
Course outline
Tier I: Young Practitioner Fellows
Modules and Resource
sessions:
characterization
and mobilization,
Environment
Agricultural
water use
Social
sciences,
Economics,
Institutions
Policies,
Governance
Scientific
methods,
Research
preparation,
Field tours
Holiday
Tier II: Senior
Practitioner Fellows
Day
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Monday
Public holiday
GW saving/augmentation
Farming systems
Farmer decision making
GW/Irrigation institutions
GW markets
Tuesday
Arrival of fellows
Intro. to agronomy
Global experience on
GW institutions
Wednesday
Introduction
Basic hydrology
Intro to CPWF basins
Intro. to social sciences
Data collection and use
GW modeling
Game:
Naranpur Express Simulation of a South
Asian Village
Political Anthropology
Paradigms for GW
governance
Adoptive GW mgt.
Water rights
Community mgt. of
GW
Public holiday, Diwali
Case studies from the
region
Awareness raising
Friday
Hydro-geology
GW flow processes
Saturday
GW quality, health, and
environmental impacts
Soil-water-plant
relationships
Crop water requirements
Water productivity
Irrigation systems
Physical landscape field
trip
Thursday
Social and cultural
anthropology
State and community
GW irrigation field trip
Intro. to socio-economic
survey in Punjab
GW policies
Political economy of
North China
GW-energy nexus
State and community
mgt. of GW irrigation
in North India
GW policies in north
and south India
GW mgt. in Australia
Mgt. of arsenic GW
contamination
Evaluation and
closing
Groundwater withdrawal, cubic km/year
Groundwater development in selected countries
India
250
USA
China
200
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Mexico
150
W.Europe
Tunisia
100
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Vietnam
50
Spain
Ghana
0
1940
1960
1980
2000
(Shah, 2004)
Groundwater irrigated area
In 1000 ha
Ref:
FAO Aquastat
2003 and other
sources
The groundwater governance problem
Key point:
Large number of poor people depend heavily on groundwater for their
livelihood
Proper management of groundwater is essential for their food,
health and economic security
Parameter
India
Percentage of population whose livelihood
depends on agriculture
China
Pakistan
59%
Bangladesh
about 85%
Percentage of population dependent on GW for
irrigation
55-60%
20-25%
60-65%
about 64%
No. of people dependent on GW for irrigation,
million
586-639
257-321
89-96
85
(Villholth & Sharma, 2006)
Nepal
86%
No. of agro wells
(million)
25
20
15
10
5
0
India
China
Pakistan
Mexico
USA
Mexico
USA
Extraction per agro well
(1000 cubic m/year)
1000
Groundwater use in Asia
is characterized by a large
number of small scale
users
800
600
400
200
0
India
China
Pakistan
Farmers dependent on
groundwater constitute a
large fraction of the
population in Asia
Number of farmers dependent on groundwater,
as a fraction of total population
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
India
China
Ref: Shah, 2003
Pakistan
Mexico
USA
’AQUASTAT itself can be expanded to include groundwater information’
(FAO, 2008)
Study sites within the Indo-Gangetic and Yellow River Basins
Research questions
• What is link between GW use and availability
• Who is benefitting from GW irrigation?
• What are the constraints for GW benefits?
• How do farmers adopt?
• Where to focus research and policy advice?
Groundwater zones of IGB & YRB
wI & Ch
Pak
eIGB
Resource perspective
Rainfall
wI & Ch
eIGB
Pak
550-768
1232-2000
375-650
72 - 100
74 - 79
mm/yr
mm/yr
mm/yr
Fraction of
irrigation
from GW
68 -100
GWL
23-300 m
< 10 m
4-15 m
0.9 - 2.0
~0
0.1
mbgl
GWL
decline
m/yr
%
m/yr
%
%
m/yr
Agronomic perspective
wI & Ch
Major
crops
Wheat, maize,
rice
eIGB
Pak
Rice, wheat,
Rice, wheat,
mustard, jute, sugarcane,
banana, maize, cotton
vegetables
Cropping
156-179
146-250
160
intensity
Crop
Wheat: 6484 Wheat: 2028 Wheat: 2600
yields
Maize: 6427 Rice: 3071
Rice: 2750
kg/ha
Attainable wheat yield: 3600 kg/ha (FAO, 2002)
Economic, energy and equity perspective
wI & Ch
Share of
irrigation
cost in
total cost
12
%
Capital cost 2460-5700
of well, USD
USD
Energy
Electricity,
source
subsidized
eIGB
7-32
Pak
%
15 - 570
USD
Diesel, not
subsidized
22-33
40-100
%
USD
Diesel & elec.,
not subsidized
Coping strategies
wI & Ch
• Crop
diversification
• Install deeper
wells
• Efficient pumps
• Simple water
saving techniques
• Income
diversification
• Migration
eIGB
•Rain-fed farming
•Leasing out land to
tube-well owners
•Use of kerosene to
replace diesel
•Rental market for
pumps
•Use of fuel-efficient
Honda pumps
•Use of plastic pipelines
for conveyance
•Diversify livelihoods and
work for larger farmers
Pak
•Conjunctive use
of GW and
surface water
•Farmers crop
intensively and
grow more water
saving crops or
cash crops
Conclusions
• GW irrigation economies shaped by and constrained by
poverty rates, GW availability, and energy access
• Farmers wisely develop a range of coping and adaptation
strategies to optimize GW use under given circumstances
• Research and policy advice need to take into account the
geographic and social realities
• Focus should be on energy, other supporting inputs,
alternative livelihoods
Thank you!
[email protected]