Irrigated Ariculture

Indian food security was built on the remarkable agricultural productivity enhancement that the country witnessed in the ‘Green Revolution’ era. Irrigation through Major and Medium canal systems was a key component of green revolution that transformed India and made the specter of famines in India history. Irrigated agriculture is thus responsible for the rapid improvement in the agriculture productivity in the 1960’s, 70s, and 80’s. There is a marked difference in the levels of contribution from agriculture in the rain-fed and the irrigated areas.

Irrigation projects are viewed as the mechanisms providing opportunities for reducing poverty. It is well accepted that irrigation reduces poverty substantially. It is estimated that poverty in irrigated areas is about half of the incidence of poverty in non-irrigated areas. Moreover, the Integrated Water Resources Management – guiding and spearheading the reforms agenda in the state focuses on using irrigation as a pro-poor anti-poverty mechanism.   In general irrigation is seen to be affecting poverty by increasing returns to the physical, human and social capital; integrating the poor with factor, product and information markets and improving the overall national growth rates. The range of reforms and the measures unfolding in AP in recent years incorporates this concern and aims to usher in targeted productivity improvement. Decentralization of irrigation – PIM, financial reforms, infusion of integrated and multi-departmental interventions, focusing on water use efficiency and the decision to initiate targeted agricultural productivity improvements in recent years have all been focused upon enhancing agricultural productivity.

Andhra Pradesh is primarily an agrarian state with nearly 60% of its population dependant on agriculture and allied activities. While irrigated agriculture constitutes only about 43.98% of the net sown area in the state its contribution to the overall Gross Domestic Product of the state is much higher compared to rain-fed agriculture.

LAND UTILISATION:

Out of the total Geographical area of 275.04 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh , the cultivable land (i.e.Net area sown, current fallows and other fallow lands) has increased from 139.65 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 150.2 lakh hectares in 2008-2009which forms 51.9 percent and 54.6 percent of the total Geographical Area of the StateHowever, the net sown area has not shown any growth during this period where infactthe current fallow area and other fallow area has gone up from 25.91 to 40.60 lakh ha.which represents about 40% of the net area sown .

The land available for cultivation but not cultivated (i.e.culturable waste, permanent pastures and other grazing lands and miscellaneous tree crops and groves not included in Net Area sown) has decreased from 32.82 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 15.46 lakh(in culturable waste and permanent pastures) in 2008-2009 which in percentage terms represents a decrease from 12.19% to 5.62%.

During the same period, land not available for cultivation(Forest, Barren and uncultivable land and land put to Non-Agricultural uses) has increased from 96.66 lakh hectares and 109.37 lakh hectares representing an increase from 35.91% to 39.76% of the total Geographical area. The land utilization particulars starting from 1956-57 to 2008-09 are provided in the table below to show the changing trend in the state.

LAND UTILIZATION PARTICULARS    (Area in lakh hectares)

S.No.	Year	Geogra phical area	Forest area	Barren land	Land put to non agri. uses	Permanent Pastures	Misc trees	Culturable waste	Other fallows	Current fallows	Net area sown	Area sown more than once	Gross cropped Area
1	1956-57	269.12	55.55	25.87	15.24	12.36	2.33	18.13	8.06	17.85	113.74	10.7	124.44
2	1965-66	274.75	61.17	21.21	19.70	11.69	3.11	14.2	9.42	24.3	109.94	10.95	120.91
3	1975-76	274.40	63.6	22.45	20.70	9.64	2.74	9.55	11.51	22.48	111.72	17.86	129.58
4	1985-86	274.40	58.36	22.69	22.48	8.81	2.64	8.65	14.92	31.58	104.27	16.73	121.00
5	1995-96	274.40	62.45	20.83	24.50	7.63	2.47	7.44	16.58	25.39	107.11	24.06	130.43
6	2005-06	274.40	61.99	20.84	26.15	6.76	2.78	6.92	16.23	24.34	108.39	26.16	134.55
7	2006-07	275.04	62.1	20.98	25.91	6.02	3.2	6.95	15.83	31.66	102.39	26.64	129.03
8	2007-08	275.04	62.1	20.59	26.37	5.71	3.06	6.59	15	27.19	108.43	28.11	136.54
9	2008-09	275.04	62.1	20.79	26.49	5.77	3.17	6.52	14.49	26.11	109.60	28.70	138.30

SOURCE:  DIRECTORATE OF ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS, GOVERNMENT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The review of land use particulars in Andhra Pradesh very clearly shows there has been a marked stagnationin the cultivable area in the state in the past 50 years.

