Sustainable agriculture – making use of technological advances in water management

Agriculture is the largest consumer of India's limited water resources developed at a high cost. In view of the increasing demand for water in agriculture, industries as well as to meet the domestic needs, the available water resources need to be used efficiently. Many technological advances have been made that may be made use of to improve water use in agriculture. Generally mismatch between available water supplies and crop water requirements both, in terms of quantity and timing are a major cause of low water use efficiency at field level. Adoption of appropriate water distribution policies, maintenance of conveyance and water distribution network and regulated water application are the keys for sustainable development of agriculture through efficient water management. Land leveling, selection of cropping pattern and irrigation method also play important role in realizing high water use efficiencies at field level. The paper attempts to highlight different technological advances in agricultural water management and their role in attaining higher but sustainable agricultural production.