A study on impact of SRI on the pattern of Irrigation water consumption under different types of irrigation in Pudukkottai District of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

This paper on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) under different settings and the water use pattern has covered two objectives; one whether the different settings of SRI have any positive impact on the water use pattern as well as quantity of irrigation water consumption and two,the different methods of SRI have any positive influence on water usage. This study is based on the detailed survey conducted at Pudukkottai district in Tamil Nadu during the agricultural year 2009-2010 with a sample size of 200 farmers. The data analysis proved that the rate of water saving is highest in BIA (Bore well irrigated Area) which account for about 50 percent on an average. The number of irrigations used per acre during the cultivation period for SRI paddy is only 10. Where as the same was found to be about 16 for paddy under conventional method. The reduction of water use in terms of hours is 47 percent in SRI paddy cultivating households when compared to the conventional paddy cultivating counterpart. A substantial amount of water (45.3percent) has seen saved in SRI farmers the number of irrigation water per acre applied by households cultivating SRI paddy seems to have been 37% lower than that of households practicing conventional method of paddy cultivation.