Решение проблемы нехватки водных ресурсов в сельском хозяйстве: как могут помочь практики коренных народов или традиционные практики?
The world’s population is growing, with the need to produce more food. This challenge exacerbates water scarcity, which is further compounded by a changing climate. To cope with the challenge, could indigenous or traditional practices support climate change adaptation efforts on reducing water scarcity in agriculture?
To address this question, a first step consisted in reviewing traditional/indigenous practices used by rural communities as coping strategies for climate change adaptation in agriculture. An agro-ecology grouping was used, seeking to highlight the potential of transferring practices between areas of similar agro-ecology. A compendium of such practices was thus compiled and is available for reference.
The need to mainstream indigenous knowledge and traditional practices into sustainable development has also been well acknowledged, including through the 1989 Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate change.
However, evidence of successful use and transfer of indigenous practices to cope with water scarcity in agriculture remains scattered. This discussion is an opportunity to systematically identify practices that have demonstrated their effectiveness in supporting the livelihoods of the communities and to classify them in such a way that they can be upscaled or replicated elsewhere. This is especially crucial for areas with similar agro-ecological characteristics. It is expected that some of these practices will then support projects aimed at addressing water scarcity in agriculture, with an objective roadmap comprising recommended practices/ technologies and the required supporting policies, as relevant.
Furthermore, different opinions are still being voiced on semantics (e.g. indigenous knowledge, traditional knowledge, knowledge of indigenous peoples, community knowledge or local knowledge systems…). This discussion will also seek to reach some consensus on the most appropriate terminology to be used in the final version of the compendium.
The purpose of this discussion is thus to call for participants’ contributions to the following questions.
1. Sustainability and replicability of the practices
From your experience (or knowledge), which of the indigenous/traditional practices below have been successfully applied and if possible, replicated (different times or places) in order to cope with water scarcity in agriculture? Please provide examples and references.
- Weather forecasting and early warning systems
- Grazing and Livestock management
- Soil and Water Management (including cross slope barriers)
- Water harvesting (and storage practices)
- Forest Management (as a coping strategy to water scarcity)
- Integrated wetlands and fisheries management
- Other (please specify)
2. Moving beyond semantics
Having discussed all these practices/ technologies, which terminology would be most suitable to neutrally label them in the compendium?
Please briefly substantiate your argument with most updated references, when available.
We look forward to your inputs to this important discussion.
|
Patrick Bahal’okwibale FAO, Ethiopia |
Jean-Marc Mwenge Kahinda CSIR, South Africa |
Темы
- Прочитано 43 комментарии
ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW
Les règles de réciprocité assurent en partie, de manière universelle, la gestion du bien commun, dont les forêts (sacrées), les terres cultivables, les pêcheries ou l'eau. Sabourin (2011) reprend de nombreux exemples chez les Balantes et Bijagos de Guinée-Bissau, les kanaks de calédonie, les paysans du nord-est du Brésil, la Bolivie etc.
La part de la réciprocité et la part de la loi moderne varie selon les pays et les époques (l'Etat ou le marché y prend une part plus ou moins grande). Toutes les sociétés résistent à une trop grande privatisation ou étatisation en maintenant des règles d'éthique, comme par exemple une règle d'hospitalité dans les pays chauds: " l'eau ne se refuse pas". En France, on peut entrer dans un café et demander un verre d'eau, de l'eau est disponible gfratuitement aux fontaines publiques depuis la nuit des temps et au restaurant, on peut demander une caraffe d'eau, à volonté, gratuitement. Il en va de même dans toutes les sociétés rurales d'Afrique ou d'Asie. Une autre règle éthique concerne la gestion d'un cours d'eau en zone aride ou irriguée, de l'amont à l'aval: on se doit de laisser de l'eau (propre) aux cultivateurs en aval. La gestion traditionnelle est organiée en bassin versant, système qui a été redécouvert dans l'Europe moderne (contrats et Commissions de rivières). Dans le monde moderne, ce sont les communautés qui ont poussé à ce que ces règles de base entrent dans la loi, voire dans la constitution. Ce sont les Conseils ethniques qui ont obtenu de réserver une série de droits de base et de règles de gouvernance (laissant un place aux décisions traditionnelles) d'abord dans des lois (en Bolivie, Colombie, Equateur à la suite de la Loi des Communautés Indigènes de 1974 au Pérou) voire dans les Constitutions modernes p.ex. en Equateur (2008) et en Bolivie (2009). Divers articles de la constitution équatorienne garantissent une co-gestion traditionnelle des terroirs et de leurs ressources, ainsi que le droit inaliénable des populations concernant les ressources principales y compris l'eau. La notion éthique du droit au "bien vivre", issue de la réciprocité traditionnelle y est incluse. Biblio: voir Sabourin 2011.
