Enabling a more Equitable and Efficient Groundwater Irrigation in Rainfed Regions of South India

In rainfed agriculture supplemental irrigation boosts and stabilises crop productivity when rainfall fails. In these areas groundwater is one of the important sources of irrigation, leading to its exploitation. Key issues in the use of groundwater are equitable access and sustainable use through a combination of technological and social processes. Considering this, an attempt was made to achieve a more efficient and equitable use of groundwater by appropriate social and technical interventions in a multi-institutional initiative. This consisted of networking of bore wells into a single system and providing access to irrigation water to those who did not possess any irrigation source. The results indicated that when the existing bore wells were networked and connected to a more efficient irrigation system like sprinkler, there were significant gains in cultivated area, cropping intensity and crop yields. Though both the owners of bore wells and water receivers gained absolutely, the latter gained more in relative terms. This initiative led to a more efficient and equitable water use by facilitating a cropping pattern that uses less water and by providing access to groundwater irrigation by those who could not invest.