CROPPED AND IRRIGATED AREA:

Gross Area and Net Area Irrigated in A.P.

The Net area irrigated in the state which was 27.47 lakh hectares in 1955-56 increased to 48.21 lakh hectares in 2008-2009 and constitutes 29.31% and 43.98% of Net area sown in the State. The Area irrigated more than once has gone up from 4.53 lakh ha to 19.20 lakh ha in the same period.   Similarly, the Gross area irrigated which was 31.99 lakh hectares in 1955-56 increased to 67.41 lakh hectares in 2008-2009 which constitutes almost 48.74%percent of total cropped area in the State. The Net area sown in the state has declined from 113 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 109 hetares in 2008-09. However, the net irrigated area in the state has gradually increased from 27 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 48 lakh hectares by 2008-09.

Gross Area and Net Area Irrigated in A.P. from 1955-56 to 2008-09

Sl. No.	Year	Net are sown	Net area irrigated	Area irrigated more than once	Gross area irrigated	Percentage of  Net irrigated area to gross irrigated area	Irrigation intensity
1	1955-56	112.90	27.47	4.53	32.00	85.84	1.16
2	1965-66	109.94	29.77	5.56	35.33	84.26	1.19
3	1975-76	111.72	34.37	10.91	45.28	75.91	1.32
4	1985-86	104.27	35.38	7.99	43.37	81.58	1.23
5	1995-96	106.37	41.23	11.81	53.04	77.73	1.29
6	2005-06	107.45	43.92	16.04	59.96	73.25	1.37
7	2006-07	101.46	44.53	16.17	60.70	73.36	1.36
8	2007-08	107.55	56.18	16.41	72.59	77.39	1.35
9	2008-09	108.68	57.48	19.20	76.68	74.96	1.40

Net Area Sown and Net Area Irrigated in A.P from 1955-56 to 2008-09

Irrigation intensity:

Irrigation intensity is the ratio of Gross irrigated area to net irrigated area.The Irrigation intensity in the state has increased from 1.16 in 1955-56 to 1.40 in 2008-09.  This is mainly due to increase in areairrigated more than once in rabi season which indicates the availability of water for a second crop.This is graphically represented in the figure below.

                                                Irrigation intensity in Andhra Pradesh

 

Trend of Area Irrigated More Than Once:

There is steady growth in the area irrigated more than once from 4.53 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 19.20 lakh hectares in 2008-09. This shows that the area irrigated more than once during Rabi season is gradually increasing which indicates that there is an increase in additional water availability for rabi / second crop. This is mostly due to the stabilization and creation of additional irrigational potential during the above period.
Gross Area Irrigated:
The Gross area irrigated is the total irrigated area under various crops during the year includingthe area irrigated more than once during the same year. The Gross area irrigated which was 31.99 lakh hectares in 1955-56 increased to 67.41 lakh hectares in 2008-2009 which constituted 46.33 percent of total cropped area in the State.

Source Wise Trend in Area Irrigated:

The gap between average yield and the normal rates of irrigated and un-irrigated tracts is so wide that for proper assessment of production potentialities, it is essential to have separate data for irrigated and un-irrigated areas, according to different sources of irrigation and for different crops. The main sources of irrigation in Andhra Pradesh are Canals, Tanks, Tube Wells and Dug Wells.The source wise Net Area Irrigated is given in table below.

Net area irrigated by different sources (area in lakh hectares)

SL. NO.	SOURCE OF IRRIGATION	Net Area I rrigated					% to Total Net Area Irrigated
		1955-56	1970-71	1985-86	2007-08	2008-09	1955-56	1970-71	1985-86	2007-08	2008-09
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)
1	Canal	12.92	15.79	17.83	25.84	25.97	47.0	47.7	50.4	46.0	45.2
2	TA   Tanks	10.68	11.12	7.86	5.85	6.48	38.9	33.6	22.2	10.4	11.3
3	Wells	2.84	5.00	8.57	22.87	23.23	10.3	15.3	24.2	40.7	40.4
5	Other Sources OURCES	1.03	1.12	1.12	1.62	1.80	3.8	3.4	3.2	2.9	3.1
6	Total Net Area Irrigated	27.47	33.13	35.38	56.18	57.48	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
7	Area Irrigated More than Once	4.53	9.10	7.99	16.41	19.20	16.5	27.5	22.6	29.2	33.4
8	Gross Area Irrigated	32.00	42.23	43.37	72.59	76.68		-	-	-	-

It is observed from the statement  the canal irrigation in the state has increased from 13 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 25.97 lakh hectares in 2008-09. Tank irrigation has on the other hand has declined considerably from 10.6 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 6.5 lakh hectares in 2008-09. The groundwater sources (wells and bore wells) have registered a steep increase from a mere 2.84 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 23 lakh hectares in 2008-09. In the case of other sources of irrigation , the area irrigated is negligible.