La tradition organise la gestion des ressources communes par l'intermédiaire de conseils des anciens, chefs de familles réunis sous l'arbitrage du descendant de la première famille à s'être installée sur un terroir donné (dans le cas des sédentaires). Le territoire et ses "frontières" est géré et organisé en fonction de la ressource. Par exemple, une ressource en eau (rivière) est gérée en fonction du bassin concerné, de l'amont à l'aval, par toutes les familles concernées.
Chez les balandes de Guinée-Bissau, la gestion traditionnelle des rizières de mangrove est reconnue comme plus efficace que toute gestion moderne (Kestemont, 1989). Les sols de mangrove, sulfatés acides, sont en effet très fragiles et risquent de se transformer en déserts acides en cas d'erreur de gestion de l'eau, comme on l'a vu dans des projets modernes en Casamance. La gestion traditionnelle a prévu de laisser chaque famille gérer chaque "corde" (succession de rizières d'amont pluvieux à aval salé) séparément, de manière à éviter les problèmes de voisinage dans la gestion essentielle de l'eau pour la préservation du sol et des rendements (voir Kestemont 2003 pour références et annecdotes).
Biblio:
Sabourin, E 2011. Organizaçoes e sociedades camponesas uma leitura através da reciprocidade. Porto Alegre. Ed da UFRGS
-Kestemont Bruno, 2003. "Citique des conditions de la durabilité: application aux indices de développement durable". Travail de fin d'études. DEA en gestion de l'environnement, IGEAT-ULB, 214 pp.
KESTEMONT, B., 1989, "Les Balantes Brassa Bungue de la région de Tombali, GuinéeBissau", Sém. Civ.Afr. (la plus gde dist.), ULB, mars, 27 pp (voir annexe)
The rules of reciprocity partly ensure, in a universal way, the management of the common patrimony, covering woods (sacred), cultivable land, the fisheries or water. Sabourin (2011) refers to many examples from the Balantes and Bijagos of Guinea Bissau, the Kanaks of New Caledonia, the peasants of the North-East of Brazil, Bolivia, etc.
The role of reciprocity and the role of modern law vary according to the country and the times (the State or the market have a larger or smaller part to play). All societies resist too much privatization or nationalization by maintaining ethical rules, for example a rule of hospitality in hot countries: "water is not refused". In France, one can go into a cafe and ask for a glass of water, water is available freely in public springs from the beginning of time and in restaurants, one can ask for a pitcher of water, at will, freely. It is the same in all rural societies in Africa and Asia. Another ethical rule concerns management of a water course in an arid or irrigated area, from upstream to downstream: one should leave water (clean) for the farmers downstream. Traditional management is organized by watershed, a system that has been rediscovered in modern Europe (contracts and River Boards). In today’s world, it is the communities who have pushed for these basic rules to be embodied in law, even in the Constitution. It is the ethnic Councils which have managed to establish a series of basic rights and rules of governance (reserving a role for traditional decisions) firstly in the laws (in Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador following the Indigenous Peoples Law of 1974 in Peru) as seen in modern Constitutions, for example in Ecuador (2008) and Bolivia (2009). Several articles of the Ecuadorian Constitution guarantee a traditional joint management of land and its resources, as well as the inalienable right of the people to the main resources which include water. The ethical notion of the right to "live well," embodied in traditional reciprocity, is included. Bibliography: see Sabourin 2011.
Tradition organizes the management of common resources through councils of elders, heads of families meeting under the arbitration of the descendant of the first family who settled in a given land (in the case of settled people). The land and its boundaries are handled and organized according to the resource. For example, a water resource (river) is managed as a function of the water basin involved, from upstream to downstream, by all the families concerned.
