Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Irrigation tanks, which had become defunct in the wake of urbanisation, could be revived if there is community participation, emphasised speakers at the meeting organised by Neer Exnora in the city on Sunday.

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: Irrigation tanks, which had become defunct in the wake of urbanisation, could be revived if there is community participation, emphasised speakers at the meeting organised by Neer Exnora in the city on Sunday.

This recent study by SANDEE examines the link between stream flow, agricultural water use and economic returns to agriculture. Attempts to simulate the likely impacts of regeneration of a degraded forest catchment on stream flow and the consequent impact on irrigation tankbased agriculture in a downstream village.

This study provides an insight on the role of tropical forests in the functioning of watersheds and the affect on agriculture and farmers?. Its findings are of particular importance for policy makers across South Asia, where large populations use forests and water resources intensively.

This study provides insights on ground water market in minor rain fed tank irrigation milieu and also examines the conjunctive use with focus on water productivity and groundwater extraction in tank irrigation system. The study was taken up in three minor irrigation tanks in Tamil Nadu state. All are rain fed tanks depending entirely on rainfall.

Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development (SPWD) has been working in the Rayalseema reion of Andhra Pradesh since the mid 1990s on restoration of Panchayati Raj tanks. Around 40 tanks have been restored in the region by SPWD in collaboration with local Non Government Organizations (NGOs), through formation of representative community-based Tank Management Committees (TMCs).

Tank irrigation accounts for more than one-third of total irrigated area in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states in India. Tank water supplies fluctuate randomly from year to year and within a year.

Agriculture in Developing Countries : Technology Issues presents an experimental approach of testing new possibilities and combinations to match the changes taking place in the agricultural production environment of developing countries. While emphasizing the importance of combining scientific and indigenous knowledge, this book argues that sustained agricultural development can be achieved only by promoting farmers' participation in technology development. It provides empirical evidence for this, using recent primary data from across Asia.

Rainfed agriculture productivity has constrained even in watershed areas after the termination of the watershed development activities in most places in India due to lack of exit mechanism and social regulation on use of groundwater. Under high risk, low productivity and fragile rainfed farming situation, 'water bodies' are found to be the way out after watersheds.

The Rule of Water Statecraft, Ecology and Collective Action in South India By David Mosse Published by Oxford University Press New Delhi 2003 Rs 675

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