Agriculture

Globally, the agricultural sector consumes about 70% of the planet’s accessible freshwater. Because water is vital for the success of agriculture, proper water management techniques are necessary to meet food and fiber material demands around the world. Resources available here pay special attention to efficient irrigation and sustainable agriculture techniques.

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Agriculture Resources

Socio-Economic Aspects of Irrigation Technology Cases from Nepal and India

iDE
This paper examines social and economic issues pertaining to the micro-irrigation technology based livelihoods of smallholder farmers in villages of Nepal and India. The paper concludes that in order to achieve the policy goals of poverty reduction, smallholder should be provided with opportunities...Read more
Regional focus: 
South East Asia

A Model for Pro-Poor Wealth Creation Through Small-Plot Irrigation and Integrated Service Provision

iDE
This paper relates to the field experience of iDE in strengthening linkages between irrigation development and poverty alleviation. Data from field projects in Nepal and India suggest that iDE's methodology can lead to significant additional income for small farmers and other micro and small...Read more

IWMI Research Report: Pedaling Out of Poverty: Social Impact of a Manual Irrigation Technology in South Asia

iDE
This paper offers an assessment of the social impact of treadle pump technology for manual irrigation in eastern India, the Nepal Terai, and Bangladesh, South Asia's so-called "poverty square.".Read more

Irrigation and Human Welfare: a Workshop Report

U.S. Agency for International Development
The three specific objectives of the workshop were: (1) to examine ways in which concerns about complex relationships between water and human welfare could be integrated in the planning, design, operation and evaluation of irrigation and related water supply and sanitation projects; (2) to identify...Read more

Optimum Control of Irrigation Water Application

U.S. Agency for International Development
The problem of controlling soil water within the root zone of irrigated crops to minimize the expected loss is examined. Control is obtained by the amount and timing of irrigations to replenish the soil water reservoir depleted by the crop's water consumption. Actual evapotranspiration rates...Read more

Comparison of Photovoltaic Pumps With Wind, Diesel, Animal and Human Pumping Systems for Irrigation

U.S. Agency for International Development
A global project to assess the viability of solar pumping was undertaken by IT Power/Halcrow for the UNDP/world Bank in the period 1979 to 1983. One of the principal objectives of the second phase of the work (1981-1983) was to examine in detail the economic viability of solar pumps, compared with...Read more
Regional focus: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

iDE Supplying Micro-Irrigation Equipment to the Developing World

iDE
This provides a brief overview of iDE's Global Supply arm, which supplies affordable, simple, and appropriate products and technical support worldwide.Read more

Recurring Cost of Irrigation to Asia: Operation and Maintenance

U.S. Agency for International Development
This report includes a synthesis of four studies done by local consultants in four Asian countries. The studies in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Philippines were country wide studies focusing primarily on government irrigation systems. The study in India was restricted to government projects in the...Read more
Regional focus: 
South East Asia

Sector Environmental Guideline: Dry land Agriculture

Published: 
March 18, 2014
U.S. Agency for International Development
The purpose of this document and the Sector Environmental Guidelines overall is to support environmentally sound design and management (ESDM) of common USAID sectorial development activities by providing concise, plain-language information. This guideline details how conservation agriculture, rain...Read more
Regional focus: 
Sub-Saharan Africa

Neglected Opportunities in Irrigation

U.S. Agency for International Development
This article considers two different programs which attempt to improve water use and management in eastern India. One concerns the Hirukud project, which irrigates 282,000 acres in the Sambalpur district of Orissa; the other is in the Raipur district, just west of Sambalpur in Madhaya Pradesh. Both...Read more
Regional focus: 
IndiaSouth East Asia

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