Cropped Area and Cropping intensity:

Cropped Area:

Cropped area is the area covered by different crops in a given season or year.It can be classified into net area sown, area sown more than once and gross cropped area.Andhra Pradesh is gradually diversifying its crop production, in favour of high- value commodities such as Fruits, Vegetables, Poultry Fisheries etc.. The Irrigated area under Rice has increased from 25 lakh hectares in 1955-56 to 44 lakh hectares accounting for an increase of 176%.  The Irrigated area under Maize has increased from 25,000 hectares in 1955-56 to 4.21 lakh hectares in 2008-09. Similar trend is noticed in the case of Pulses, Ground nut and Cotton. The area under Rice cultivation increased as a consequence of availability of irrigation. The area under Maize cultivation has increased because of the boom in the poultry sector. At the end of 2008-09, 48.6 percent of the cropped area was irrigated compared to 26 percent in 1955-56.Increased irrigations has led to an impressive growth in the agriculture sector in the state. The adaptation of improved varieties and fertilizer consumption has gone up along with irrigation development. 

Net Area Sown

Sl. No.	Year	Net Area Sown	Area Sown more than Once	Gross Cropped Area	Cropping Intensity
1	2	3	4	5	6
1	1955-56	112.90	10.11	123.02	1.09
2	1965-66	109.94	10.96	120.91	1.10
3	1975-76	111.72	17.86	129.58	1.16
4	1985-86	104.27	16.73	121.00	1.16
5	1995-96	106.37	24.06	130.43	1.23
6	2005-06	107.45	26.17	133.62	1.24
7	2006-07	101.46	26.64	128.11	1.26
8	2007-08	107.55	28.11	135.67	1.26
9	2008-09	108.68	29.62	138.30	1.27

From the above table it is seen that there has been no increase in net area sown since 1955 -56  where in fact a marginal decrease is noticed from 112.90in 1955-56 to 108.68 in 2008-09. Area sown more than once has shown a steady growth since 1975-76 to 2008-09 mainly due to the creation of additional irrigation facility for rabi or second crop.

Cropping Intensity

Cropping intensity is the ratio of gross cropped area to net area sown. Cropping intensity is one of the indices for assessing the efficiency of Agriculture sector where availability of irrigation  becomes an important factor for determining cropping intensity.  It is observed that the cropping intensity in the State which was 1.09 during 1955-56 gone up to 1.27 in 2008-2009.  Therefore there is a goodscope for increasing crop production through  improving cropping intensitypolicies. Increased availability of irrigation has facilitated multiple cropping making it possible to cultivate crops even in the dry season. This is reflected in the rising cropping intensity. Irrigation has helped in realizing higher productivity from seeds and fertilizers. As mentioned earlier, it has opened an opportunity for multiple cropping.

Cropping Pattern in Irrigated Areas-Crop Shift last 15 years:

Cropping pattern means the proportionate area covered under different crops during an Agricultural year.Cropping pattern is mainly determined by the availability of irrigation, rainfall, range of temperature and humidity and the nature of the soils.Rice, wheat, cereals and pulses constitute foodgrains.  Besides foodgains, chillies, sugarcane, onions, fruits and vegetables also constitute food crops.  In Andhra Pradesh, Rice is the major staple crop.  Non-food crops constitute Fibres, Oilseeds, Tobacco, Dyes, Fodder crops and Green manure crops.Gross cropped area of Andhra Pradesh had increased from 123.02 Lakh Hectares in 1955-56 to 125.18 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005.  But there is a shift in cropping pattern from Food Crops to Non-Food Crops. Rice is the major food crop in Andhra Pradesh. Jowarwhich once competed with Rice registereda fall to 5.00 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005 from 25.55 Lakh Hectares in 1955-56 which can be attributed to a change in the food habits of the people.It is seen that the area under Total Cereals and Millets has decreased from 76.07 Lakh Hectares in 1955-56 to 44.63 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005 and the Area under Non-Food Crops has increased from 28.32 Lakh  Hectares in 1955-56 to 46.35 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005.  The major crops under this category leading to the increase in Non-food crops are Cotton, which has increased from 4.07 Lakh Hectares in 1955-56 to 11.78 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005; Groundnut which has increased from 12.40 Lakh Hectares in 1955-56 to 18.41 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005 and Sunflower which has registered an increase from 0 Hectares in 1955-56 to 4.76 Lakh Hectares in 2004-2005.The Cropping pattern in Andhra Pradesh is furnished in the following Table:

