Photo by Jeremy Bishop / Unsplash

Water management to sustain agriculture against climate change

Agriculture Jan 16, 2022

Over the last few years, we have seen a change in the climate that is being debated globally.  Due to industrialization and increasing transportation and over-fertilization in agriculture, the atmosphere is polluted and the Earth's atmosphere has become a layer of greenhouse gases.  This allows the rays of sunlight to pass through, but blocks the rays returning from the earth, it makes the earth's atmosphere warmer and this has caused global warming.  Its life depends on human life, animal life, water resources, and agricultural crops.  As global warming increases, so does the temperature on Earth.  However, this effect is more due to the increase in the minimum temperature at night than the increase in the maximum temperature during the day.  The effects of climate change are still likely to increase.  The potential effects of climate change on water resources management are outlined here.

Potential effects of climate change on water resources:

  • Rainfall will become erratic with increasing uncertainty relative to place and time.
  • The chances of heavy rain or drought will increase.
  • The rains start late and after the sowing rains, the monsoon may be delayed for some period or more.
  • Rainfall falls at a much higher intensity in a short period of time, causing water to flow into the soil without any discharge and increasing soil erosion.
  • The need for crop water will decrease in coastal areas while the demand for crop water may increase in remote areas.
  • The chances of flooding will increase which will increase the chances of crop failure due to flooding in low-lying areas.
  • When carbon dioxide from the atmosphere mixes with water, its acidity will increase and harmful elements like lead (lead) in the stone due to acidity will reduce the quality of water mixed with water.
  • In case of heavy rainfall, the need for drainage will increase in low sloping or flat and low lying lands.

Potential benefits of climate change:

  • Increasing the total rainfall throughout the year will reduce the water requirement of the crop due to soil moisture.
  • Increasing the amount of water flowing from the farm will increase the availability of water for storage in farms - ponds or in small and large dams on rivers, ditches.
  • Due to the recharge of wells or small and big check demos, groundwater recharge can be used to increase farm production by irrigating more areas during the rabi-summer season.

Possible solutions for adapting/enabling agriculture to climate change:

  • The possibility of more intense rains in a shorter period of time will now increase.  Therefore the rate of water leakage in the soil should be increased.  To do this, apply the maximum amount of organic manure / agricultural waste in the soil.  This will allow rainwater to seep into the soil at a higher rate.  In addition, the soil moisture absorption capacity will increase.  Therefore, even if the interval between two rains is extended, the crop will get a lifeline.
  • The soil should be subsoiled.  Water storage capacity will increase as the upper layer of the soil is submerged in the lower layer without affecting the subsoil.  If fungus is a problem in crops like groundnut, subsoiling should be done between the two furrows.
  • Depending on the slope of the land, the vegetation should be intercepted at some distance in the horizontal direction of the slope so that if there is heavy rainfall, the rainwater is stopped by stopping the flow of water from this vegetation.  This gives more time for water to enter the soil.  Also, soil particles stay there and soil erosion stops.
  • In the field, contour ridges should be constructed at certain distances according to the slope in the horizontal direction of the slope.  Therefore, in the space between the contour ridges, excess rainwater should be stopped and earthen ridges should be made at such a height that it sinks into the ground in a day or two.  This will stop soil erosion.  Soil moisture will increase.  Therefore, even if the reins are pulled, the effect of the crop will be less.  Also will be able to recharge groundwater at a low cost.
  • Farm work should be done in the horizontal direction of the slope.  In summer, all the work should be done in the horizontal direction of the slope, from plowing to planting, cultivating, plowing.  Therefore, during the first rainy season, water can be filled in the furrows and sown in the soil and good sowing can be done.  In addition, after the crop grows, the water between the two rows fills up, and then it will melt from the rows and proceed at a very slow speed.  This will protect the land.  And as more water seeps into the soil, there will be more moisture in the soil and groundwater recharge will also increase.
  • Planting should be done by a strip cropping system.  Planting by strip system in the horizontal direction of the slope stops the erosion of the soil and also more water enters the soil as the velocity of water flowing from the surface decreases.  The strip cropping system can be adopted where the soil slope is up to six percent.  Simultaneous planting of two different crops in a strip such as a crop with higher economic returns in one strip and crops which can hold the roots in the other strip or spread on the ground should be planted simultaneously.  Doing so will slow down the flow of water in the slope direction and will also conserve water and land.
  • Before opening the furrows before the rains, the water from the rains sinks into the soil as much as possible, good sowing is done and water is added to the soil surface.
  • The contour line should be cultivated.  The Contour line is the line joining the points of equal height.  By planting in rows along the contour, the crop rows intersect the water flow at right angles and conserve water and soil.
  • The field should be leveled so that more water enters the soil and stops soil erosion as well as soil moisture and groundwater recharge.
  • Build a weed around the field.  To keep the level of Kadhiya above the ground and to keep the required level of pipe in Kadhiya and fill the plugin it.  Therefore, when it rains, the water will be filled in the field and will fall into the ground.  If the rains continue and the crop is likely to be damaged by waterlogging, remove the plugin of the pipe so that the water filled in the field will flow out through the pipe.  Since the water has stagnated by then, even the soil particles in the water will settle on the bottom and the soil particles will not go out of the field.  Thus water and land will be conserved.
  • Certain crops such as cotton, tur, castor, vertical groundnut, etc., which can be sown in ha, should be sown in the horizontal direction of the slope by taking soil from the pots on both sides of the sloping ha, so that water is stored in the space between the two rows and water in the soil.  The chances of landing will increase.
  • If there is wasteland next to the farmer's field, then the water of the field should be recharged by making big pits there or by making big holes in such land, more water can be pumped into the soil.
  • In the springs flowing out of the field, bars or ridges should be constructed in which loose stone dams can also be constructed.  If the velocity of water flow is high then GI wire can be laid horizontally by filling the net with stone.  Small stones should be placed in the middle of the side of the stone and large stones should be placed in the upper part.
  • non-arable land should be made of single or intermittent trench trenches.  In this way water flowing from the wasteland between the two trenches gets stopped in the trenches.  And groundwater is recharged.  Horticultural crops such as pomegranate, custard apple, bordi can also be taken from the dry-semi-arid areas by this method.  This maintains the balance of moisture and environment in the wasteland and also provides economic returns.
  • Small and big ditches should be built at a distance of 100 to 300 meters.
  • In the field or in the lower part of the farm, in the wasteland, make a farm-pond boundary pond so that the crop can be protected by irrigating against the uncertainty of rainfall due to climate change.
  • The cover should be used in the crop.  For this, plastic sheets or agricultural waste can be used as cover.  This prevents moisture from escaping from the wet soil and can save the crop if the rains are drawn.  In addition, water can be saved by reducing the amount of irrigation in irrigated crops.
  • Irrigation should be done by a micro-irrigation system so more crops can be sown with less water.

Pooling Water
Photo by Aaron Burden / Unsplash

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