Assessing water footprint of large cardamom and developing management strategy in Sikkim, India*

Abstract

AbstractThe term ‘water footprint’ refers to the quantity of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use. It is a decision support tool that can account for and manage water‐related risk within a production system. In the present study the water footprint of large cardamom was estimated for the state of Sikkim (India). Large cardamom is the principal cash crop of the state. In the study it was observed that the yearwise crop water requirement (CWR) was 143, 92.9, 134, 125 and 109 mm. As large cardamom is grown under unirrigated conditions, a green water footprint (WFproc,green) was estimated. The estimated WFproc,green for production of 1 kg of cardamom (2012–2016) varied from 27.5 to 32.6 m3. The effective rainfall varied from 1290 mm (in 2012) to 1470 mm (in 2013), which was higher than the CWR (785–807 mm). Although the effective rainfall is more than CWR most of it is concentrated in 6 rainy months only. During November to March CWR varied from 92.9 to 143 mm. The study indicated scope for taking up large cardamom intensively by adopting appropriate water and crop management practices making it more profitable.