Rethinking the approach to groundwater and food security

This study attempts to re-frame the current thinking on groundwater development and the implications for food security. Groundwater is important in agriculture as it provides a reliable fallback when rainfeeding fails. It is therefore instrumental in managing risk and optimizing food production. However, accessing groundwater has become habit and turned to dependency. Resources limits on many key aquifers have been exceeded and competition for groundwater has become intense. This study highlights the role of adaptive strategies in dealing with aquifer management and indicates directions of research and management.

[1]  Michael Thompson,et al.  Uncertainty on a Himalayan Scale , 1985, Deforestation.

[2]  Frederick D. Gordon.  Water Scarcity in the Twenty First Century , 2004 .

[3]  N. Hernández-Mora,et al.  Misconceptions in Aquifer Over-exploitation: Implications for Water Policy in Southern Europe , 2001 .

[4]  David Seckler,et al.  The global groundwater situation: overview of opportunities and challenges , 2000 .

[5]  J. Burke.  Land and water systems: managing the hydrological risk. , 2000 .

[6]  David Seckler,et al.  Water supply and demand, 1995 to 2025 , 2000 .

[7]  J. Ladha,et al.  Improving the Productivity and Sustainability of Rice-Wheat Systems of the Indo-Gangetic Plains: A Synthesis of NARS-IRRI Partnership Research , 2000 .

[8]  Mark W. Rosegrant,et al.  World food prospects. , 1999 .

[9]  R. Sakthivadivel,et al.  Water scarcity variations within a country: a case study of Sri Lanka , 1999 .

[10]  L. Brown.  Feeding nine billion , 1999 .

[11]  Sandra Postel,et al.  Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? , 1999 .

[12]  M. Rosegrant,et al.  IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF REALLOCATING WATER FROM AGRICULTURE , 1999 .

[13]  Manuel Schiffler.  The Economics of Groundwater Management in Arid Countries: Theory, International Experience and a Case Study of Jordan , 1998 .

[14]  L. Brown,et al.  China's water shortage could shake world food security. , 1998, World watch.

[15]  C. Perry,et al.  Farmer response to rationed and uncertain irrigation supplies , 1998 .

[16]  Radhika Vidanage De Silva,et al.  World water demand and supply, 1990 to 2025: scenarios and issues , 1998 .

[17]  Peter Wallensteen,et al.  Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World, International Fresh Water Resources: Conflict or Cooperation , 1997 .

[18]  R. Meinzen Dick,et al.  Groundwater markets in Pakistan: participation and productivity. , 1996 .

[19]  Groundwater policy: issues and alternatives in India , 1996 .

[20]  R. Repetto,et al.  The Second India Revisited: Population, Poverty, and Environmental Stress Over Two Decades , 1995 .

[21]  Elinor Ostrom,et al.  Design principles in long‐enduring irrigation institutions , 1993 .

[22]  F. Kahnert,et al.  Groundwater irrigation and the rural poor : options for development in the Gangetic Basin , 1993 .

[23]  Y. Tsur.  THE ECONOMICS OF CONJUNCTIVE GROUND AND SURFACE WATER IRRIGATION SYSTEMS: BASIC PRINCIPLES AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE , 1993 .

[24]  Tushaar Shah,et al.  Groundwater markets and irrigation development : political economy and practical policy , 1993 .

[25]  W. Blomquist,et al.  Dividing the Waters: Governing Groundwater in Southern California , 1992 .

[26]  Michael Goldman.  Cultivating hot peppers and water crisis in India's desert: Toward a theory of understanding ecological crisis , 1991 .

[27]  T. Narasimhan.  Groundwater in the Peninsular Indian Shield: A Framework for Rational Assessment , 1990 .

[28]  Y. Tsur.  The stabilization role of groundwater when surface water supplies are uncertain: The implications for groundwater development , 1990 .

[29]  J. Burke,et al.  Groundwater and Society: Resources, Tensions and Opportunities: Themes in Groundwater Management for the Twenty-First Century , 1988 .

[30]  Amartya Sen,et al.  Poverty And Famines , 1981 .

[31]  W. Hecox.  Losing Ground: Environmental Stress and World Food Prospects , 1978 .