With the Balande in Guinea Bissau, the traditional management of paddy fields in mangrove is recognized as more efficient than all modern management (Kestemont, 1989). The mangrove soils, acid sulphates, are in fact very fragile and are at risk of becoming acid deserts in case of a water management error, as has been seen in the modern projects at Casamance. Traditional management has foreseen the need to allow each family to manage each “rope” (series of paddy fields with rainwater upstream to salty downstream) separately, so as to avoid problems with neighbors in the essential management of the water for the preservation of the soil and productivity (see Kestemont 2003 for references and anecdotes).
English translation below
En México en algunas zonas indígenas de la mixteca poblana, aún se pueden ver las conducciones de agua a base de tallos huecos de algunas plantas endémicas de la región; estos tallos acomodados siguiendo una curva a desnivel hacen que el precioso liquido llegue desde donde nace agua en los terrenos accidentados de las sierras hasta las pequeñas explotaciones de las familias indígenas.
In Mexico in some indigenous zones of the Mixteca Poblana region, you can still see water pipes made of hollow stems of some endemic plants; these stems, arranged following an uneven curve, make the precious liquid arrive from the rugged terrain of the mountains to the small farms of the indigenous families.
Dear All,
I will like to draw attention towards a very important indigenous practice of water conservation named sacred groves. Sacred groves are extremely important in terms of biodiversity, cultural, religious and ethnic heritage and are intertwined with numerous traditional legends, lore, and myths. They are home to many rare and endemic wild plants having agricultural and medicinal value. International Union for Conservation of Nature and natural Resources (IUCN) treats them as sacred natural sites (SNS). These relic forest patches often protects watersheds and are source of water for agricultural fields nearby. Several sacred groves have been reported throughout the world being intimately connected with indigenous local communities. Examples can be given of Yoruba of Ara in southwestern Nigeria, the Kuna Indians of Panama, South America, the Cocnucos and Yanaconas of Colombia, the Tukano of the Uaupés basin on the Brazil–Colombia border,coastal sacred groves (Kayas) of Kenya. India is home to about 100,000 sacred groves being protected by indigenous communities throughout the country. Some of the famous Indian Sacred groves occurs in Khasi Hills of Assam, in the Arvalli ranges of Rajasthan, all along the Western Ghats in the southern peninsula, in the districts of Bastar and Sarguja in Madya Pradesh, in the Chanda district in Maharastra, in the Bankura, Birbhum and Purulia districts of West Bengal.
Sacred groves maintains ecological services like preserving local hydrological cycles, preventing soil erosion, serving as firebreaks, and serving as areas of recruitment of species, allowing for ecosystem renewal during various disturbances. Especially in mountainous terrain, their rich vegetation plays crucial role in slope stabilization and soil conservation. As the runoff water is reduced, paving way for greater infiltration, soil erosion and sedimentation of downstream areas are minimized. Grove soil is usually rich in organic matter due to efficient decomposition of leaf litter, dead wood and other remnants. Water seeping out of sacred groves into the surrounding cultivation areas is considered nutrient rich by village communities. Hence my suggestion is conservation of sacred groves with emphasis on their role in agricultural water management and biodiversity conservation should be prioritised.
Г-н Mwanza Floribert Kiebo
English translation below
Ce pont est sur la rivière Mulungwishi.Celle-ci est vitale pour la localité qui porte son nom,localité située à 150 km de Lubumbashi dans la province du Haut-Katanga en Rép.dém.du Congo.Elle inonde une très vaste marée où sont creusés plusieurs drains d'irrigation traditionnelle d'une ferme et des centaines et centaines de champs.
Mais,maintenant,des rejets miniers chinois sont déversés dans cette rivière.La ferme n'est plus cultivable comme plusieurs champs. Avec d'abondantes pluies de cette année,la crue a été exceptionnelle ou jamais vue suite à ces dépots miniers.Des champs, des maisons détruits sans que le gouvernement ,ni personne n'assiste les sinistrés jusqu'à ce jour.
Un fléau pour la rivière qui irrigue Mulungwishi.
This bridge is over the river Mulungwishi. This is vital for the local population which bears its name, located 150 Km from Lubumbashi in the province of Haut-Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo. The river floods a huge low lying area where many traditional farm irrigation ditches have been excavated and hundreds and hundreds of fields.
