Unlocking Value in South Asia’s Irrigation

David Molden

Aditi Mukherji, Thierry Facon,

And many others

Based on work by:

Main message 1

Irrigation has been important in Asia

– Asia contains 70% of world’s irrigated area

– Irrigation was key to the success of Green

Revolution

– This helped alleviate poverty and boost rural

growth

How important will it be?

Water for a food-secure world

Growth in food demand 2000 – 2050 South Asia

Water for a food-secure world

Agriculture ET in 2000 and 2050 no water productivity gains

South Asia East Asia Central Asia

Need to produce

more food, but

minimize extra

water use –

Change is needed

Water for Food – 4 paths

1. Increase production in rainfed areas

– scope for gains debated

2. Irrigation – expansion and productivity gains

-good for poverty & food, but bad for

environment

3. Trade – buy food from somewhere else –

- but realistic to rely on trade?

4.Reduce waste and overuse from field to fork

-but strong trends of diet change

Main message 2

• Asia still needs to invest in irrigation

– To raise land and water productivity

– To feed a growing population

– To adapt to climate change

– Secure livelihoods and alleviate poverty

– But within the limits posed by natural resource

base

What are those investments?

Investing in Irrigation

Irrigation

Food price index

World Bank lending

for irrigation

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

320

280

240

200

160

120

80

40

0

2010

July 2008

Jan

2009

Living Planet index

Freshwater

Irrigated investment & irrigated area - India

0

6

12

18

24

30

36

42

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Net

irrig

ate

d a

rea

(mill

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a)

Exp

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re

(bill

ion

US

$,

in 2

00

0 p

rice

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Trends of public expenditure in major and medium irrigation and net irrigated area under different sources in India

Expenditure Tanks Canals Groundwater

Groundwater

Irrigated Area

Groundwater

Canal

Irrigated Area

Tank

Irrigated Area

Expenditure US$

Source:

Amerasinghe et

al

Water for a food-secure world

Informal Formal

Self-supply predominates Service providers dominate

Vast numbers of tiny, primary

water diverters from nature

Very few, but large primary

diverters of water from rivers, lakes

Water institutions are local,

fragmented, informal

Water institutions are few, formal,

legal bodies

Intermediation in water services

are low or absent

Very high degree of

intermediation in water provision

Even if water is scarce its free… Even if water is plentiful, it costs

money…

Trend: Growing informal water economies

Source: Tushaar Shah

Irrigation Pumps in Bangladesh and Vietnam

The Pump Revolution

Situation

Underperformance of many large scale surface

irrigation schemes

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Figure 4: Standardised Gross Value of Production per unit water consumed by ETcrop

* surface water and public wells ** private wells

Value produced per unit ET

Across irrigation systems

Causes of poor performance

– Lack of accountability:

– Surge in individual pump/lift based irrigation

– Failed attempts at institutional reform

Benchmark irrigation performance making data

publically accessible

Society Management

Bureaucracy Users

Main message 3

Adapt yesterday’s irrigation for tomorrow

– Changing demography and dietary needs

– To provide more ecosystem services, adapt to

climate change

• But the old systems do not cater to these demands

– State built irrigation are under performing

• Forcing farmers to invest on their own

– Groundwater now provides the bulk of

irrigation in Asia

– Climate change, urbanization,

Zhanghe Reservoir, Hubei, China

Water allocation and rice production in ZIS

(3-year moving averages)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

year

reserv

oir

wate

r re

lease (

MC

M)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

pro

du

cti

on

(1,0

00 m

etr

ic t

on

s)

irrigation release

non-agricultural release

rice production

5 Strategies to unlock value from

Asia’s irrigation infrastructure

1. Modernize for tomorrow’s needs

2. Go with the flow

3. Look beyond conventional PIM recipes

4. Expand capacity and knowledge

5. Invest outside the water sector

Strategy 1: Modernize

• Includes modernizing hardware (design changes)

and software (institutional changes)

• More attention to environment

CA – invest in groundwater for

storage and drainage

SEA – reconfigure paddy

systems for multiple cropping,

uses and ecosystem services

SA – piped delivery systems,

farm storage

Strategy 2: Go with the flow

Farmers innovate. Incorporate what they are

doing into the management of irrigation

Sri Lanka example:

Traditional tanks

incorporated into canal

network designs

SEA – conjunctive use

SA – managed aquifer

recharge,

Strategy 3: Look beyond PIM

Promoted since mid 1980’s

What’s the scorecard?

PIM – Success or Failure?

Region Success Failure

S Asia 18 20

E Asia 7 2

SE Asia 12 24

C Asia 4 14

Performance indicators

ISF collection

Finance of WUA

Infrastructure state

Equity

Reliability/Adequacy

Participation

Conflict resolution

Crop related impacts

Livelihoods impact

Mukherji et al, 2009 (part of commissioned ADB irrigation study)

40%

Success

Strategy 3: Look beyond PIM Alternatives:

– Irrigation bureaucrats turned entrepreneurs in China

– Service contracts – providers and users; private sector

– Reform the irrigation bureaucracies themselves to manage the main system better

For South Asia

Re-engage government, especially in poor areas

Incentivize performance based service delivery models

Strategy 4: Expand capacity and knowledge

• Train irrigation officials to recognize and

respond to new realities, deal with social and

political issues, and have eco-awareness

MASSCOT program of FAO that is helping

irrigation bureaucracy do so

SA – reorient staff to changing rural realities

CA – new capacity

Strategy 5: Invest outside the sector

• Irrigation will largely become reactive rather

than proactive as it was in the past

• Levers of change will often lie outside, e.g. in

food or energy policies

SE Asia:

hydropower + irrigation

S Asia – roads, rural electricity

Central Asia:

Ag Policies, Hydropower

Water for a food-secure world

Thank you!

1. Modernize for tomorrow’s needs

2. Go with the flow

3. Look beyond conventional PIM

recipes

4. Expand capacity and knowledge

5. Invest outside the water sector

Challenge:

Simultaneously meet livelihood,

food and ecosystem objectives.

Tailor made solutions are needed

for each situation