Agro-well and Pump Diffusion in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka


Book Description

The use of shallow wells, equipped with small pumps, to lift groundwater has spread rapidly in many agricultural regions of tropical monsoonal Asia. In Sri Lanka, the rapid and pervasive invasion of agro-wells and pumps drew the attention of policymakers and researchers, but many questions were left unanswered due to lack of research in the area. This study aims to fill this gap in knowledge, based on observations and data obtained in field surveys conducted in major and minor irrigation schemes in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. This report gives the key findings of this study into the pattern, extent and causes of the spread and use of agro-wells and pumps in traditional villages and irrigated settlement schemes. It investigates farmer investments in agro-wells and pumps, the private internal rate of return to these investments, the economic viability of investments and incentives for farmers to make investments.




More Crop Per Drop


Book Description

This volume is an analytical summary and a critical synthesis of research at the International Water Management Institute over the past decade under its evolving research paradigm known popularly as 'more crop per drop'. The research synthesized here covers the full range of issues falling in the larger canvas of water-food-health-environment interface. Besides its immediate role in sharing knowledge with the research, donor, and policy communities, this volume also has a larger purpose of promoting a new way of looking at the water issues within the broader development context of food, livelihood, health and environmental challenges. More crop per drop: Revisiting a research paradigm contrasts the acquired wisdom and fresh thinking on some of the most challenging water issues of our times. It describes new tools, approaches, and methodologies and also illustrates them with practical application both from a global perspective and within the local and regional contexts of Asia and Africa. Since this volume brings together all major research works of IWMI, including an almost exhaustive list of citations, in one single set of pages, it is very valuable not only as a reference material for researchers and students but also as a policy tool for decision-makers and development agencies.




Irrigation Sector in Sri Lanka


Book Description

Increasing the area under irrigation and the widespread adoption of seed-fertilizer technology were the major factors that contributed to enhanced rice production in Sri Lanka, enabling the country to achieve self-sufficiency in rice. In recent years, there has been a shift in emphasis from expanding the irrigated land base to enhancing the productivity of irrigated land through diversification of agriculture and improvement of rice production, with better water management in irrigation schemes. This report attempts to assess how the irrigation sector in Sri Lanka is adapting itself to these new challenges. It analyzes the future direction of irrigation in Sri Lanka in light of recent trends in public and private investment in this sphere, and the revolution in groundwater development brought about by the poor performance and gradual deterioration of existing irrigation schemes.




Prospects for adopting system of rice intensification in Sri Lanka: A socioeconomic assessment


Book Description

Today, there is an increasing worldwide interest in assessing the potential for maintaining or increasing rice yields by reducing or eliminating the use of chemicals and by decreasing irrigation requirements. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) first developed in Madagascar and now being tested in many countries, is an example of such an approach. The system is based largely on organic farming principles and additional requirements for spacing and the transplanting of seedlings.







Proceedings of the National Conference on Water, Food Security, and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, BMICH, Colombo, June 9-11, 2009. Volume 1. Irrigation for food security


Book Description

Contributed papers presented at the conference organized by International Water Management Institute, Irrigation Dept., Dept. of Agriculture, and Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute.




Malaria and Land Use


Book Description

The transmission of malaria in Sri Lanka is unstable; its incidence greatly fluctuates from year to year and exhibits important variations within a year. Identification of the underlying risk factors of malaria is important to target the limited resources for the most-effective control of the disease. This report presents the first results of a project on malaria risk mapping to investigate whether this tool could be utilized to forecast malaria epidemics. It documents the key malaria risk factors for the Uda Walawe region of Sri Lanka, where monthly malaria incidence data were available over a 10-year period. In the study, data on aggregate malaria-incidence rates, land-use and water-use patterns, socioeconomic features and malaria-control interventions were collected and analyzed in a geographical information system. Malaria cases were mapped at the smallest administrative level and relative risks for different variables were calculated employing multivariate analyses. The findings of the study call for malaria-control strategies that are readily adapted to different ecological and epidemiological settings.




Tubewell Transfer in Gujarat


Book Description

In India public (government) tubewells were built with the intention of providing irrigation to all categories of farmers in a fair, equitable and affordable manner. However, most public tubewell programs across India have failed on all these counts. Efforts to transfer their management to water users too have met with little success. Nonetheless, the Gujarat Water Resources Development Corporation (GWRDC)-a state-owned public company-has achieved rare success in tubewell transfer by handing over management of around 60 percent of public tubewells in the Gujarat state to user groups. This study tries to identify the factors that helped in accelerating the transfer process and evaluate the performance of transferred tubewells against those owned by individuals and GWRDC. It also suggests some policy changes that can make the scheme function better and explores the replicability of the success achieved in Gujarat.