Theme: Pathways and Technologies for Modern Irrigation Services

1.0 Background

For decades, pursuing and achieving water security has become one of the topmost agendas of global development. Increasing population and subsequent development demand an increasing amount of fresh water for consumption. Historically, irrigated agriculture has been the biggest freshwater consumer, but its share is reducing due to its limited availability as well as competition from other sectors. With the current trend of increasing water scarcity, agriculture and subsequently food security will bear the brunt of this reduced supply. Therefore, improving irrigation water management and modernization of irrigation systems is of increasing urgency.

Modernization is the “Process of upgrading infrastructure, operations and management of irrigation systems to sustain the water delivery service requirements of farmers and optimize production and water productivity (ICID, 2016)”. Modernization focuses more attention on the needs of farmers as the core objective of irrigation operations and modernization efforts. Irrigation modernization undertakes technical and managerial upgrading (as opposed to mere infrastructure repair or restoration) of irrigation systems combined with institutional reforms, with the objective to improve resource utilization (labour, water, economic, social, and environmental assets) to provide improved water delivery service to farms. Irrigation systems not only include the physical infrastructure for agricultural development, but also include stakeholders’ participation as well to holistically improve the irrigation systems for all the beneficiaries. To improve the management of these irrigation systems, all aspects of irrigation and drainage services from reservoir and canal operation to farm management need to be considered from planning to operational stages. Thus, modernization of irrigation systems entails holistic assessment and improvement of resource mobilization, delivery to farm gates, use of water saving techniques, upgraded management practices, policies, institutional and financing mechanisms that ultimately result in agricultural, social, environmental, and economic benefits for both farmers and the wider community of water users.

With respect to modernization and revitalization of irrigation systems, aspects to be considered are the condition and performance of existing infrastructure, including current Maintenance, Operation, and Management practices, available financial resources, political, economic, social, and environmental facets, institutional and organizational arrangements, stakeholders’ involvement, and prevalent codes of practice and standards. For some schemes, revitalization may be required before modernization activities can be undertaken. Revitalization may require reforming broader policy and strategy arrangements that bind the irrigated agriculture sector. Modernization will involve changes to the technical, operations and management, social, institutional, financial, and environmental aspects. Ensuring that irrigation systems are designed, implemented, managed, and maintained appropriately is essential if production gains and subsequent direct, indirect, and induced economic benefits are to be realized, all whilst managing direct and indirect environmental impacts. Modernization and revitalization of irrigation systems play a crucial part in ensuring the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the beneficiary areas as the life of schemes should span over generations of farmers. Maintaining the relevance of the irrigation and drainage systems under the evolving contexts of agricultural water management require appropriate responses from the scheme operators.

The topic of modernization and revitalization of irrigation systems is relevant to the vision and mission of ICID and of interest to its members. Members view the activity in contexts relevant to their economic and developmental stages. Thus, to understand the global perspective of such a large interdisciplinary area of management of irrigation and drainage projects for sustainable agriculture development, an International Symposium on the theme ‘Pathways and Technologies for Modern Irrigation Systems’ is being held during the 25th ICID Congress in Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, India in November 2023

2.0 Scope

The symposium provides an opportunity for irrigation and drainage professionals and other stakeholders to share their knowledge and experience in sustainable agriculture water management focusing on irrigation management and its related/integrated aspects. Participants will deliberate on aspects of modernization of irrigation and drainage services in response to country papers from a cross-section of ICID national committees.

The outcomes from this symposium will be compiled as a “Post-Symposium Publication” to form reference material for further investigation and dissemination of information. The symposium will provide up-to-date views of developments, methods, and approaches being applied by irrigation and drainage professionals. This information will contribute to the effective implementation of the ICID Strategy Theme-Schemes to promote and support sustainable irrigation and drainage development, management, and operations – as targeted by ICID Vision and Mission.

