In today’s era marked by climate change and water scarcity, the challenge of ensuring food security while protecting our planet’s biodiversity has never been more critical. Water smart-agriculture is emerging as key solution to this dilemma, focusing on efficient water use and promoting practices that supports sustainable ecosystem. This article explores how water smart-agriculture can enhance resilience in agricultural system while fostering food security and biodiversity.
What is Water Smart – Agriculture?
Climate change has emerged as a significant challenge to agriculture, freshwater resources and the food security of billions of people in the world (Goyal & Rao 2018). The global temperature increase of 1.1 degree Celsius over the past decade along with ever increasing human population growth are escalating the scarcity of water in already water scarce areas adversely affecting agriculture.
Water smart agriculture was developed to solve all kinds of challenges in availability, access and use of agricultural water. It is comprised of several climate – responsive food cropping systems, water saving methods, tools and technologies in growing food sustainably. Water will grow more scarce in many regions of the world due to warming temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns. Therefore, for sustainable crop production in water-scarce places, a thoughtful implementation of new innovative water management and water-saving techniques combined with ancient wisdom is required. With careful planning and execution, location-specific water-smart technologies, either alone or in combination, offer a significant potential to lessen the effects of climate change on water supplies.
According to a meta-analysis conducted for crop modeling under various climatic scenarios, farm-level adaptations could, in comparison to no adaptation, enhance crop yields by an average of 7 to 15% and save water by 25 to 50% (Challinor et al. 2014; Jain et al. 2014). By embracing water-smart techniques, farmers can adapt to changing climatic conditions, reduce water waste, and enhance the resilience of their agricultural systems.
Why water conservation matters?
- To combat climate change and depleting water resources: Increasing temperature and erratic weather pattern leads to the water scarcity and drought which necessities efficient use of water for sustainable ecosystem. Sustainable water practices helps to alleviate these problems
- Food Security: To ensure enough food for ever growing population while conserving ecosystem, we need to adopt water smart farming.
Key practices in Water Smart – Agriculture
Water harvesting: For those who live in areas with significant rainfall fluctuation, rainwater harvesting (RWH) is an adaptation technique that can be used for domestic needs as well as to improve crops, livestock, and other agricultural practices. According to Rockström et al. (2009), rainwater harvesting structures can be highly helpful in semi-arid, dry, and sub-humid environments, particularly in those where extreme rainfall variability rather than rainfall totals is the cause of water scarcity. the goal of rain water harvesting is to increase agricultural output reliability. Water harvesting can be done by collecting water in ponds, tanks and other storage containers made for that purpose. Rain water harvesting benefits from agricultural and engineering measures. Agronomic techniques include contour farming, mulching, trench planting, furrow irrigation etc. and engineering methods include broad bed and furrow system contour bunds, graded bunds etc.
Drip irrigation: It is advanced technique of irrigation which supplies water directly to the root zone of crops, minimizing water loss through pipelines and tubes. This setup ensures maximum utilization of water thus reducing water wastage. Drip irrigation has the potential to increase agricultural yield per unit of water and cultivate crops in regions where surface techniques of irrigation are not feasible. The extension into rain-fed regions is greatly affected by this circumstance (von Westarp et al., 2004).In India, several studies conducted at many institutions have consistently shown that drip reduces water use by 30 to 60 percent and to raise yields by 5 to 50percent compared with conventional surface irrigation methods (Indian National Committee, 1994; Sivanappan,1994)
Furrow irrigated raised beds: Vegetables, aromatic and medicinal herbs, and cereal crops are frequently grown in raised beds with furrows spaced one to 1.5 meters apart. Typically, a bed or ridge will have two rows of elevated plants on either side. A trench that provides water to the plant rows is situated between two rows of the nearby ridges of beds. This technique saves water. In comparison to flood irrigation of the field at layout, Aujla et al. (1992) found that with Indian rape (Brassica napus), irrigating each furrow (45 cm wide) used 18% less irrigation water, and each alternate furrow 41% less irrigation water. Grain yield was unaffected.
Deficit irrigation and partial root-zone drying are reported as promising irrigation techniques that save water with increased WUE or WP, and without significant tuber yield reduction. The cited techniques refer to the practice of irrigated water below the maximum crop evapotranspiration and alternated irrigation of the root-zone by watering in one furrow and keeping dry the adjacent furrow until the next watering cycle (Jovanovic et al., 2010; Jensen et al., 2010; Xie et al., 2012).
