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Book of Extended summaries ISDA

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International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &<br />

Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad<br />

T1-07R-1062<br />

Enhancing Climate Resilient Agriculture in Semi-Arid Region through<br />

Group Micro Irrigation by Collectivization and Equitable Sharing <strong>of</strong><br />

Groundwater: Case Study in Maharashtra and Telangana, India<br />

Arun Bhagat*, Upasana Koli, Jyothirmayee Kandula and Marcella Dsouza<br />

WOTR Centre for Resilience Studies (W-CReS), Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR), Pune<br />

(India)<br />

*arun.bhagat@wotr.org.in<br />

Groundwater is one <strong>of</strong> the primary sources <strong>of</strong> irrigation for food production in many countries<br />

<strong>of</strong> the world, and India, which significantly contributes to the food supply for countries, is the<br />

most groundwater-dependent country on earth. Despite their importance, the resources are<br />

heading for a crisis in many regions, mainly due to their enormous exploitation to increase<br />

production to feed the growing population. Climate change, it is anticipated, will pose an<br />

additional significant threat to groundwater resources in the future (Shahid et al., 2017), and<br />

has affected agricultural practices to the extent that farmers have increased the use <strong>of</strong> synthetic<br />

fertilizers and agrochemicals to protect themselves from the damages. Therefore, looking at<br />

the challenging water scenario, the government has been stressing about increasing the efficient<br />

use <strong>of</strong> water. However, despite the numerous schemes, technological inputs, and new methods<br />

<strong>of</strong> productivity enhancement, it has scarcely addressed the water problem in its entirety. To<br />

address these issues and challenges, Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) undertook an<br />

action research project - the Group Micro Irrigation (GMI) approach, devised to enhance<br />

agriculture productivity for a group <strong>of</strong> smallholder farmers with special attention to efficient<br />

water use.<br />

Methodology<br />

Water is considered a common good rather than privately owned in this approach. This<br />

viewpoint is to help manage scarce water resources judiciously and equitably. The GMI<br />

approach comprises four main components: groundwater management on the supply and<br />

demand side, promotion <strong>of</strong> CRA practices, facilitation <strong>of</strong> market linkages, and integration <strong>of</strong><br />

applied research by providing small methods or tools to support farmers. In the first component<br />

<strong>of</strong> GMI, measures such as harvesting rainwater and construction <strong>of</strong> soil and water conservation<br />

structures to recharge groundwater are taken to support the supply side. And to support the<br />

demand side, accumulating private groundwater resources and distributing water through a<br />

common-drip-irrigation system are the measures taken. The second component <strong>of</strong> promoting<br />

Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) as a package <strong>of</strong> practices is a measure undertaken to boost<br />

soil health and plant resilience to ensure a harvest in the face <strong>of</strong> weather and environmental<br />

challenges. The third component involves encouraging market linkage through Farmer<br />

Resilience through land and water management interventions, water management and governance<br />

29 | Page

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