On-farm irrigation water management in India: Challenges and research gaps*

The growing demand for food to feed the increasing population of India has made it necessary to bring more land under cultivation with assured irrigation facilities. The irrigation sector demands a high amount of the available freshwater resources of the country. Thus, the efficiency of its use is of utmost importance for sustainable agriculture. India is the second-largest irrigated country and is one of the leading countries in terms of the expansion of irrigated areas in the world. Researchers and various agencies are working towards increasing the irrigation efficiency of the system and the water productivity of the crops. The formulation of any irrigation scheme and policy to be sustainable should be based on scientific inputs and supported by pertinent research studies. The effective communication between policymakers and the research community is the main key to the success of such formulated schemes and policies. This paper provides an overview of current challenges and problems associated with irrigation at the field level vis-a-vis research gaps for scientific management of irrigation water in the farmer's field. The apathy of farmers for adopting modern irrigation practices has also been reasoned in this review paper. This review paper would provide an insight into common irrigation-related problems of farmers to researchers and policymakers.