Water Management for Sustainable Agriculture: Post # 40

Water Management For Sustainable Agriculture

Context: Generally, sustainable agriculture is defined as “all agricultural production systems and practices which are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable and which contribute to a better quality of life for agricultural producers and their families and the general public (SARE, Texas).” For such an outcome, water management is an important factor which impacts on the sustainability of agriculture many ways like those listed below:

• ¡  Water scarcity
• ¡  Water Abundance
• ¡  Water application & use for crops
• ¡  Water Salinity & Sodicity
• ¡  Water-logging
• ¡  Water for human and animals
• ¡  Industrial Water
• ¡  Sewage Water & Sanitation
• ¡  Water adequacy, equity and reliability
• ¡  Soil salinity
• ¡  Soil alkalinity
• ¡  Water Governance
• ¡  Water Resources Control
• ¡  Water conservation
• ¡  Water awareness
• ¡  Water reforms & Water users
• ¡  Water investments
• ¡  Water pricing / valuation, etc

Water scarcity is reported to be an outcome of the following factors: Population growth; degradation of watersheds; pollution; salinity (and sodicity); loss of natural and man-made storage; and climate variability (Linter, World Bank). Many large rivers in Asia are drying out because of dams, excessive diversion of river waters for use and climatic changes that are occurring.

As a matter of fact, the scarcity is a combined effect of economic growth, population growth and climatic changes. Increasing demand for water resources among different sectors and pollution load coupled with decrease in the volume of resource itself, due to mismanagement, competition for the scarce water resources is developing into conflicts at local, national and regional levels.

In case of abundance of water due to rain or floods, issue of water management is the lack of proactive measures either to create capacity to store this water or provide drainage to avoid the resulting negative outcomes.

Current Status: When use of water in agriculture, which most cases exceeds 90 percent in Asia, is not handled properly and efficiently, environmental hazards such as soil and water salinity / sodicity and water-logging result. Since sustainability of agriculture is associated with environmental management, inefficient use of water in agriculture is becoming a serious threat in this context. At present, there are about 444 million hectares in Asia-Pacific region that are salt affected; out of which 195 million hectares are saline and remaining 249 million hectares are sodic.

Along with inefficient use in agriculture sector, water use in industrial as well as domestic sectors is also creating monumental environmental hazards. For example the waste-water of many cities of Pakistan exceeds more than 2.3 billion cubic meters per year. This waste-water, mostly untreated, ends up in natural channels, canals or to grow vegetables around many population centers.

In the main water consuming sector, agriculture, issues such as adequacy, equity and reliability of water have direct impact on the sustainability of agriculture. However, in many countries of Asia Pacific region, most rivers have their watersheds / origins and use-centers that do not follow political boundaries and lack control and reliability for lower riparian /(s). Along with excessive use and / misuse of this renewable resource pose serious threats for the sustainability of agriculture.

 In case of Pakistan, for example, almost all rivers flow away from its geographical boundaries and the percentage of its waters originating from outside is about 75%.  Similar percentage exists for exploitation index that denotes percent use of total renewable water resources in a country.

Water uses in other sectors also require managing water properly; lack of which is causing serious soil and human health and water quality problems. For example, in Asia, there is one out of three persons who does not have access to safe drinking water. Similarly, there is one out of two persons who does not have proper sanitation facilities available (Tim Cullen, ADB). Unfortunately, about 90 % of such deprived persons live in the rural areas.

Water scarcity is a common phenomenon in almost all Asian countries that are located in the arid and semi-arid zones. For example, Pakistan’s per capita water availability was 5300 cubic meters / year in 1951 that has dropped to 1200 cubic meters / per capita per year in 2000. By 2013, it is expected that Pakistan’s water status will further dip down to 850 cubic meters by placing it under extremely scarcity zone.

Issues: In order to manage water resources for sustainable agriculture, there are different issues that must be addressed. Common issues of water in Asian context (source: AIT) include: a. Floods, Cyclones and Tsunami; b. Drought; c. Water Scarcity; d. Water Pollution; e. Ecosystem degradation and f. Impact of Climatic Changes. Of course, issues of lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation are serious concerns in most cases but in rural setting in particular.

