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Groundwater Irrigation-Electricity-Crop Diversification Nexus in Punjab
The present wheat-rice cropping pattern, groundwater irrigation, procurement policy, and electricity policy have bound farmers in Punjab into a convenient yet vicious relationship that is economically and ecologically unsustainable. The state government provides free electricity for agriculture and a high minimum support price and yet recommends a shift away from rice to curb groundwater depletion. This paper analyses the trends and turning points in irrigation development in the state, its shifts in cropping pattern, and trends in electricity consumption. It further examines the real-world feasibility of the long-pending recommendation to shift the cropping pattern from water-intensive rice and wheat to less water-intensive maize and wheat.
This is a revised version of the paper "Sustainability in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus" presented at the International Conference on Global Water System Project, Bonn, 19-20 May 2014. We are thankful to the participants for their comments. We also appreciate the important comments given by the unknown referees. The usual disclaimer applies.
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