Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints
Private investments in groundwater have emerged as the main pathway through which smallholder farmers in India access irrigation. This paper discusses the role of groundwater in agrarian growth in West Bengal, India. It finds that agricultural growth in the state has stagnated since mid-1990s, after...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Book Chapter |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
Springer
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/111065 |
| _version_ | 1855541198582710272 |
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| author | Mukherji, Aditi Banerjee, Partha Sarathi Biswas, Durba |
| author_browse | Banerjee, Partha Sarathi Biswas, Durba Mukherji, Aditi |
| author_facet | Mukherji, Aditi Banerjee, Partha Sarathi Biswas, Durba |
| author_sort | Mukherji, Aditi |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Private investments in groundwater have emerged as the main pathway through which smallholder farmers in India access irrigation. This paper discusses the role of groundwater in agrarian growth in West Bengal, India. It finds that agricultural growth in the state has stagnated since mid-1990s, after an initial period of growth in the 1980s and early 1990s. We hypothesize that this stagnation was a direct result of slowdown in growth in groundwater irrigation. The reason for this slowdown was, in turn, government policies related to groundwater and electricity. The paper then goes on to discuss the Groundwater Act of 2005 as well as electrification policies of the government of West Bengal and locates these policies within the broader backdrop of groundwater resource endowments in the state. By juxtaposing groundwater policies and resource realities, the paper questions the relevance of current regulations and suggests some policy alternatives - alternatives that are likely to propel the state and its smallholder farmers on a path of higher agricultural growth. |
| format | Book Chapter |
| id | CGSpace111065 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1110652025-05-20T05:32:36Z Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints In Mukherjee, A. (Ed.). Groundwater of South Asia. Singapore: Springer Mukherji, Aditi Banerjee, Partha Sarathi Biswas, Durba groundwater irrigation private investment smallholders farmers agricultural development agrarian reform groundwater table groundwater extraction legislation water policy electrification tube wells costs state intervention villages monsoon climate rice Private investments in groundwater have emerged as the main pathway through which smallholder farmers in India access irrigation. This paper discusses the role of groundwater in agrarian growth in West Bengal, India. It finds that agricultural growth in the state has stagnated since mid-1990s, after an initial period of growth in the 1980s and early 1990s. We hypothesize that this stagnation was a direct result of slowdown in growth in groundwater irrigation. The reason for this slowdown was, in turn, government policies related to groundwater and electricity. The paper then goes on to discuss the Groundwater Act of 2005 as well as electrification policies of the government of West Bengal and locates these policies within the broader backdrop of groundwater resource endowments in the state. By juxtaposing groundwater policies and resource realities, the paper questions the relevance of current regulations and suggests some policy alternatives - alternatives that are likely to propel the state and its smallholder farmers on a path of higher agricultural growth. 2018 2021-01-31T08:43:56Z 2021-01-31T08:43:56Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/111065 en Limited Access Springer Mukherji, Aditi; Banerjee, Partha Sarathi; Biswas, Durba. 2018. Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints. In Mukherjee, A. (Ed.). Groundwater of South Asia. Singapore: Springer. pp.657-673. (Springer Hydrogeology) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-3889-1_38] |
| spellingShingle | groundwater irrigation private investment smallholders farmers agricultural development agrarian reform groundwater table groundwater extraction legislation water policy electrification tube wells costs state intervention villages monsoon climate rice Mukherji, Aditi Banerjee, Partha Sarathi Biswas, Durba Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title | Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title_full | Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title_fullStr | Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title_full_unstemmed | Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title_short | Private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in West Bengal: opportunities and constraints |
| title_sort | private investments in groundwater irrigation and smallholder agriculture in west bengal opportunities and constraints |
| topic | groundwater irrigation private investment smallholders farmers agricultural development agrarian reform groundwater table groundwater extraction legislation water policy electrification tube wells costs state intervention villages monsoon climate rice |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/111065 |
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