Cropping Pattern in Andhra Pradesh 2008-09

Sl. No	Crop	Percentage of total gross cropped area	Percentage of gross irrigated area	Percentage of area irrigated under crop to total area cultivated under that crop
1	Rice	31.6	63.0	96.85
2	Maize	6.1	6.3	49.41
3	Ground nut	12.7	4.4	16.65
4	Cotton	10.1	3.8	18.23

Source: - Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh

 Rice is the principal crop cultivated in over 31.6 percent of the total cropped area of the state and is mostly an irrigated crop. In 2008-09 almost 97% of the total areaunder rice was irrigated. Rice accounts for 63%of the total irrigated area under all crops.Sugarcane is another crop which is mostly irrigated. But it is raised only limitedlyand accounts for 2.3 percent of total cropped area and 4.8% of gross irrigated area. Chilies are another important crop; 83 percent of the area under chilies is under irrigation. It is raised over a limited extent of about 1.5 percent of gross cropped area and 2.5 percent of gross irrigated area. Less than one percent of gross area is irrigated under Bajra and Tobacco crops. Maize crop which account for 6.1 percent of the total cropped area is mostly a dry crop, the extent of the irrigated area under the crop being 6.2%in 2008-09.

Paddy, Maize, Ground nuts and Cotton are the four important crops raised in the state which together accounts for 77.5 percent of the total irrigated area. The crop wise area irrigated in Andhra Pradesh since 1956-57 to 2008-09 is shown in the following table.

Table:  Crop-Wise Irrigated Area in Andhra Pradesh  (Lakh hectares)

Sl. No	Category	1956-57	1960-61	1970-71	1980-81	1990-91	2000-01	2007-08	2008-09
1	Rice	27.52	27.52	33.21	33.78	38.3	40.41	38.5	42.5
2	Jowar	0.21	0.52	0.23	0.19	0.18	0.25	0.28	0.26
3	Bajra	0.56	0.63	0.59	0.56	0.31	0.32	0.21	0.16
4	Maize	0.26	0.31	0.45	0.76	0.82	1.61	3.49	4.21
5	Ragi	1.49	1.56	0.98	0.96	0.48	0.25	0.1	0.08
6	Green gram	0.03	0.09	0.05	0.03	0.07	0.44	0.06	0.03
7	Black gram	0.09	0.42	0.03	0.04	0.14	0.99	0.06	0.03
8	Red gram	0.03	0.1	N	0.02	0.14	0.43	0.02	0.01
9	Bengal gram	0.03	0.11	0.02	0.05	0.16	0.17	0.09	0.13
10	Horse gram	0.06	0.1	0.03	0.01	N	N	N	0.09
11	Ground nuts	0.033	0.55	2.37	2.14	4.73	3	0.034	2.94
12	Castor	0.01	0.02	0.15	N	0.09	0.05	0.06	0.04
13	Sesamum	0.32	0.23	0.25	0.27	0.21	0.12	0.02	0.13
14	Cotton	0.02	0.03	0.14	0.22	0.82	1.92	2.16	2.55
15	Chillies	0.53	0.5	0.94	0.69	1.39	1.55	1.78	1.69
16	Sugarcane	0.7	0.87	1.18	1.71	2.25	3.47	3.96	3.18
17	Tobacco	0.29	0.18	0.32	0.33	0.5	0.18	0.07	0.47
18	Food Crops	32.54	33.19	38.97	40.19	46.37	52.45	54.02	58.25
19	Non Food Crops	1.34	1.53	3.26	3.22	7.33	6.71	8.83	9.16
20	Gross area Irrigated	33.88	34.72	42.23	43.41	53.7	59.16	62.85	67.41 67.41