Conservation agriculture: CA is a generic term for a set of farm management practices that were developed to improve conservation and protection of available soil and biodiversity adding sustainability to the production of food and agriculture (Hubbard et al., 1994; Karlen et al., 1994).The “conservation tillage” label refers to a set of practices adopted by modern plow-based conventional tillage with the purpose of enhancing water infiltration and reducing erosion risk. This term is often applied to no-tillage, direct drilling or minimum tillage practice if it is linked with some cover of crop residues on at least 30% of the soil surface, and linked with some conservation objectives such as the conservation of time, fuel, earthworms, soil water and nutrients Baker et al., 2002).
Floating agriculture: An indigenous agricultural method called “floating agriculture” entails growing crops on floating rafts devoid of soil. This method has the potential to assist farming communities in areas vulnerable to flooding both during periods of flooding and prolonged periods of precipitation (Chowdhury and Moore, 2017).According to Hoque et al. (2015), the yield of okra is 24.14 t/ha, spinach is 22.66 t/ha, tomato is 43.76 t/ha, cucumber is 13.32 t/ha, bitter gourd is 24.80 t/ha, and pumpkin is 24.10 t/ha under floating agriculture. Because it offers new chances employing indigenous knowledge and techniques that are well matched to local environmental conditions, floating-bed farming could be one such strategy in those locations that escape salt-water intrusion (Chowdhury 2004).
Plastic mulching: Mulching enhances soil ventilation around plants, increases soil productivity, and aggregates soil particles, and facilitates water drainage (Kader et al., 2017a). Plastic mulches are very useful and effective in controlling the rate of evaporation. Water and nutrient cannot pass through plastic film because it is impervious in nature. Plastic mulch is best suited for vegetable gardens in order to raise the temperature of soil in the spring season. It is not advisable to use for the long period and generally used for only one season because it deteriorates with exposure to sunlight. In plastic mulching, coloured as well as clear or transparent films are used. Plastic mulches like biodegradable and photodegradable mulches comprises of optical properties which is used for definite crop in a specified location (Steinmetz et al., 2016).
Hydroponics and aeroponics: Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants suspended in a nutrient rich water-based solution without using soil substrates while aeroponics is defined as growing of plants in air or mist environment without substrates where the plant roots are freely suspended in the air and are misted with nutrient solution periodically.
Numerous crops, such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and several types of flowers, have been successfully grown using hydroponics (Asao, 2012) [7]. Compared to traditional cultivating methods, it offers a number of advantages, such as quick growth, high production, handling convenience, and economical water use (Barbosa et al., 2015).NFT was shown to be a successful hydroponic method that produced higher harvests and better nutrition when compared to the protected soil-based growth system (Majid et al., 2021).
It has been found that restricting nutrition delivery during the stolon growth stage significantly increases root activity, restricts stolon growth, and ultimately initiates tuber initiation (Chang et al., 2012). Aeroponics may be a useful method for cultivating potato minitubers.
Drought resistant crops
Over the past years, the development of drought tolerant crop varieties, one of the major strategies of organization for water restriction in agriculture (Xoconostle-Cazares et al., 2010). According to Tawaha et al. (2006), this may be reached through the improvement of phenological and morphological characters that can play a role in the modification of plant into the drought region. Drought tolerant crops can survive longer period of dry spell. This strategy is important as climate change leads to severe drought in different parts of world. a multi-gene transformation strategy achieved by genetic modification of transcription factors or regulators of signaling cascades seems more promising than targeting single genes for improving drought resistance (Fang and Xiong, 2015).
Adjusting planting date: Adjustment in planting dates should be such that the flowering period does not fall in the hottest period to minimize the effect of high temperature-induced spikelet sterility and reduce yield instability. Adaptation measures to reduce the negative effects of increased climatic variability as normally experienced in arid and semiarid tropics may include changes to cropping calendar that take advantage of the wet period and avoid extreme weather events such as typhoons and storms during growing season
Water smart agriculture in action
- Experimental research carried out in india in different locations shows that Drip irrigation methods can be a viable option for sustainable methods of irrigation water besides productivity and other gains (INCID, 1994; Verma & Rao, 1998).
