Establish new relationship between farmers and groundwater by reducing stress on the aquifer
Adopt numerous steps at the farm level in improving crop water efficiency, implement water saving techniques and reduce chemical pollution
Implement local groundwater governance transgressing beyond individual holdings and habitations, without being coercive
Enable farmers voluntarily take painful decisions (reduce pumping, prevent construction of new wells, crop diversification, reduced application of chemical fertilizer/pesticides)
GLOBAL RELEVANCE OF APFAMGS PROJECT
Groundwater development in regions with fast growing population and high density of borewell/ tubewell construction is attaining un-sustainable limits. Declining groundwater levels, land subsidence, increasing minerals like arsenic, fluoride, salinity are the common ill effects.
India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Jordan, Mexico are some of the countries already witnessing the negative consequences of groundwater over pumping. Despite all the problems, groundwater provides the best opportunity for human development. Groundwater is easily accessible to a large number of users and provides cheap, convenient, individual supplies. Groundwater development is also largely self-financing, its largely private development and use ensure automatic cost recovery. When it is not degraded by human intervention, the major advantage of groundwater is its good potable quality.
Institutional and technological innovations by individual users adopting a collective approach offers the best opportunity for ensuring its upkeep and thereby its sustainability. Knowledgeable development of the groundwater resource provides the best opportunity for engaging large population with their families in the irrigation sector. Destruction of the groundwater resource is a major risk in fighting rural poverty
APFAMGS project has filled a vacuum in innovations in the groundwater sector by initiating a new model which addresses the issue of reducing/deteriorating groundwater resource by bringing in behavioral changes in the users. This approach continually engages the users by providing skills, capacity and knowledge that goes to promote innovations for reducing the consumption as well as improving the performance efficiency.
The project tested the relevance of its approach through an International workshop attended by participants from 13 countries. The operational methodology and the field level activities were presented to the participants over 2 weeks. The participants spend long time in the field interacting with the farmers and thereafter concluded that project approach could be replicated with necessary changes appropriate to the local situations.
Project USP
The unique aspect of the project is that it does not offer any incentives in the form of cash or subsidies to the farmers. What it offers is the means to increase their knowledge about the status of their groundwater resources by giving them the equipment and skills to collect and analyse rainfall and groundwater data. The project also facilitates access to information about water saving techniques, improving agricultural practices and ways to regulate and manage their own demand for water.
|
