Optimality and water conservation under non-system and system tank commands of Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Indian agriculture relies on irrigation. India’s net irrigated area has tripled in 60 years, although tank-irrigated regions suffered a large decline. This study examines the potential for improving tank irrigation performance through linear programming by developing individual optimal plans for two different tank irrigation systems (non-system and system tank) in the Chittoor and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. The optimal plans under non-system tanks allocated less land under paddy while improving groundnut areas to optimally reorganize resources among head, middle, and tail ends. Net returns were maximized to ₹ 2.63, ₹ 2.52, and ₹ 1.92 lakhs. The system tank optimal plans advised less water-intensive crops like pulses and sesame over sugarcane with maximized net returns of ₹ 5.35, ₹ 2.61, and ₹ 1.71 lakhs. Both physical (kg/m3) and economic water productivity (₹/m3) were highest among optimal crop mix under non-system and system tank command farms. Participatory water management, adoption of less water-intensive crops, and promotion of pressurized technologies were highly recommended in the study area and similar agro-climatic conditions