Source: - Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad          N-Negligible

PRODUCTIVITY

There are a variety of cropping patterns followed in the state. Rice being the staple food for majority of the population, it has emerged as an important crop cultivated under irrigated conditions. The yield rate of paddy has increased considerably from 1163 kg/hectare in 1956-57 to 3246 kg/hectare in 2008-09. Similar trendsare observed in the case of Maize, Groundnut and Cotton. In pulses Bengal gram recorded highest growth in productivity while black gram,green gram and red gram which are gown as inter and residual crops have shown moderate increase. The productivity in oil seed crops is dismal.   In commercial crops cotton, chilies and tobacco have shown considerable growth in productivity in 2008-09 compared to the levels that prevailed in 1956-57.  In sugarcanethe productivitysince 2005-06 until present has been stagnant. The Productivity of major crops in Andhra Pradesh is presented in the following table.

Table: Productivity of Major Crops in Andhra Pradesh(In Kg. per hectare)

Sl. No	Category	1956-57	1970-71	1980-81	1990-91	2000-01	2008-09
1	Rice	1163	1359	1991	2442	2936	3246
2	Jowar	441	377	527	715	914	1564
3	Bajra	491	516	652	728	1038	1019
4	Maize	557	1344	2262	2086	2996	4874
5	Ragi	967	795	965	1166	1210	1037
6	Green gram	181	301	320	277	354	426
7	Black gram	252	474	460	681	704	653
8	Red gram	272	305	194	214	427	455
9	Bengal gram	286	340	298	642	1138	1413
10	Horse grams	183	255	191	390	259	419
11	Ground nuts	914	785	660	947	1145	551
12	Castor	190	204	100	251	344	511
13	Sesamum	218	206	166	199	204	234
14	Cotton	57	45	198	288	277	434
15	Tobacco	840	648	968	1122	1903	1834
16	Sugarcane	8178	7959	7859	7281	8277	8035
17	Chilies	643	725	920	1665	2211	3805

Source: - Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh

Production: The production particulars of major crops in Andhra Pradesh is presented in the table below

Production of Major Crops in Andhra Pradesh (Lakh Tones)

Sl. No.	Category	1956-57	1970-71	1980-81	1990-91	2000-01	2007-08	2008-09
1	Rice	34.70	47.86	70.11	96.54	124.58	133.24	142.41
2	Jowar	11.80	9.67	10.82	8.51	6.19	4.70	4.36
3	Bajra	2.29	2.99	3.36	1.68	1.48	0.92	0.60
4	Maize	1.05	3.44	7.25	6.46	15.81	41.35	41.52
5	Ragi	2.91	2.31	2.45	1.91	1.20	0.69	0.52
	Total Cereals	56.16	69.65	95.77	116.34	149.74	181.20	189.73
6	Green gram	0.67	1.49	1.83	1.37	1.84	1.92	1.36
7	Black gram	0.03	0.90	1.07	3.66	3.91	2.50	2.20
8	Red gram	0.04	0.62	0.44	0.74	2.19	3.02	2.02
9	Bengal gram	0.33	0.28	0.14	0.57	2.29	9.12	8.54
10	Horse gram	0.90	1.12	0.61	0.51	0.20	0.25	0.16
	Total Pulses	2.76	4.50	4.14	6.96	10.54	16.97	14.48
	Total Food grains	58.92	74.15	99.91	123.30	160.28	198.17	204.21
11	Ground nuts	12.22	12.34	8.60	22.67	24.43	26.40	9.73
12	castor	0.65	0.65	0.26	0.87	1.37	1.29	0.81
13	Sesamum	0.53	0.53	0.31	0.33	0.37	0.27	0.19
14	Cotton	1.26	0.78	4.89	11.10	16.63	34.91	35.69
15	Tobacco	1.35	1.44	1.64	1.87	0.88	1.75	3.14
16	Sugarcane	6.29	9.47	10.42	13.26	18.00	21.42	15.32
17	Chilies	1.19	1.59	1.49	3.47	5.26	7.72	7.73

Source: - Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh

The above table shows  that total food grains production has increased from 58.92 lakh tones in 1956-57 to 204.21 lakh tones in 2008-09. Of the total food grains production in the state during 1956-57, Rice alone accounted for 58.89% while in 2008-09 its proportion was 69.74%. Between 1956-57 and 2008-09,increase in production in absolute terms was evident in Rice, Maize, all pulses (except Horse gram) Caster, Cotton, Tobacco, Sugarcane and Chilies.

