Watershed development: A solution to water shortages in semi-arid India or part of the problem?

There have been dramatic changes in the hydrology of many of the dry areas of South India in recent years as a result of increased groundwater-based irrigation, watershed development and land use change. Although intensive development of water resources has brought about huge benefits, its very success has thrown up new challenges. Demand and competition for water has increased to the extent that — in some areas — current levels of annual water use are so high that, in all but the wettest years, annual water use approximates towards annual replenishment of surface and ground water resources. In these areas, it is clear that the emphasis should switch from development to the management of water resources to ensure that water is allocated to activities with the highest economic and social value. Although current watershed development programmes bring a range of benefits, they may also change the temporal and spatial pattern of water availability and use. This can result in significant negative trade-offs such as more unreliable domestic water supplies in ‘downstream’ areas, particularly during low rainfall or drought years. As part of the Karnataka Watershed Development Project (KAWAD), a water resource audit assessed the status of water resources in the project watersheds and identified resource management practices that should be promoted by the project. This paper summarises the audit’s findings and recommendations, the main lessons learned and progress to date in implementing recommendations. For comparison, findings and recommendations from a water audit in southern Andhra Pradesh are also summarised.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Dambo Farming In Zimbabwe: Water Management, Cropping and Soil Potentials for Smallholder Farming in the Wetlands

A Conference Paper on improving water use efficiency in Zimbabwe.In dry regions, access to irrigation systems is the principle factor effecting garden size and success. In rural areas, efficient irrigation can allow more families to benefit from a particular water source and can improve crop production. In urban areas, where water must also be paid for, it can improve the economic returns made from gardening. Thousands of small gardens in Zimbabwe are laboriously irrigated to produce extra food for families. Surface irrigation of small beds is the common practice, but this traditional irrigation method is not efficient in water use. With each irrigation, some water applied to the soil surface is lost as soil evaporation. With increasing human pressure on limited water supplies, and the possibility of climatic change, it is vital that more efficient methods of irrigation be developed and adopted.CIIFAD, Rockefeller Foundation & SAREC

Dambo Farming In Zimbabwe: Water Management, Cropping and Soil Potentials for Smallholder Farming in the Wetlands.

A Conference Paper on garden irrigation in Zimbabwe.The research described in this report has the potential to improve sustainability of agriculture by reducing farmer reliance on extensive farming systems. The overall aim of the project is to promote the use of small irrigated community gardens to complement rainfed cropping. In years of good rainfall, these gardens can augment rainfed crop production, reduce the need to crop marginal land and improve nutrition by providing a continuous supply of vegetables during the dry season. In years of drought, such as that now occuring in Southern Africa, there is no rain-fed cropping. Irrigated gardens can provide rural communities with a vital "safety net", providing the only means of food production