Centre for World Solidarity (CWS)

This study explores possibilities of local energy and groundwater management in Andhra Pradesh with the involvement of farmers for constructive contribution in improving the field situation in electricity supply and groundwater management.

Ground water pumping using electricity is a complex issue, leaving all actors - the farmers, distribution company, State government and environment conscious analysts - frustrated and dissatisfied. Farmers are frustrated with the poor quality of electricity supply, distribution companies with the low revenue, State government with the high levels of subsidy and the environmentalists with inefficient water use resulting in falling water tables. Level of mistrust between actors is also quite high. The process of evolving a sustainable solution is not clear.

In this context, this study by Prayas Energy Group and Centre for World Solidarity (CWS), explores:

• Grassroot and state-level insights, regarding electricity use and water management in agriculture
• Developing a simple methodology in consultation with farmers for collecting baseline field data and analyzing it towards improving the efficiency in a strategic way 
• Possible areas of intervention in future

It begins with this overview chapter which provides the basics of SRI for the uninitiated apart from situating the productivity of rice within the All India context reiterating the case for SRI. The report highlights the efforts of the department and provides information on the costs of cultivation at the state farm and reported yield increase in different demonstration plots.

This status report  analyses the potential opportunities to popularize the same towards effective utilization of water resource, augmenting yield/income for the livelihood upliftment of farming community. The methodology followed in this study is random sampling of farmers of SRI practitioners and non-practitioners in delta and non-delta regions.

The case study of the irrigation infrastructure of Tungabhadra river zooms in on the river, to examine the various schemes on it. Taking the particular case of the Tungabhadra in the Krishna river basin and following the river flow as it is subject to various schemes in time and space, it shows how simmering tensions are likely to manifest as full-fledged conflicts. 

This is a report of the proceedings of the Orissa State Dialogue on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) held at Bhubaneshwar in 2007.

This study is a part of water and democracy programme initiated by the Centre for World Solidarity (CWS) as a joint initiative with Church Development Service (EED) in 2007 involving more than 50 partner organisations in South Asia.