Book of Extended summaries ISDA

International Conference on Reimagining Rainfed Agro-ecosystems: Challenges &
Opportunities during 22-24, December 2022 at ICAR-CRIDA, Hyderabad
References
Beven K and Germann P. 2013 Macropores and water flow in soils revisited. Water
Resources Research, 49:3071-3092.
Luxmoore RJ. 1991. On preferential flow and its measurement (No. CONF-911255-1).
OakRidge National Lab., TN (United States).
T1-09R-1172
Micro-Irrigation Based Supplemental Irrigation Using Harvested
Rainwater for Sustainable Agriculture Under Rainfed Ecosystems
Abrar Yousuf, M.J. Singh, Anil Khokhar, Parminder Singh Sandhu, Mohammad Amin
Bhat, Balwinder Singh Dhillon
Punjab Agricultural University-Regional Research Station, AICRPDA Centre
Ballowal Saunkhri, Balachaur, Punjab-144521, India
The Indian economy is mainly dependent on agriculture which contributes 21% of the
country’s capital GDP and 60 percent of employment potential. Out of the total net sown area
in India, about 51% is under rainfed agriculture, which contributes around 40% of the total
food production. The rainfed agriculture is usually at risk as crop security depends on arrival,
distribution and withdrawal of rainfall during the monsoon season. Crop failures, taking heavy
toll on farmers’ income, are very common in rainfed ecologies due to the dearth of the irrigation
water. In Punjab, rainfed farming is being practiced in lower Shivalik region, locally known as
Kandi area. This region is characterized by erratic distribution of rainfall, small landholdings,
lack of irrigation facilities, heavy biotic pressure on the natural resources, inadequate
vegetative cover, heavy soil erosion, landslides, declining soil fertility and frequent crop
failures resulting in scarcity of food, fodder and fuel (Yousuf et al., 2017).In this region, about
80% of total annual rainfall is received from July to September. Though sufficient rainfall is
received to meet the crop water requirement, the crops are subjected to early, mid-season and
terminal droughts leading to crop failures and low yields. To raise the productivity of rainfed
crops in the region, it is necessary to harvest the excess rainwater. Rainwater management is
one of the most critical components of rainfed farming and the successful production of crops
largely depends on how efficiently soil moisture is conserved in situ and the surplus run-off is
harvested, stored and reused for supplemental irrigation and also for recharging (Rao et al.,
2017). Farm pond technology is identified as one of the most important and cost-effective
technology for management of the excess rainwater. The excess rainwater, termed as surface
runoff, can be harvested in farm ponds and utilized for supplemental or life-saving irrigation
during dry spells. Keeping this in view, an experiment was conducted to study the effect of
supplemental irrigation on yield, water use efficiency and economics of maize-wheat and
vegetable-based cropping systems.
34 | Page Resilience through land and water management interventions, water management and governance