A study on water's green economy for development in agriculture

Abstract

The concept of a green economy has gained currency in recent years as a paradigm for promoting economic growth and increased well-being while protecting the environment and contributing to poverty alleviation. There is no common definition of green economy, but the term clearly emphasizes the economic dimension of sustainability. Not only do the environmental (stewardship) and economic (growth) dimensions coexist in the green economy, but they are also complementary and mutually reinforcing strategies to achieve development. Water scarcity, pollution, and other water related environmental and ecological problems have been increasing rapidly in many areas of the world. Water demand management or making better use of the water we have as opposed to augmenting supply is increasingly proposed as a way of mitigating water scarcity problems. Although the achievements of irrigation in ensuring food security and improving rural welfare have been impressive, past experience also indicates problems and failures of irrigated agriculture. In addition to large water use and low efficiency, environmental concerns are usually considered the most significant problem of the irrigation sector. Environmental problems include excessive water depletion, water quality reduction, water logging and salinization. In some basins (water resources), excessive diversion of river water for irrigation (and other uses) has brought environmental and ecological disasters to downstream areas, and groundwater pumping at unsustainable rates has contributed to the lowering of groundwater tables and to salt water intrusion in some coastal areas. Many water quality problems have also been created or aggravated by changes in stream flows associated with agriculture’s consumptive uses. Moving water away from agriculture to uses with higher economic value is one of the main measures widely seen as desirable. This apparent misallocation is often attributed to the failure of government to allocate water rationally. This paper focuses on achieving a sustainable balance between irrigation management and sustainable development and water investments.