Abstract
The use of irrigation ponds has proved to be an efficient alternative for increasing the availability and quality of water resources for irrigation and contributing to the sustainability of agriculture. This article analyses the dynamics of worldwide research on this topic over the last two decades. To do this, a review including a qualitative systematic analysis and a quantitative bibliometric analysis was carried out on a sample of 951 articles. The results reveal that this line of research is becoming more relevant within agricultural research, particularly in recent years. The research in this topic has focused on the sustainable development of vulnerable regions, the contribution to the agronomic improvement of crops and farms, environmental impact assessment, the joint management of water resources, the restoration of groundwater bodies, and the use of rainfall. Gaps have been found in the literature with respect to the capacity of irrigation ponds to cover the irrigation needs in different agricultural contexts, the perceptions and attitudes of farmers towards the use of irrigation ponds, and the economic–financial feasibility of these systems.
Highlights
IntroductionIn order to guarantee the sustainability of agriculture, it is necessary to develop agricultural practices that are safe and do not negatively affect the environment, optimising food production and natural resources, with respect to the management of water resources [10,11]
Guaranteeing the supply of food and the conservation and availability of quality and sufficient water resources are two closely related challenges that society must address in the 21st century [1,2]
There are different types of irrigation ponds (IPs) depending on their construction, grouped into two main categories [17,18]: natural substrate ponds, which include embankments in small streams and ponds excavated in natural depressions, and artificial substrate ponds, which include those made from concrete and those lined with polyethylene
Summary
In order to guarantee the sustainability of agriculture, it is necessary to develop agricultural practices that are safe and do not negatively affect the environment, optimising food production and natural resources, with respect to the management of water resources [10,11]. In this context, recovering certain traditional agricultural management practices can contribute to the sustainability of the activity and of the natural environment as a whole. Some data on a regional level reveal that in India the IP supply crops area varies between 1.5 and 50 hectares [23]
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