Contribution of Irrigation Agriculture to State Economy & Food Security

Analysis of the gross value of agricultural output shows that the increase in gross value of agricultural produce in Andhra Pradesh has resulted primarily from irrigated area.

Gross Value of Output in Agriculture Sector in 2000-01 and 2008-09

Sl.no	Source	2000-01		2008-09
		Gross Cropped Area (lakh hectares)	Gross Value of Production (Rs Crores)	Gross Cropped Area (lakh hectares)	Gross Value of Production (Rs Crores)
1	Irrigated	59.16	12,459(44)	67.41	27746 (49)
2	Rain fed	76.29	15,859(56)	70.59	28870 (51)
3	Total	135.45	28,318(100)	138.30	56626(100)

Figures in the bracket shows percentage to total agriculture income.
Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Andhra Pradesh

Agricultural Growth Rates between 2000-01 to 2008-09

Sl.No	YEAR	A.P
		GSDP	Agriculture GSDP	Agriculture Growth Rates
1	2	3	4	5
1	2000-01 (R )	144723	28318
2	2001-02	156711	26984	-4.71
3	2002-03	167096	22613	-16.20
4	2003-04	190017	29282	29.49
5	2004-05	211802	31168	6.44
6	2005-06(A)	239682	35170	12.84
7	2006-07	277286	38826	10.40
8	2007-08	326547	52397	34.95
9	2008-09	377346	64502	23.10

Food security:

The total food grain production which was a mere 59 lakh tonnes in 1955-56 has gone up to a record level of 204.21 lakh tonnes in 2008-09. This increase that has made the state is self sufficient in food grain productionis attributed to the efforts initiated by the Government in educating the farming community through “Polambadi” program. The availability of assured irrigation has resulted in significant increase in crop productivity that is reflected in the increase in total production. But in spite of all these impressive achievements, the net sown area in the state has remained at 109 lakh hectare during 2008-09. The net area irrigated is 48.61 lakh hectares which is 35percent of the gross sown area (138.41 lakh hectares) in 2008-09 as against 113 lakh hectares in 1955-56.

Gross irrigated area and area irrigated under rice since 1955-56 to 2008-09

Crop wise Irrigated Area (Maize, Ground nut and Cotton) from 1955-56 to 2008-09

Cropping intensity in Andhra Pradeshfrom 1955-56 to 2008-09

Total Food grain Production

ONGOING ACTIONS

Increasing Agricultural Productivity through Farmer’s Field Schools:

Agricultural extension has become an important input in the irrigation management reforms agenda that has been unfolding in the past few years. Appointment of a designated agricultural expert in the PMU, networking and close coordination with agricultural departments and agricultural universities have been few measures taken to expand the scope and function of irrigation into the broader irrigated agriculture focus. Farmer’s field schools FFS ( KrishiVignanaKendras), the creation of a Consortium on productivity enhancement in irrigated agriculture focused on bringing in and propagating innovations and agri-business ideas, dissemination of agriculture related information and best practices to all levels of FO’s, periodic workshops and interactive sessions between agricultural scientists and farmers have been initiated to affect direct intervention.

Farmer’s Field Schools:

Water User Associations are being delegated powers and conferred significant role in water management and in increasing agricultural productivity. CAD has focused upon strengthening the capacity of WUAs for productivity enhancement and increasing water use efficiency through the FFS system. Farmer Field School (FFS) demonstrations in the fields of lead farmers about efficient and effective soil, water and crop management technologies is the chosen manner of generating awareness and disseminating information on few key agricultural practices. The key objectives of the FFS are:

• To improve the productivity of crops by technology demonstrations, training and technical backstopping
• To influence cropping pattern changes ( Crop diversification)through market led extension
• To facilitate cost reduction through demonstration of appropriate technologies, agronomic practices and collective input procurement and marketing of produce
• To improve water use efficiency by promoting  water saving crops and efficient water management practices
• Promote Agri-Business interventions and Value addition

Extension Methodology:

Capacity building of FOs has included options like exposure visits to best projects in states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil NaduFarmers to acquaint them the best practices adopted by farmer’s there. Taking this process further efforts have been initiated under the agricultural extension activities undertaken by CAD to give information about best practices on agricultural activities through FFS. The farmers covered under FFS are trained by the KrishiVignanKendras about improved production technologies and water management in different crops.One FFS is organized in each WUA on  different aspects of productivity enhancement which is to be repeated in the next season for consolidating the results.  Each FFS on best practices or technologies by a lead farmer is organized inabout one acre along with control plot (farmer practice) which 20 other farmers are encouraged to adopt.  The existing situation will be studied & production constraints responsible for low yields will be identifiedin the Pre seasonal exercise.

