Climate-smart irrigation and responsible innovation in South Asia: A systematic mapping

Ambio. 2023 Dec;52(12):2009-2022. doi: 10.1007/s13280-023-01895-4. Epub 2023 Jul 14.

Abstract

This review systematically traces the context and evolution of climate-smart irrigation (CSI) in four South Asian countries-Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. CSI technologies and practices strive to address two main objectives: (1) sustainably enhance agricultural/water productivity and rural farm incomes to build community and farm-level resilience to climate change and (2) enable adaptation/mitigation to climate change across different scales through irrigation technologies and water resources management. These innovations also pose various social and environmental challenges. This review extracts findings from existing literature related to potential societal and environmental benefits and risks associated with CSI and outlines opportunities for responsible innovation to elaborate robust and democratic roles of CSI technology and engender equitable technological change. We identify three drivers (climate variability and GHG mitigation, cost savings and support structure, and water conservation and management) and five barriers (financial support, high initial cost, inadequate practice-based research, lack of knowledge and/or access, and structures of power).

Keywords: Climate-smart agriculture; Climate-smart irrigation; Precision irrigation; Solar pumps; South Asia; Water policy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture*
  • Asia, Southern
  • Climate Change
  • Farms
  • India
  • Technology*