Why Farmers’ Control on Canal Water Is Key to Solving Agrarian Distress in Raichur
Despite the potential for farmers to earn upto five times more with 30-50% less water, they remain stuck in a low-level equilibrium of growing a single paddy crop due to the flooding irrigation regime.
The Narayanpur Right Bank Canal (NRBC) is clearly an important offshoot, bringing water from afar and helping farmers in this arid plateau prosper and even grow paddy, a water-intensive crop. But the adverse effects of inefficient canal water management are becoming increasingly evident. These inefficiencies are fuelling disparities in farmer well-being and worsening the extent and severity of land degradation in the whole region. The water surplus and inability to store it for later compels head-end farmers to cultivate only paddy, a trend that will bring down agricultural productivity and affect irrigated farmers.
Acknowledgements
Syamkrishnan P. Aryan and Ashima Chaudhary for The Wire.
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