Publication: Efficient Irrigation and Water Conservation: Evidence from South India
Date
2021-06
ISSN
Published
2021-06
Author(s)
Abstract
Widespread adoption of efficient
irrigation technologies, including drip irrigation, has been
proposed as a means of limiting groundwater
overexploitation, especially in the intensively farmed and
water-stressed South Asia region. This paper reports on a
randomized controlled trial conducted in the Indian state of
Andhra Pradesh to evaluate the potential productivity and
water-saving benefits of smallholder drip irrigation. A
group of well-owners was encouraged to adopt drip irrigation
through a subsidy scheme, whereas a control group was left
to its own devices. The results indicate that, after three
years, the drip group shifted into more remunerative and
irrigation reliant crops, enjoyed higher agricultural
revenue, and transferred (primarily through cash sales) more
of its groundwater to adjacent plots. In terms of
groundwater pumping, which has zero marginal price in this
setting, there is precisely zero difference between the drip
and control groups. The evidence thus suggests that drip
adoption in South India, while increasing irrigation
efficiency, will not save groundwater.
Citation
“Fishman, Ram; Gine, Xavier; Jacoby, Hanan G.. 2021. Efficient Irrigation and Water Conservation: Evidence from South India. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 9713. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35884 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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