But, at present, Chinese mining wastes are discharged into this river. The farm is no longer cultivable as many fields. With heavy rains this year, the flooding has been exceptional or never before seen as a result of this mining waste. Fields and homes destroyed with so far no help from the government, or anyone else, for the people affected.
A curse for the river that irrigates Mulungwishi.
Dear Colleagues
It is good to see such a comprehensive collection of indigenous practices from across the world. My contribution is not necessarily on practices, because most of my research findings from the Karoo (South Africa) are already captured in this draft. I, however, have a few contributions/comments:
1. The South African case studies should also look at the following book:
Alcock, P.G., 2010. Rainbows in the Mist: Indigenous Weather Knowledge, Beliefs and Folklore in South Africa. Pretoria: South African Weather Service.
2. I think more work/discussion or debate is needed on how we define indigenous knowledge. The adopted definition portrays indigenous knowledge as an attribute of less technologically advanced societies, yet our findings in the Karoo show that IK also sits with commercial farmers, and this knowledge dates back to the 1700s. Yet, on the one hand, commercial farmers may not necessarily be seen as indigenous.
3. It is possible that IK is site or society specific in many instances, and may be defined by the history of a society/community. The question, therefore, is whether IK is transferable, in other words, can IK be adopted like we study the adoption of agricultural technologies? My challenge after collecting and documenting IK was how to translate and make it useful for the communities that we had studied, and the surrounding communities. There is need to translate IK into the local languages and to enable linkages between communities. We found a lot of very beneficial technologies, that farmers were using both in small-scale and commercial farming conditions. What is the best way of cross-pollinating the knowledge and making it relevant to all farmers? Is it possible to take IK out of one society and make it more relevant for other communities, for example, certain water conservation technologies? We should also realise that some IK is not transferable, for example, weather prediction indicators.
Lastly, how can we make IK part of the early warning systems? An Officer who had worked in the Karoo for more than 25 years told me in 2013 that it takes about 3 years for a drought to approach, and he accurately predicted the drought that followed. How can we integrate that kind of knowledge to scientific methods?
4. What place does IK hold in the current climate change debate? There is a lot of information documented on how communities cope and adapt, but where does that information fit into the bigger challenge of climate change.
5. This document is about addressing water scarcity in agriculture. I expect the last chapter of the report to synthesise some of those IK practices in agriculture that will make agricultural water more available or used more efficiently.
Dear Colleagues,
The contributions you have been providing are so impressive. As I was reading through them, I am realizing how much valuable knowledge is embedded in local, traditional or indigenous practices. The most promising is that your contributions represent testimonies that the practices could offer such huge opportunities for adaptation to climate change and address the increasing water scarcity.
I have also experienced a traditional practice of sensing the environment to predict an imminent rain: if it feels warm, it will likely rain. Similarly, if a sunny day feels so cool, one should not expect any rain. Every time I check this, it reveals true to me. While I learned this long ago from my grandparents, I have never had the chance to see published evidence that explains this phenomenon. However, I later realized that the same sensations are experienced when an air conditioner is set to increase humidity in the environment: The sensation of heat on the skin could thus be greatly influenced by air humidity. With regards to the indigenous early warning practice, the sensation of heat (or cool) was thus simply a reflection of increasing air moisture leading to a forecasted rainfall (or decreasing air moisture leading to the forecast of absence of rains).
I am surely not the only one to have been impressed by such traditional effective practices, yet poorly documented in scientific journals. It would thus be opportune if contributions could also address such a barrier.
At this stage, we would be happy if members could read through others' contributions and check if they have additional references that support any of the member's submission. We would really love to receive any such links before the closing of the forum.
Many thanks in advance!
Patrick
Mithare Prasad
Assistant Professor (Agronomy), Department of ILFC, Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Science University, Bidar Karnataka (India)
Addressing Water Scarcity in Agriculture: How Can Indigenous or Traditional Practices Help?
· Water scarcity in agriculture is increasing day by day for which, various factor are responsible; like climate change, improper rainfall, excess runoff, decline in water table, extensive use of water without necessary (Wastage of water), water logging, salinity-alkalinity and reduced in water flow in rivers & lakes and increased water pollution.