In a specific case of Pakistan, for better understanding, these issues can be divided under the following categories, as listed by M.  Ali Shah of ADB-Pakistan:

1. Institutional and Management related Issues: This category of issues include: a. Inadequate coordination among water sector agencies; b. Lack of inter-ministerial and inter-provincial bodies to ensure water sector planning, development and management; c. Insufficient data base and information on water.
2. Social and Financial Issues:  Such issues consist of the following: a. Growing population and changes in demographics; b. Pervasive  poverty; c. Limited involvement of women in water sector decision making; d. Inequitable water distribution within irrigation system; e. Less availability of funds for water sector and higher financial needs to meet future needs; f. Inadequate financial sustainability of existing infrastructure; g. Low crop prices; h. Limited private sector and participation; i. Limited involvement of stakeholders in decision making in all sub-sectors; and j. Inadequate public awareness / understanding of water issues.
3. Technical Issues: On technical side, the issues comprise of factors such as: a. Increasing demand for water, food and power; b. Insufficient water resources for future needs; c. Inefficient use of water in all sub-sectors but with maximum potential in irrigation sub-sector; d. Low crop yields; e. Deteriorating water quality; f. Low coverage and quality of service in domestic water supply and sanitation; g. Deteriorating water infrastructure in domestic and irrigation subsectors; h. Overuse of water in many irrigated areas; and i. water-logging and salinity in irrigated areas and disposal of saline  drainage effluents.

Challenges: Like water related issues, challenges are also with wider (regional and / global) and country specific dimensions. In global sense, these challenges / priority areas have been identified by two sources: (1) The Hague Ministerial Declaration and (2) The World Water Vision. Globally identified challenges include (as per information available on the internet):

1. Key Challenges Identified by Hague Ministerial Declaration: (1) Meeting basic needs; (2) Securing food supply; (3) Protecting ecosystems; (4) Sharing water resources; (5) Managing risks and (6) Governing water wisely.
2. Challenges / Priority areas  Identified by World Water Vision: (1) Limiting the expansion of irrigated agriculture; (2)Increasing the productivity of water; (3) Increasing storages; (4) Reforming water resource management institutions; (5) Increasing cooperation in international basins; (6)Valuing ecosystem functions and (7) Supporting technical innovations.

To present an example for country specific challenges, a list proposed by Mr. M. Ali Shah of ADB-Islamabad is being produced as follows: (1) Rapidly increasing agriculture demand for water; (2) Rapid reduction in water storage capacity; (3) Increasing areas threatened by water-logging and salinity; (4) Low irrigation efficiency; (5) Over-exploitation of groundwater; and (6) Weak water management and governance. These identified Pakistan specific challenges are very similar common in most contexts.

Options & Opportunities: In order to address most of the narrated issues and to meet new emerging challenges, there is need to avail all available opportunities that provide feasible and effective options to ensure proper water management essential for a sustainable agriculture. Our available options and opportunities lie within ambit of integrated water management across different subsectors of water resource use.  In all such sub-sectors in general and irrigated sub-sector in particular need our attention both on demand and supply side of water management.

On demand reduction side, we have real option and opportunity available to improve water productivity and to create water use awareness at all relevant levels. There exists huge potential of impacting on water demand if appropriate changes in water rights and water pricing are made as management tools to secure reduction in water demand.

On supply side, we do have different options that include: (a) efficient water resources development including all kind of water storages; (b) water purification; (c) desalinization, water use and recycling and (6) sustainable groundwater use.

In general, when people talk about effective water management for sustainable agriculture, focus mainly stays on supply side whereas we have equal opportunity and option available to make efforts for significant reduction in water demand within all sub-sector of water use. This general trend is quite evident from, for example, the water resources development strategy of Pakistan as reported by Khalid Mohtadullan of Global Water Partnership (GWP):

• Water Augmentation through construction small, medium and large dams;
• Water Conservation through water management, remodeling, rehabilitation and lining of channels & watercourses;
• Ground Water Management through regulation and conjunctive use of surface and groundwater;
• Protection of Infrastructure from water-logging, salinity and floods; and
• Institutional Reforms through devolution of responsibilities and participatory decision making.

As anyone can notice from the above reported strategy, there is hardly any emphasis or urgency noted to affect water demand as another option and opportunity to manage water in a way that agriculture is sustained. Of course, there is mention of water conservation activities that cover mainly items buried in brick and mortar.

In one presentation of Mushtaq Gill, former Director General of On-farm Water Management of Punjab, has promoted many additional conservation technologies that include: LASER land leveling, bed and furrow irrigation, zero-tillage, bed-planting wheat, introduction of high efficiency of irrigation systems, etc. Such improvements have definitely benefited the farmers to some extent but there is no significant evidence that stated conservation practices have affected demand of water in agriculture.

To make best use of such conservation practices for reducing water demand, there are many options and opportunities available like introducing built-in financial and social incentives and disincentives based on water pricing and water rights. In this context, real options and opportunities lie in reducing water demand by creating appropriate and conducive conditions as stated above.

Managing or not-managing water has direct bearing on the sustainability of irrigated agriculture because of mitigation or surfacing of the following troubles: alkalinity, acidity, salinity, water-logging, irrigation, drainage, concerns about adequacy and reliability of water supplies, etc. Water managers have to address such issues by managing irrigation in a way the negative effects can be either mitigated completely or minimized to keep the sustainability of irrigated agriculture intact. These all stated troubles can be avoided by managing irrigation water in a way that its applications do not or hardly leave negative effects on the health soil and plants.