drought management strategies

strategies for soil,water and crops

1. DROUGHT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SOIL -WATER-CROPS

2. CONTENTS Introduction Management strategies Strategies for soil Strategies for water Strategies for crops Conclusion

3. Drought is defined as a “prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water .” (or ) A  drought  is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in its water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water. A   drought  can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days.

4. Causes of Drought Natural/physical causes : Weather Global warming El nino Human causes : Over population Over cultivation Over extraction Deforestation

5. Over cultivation

6. Long term mitigation strategies : Construction of community based rain water harvesting structures Promoting watershed programmes Increasing forest cover through plantations Adopting drought resistant varieties of paddy and other crops Using alternative crops in drought conditions

7. Capacity building of communities in drought management introducing livelihood options besides agriculture and animal husbandry which are water intensive Encouraging crop and seed insurance schemes

8. STRATEGIES FOR SOIL

9. Reduction of soil evaporation by using conservation tillage practices and mulch. Enhancing soil organic matter for better moisture storage. Organic matter enhances rainwater infiltration and reducing runoff.  Enhancing soil fertility. By adding organic matter fertility of the soil improves. As fertile soil contains  more organic matter  that improves soil structure  and  soil moisture  retention.

10. Reducing crop water requirements through inducing microclimatic changes, like wind barriers, shade cover or vegetative soil cover . Improving soil quality through avoiding erosion—e.g. building raised ridges that follow the contour, growing crops in pits, and building eyebrow terraces around trees and shrubs- can improve crop yields and reduce erosion). Other agronomic practices, such as contour farming, mulching and providing vegetative barriers on the contour help to prevent soil erosion and increase soil moisture.

11. STRATEGIES FOR WATER

12. Rainwater harvesting and watershed management: The collection and storage of rain from roofs or from surface catchments for future use. Water is generally stored in rainwater tanks or directed into mechanisms which recharge groundwater. Rainwater may be contaminated, therefore treatment is recommended . Artificial recharge of ground water. The main objective of artificial recharge is to store excess water in underground aquifers during times of surplus that can be recovered during periods of  water scarcity . Hence, artificial recharge can be compared to “water banking” and is often also referred to as “Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)”.

13. Pricing of water: Prices for  irrigation water that is being provided by a public agency are also typically determined administratively, usually using a  flat rate, since metering is not common in agriculture in most countries of the world . Early completion of ongoing projects Watershed development: A watershed is an area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community ”. Proper maintenance of irrigation system

14. Conjunctive use of surface and ground water Conjunctive use of groundwater and surface water in an irrigation setting is the process of using water from the two different sources for consumptive purposes. Conjunctive use can refer to the practice at the farm level of sourcing water from both a well and from an irrigation delivery canal, or can refer to a strategic approach at the irrigation command level where surface water and groundwater inputs are centrally managed as an input to irrigation systems Ground water exploitation : The advantage of groundwater exploitation for water supply by wells as compared to the use of river or spring waters consists of being widely independent from short-term variations

15. Prevention of evaporation loses from reservoirs : Reduction of exposed surface area. Water accumulated during the monsoon season in such shallow portions is diverted or pumped to appropriate deeper pocket in summer months, so that the shallow water surface area exposed to evaporation is effectively reduced. This method is one of the recognized methods of conservation in drought areas . Under water short conditions, allocation decisions should be made at basin and system levels rather than at local distribution system levels. To make systems less vulnerable to drought, irrigation planning must taken into consideration changes in the catchment area

16. STRATEGIES FOR CROPS

17. Adjusting the plant population The plant population should be lesser in dryland conditions than under irrigated conditions. The rectangular type of planting pattern should always be followed under dryland conditions. Increasing the inter row distance Increasing the intra row distance

18. Mid season corrections: The contingent management practices done in the standing crop to overcome the unfavourable soil moisture conditions due to prolonged dry spells are known as mid season conditions. Thinning: Spraying Ratooning

19. Mulching: It is a practice of spreading any covering material on soil surface to reduce evaporation losses. The mulches will prolong the moisture availability in the soil and save the crop during drought conditions. Weed control: Weeds compete with crop for different growth resources ore seriously under dryland conditions. The water requirement of most of the weeds is more than the crop plants. Hence they compete more for soil moisture. Therefore the weed control especially during early stages of crop growth reduce the impact of dry spell by soil moisture conservation.      

20. S CONCLUSION: Water conservation is not just for times of water shortage. Sound water use practices reduce the amount of stress Conserving water reduces wear and tear on major infrastructure such as water and wastewater treatment plants and the distribution systems Using less water helps us to become more flexible during times when there is a water shortage Conserving water is simple and inexpensive!