Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system
In India, the production of rice and wheat account for more than 80% of its total agricultural water use. As farming is highly dependent on water availability, rapidly receding water levels require urgent measures to manage withdrawals. We assess policy instruments that can reduce pressures on water...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf9b6 |
| _version_ | 1797660381439590400 |
|---|---|
| author | Vartika Singh Miodrag Stevanović Chandan Kumar Jha Felicitas Beier Ranjan Kumar Ghosh Hermann Lotze-Campen Alexander Popp |
| author_facet | Vartika Singh Miodrag Stevanović Chandan Kumar Jha Felicitas Beier Ranjan Kumar Ghosh Hermann Lotze-Campen Alexander Popp |
| author_sort | Vartika Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In India, the production of rice and wheat account for more than 80% of its total agricultural water use. As farming is highly dependent on water availability, rapidly receding water levels require urgent measures to manage withdrawals. We assess policy instruments that can reduce pressures on water resources, while at the same time limiting adverse impacts on water-intensive cereal production systems, land-use changes and economic welfare. To this end, we use a dynamic and integrated partial equilibrium model of agricultural production and its impact on the environment to reflect two options: an increase in energy costs for irrigation water (price-related effects), and alternatively, physical quotas on water withdrawals (quantity-related effects). We conclude that it is possible to increase energy prices for agriculture with minimal impacts on agricultural production, agricultural prices, and trade in cereal crops, and moderately reduce water withdrawals by 2050. We find that the intermediate effects of pricing policies are negative for all indicators as compared to quota policies. However, by 2050, both policies yield similar outcomes for all indicators. Our results offer insights into ways in which these policies drive different mechanisms and trade-offs on important agro-economic indicators, and they offer the choice for water conservation policy decision-making based on other critical factors such as implementation costs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:30:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7661044269a74b308eca779eaa9714bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:30:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-7661044269a74b308eca779eaa9714bb2023-10-13T13:05:20ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262023-01-0118909407310.1088/1748-9326/acf9b6Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production systemVartika Singh0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4896-7590Miodrag Stevanović1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1799-186XChandan Kumar Jha2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9490-4470Felicitas Beier3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8725-7663Ranjan Kumar Ghosh4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8944-7436Hermann Lotze-Campen5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-5508Alexander Popp6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9500-1986Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences , Berlin, Germany; Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) , Ahmedabad, India; Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany; International Food Policy Research Institute , New Delhi, IndiaPotsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, GermanyIndian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) , Ahmedabad, IndiaHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences , Berlin, Germany; Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, GermanyIndian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) , Ahmedabad, IndiaHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Life Sciences, Thaer-Institute for Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences , Berlin, Germany; Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, GermanyPotsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, Potsdam, Germany; Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel , Witzenhausen, GermanyIn India, the production of rice and wheat account for more than 80% of its total agricultural water use. As farming is highly dependent on water availability, rapidly receding water levels require urgent measures to manage withdrawals. We assess policy instruments that can reduce pressures on water resources, while at the same time limiting adverse impacts on water-intensive cereal production systems, land-use changes and economic welfare. To this end, we use a dynamic and integrated partial equilibrium model of agricultural production and its impact on the environment to reflect two options: an increase in energy costs for irrigation water (price-related effects), and alternatively, physical quotas on water withdrawals (quantity-related effects). We conclude that it is possible to increase energy prices for agriculture with minimal impacts on agricultural production, agricultural prices, and trade in cereal crops, and moderately reduce water withdrawals by 2050. We find that the intermediate effects of pricing policies are negative for all indicators as compared to quota policies. However, by 2050, both policies yield similar outcomes for all indicators. Our results offer insights into ways in which these policies drive different mechanisms and trade-offs on important agro-economic indicators, and they offer the choice for water conservation policy decision-making based on other critical factors such as implementation costs.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf9b6sustainablewaterpolicyintegrated assessmentagricultureIndia |
| spellingShingle | Vartika Singh Miodrag Stevanović Chandan Kumar Jha Felicitas Beier Ranjan Kumar Ghosh Hermann Lotze-Campen Alexander Popp Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system Environmental Research Letters sustainable water policy integrated assessment agriculture India |
| title | Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system |
| title_full | Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system |
| title_fullStr | Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system |
| title_short | Assessing policy options for sustainable water use in India’s cereal production system |
| title_sort | assessing policy options for sustainable water use in india s cereal production system |
| topic | sustainable water policy integrated assessment agriculture India |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acf9b6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vartikasingh assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT miodragstevanovic assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT chandankumarjha assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT felicitasbeier assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT ranjankumarghosh assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT hermannlotzecampen assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem AT alexanderpopp assessingpolicyoptionsforsustainablewateruseinindiascerealproductionsystem |