Due to recurring droughts in years 2012, 2015 and 2016, micro-irrigation has become a policy priority in India. The new catch-phrase in one of the central government’s schemes, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY or Prime Minister’s Agriculture Irrigation Programme), is “Per Drop More Crop” which is focused towards micro irrigation.

Micro irrigation:-

Micro-irrigation is the slow application of water as discrete or continuous drips, tiny streams or miniature spray on, above, or below the soil by surface drip, subsurface drip, bubbler and micro-sprinkler systems. It is applied through emitters connected to a water delivery line through low-pressure delivery

Importance of micro irrigation to India:-

1. As the agriculture sector consumes 80% of the freshwater in India, micro-irrigation is often promoted by central and state governments as a way to tackle the growing water crisis. This is because drip and sprinkler irrigation delivers water to farms in far lesser quantities than conventional gravity flow irrigation.
2. The shift towards micro-irrigation is thought to save water and boost crop yields.Frequent watering eliminates moisture stress and yield can be increased up to 15-150% as compared to conventional methods of irrigation.
3. Micro irrigation system contains application of water at low volume and frequent interval under low pressure to plant root zone and it is considered as a very economic and efficient plan.
4. Water saving:-40-70% of water can be saved over conventional irrigation methods .Run off and deep percolation losses are nil or negligible.
5. Saving in labour:- Labour required only for operation and periodic maintenance of the system
6. Weed infestation is almost nil
7. Frequent irrigation keeps the salt concentration within root zone below harmful level.
8. Diseases and pest problems are relatively less because of less atmospheric humidity.
9. Efficiency of fertilizer use is also very high due to reduced loss of nutrients through leaching and run off water.
10. Partial wetting of soil surface and slow application rates eliminate any possibility of soil erosion.
11. In India farmers of all the states have shown an increase in area under horticulture crops after the adoption of the Micro irrigation system.
12. Micro irrigation has generated benefits to the farmers in terms of enhancement of the productivity. The average productivity of fruits and vegetables has increased mainly because of crop spacing, judicious use of water and other inputs etc.
13. The overall benefits accrued from the micro irrigation system are reflected in the income enhancement of the farmers.

However the following issues need to be tackled:-

• Micro-irrigation program in India is fraught with a risk of failure. This is because the program is ill-conceived, not holistic, and disintegrated from the basin/watershed perspective.
• The meager farm income from declining landholdings challenges the sustainability of expensive micro-irrigation on Indian farms because farmers now have to invest further to replace obsolete components of drip/sprinkler systems such as filters, clogged pipe network, electrical/electronic components, pumps, silted water bodies etc., all of which are not covered in any of the governments’ financial schemes.
• Another impediment to micro-irrigation in India is the expense of the system itself.

Way forward:-

Alternatives such as the cultivation of low water intensive crops in place of water intensive crops across arid and semi-arid regions of India, virtual water trades, and water markets cause real water savings with little cost is necessary.
Governments have to prioritize planned cropping patterns backed by stringent laws and administrative capacity to monitor cultivation of less water intensive crops.