Need to Develop Irrigation Infrastructure to Ensure Food Security of Tribal Farmers: A Study in Jharkhand

In Jharkhand, the major tribal groups are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. The low agricultural productivity and production have resulted in their economic deprivation and food insecurity. The agricultural sector in Jharkhand is characterized by small net sown area, large arable waste, low irrigation coverage and small size of landholding, resulting in high dependence on monsoon, low diversification, mono-cropping and low production and productivity. The average size of the landholding is only 1.58 ha in Jharkhand with extremely low irrigation coverage. The net irrigated area of the state was only 8.9 per cent of the net sown area in the agricultural year 2004–05. It, however, has increased over a period of time and in 2010–11, the net irrigated area was 11.54 per cent. Even this small area under irrigation is concentrated in a few pockets of the state. Assured irrigation is available only to 8–11 per cent of the area during kharif, 6 per cent during rabi and 1–2 per cent during summer. The study has examined the impact on production and productivity of irrigation and irrigation infrastructure and has identified the factors responsible for enhancement in production and productivity which lead to food security and prosperity in the farming community. All these aspects have been studied in this study.