Can Intermediate Water Storage Structures Mitigate Impact of Climate Variability? Some Evidence from Tank Command Areas in Southern India

D.suresh Kumar and R.senthil Kumar
Additional contact information
D.suresh Kumar: Professor of Agricultural Economics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore,India
R.senthil Kumar: Associate Professor, Departmentof Trade and Intellectual Property, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore,India.

Bangladesh Development Studies, 2016, vol. 39, issue 3-4, 105-120

Abstract: This paper examines whether intermediate water storage structures (farm ponds) would be a better adaptation strategy in the light of climate variability in irrigation tank commands. The study was conducted in two tanks, Pramanur tank and Kovanur tank, in Sivagangai district of Tamil Nadu state, India. To assess the impacts of farm ponds as an adaptation strategy, a sample of 30 farmers in each tank, was selected using a simple random sampling procedure. To make a comparative analysis, an equal number of farmers who do not have access to farm ponds were also studied. Thus, a sample of 120 farmers was studied. It is found that farm ponds play a crucial role in supplementing tank irrigation and help the farmers in achieving better yields. The farm ponds are found to be effective, particularly when farms depend entirely on tank water. The net profit realised from the construction and use of farm ponds is Rs.5383/ha/year. Thus, we can conclude that farm ponds are effective in mitigating climate variability in water-scarce tank command regions. Technical support in water management and cultivation of crops, cropping pattern and crop allocation advice will help farmers better cope with climate variability.

Keywords: Climate Variability; Irrigationtanks; Adaptation; Farm ponds; Southern India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q25 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://bids.org.bd/uploads/publication/BDS/39/39- ... age%20Structures.pdf Full text (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:badest:0802

Access Statistics for this article

Bangladesh Development Studies is currently edited by Dr. Binayak Sen

More articles in Bangladesh Development Studies from Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) E-17, Agargaon, Sher-E-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka 1207. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Meftaur Rahman, Cheif Publication Officer, BIDS ().