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Groundwater and climate smart agriculture: a reflection from West Bengal, India

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Abstract

Over-exploitation of groundwater for agricultural practices is an increasing risk in India and has important implications for food security and livelihoods, particularly for rural households. An analysis of primary data collected from a few blocks in West Bengal, a state in India, reveals that there is limited adaptation to climate change despite awareness and a tendency to keep lowering the bore-well depth to access water. In this paper, we take stock of some of the key solutions to move the farmers towards adopting climate smart agriculture techniques, with a special focus on water resource management. We pay close attention to the debate on the emergence of water markets, and provide some fresh perspectives on the same. We also discuss the importance of ‘gender-smart’ approaches, extension services, ownership of local government and community participation in ensuring adaptation. Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the issues at stake to make climate smart agriculture viable in India.

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(Source: Primary survey 2021)

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Data availability

Data will be made available upon reasonable request.

Notes

  1. A block is an administrative unit which is a sub-division of a district in India. Typical population of a block in West Bengal is around 200,000.

  2. Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) is one of the oldest multipurpose river valley project of India.

  3. SOE means the state of extraction of groundwater. This is a measure of annual groundwater extraction for all uses (irrigation, industrial and domestic uses) over annual extractable groundwater resource.

  4. GP is the lowest tier of rural local government in India. Average population living within a GP in West Bengal is little more than 20,000.

  5. More farmers in Jangipara reported increasing depth of borewells compared to Chanditala I block, probably because Jangipara block has more shallow depth borewells and Chanditala I block has more deep tubewells.

  6. A government program to ensure “safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India” (https://jaljeevanmission.gov.in/).

  7. The elected President of the GP in West Bengal is called Pradhan. As per law, at least 33% posts of Pradhan are reserved for women. Many states including West Bengal have raised such reservation to 50%.

  8. The Schedule 11 under Article 243 (G) of the Indian Constitution provides a list of 29 subjects which may be devolved on the Panchayats by the state governments. However, devolution in “Agriculture, including agriculture extension”, the first item in the list has been very little.

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Acknowledgements

The study has used some data that was collected in a study on ‘Knowledge, Attitude & Practices’ on climate change which was supported by UNICEF. We gratefully acknowledge the support received from UNICEF. We gained knowledge about adaptation of CSA practices on the ground during evaluation of a project ‘ViSTAR’ of IGSSS. We are also grateful to them for the opportunity that SIGMA Foundation received in observing those practices.

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  1. SIGMA Foundation, Plot AI 171, Street No 29, New Town, Kolkata, PIN 700156, India

    M. N. Roy, S. Das, R. Mitra & D. Mukherjee

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Roy, M.N., Das, S., Mitra, R. et al. Groundwater and climate smart agriculture: a reflection from West Bengal, India. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 29, 45 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-024-10137-1

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