Water-food dynamics and role of integrated water resource management

Understanding linkages between food security and environmental stewardship in the land-water nexus is needed in order to develop sustainable agriculture. Intensification of agriculture has challenged environmental sustainability, particularly due to the irrational use of synthetic fertilizers. Sustainable agriculture is becoming an increasingly popular instrument in mitigating climate change risks. Agriculture sector is seen as one of the major contributors in ensuring food security, however adoption of sustainable agriculture to protect water resources from contamination due to irrational use of inputs like fertilizers, pesticides is becoming increasingly pressing to achieve long term environmental security. The strong relationship between yield and fertilizer use has led farmers to overrule the systematic approach of fertilizer application. Although various measures have been applied to understand the farmers’ decision making regarding fertilizer application rate, its use however, still remains inexplicable. To understand this complex process, the study attempts to quantitatively assess the farmers’ fertilizer use behaviour by integrated approach of monitoring as well as field survey among the farmers. A two staged study aimed at monitoring the soil quality status in agriculturally intensive regions of Uttar Pradesh, advanced to understanding the critical factors associated with growing fertilizer usage culminating in contamination of soil/water has been attempted. Soil monitoring data showed nitrate and total nitrogen loading beyond the permissible limit in some regions. A questionnaire aimed at determining fertilizer application behaviour revealed that the farmer attitudes towards fertilizer usage was seen to be significantly influenced by factors like net farm income, overall farm yield, performance of extension services, farmer characteristics on one hand and risks associated with changing farming practices, costs of substitutes available, market based instruments like subsidies, loans etc. on the other. Divergent responses were observed with respect to farmer's perception on issues about water/soil quality, perceived risks from fertilizer substitute usage, linkages of fertilizer application with environmental degradation and level of adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. The findings reveal a need for an integrated approach in managing environmental problems associated with rising agricultural needs.