In addition to invited keynote speakers, Country Papers will be presented by: (i) Australia, (ii) Burkina Faso, (iii) China, (iv) Indonesia, (v) Iran, (vi) Japan, (vii) Nepal, (viii) Nigeria, (ix) Sahel Region, (x) Somalia, (xi) Sri Lanka, and (xii) Zimbabwe.


Contact: Vice President Hon. Ian Makin, Email: ianwmakin@gmail.com

Tackling Climate Change - Role of Storages for Irrigation

Variability of rain across the seasons, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas of the world often results in drought-like situations that impact agriculture productivity. The storage of water enables the removal of mismatch between variable rain availability and supply providing water as per the crop requirement. At the same time, more water is demanded round the year for raising multiple crops and extending irrigated agriculture. For this purpose, reservoirs are designed to carry over storage to the next season as well. Storages mega to micro, ameliorate such conditions and serve similar purposes.

Climate change is bound to accentuate the production equation of food security. Climate change will increase rainfall variability and average temperatures, affecting both the supply and demand in agriculture water management. In some parts of the world, annual precipitation will decline, decreasing river flows and groundwater recharge. In other places, total precipitation may increase but it will fall over shorter periods with greater intensity so that dry spells are longer. Higher temperatures will increase evaporation so that crops will use more water. This means larger volumes and more frequent use of supplemental water is called for.With increased uncertainty, higher demand and greater competition, water storage is one of the major components of a multipronged approach for adapting agriculture to climate change.

ICID Vision 2030 for a water-secure world free of poverty and hunger through its mission to facilitate prudent AWM is its contribution towards fulfilling the objectives of seven, out of the seventeen, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN.The fact that global food production has kept pace with the population over the decades has given rise to a new complacency and has de-prioritized agriculture water management in many countries.Food security, in all its aspects: production, distribution, affordability and accessibility remainsa major global challenge as is evident from the events that have unfolded in the last decade or so.

Variability of rain across the seasons, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas of the world often results in drought-like situations that impact agriculture productivity. The storage of water enables the removal of mismatch between variable rain availability and supply providing water as per the crop requirement. At the same time, more water is demanded round the year for raising multiple crops and extending irrigated agriculture. For this purpose, reservoirs are designed to carry over storage to the next season as well. Storages mega to micro, ameliorate such conditions and serve similar purposes.

Climate change is bound to accentuate the production equation of food security. Climate change will increase rainfall variability and average temperatures, affecting both the supply and demand in agriculture water management. In some parts of the world, annual precipitation will decline, decreasing river flows and groundwater recharge. In other places, total precipitation may increase but it will fall over shorter periods with greater intensity so that dry spells are longer. Higher temperatures will increase evaporation so that crops will use more water. This means larger volumes and more frequent use of supplemental water is called for.With increased uncertainty, higher demand and greater competition, water storage is one of the major components of a multipronged approach for adapting agriculture to climate change.

Storages - in the form of ponds, lakes, tanks, small, medium and large dams and groundwater, have played a vital role in stabilizing food production around the world since time immemorial. Future water resources management must also prudently make use of storage for reallocation of water between users and increasing water productivity wherever possible. There is no doubt that storage infrastructure is imperative for securing reliable supplies of water for agriculture and other uses.All storage options are potentially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. For example, less rainfall and longer dry periods mean that conservation measures for soil water may fail to increase soil moisture sufficiently for crops. Groundwater recharge may be reduced if infiltration decreases. Many near-coast aquifers will be at risk from saltwater intrusion as a result of sea-level rise. Ponds, tanks and reservoirs may not fill enough to support agriculture or may be at risk of damage from more extreme floods.

The diversity of landforms and the climate are well known around the world. Each country offers useful insights into developing agriculture and water policies. This Symposium on "Tackling Climate Change - Role of Storages for Irrigation", organized by the Indian National Committee along with the 25th ICID Congress will provide an opportunity for the participants to understand the issues related to climate change, the role played by various types of storages in agriculture water management and rural development, and the issues faced in India.