IMPACT OF DRIP IRRIGATION ON FARMING SYSTEM: EVIDENCE FROM SOUTHERN INDIA - Management, Performance, and Applications of Micro Irrigation Systems - page 27

thereby helps in achieving higher cropping intensity and irrigation intensity. For in-
stance, in the villages with drip irrigation, the net sown area has increased from 4.51
ha to 5.31 ha, whereas the gross cropped area has increased from 4.77 ha to 6.36 ha. A
similar positive trend was seen in the net irrigated area and gross irrigated area. Dur-
ing the survey, it was found that drip irrigation technology has resulted in signifi cant
impacts. Being an effi cient water-saving technology, it has helped in expanding the
irrigated area and saving of water.
The percentage of area irrigated by wells to the total cropped area has signifi cantly
increased in the drip villages among drip adopters. It is concluded that the percentage
of area irrigated by wells to gross cropped area has increased from 82.0% to 98.03%
due to the intervention of drip irrigation. It is lucid from the analysis that drip irrigation
technology has resulted signifi cant positive impacts in the farming system.

2.4.2 CROPPING PATTERN
An attempt was made to investigate whether drip irrigation had induced a certain new
cropping system or the crops had followed drip technology as a response to the grow-
ing water scarcity? The cropping pattern, that is, proportion of area under different
crops, is a good indicator of the development of resource endowments and agricul-
tural production. It is expected that drip irrigation helps in the development of water
resource potential and also helps the farmers to get more crop and income per drop of
water.
The longitudinal analysis of cropping pattern across farm households and villages
has revealed that the adoption of drip irrigation is motivated by many factors. The two
major constraints limiting agricultural production are: human labor and water scarcity.
These two factors had compelled the farmers to alter their cropping pattern towards
less labor and water- intensive crops. The resource poor farmers were going in for
rain-fed crops like sorghum, maize, etc. However, the big farmers with access to capi-
tal were adopting various water management and cropping strategies. Drip irrigation
being one of the important water management technologies, was being adopted. Thus,
in regions where there was severe water and labor scarcity, fi rst there was a shift from
labor and water-intensive crops such as vegetables, sugarcane, cotton, paddy, etc. to
less labor-intensive crops such as coconut, and it was being followed by drip adoption.
As drip irrigation saves human labor substantially by reduction in operations such
as irrigation and weeding, water-loving crops such as banana and grapes were being
planted following drip irrigation.

TABLE 2 Drip irrigation and cropping pattern changes (%) in study farms in Tamil Nadu,

2007-2008.

Crops Drip villages Control villages

Before After Before After

Banana 15.13 16.31 24.91 24.45

Coconut 4.68 22.52 8.25 8.02

Cotton 3.19 0.0 . .