Moreover, appropriate technological interventions are developed to address constraintsand  are tested by the group of farmers. The circle level Support Organization /KVK provides support to the entire exercise. The FFS performance is analysed at the end of each crop season and Farmer Field Day is organized for farmers of surrounding villages where the up scaling of proven technologies in large areas is promoted. The most important themes covered under these FFS are: Integrated Crop Management (ICM); Integrated Pest Management(IPM); Integrated Nutrient Management(INM) including Micronutrient Management; Water saving technologies and Crop shift. The FFS is used to promote related aspects like promotion of Agro business, Agro-processing and value addition; promotion of Livelihood activities to the poor like fodder development, Fisheries & Horticulture and facilitation of Agri-Business Credit Fund to small and medium farmers.

Institutional Support:

CAD has instituted clearinstitutional support for promotion of agricultural extension activities by engaging institutions, experts and initiating networks with Agricultural Universities, Agricultural Departments and officials. The departmental staff are associated in the FFS and other programs and services of line departments is also taken for convergence of the ongoing schemes.  12 KVKS under the control  of ANGRAU and 4 under NGOS are organize the FFS under major irrigation projects. 11 Support organizations are engaged under APILIP for monitoring institutional development activities and for organizing FFS under 11 medium irrigation projects and 59 minor tanks.

Successes Accomplished in the FFS:

• Key production technologies have been promoted  through group approach & close monitoring
• Increase in Productivity upto 15% to20 %
• Cost of production reduced by 15% to 20% by cutting down cost on Weed management, Fertilizers and Pesticides
• Soil test based nutrient recommendations are facilitating  balanced nutrient use  by many farmers and resulting in cost reduction
• Need based PP measures that are Effective, Economic & Environment friendly adopted
• Crop diversification to maize during Rabi season is picking up due to higher market price - Higher C/B ratio &Water Use Efficiency
• Zero tillage cultivation of maize after kharif paddy is picking up and is covered in 2.5 lakh acres in Guntur, Krishna & other  districts.  This has resulted in a cost reduction of Rs.5000/- per ha.  
•    Rotational irrigation in paddy promoted in many Projects has resulted in Higher productivity by  about 5 bags per acre (350 kg.) & Higher Water Use Effeciency
• Paired row method of planting in maize FFS has enhanced Water Use Efficiency
• Alleys formation  in Paddy FFS has reduced pest & disease incidence
• Use of Paddy transplanters in FFS is receiving very good   response in different commands. Transplantation of paddy by Mechanical Planters Solves labour problem & ensures optimum population & planting depth. In Guntur & Krishna districts nearly 2000 acres  has been planted during 20101 Kharif

The Consortium:

A ‘Consortium – On Productivity Enhancement in Irrigated Agriculture’ – was created to upgrade coordination between irrigation and agriculture by creating a cell focused upon bringing and popularizing innovation and agri-business ideas with the farmer community. The consortium is to function as an information and knowledge sharing platform by creating an information repository of the FO’s,  provide expert support for information technology and capacity  building, promote market led production with backward and forward linkages, and enable financial inclusion of farmers. The consortium has been created with an outlay of RS. 1975 lakhs for two years. The main partners of the consortium are:

• Departments like Agriculture, Marketing, Horticulture, Animal Husbandaries, Fisheries;
• Research institutes like Agri.University, MANAGE, CRIDA, ICRISAT, IIIT (e sagu
• Private organizationslike Nagarjuna fertilizers –(ikisan); Godavari fertilizers –(Hello Gromor); SBI- Smart cards and Coromandel Fertilizers (Farmer call centers)
• The Centre for Good Governance has been designated to provide IT related services for the project and monitor the project during pilot stage

Activities Undertaken by the CGG:

A mobile Information Kiosk (K-yon) that integrates computer and projectorcontaining district specific knowledge and information on best management practices in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, irrigation and agricultural marketing with voice over has been developed and placed in this K-yon. Information on water management, WUAs functioning and micro irrigation is also placed in this K-yon.