· The emerging scenario from different parts of the globe, which shows the scarcity of water for irrigation purpose in agriculture for crop production and livestock production. Indigenous or traditional practices which address the scarcity of water which follows certain practices like: Stone bunding, stone-cum vegetative bunding, Spur structures, Grassed water ways, Brushwood water ways, contour bunding, terracing, trenching, basin-listing and check dams etc. These are the knowledge based and skill based practices which are come from our ancestors and even today these are working very effectively in rural areas of India.
· Ground water is most important source in agriculture sector for various purpose but day today the water table has lost its stability to supply the sufficient amount of water for livelihood, for this purpose the ground water recharge is very necessary aspect for the future purpose: The various measures are followed for recharging the ground water are Rejuvenation of streams, inter-linking of rivers, construction of check dams, construction of percolation tanks, and farm pounds. Other way soil and water conservation measures are also very essential for water storage & avoid soil erosion; Construction of Farm bunds, contour bunds, graded bunds, mulching with crop residues and planting with erosion restricting crops all along the bunds (ex; Vitever grass).
· Water scarcity can also be reduced with proper grazing management in livestock production: Livestock need abundance of water for its various purpose so restricted use and efficient use of water in dairy & livestock will be ultimately profitable to tackle the water scarcity in agriculture.
· Picture Irrigation practice is an ancient and traditional system followed in Karnataka, kerala & Tamilnadu states of (India). It is extensively used in plantation crops like coconut, Areca nut, Cocoa, Black pepper, Beetle wine, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon and many vegetables etc. It consist of small porous earthen pots which are 10-15 liters carrying capacity of water and a small trench is dugged in the root zone of the plantation crop, by which a drop by drop water is supplied to the plant directly to root zone so that the maximum water use efficiency can be achieved during the water scarcity.
· Forest Ecosystem and Bio diversity will play an important role in fight against water scarcity: When it comes to the water, the rain is the only major source of water for all agriculture sectors, for which the forest & biodiversity will play an important role in rainfall occurrence. The forest areas receive the high amount of rainfall and also involved in the water cycle which contribute to rain formation in the atmosphere.
· In India approximately 35-40 % of agriculture land is irrigated & 60% of area is entirely dependent on rainfed ultimately (Dryland farming). India is having two types of mansoon; South west mansoon (75%) & north east monsoon (25 %). Large of the rainfall is received by south west monsoon and cropping intensity will be more during it, but also the large amount of rain water is lost in the form of runoff & soil erosion, for collection & storage of excess water there are various traditional or indigenous practices are playing an vital role in conservation of water and utilization of such water during the lean period for agriculture & livestock for: Addressing Water Scarcity in Agriculture.
Various Traditional or Indigenous Practices Followed in India since Ancient time to Till date:
Note for kind information: These bold letters sub-heading are typically a Sanskrit/Hindi local words of India which cannot be translated as similarly in English.
Jhalara: Jhalaras are typically rectangular-shaped stepwells that have tiered steps on three or four sides. These stepwells collect the subterranean seepage of an upstream reservoir or a lake. Jhalaras were built to ensure easy and regular supply of water for religious rites, royal ceremonies and community use.
Talab/Bandhi: These are reservoirs that store water for household consumption and drinking purposes. They may be natural, such as ponds at Tikamgarh in the Bundelkhand region or man made, such as the lakes of Udaipur (India). A reservoir with an area less than five bighas is called a talai, a medium sized lake is called a bandhi and bigger lakes are called sagar or samand.
Bawari: Bawaris are unique stepwells that were once a part of the ancient networks of water storage in the cities of Rajasthan and Deccan region of India. The little rain that the region received would be diverted to man-made tanks through canals built on the hilly outskirts of cities. The water would then percolate into the ground, raising the water table and recharging a deep and intricate network of aquifers. To minimise water loss through evaporation, a series of layered steps were built around the reservoirs to narrow and deepen the wells.
Taanka: It called as tank in English is a traditional rainwater harvesting technique indigenous to the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan and Gujarat (India). A Taanka is a cylindrical paved underground pit into which rainwater from rooftops, courtyards or artificially prepared catchments flows. Once completely filled, the water stored in a taanka can last throughout the dry season and is sufficient for a family of 5-6 members. An important element of water security in these arid regions, taankas can save families from the everyday drudgery of fetching water from distant sources.
