Groundwater use and sustainability in Punjab Agriculture: Insights from a field survey

Abstract

Paddy is a water-intensive crop, and its cultivation is the prime cause of the depletion of groundwater resources in Punjab. We survey paddy farmers' crop choices, water use, and opinions on the causes of the depletion of groundwater resources. To make long-term groundwater use sustainable, farmers can adopt water saving technologies and practices and diversify crops. But adoption is abysmal, and diversification into alternative crops entails high production and marketing risks. To improve adoption, the government must promote water saving technologies and practices. And assured marketing at remunerative prices is a prerequisite for crop diversification.

Farmers’ Attitudes Towards Conventional and Organic Farming in Indian Punjab: A Behavioural Analysis

“…As far as existing literature on Punjab agriculture is concerned, many scholars have made attempts to study the socioeconomic and ecological consequences of Green Revolution technology (Chand, 1999; Johl and Rao, 2002; Mittal et al, 2013; Prasad and Karman, 2017; Sidhu, 2002; Srivastva et al, 2015; Tiwana and Singh, 2017). However, there is hardly any comprehensive attempt to study the drivers of and constrains to organic farming as an alternative to bring Punjab agriculture out of economic distress and ecological crisis.…”