One Day Interactive Seminar on Best Practices in Agriculture:

As a part of the efforts to improve and plan the Kharif 2010, it was decided to organize a One Day Seminar for identifying methods of enhancing crop productivity in Command Areas. The one day seminar to ‘ identify the best management practices in agriculture for enhancing crop productivity, in command areas’ was conducted in February 2010 for the Project Committee Chair Person’s, DC Presidents, Program Coordinators, KVKs, Coordinators, DAATTC and APDs.  This seminar was to identify the strategies for crop productivity, cost reduction and efficient water use for the crops grown in different agro-climatic regions for increasing the overall incomes to farmers. Selected resource persons from ANGRAU and DOR were selected to identify crop productivity enhancing strategies in – Rice, Groundnut in rice based cropping systems, Maize in rice based cropping systems, Pulses in rice based cropping systems, Soybean, Cotton and Sunflower; Benefits from Micro-nutrients, efficient water use and integrated pest and disease management.

These selected experts were asked to identify new and innovative result oriented, water saving, cost effective, environmentally friendly and income generating practices and technologies that would be collected and disseminated to farmers. To take note of and consider the agro-climatic differences between regions, such one-day seminars were held in the three regions of Telengana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalseema. The inputs and the findings emerging from these seminars were incorporated and taken into consideration in the preparation of the Kharif Action Plan of 2010.

District Level Seminars:

Taking note of the positive feedback and response from these seminars, the department decided to take the process further by taking the interaction platform to the district level.  To give effect to this idea, it was decided to identify 4 districts with low levels of productivity for organizing the district level seminars with the agenda of discussing district specific steps to enhance agricultural productivity. The districts of Chittoor, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Mahboobnagar having a per capita income from agriculture of about Rs. 3600 as compared to the state per capita income from agriculture of Rs. 6000 were chosen to hold seminars specifically focusing on effective water and crop management with a view to increase water use efficiency and crop productivity for the major crops grown in the region. It thus proposed to conduct interactive seminars between farmers and agricultural scientists in these four districts to identify constraints, develop strategies for enhancing crop productivity and prepare a road map for these regions involving partners like Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Command Area Development, Agricultural University, Agricultural Department, Marketing Departments, and KrishiVignanaKendras.  Accordingly, the first seminar was held in the district of Chittoor which provided significant feedback about the interventions and options that could be attempted in a low agricultural productivity region.

Interactive Session between Agricultural Scientists and Farmers in Tirupathi September 2010:

An interactive session was organized by CGG, Hyderabad for irrigated agriculture farmers from Chittoor district with Agriculture scientists on 01-09-2010 where several experts from CGG and CAD    along with the scientists from Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University participated. The session focused upon the three predominant crops of Paddy, Groundnut and Sugarcane was attended by 60 local farmers from different parts of the district. The farmers and the scientists were requested to limit further discussions on the broader issues the farmers are facing in the district in enhancing the productivity in principal crops while keeping in view of the yield levels achieved by the farmers in other districts.
Based on the inputs, queries, identified issues and discussions made at this session a Road Map containing details about the constraints and action plan be followed for each of the different crops was prepared.

The Road Map for Enhancing Crop Productivity in Chittoor District:
Most of the irrigation requirements of all the crops in the region are met from ground water and tank waters. The main constraints and the action points to be taken to address these constraints were identified for Groundnut, Paddy and Sugar Cane crops in the region.

Problems like low yield, low seed rate, leaf spot diseases imbalance in nutrient application, non-use of micro-nutrients in ground nut was recommended to be corrected through the use of select high yielding varieties, promotion of micro-nutrients like sulphur and boron, mandatory soil testing, generating awareness on leaf spot diseases, deep ploughing. It was found that the yield level of paddy in the district was much low compared to the yields in other districts. Problems like imbalance in use of nutrient application, non-maintenance of plant population, presence of saline alkaline patches, and disease complex due to stagnant water in paddy cultivation were proposed to be corrected through use of drum seeder planting technology, propagation of use of Zinc Sulphate, promoting of the option of planting of young seedlings. It has been proposed that the KVKs organize demonstrations on agronomic practices like selection of suitable variety, fertilizer application, use of micro-nutrients, control of late leaf spots, weed control, nursery management / seedling, nutrient management, water management, pest and disease management. Provision of information on commodity prices and trading of commodities to farmers is another important constraint that the action plan identified for the low incentive and low agricultural productivity in the region.