Johads: These are one of the oldest systems used to conserve and recharge ground water, are small earthen check dams that capture and store rainwater. Constructed in an area with naturally high elevation on three sides, a storage pit is made by excavating the area, and excavated soil is used to create a wall on the fourth side. Sometimes, several johads are interconnected through deep channels, with a single outlet opening into a river or stream nearby. This prevents structural damage to the water pits that are also called madakas in Karnataka and pemghara in Odisha (India).
Khadin: These are indigenous constructions designed to harvest surface runoff water for agriculture. The main feature of a khadin, also called dhora in India, it is a long earthen embankment that is built across the hill slopes of gravelly uplands. Sluices and spillways allow the excess water to drain off and the water-saturated land is then used for crop production.
Kund: A kund is a saucer-shaped catchment area that gently slopes towards the central circular underground well. Its main purpose is to harvest rainwater for drinking. Kunds dot the sandier tracts of western Rajasthan and Gujarat (India). Traditionally, these well-pits were covered in disinfectant lime and ash, though many modern kunds have been constructed simply with cement.
Baolis: These were secular structures from which everyone could draw water. These beautiful stepwells typically have beautiful arches, carved motifs and sometimes, rooms on their sides. The locations of baolis often suggest the way in which they were used. Baolis within villages were mainly used for utilitarian purposes and social gatherings. Baolis on trade routes were often frequented as resting places. Stepwells used exclusively for agriculture had drainage systems that channelled water into the fields.
Nadi: These are village ponds that store rain water collected from adjoining natural catchment areas. The location of a nadi has a strong bearing on its storage capacity and hence the site of a nadi is chosen after careful deliberation of its catchment and runoff characteristics. Since nadis received their water supply from erratic, torrential rainfall, large amounts of sandy sediments were regularly deposited in them, resulting in quick siltation.
Bhandara Phad: The system starts with a bhandhara (check dam) built across a river, from which kalvas (canals) branch out to carry water into the fields in the phad (agricultural block). Sandams (escapes outlets) ensure that the excess water is removed from the canals by charis (distributaries) and sarangs (field channels).
Zing: These can be found in Ladakh region of Himalayas (India), are small tanks that collect melting glacier water. A network of guiding channels brings water from the glacier to the tank. A trickle in the morning, the melting waters of the glacier turn into a flowing stream by the afternoon. The water, collected by evening, is used in the fields on the following day. A water official called a Chirpun is responsible for the equitable distribution of water in this dry region that relies on melting glacial water to meet its farming needs.
Kuhls: Kuhls are surface water channels found in the mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh (India). The channels carry glacial waters from rivers and streams into the fields. An important cultural tradition, the kuhls were built either through public donations or by royal rulers. A kohli would be designated as the master of the kuhl and he would be responsible for the maintenance of the kuhl.
Zabo: The Zabo (meaning ‘impounding run-off’) system combines water conservation with forestry, agriculture and animal care. Practised in Nagaland and Indian sub-continent. Rainwater that falls on forested hilltops is collected by channels that deposit the run-off water in pond-like structures created on the terraced hillsides. The channels also pass through cattle yards, collecting the dung and urine of animals, before ultimately meandering into paddy fields at the foot of the hill. Ponds created in the paddy field are then used to rear fish and foster the growth of medicinal plants.
Bamboo Drip Irrigation: This is an indigenous system of efficient water management that has been practised for over two centuries in northeast India. The tribal farmers of the region have developed a system for irrigation in which water from perennial springs is diverted to the terrace fields using varying sizes and shapes of bamboo pipes. Best suited for crops requiring less water, the system ensures that small drops of water are delivered directly to the roots of the plants.
Jackwells: The Shompen tribe of the Great Nicobar Islands lives in a region of rugged topography that they make full use of to harvest water. In this system, the low-lying region of the island is covered with jackwells (pits encircled by bunds made from logs of hard wood). A full-length bamboo is cut longitudinally and placed on a gentle slope with the lower end leading the water into the jackwell. Often, these split bamboos are placed under trees to collect the runoff water from leaves. Big jackwells are interconnected with more bamboos so that the overflow from one jackwell leads to the other, ultimately leading to the biggest jackwell.