- Water harvesting, mulching, ridge tillage, permanent soil tillage etc. are widely practiced in South Africa(kablan,et.al, 2008)
- Presently, five of the 28 states and eight union territories in India have implemented floating-bed agriculture; these include, but are not limited to, the following areas: Dal Lake (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir), Majuli (Assam), Alappuzhal, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam (Kuttand Region, Kerala), Loktak Lake (Bishnupur, Manipur), and Puri (Odisha). These locations have been recognized as India’s floating farm practice hotspots.
- Sorghum production is water smart technology in Africa. The sorghum development program was started in 2012 in collaboration with the international crop research institute for the Semi-arid tropics (ICRISAT) and the Selian Agriculture Research Institute (SARI) through the Sorghum for Multiple Use Projects (SMU).
Benefits of water smart agriculture
- Conservation of water resources: By making irrigation more efficient by minimizing water loss, water-smart agriculture ensure protection of water resources and food security for future generation.
- Protection of environment: Efficient use of water resources ensures healthy and sustainable ecosystem by reducing pressure on water resources. It further helps in efficient land use and protects land from erosion
- Boosts yield and income: WSA is capable of increasing the quantity and quality of crop yields without increasing water yield, leading to long-term profits for farmers.
- Climate adaptation: WSA increase the adaptation of crops to increasing temperature and erratic rainfall by incorporating climate smart sustainable irrigation practices and and resistant crops.
Water smart agriculture and agricultural transformation
Strengthening the links between farms and other sectors of the economy in a process that is mutually reinforcing are the two major processes that agricultural transformation consists of. This requires a change in thinking, which can be initiated from thoughts about an individual sector, funding agency, collaboration, integration of all stakeholders from top to bottom small holder, and vice versa-which can even be seen in Ethiopia, for example, in the case of irrigation(D.Hayduk).
Water Smart Agriculture is both rain fed and irrigated agriculture which are climate resilient agriculture through sustainable utilization of water resource because in the medium to long term, climate change
Will reduce the availability or reliability of water supplies in many places already subject to water scarcity (FAO,2018).
Agriculture transformation are mainly focus on water resource use of all type, utilization efficiency and water productivity, functionality of scheme, harvesting status and practices of all type of water resource, governance and protecting, managing and controlling as well as rehabilitation of water ecological environment to get climate independent agriculture which enable yield boosting and sustainably intensify the sector, while recognizing the mandatory aspect of integrated agricultural.
Supporting biodiversity through water smart agriculture
Water smart agriculture plays key role in protecting ecosystem and promoting sustainable farming by following ways:
- Habitat preservation: Planting of crops along with crops ,protection of water resources promotes habitats for wildlife promoting biodiversity and sustainable farming
- Protecting native pollinators: By preserving biodiversity as mentioned above, WSA ensures favorable shelter for native pollinators which are important to run ecosystem
- Minimum water stress on ecosystem: Water stress on water resources and whole ecosystem is reduced by efficient use of water resources which can be helpful to flourish aquatic ecosystem.
As a tool of sustainable farming
As global population continues to grow, the demand for food is also rising. In the mean-time, incorporating WSA to farming ensures food security for future generation safeguarding ecosystem. Particularly for water management purposes, issues related to agriculture sustainability and the maintenance of ecosystems services have triggered the search for smart-irrigation systems, themselves inspiring new approaches and perspectives.
Some of the innovative irrigation practices are far from being consolidated; they are instead adapting to the increasing demands associated to diverse natural and socio-economic environments and conditions, facing unprecedented changes. Smart irrigation system provides tools and methodology for saving water and land as well as mitigating the effects of climate change and increasing agricultural production. By focusing on efficient use of natural resources, it promotes biodiversity along with balance between ecosystem and agriculture. It suggest how resilient agriculture can sustain in adverse environment to meet the growing needs of people.
Conclusion
Water is prime medium through which impact of climate change on ecosystem can be observed and felt. So improvement in water management technique and efficiency is need of today’s world. In, water scarce regions, use of water harvesting technique, water conservation techniques are alternatives to farmers to sustain agriculture and their livelihood.
Water Smart- Agriculture is a sustainable approach which work on the principle of efficient utilization of water to minimize water loss in scarce world. It focus on biodiversity conservation along with sustainable farming. Adopting water smart agriculture ensure long term health of agriculture and planet as a whole.
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