4/24/2017 Indias food-water-energy nexus: disaster or opportunity?

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Indiafood-water-energnexu:diateroropportunit?
OverueofwaterforirrigationitakingIndiatowarddiater,utnewtechnologieprovideopportunitietoreverethetrend.

Indiawatertalearefatdringupduetoagriculture,andet,agriculturalieldinthecountrcouldcarcelfeedmotitpopulation.Image:RajarhiMITRA,CCY-NC-ND2.0

RaghuMartuggude,TheThirdPole
Wedneda19April2017

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Agraphene-aedmemraneproducedtheGrapheneCentreattheUniveritofMancheterpromietoremoveover97
percentofaltfromwater,enalingfarmertouefarmorerackihwaterforirrigationthanthecouldhavedoneefore.It
haeendemontratedtoecalaleawell.
TheeijingIntituteofNanoecologandNanotemhapropoed oatingnetofnanogeneratorwhichwillextractenerg
fromoceanwave.
ADanihenergcompaniopeningawate-to-energfacilitinNorthwichinritaintoconvertunortedmunicipalolid
wateincludingplatictoenerguingenzmeandmicroe.
AgroupfromtheMaachuettIntituteofTechnologjutreportedinthejournalciencethattheirnewmetal-organic
frameworkcanharvetwaterfromairatrelativehumiditalow20percent,uingonlavailaleunlight.

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4/24/2017 Indias food-water-energy nexus: disaster or opportunity? | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacic

Toecapethediatereingcauedthewater-food-energnexu,Indiamutrapidldeplonewolutionlikethee,enhance
itowninnovationforitmonoon-peci cagriculturaltem,anddevelopnimlepolicie.

Loomingdiater
IndiahaalwaeenanagrarianocietandcontinuetoeodepitetheimpreiveadvanceinITandotheremploment
ector.Agricultureandrelatedactivitietillprovidenearl60percentofthetotalemploment.

Foodproductionhagoneupfromaout50milliontonneperearinthe1950toover250
milliontonneperearintherecentdecadewithacorrepondingfour-foldincreaeintheield
intermofkgoftotalgrainperacre.

utfoodavailailitperperonperearhaonlgrownfrom145kgtoaout190kgoverthi
periodecauetheeemingligni cantincreaeinfoodproductionipartiallo etthe
FOOD&AGR ICU LTU R rapidgrowthinpopulation.
Managingthe
monoon Theaverageoveruchalargepopulationcanemileadingincethehidemanexternalitie
uchapovertandgenderiuethatlimitaccetofoodandthegolingupofagricultural
Readnow
landforuraniation.

Alo,motluneenaretheimpactofagricultureandfertilierueonoilhealthandwaterqualit.

utmuchmoreinidiouitheimpactonwaterquantititelf,duetothefactthattheareaunderirrigationhagrownfrom
under20percentinthe1950tojutover50percentatpreent.

TheGreenRevolutiongotIndiaoutofthetarkpovertandhungerthe1970,thoughmalnutritionitillaeriouiue.

Theeaonalmonoonpredictionuedtocorrepondwelltothetotalgrainproductionwithexceandde citingrain
productiondirectlcorrepondingtotheexceandde citintheummermonoonrainfall.

TheKharif(ummer)eaonuedtoproducemorethantwicethetonnageofgrainthantheRai(winter)eaonduringthe
nacentearofindependentIndiautnowthetwoeaonarenearlequalingrainproduction.

Thiagainmaeemlikeomethingtocelerate.utthifeatiaccomplihedoverexploitinggroundwaterforirrigation.
uidiedelectricitidrivingunfetteredgroundwaterminingevenduringgoodmonoonear.

WatertalearedroppingatalarmingrateinnearlallpartofIndiaandwateravailailitperperonhadroppedprecipitoul
awell.Iftheearenotadenough,themonoonitelfhatrendeddownover10percentovereveraldecadeandthe
extremeinmonoonhavegrownnearlfour-fold.

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lectricitueforpumpinggroundwateriadoule-edgedword;whilefacilitatingaundantgrainproduction,itown
productionrequirewaterinhdroelectricpowerplantorcancontriutetoairpollutionfromcoalpowerplant.Airpollution
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4/24/2017 Indias food-water-energy nexus: disaster or opportunity? | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacic

nowcaueoveramillionprematuredeatheachearinIndia.

Theelectionofwater-intenivecahcrop(e.g.ugarcaneandcotton)ianadditionalfactor.Thedeadle ectofcropfailure
afterallthiimanifetafarmeruicide,whichcontinueunaatedinomehotpotlikeMarathwada.

Needtotud
Theo-calledfood-water-energnexuhaeentudiedforthreedi erentregionofIndiaanIITMumaigroupled
uimalGhoh.

Thitudhoulderveaatemplateforextendingtheapproachtomallerregionwithfurtherdatagatheringandmodellingto
drivecience,technologandpolictooltoaddrethidireituationinthemakingforthefood-water-energnexuwhichwill
efullcon atedwithhealthandnutritioniueawellathedownwardtrendinthemonoonandthemulti-foldincreaein
extremeweather.

TheoptimiticviewwouldethatIndiainvetmentincienceandtechnologwillpao thedevelopmentand
implementationofindigenouolutionandalorapidadaptationandcalingupofolutiondevelopedelewhere.

Tranitiontoutainaleagricultureandwaterhedmanagementapproacheuchaagroforetrareamutnow.

WhileagroforetrhaeenthemethodofruraldevelopmentformanNGO,governmentincentiveareneededformuchwider
implementationofthiapproach,epeciallindrought-proneregionuchaNorthKarnataka,VidharaandMarathwada.

Thiicriticalconideringthefundamentalphicoftheclimatetemregionoflowmeanrainfalltendtohavemuchhigher
variailitthanregionwithhighmeanrainfall.

Newolution
Apartfromagroforetrandoptimiationofwaterueforirrigation,everalpromiingnewtechnologicalolutionincluding
thoementionedatthetartofthiarticleareintheo ng.

Clearl,theworldipaingattentiontothefood-water-energnexuandworkinghardoninnovativeolutiontotacklethemot
preingiueofwaterqualitandquantitawellapreciionagriculturalapproacheandnovelacterialio-fertilierthat
willincreaeieldwhilereducingfertilierueandirrigation.

Theintricateandhard-to-predictcacadeinthewater-food-energnexuhavethepotentialtoeadiaterinthemakingfor
India,utaloprovideenormouopportunitietogetourcienti c,technological,andentrepreneurialjuiceguhing.

ThitorwapulihedwithpermiionfromTheThirdPole.

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Topic Food&Agriculture

Region India

Tag energ foodecurit povert ruralcommunitie waterecurit

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