1. Sustainability and replicability of the practices
I would like to describe practices which can help below
1. Grazing and Livestock management
Grazing management is a practice of looking after domestic animals in good and proper managerial way, this is done to protect natural vegetation. It is self explanatory for every one that good vegetation contribute to rainfall hence, water we are in need of, and vice versa.
2. Soil and Water Management (including cross slope barriers)
Soil management involves local construction of barriers to stop soil and water runoff, these practices does not necessarily involve expensive constructions, (like using cemented canals) no way, it is done by local in habitants by planting terebusacum, elephant grases, and some acacia trees on the lidges/ borders of their field. Sometimes they dug terraces in their fields for those living in sloppy areas, these practices are done using local hoes not necessarily caterpillars, and or tractors. Farmers do them and protect water runoff by themselves, they sometimes request some simple incentives to by local drinks while doing these activities, or they can amelgament their little money and buy drinks for themselves.
3. Water harvesting (and storage practices)
This practice involves construction of Pond water in the sloppy fields and put big sheeting in the pond to hold water and can be used for irrigation. it also involves putting water channelling materials on iron sheet roof houses and direct water in big tanks. These activities does not require a big project with a lot of dollars, it only require good governance, and important international organization guide lines like FAO-UN works, and mobilise policy to rural in habitants. Water harvesting practices is very useful locally and succeeded to help people in many areas. It help in the irrigation of kitchen gardens for vegetables like, tomatoes, onions, carrots, etc. water harvesting is very fabulous in food security development at home level.
4. Forest Management (as a coping strategy to water scarcity)
Forest management involves good practices of planting of reducing deforestation in an area where forest have been or have not been before. Forest is necessary in rainfall synclonization and cannot happen without. Forest management should be strongly be put in consideration in order to keep water availability.
5. Integrated wetlands and fisheries management
Wetlands once bad managed it can result into draught causative agent in the very area of practice, wetlands should not be abused by cultivators of animal grazers, mining, constructions etc., these practices should not be done in wetland areas, because it can result into drought. Fisheries management involves practices of proper use and construction of fish ponds these practices have been constructed locally in many areas and very successful.
6. Weather forecasting and early warning systems
I have included this point as the last in the help because it involves higher metrological technics of weather professionals with little involvement of rural in habitants or little in habitants of local citizens, therefore little help in water management.
In India, approximately 36.09 percent of agricultural land is irrigated and rest of the land depends on the vagaries of monsoon or rainwater. Most of the rainwater is not properly utilized for farm purpose due to non-availability of storage facilities and practices. A large amount of rainwater goes to be wasted. If this water is properly stored for the longest time, then It can be used for cropping during the non-monsoon ( non-rainy session ) . Different types of practices and methods are being adopted in different parts of our country. I would like to mention, such practices which are popularly being adopted in desert districts of Rajasthan(India), where rain is uncertain. And not being properly stored and used for agricultural purposes. However, farmers are trying their best to store this huge amount of rainwater through traditional method, known as TANKA SYSTEM.TANKA is a traditional pitcher of water used in Thar desert of Rajasthan of a traditional technology. Water is collected in it and taken out using the help of bucket. These are mainly made in rural areas of Rajasthan. But their storing capacity is too low to store plenty of rainwater. If storing capacities of these tankas are increased and quality of its construction is improved, then more rainwater can be stored and used for agricultural purposes. This method is beneficial for marginal and small farmers.
DR V.V.BARTHWAL
INDIA
Dear Colleagues,
I agree that water is in many regions one of the most important limiting factors for plant growth and human being. I agree also with the FSN activities to find out, how can indigenous or traditional practices may help to overcome water scarcity in agriculture.
But personal, I think that we also need a long term programme to overcome water scarcity. I think that we need more research activities and political willingness for a sustainable utilization of naturally limited and non-renewable resources such as water, fuel, arable land etc.
In the case of water, we need plants:
- with a more efficient use of water
- which are able to use salt water
- which are more resistant against abiotic and biotic stressors such as drought-tolerant plants
Therefore, we need a long term programme of plant breeding by public supported research institutes to deal with such substantial questions. The private plant breeding would not be interested in such scientific questions. We have to understand the physiological, biochemical, and molecular processes of these important traits in order to develop such plants (see above).
Gerhard Flachowsky
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