India is an agricultural nation, and agriculture is the primary source of income for the vast majority of its citizens. A valuable resource for agriculture’s expansion, improvement, and general effectiveness is water. Micro-irrigation technology has been installed in the rain-fed areas to save water, reduce the use of fertilizers, labor costs, and other input costs, and improve the fertility of the soil in order to address the problem of water scarcity and utilize the available water resources in a more efficient manner. A plan on micro-irrigation was put up by the Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW) to enhance the drip and sprinkler irrigation technique. It later became the National Mission on Micro-irrigation Scheme, which was a key part of the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), and was introduced in the 2010–2011 academic year. To attain the goal of “per drop more crop,” NABARD established the Micro Irrigation Fund with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crores. The nodal ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India, oversees the Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF). In order to encourage micro-irrigation across the nation, it seeks to offer loans to states at a favorable and cheaper rate of interest. Proper micro irrigation system implementation is crucial for increasing productivity. The dedicated micro-irrigation fund would assist in adding to the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) program’s efforts to micro-irrigate roughly 10 lakh hectares. The fund will make it easier for States to raise money for their initiatives, such as additional (top-up) subsidies for the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) program, in order to meet the program’s annual target of roughly 2 million hectares per year for the remainder of the 14th Finance Commission’s term.
Benefits of the Micro Irrigation Fund:
- Higher Yields: Compared to conventional flood irrigation, the yields are higher. Micro-irrigation is thought to increase productivity by anywhere between 20 and 90% for certain crops. Crop yields rise by up to 45% for wheat, 20% for gram, and 40% for soybean.
- Reduced Water Loss: Additionally, there is less water loss from evaporation, runoff, and deep percolation. There is also less water lost during the conveyance process.
- Energy Effective: Micro-irrigation uses less water, which lowers the amount of energy (electricity) needed to lift water out of irrigation wells.
- Reducing the Amount of Fertilizer Used: Through foliage spray, an effective drip irrigation system lowers fertilizer use.
- Saving Water: In comparison to the traditional surface method of irrigation, where water use efficiency is only about 35–40%, micro-irrigation (MI) has been shown to be an effective way for water conservation and boosting water use efficiency.
- Enhanced Irrigation Effectiveness: The efficiency of drip irrigation systems that are well-designed and maintained is thought to be around 90%. Farmers who use pumping systems to irrigate their crops should make sure that the pump and pipe size are appropriate for their needs in order to prevent leaks from occurring due to excessive water and energy use.
- Reduced Weed and Disease: As it keeps damp regions to a minimum, it aids in preventing weed development. The incidence of the disease is also decreased under these circumstances.
- Savings on Costs: Irrigation expenses have significantly decreased, and fertilizer and electrical expenditures have decreased as well.
- Precision agriculture: Growers will be able to apply water and agro-chemicals more precisely and site-specifically to match soil and plant status as provided by wireless sensor networks thanks to developing computerized GPS-based precision irrigation technology for self-propelled sprinklers and micro-irrigation systems.
Project Planning the Micro Irrigation Fund:
- In order to promote micro-irrigation, they may also use it to cover additional areas and offer a higher subsidy (top-up) than what is allowed under the PMKSY-PDMC Guidelines.
- Funds for Farmers Producers Organizations (FPO), cooperatives, and state-level agencies can be obtained with a guarantee from the state government or equivalent collateral.
- States have access to the MIF for creative integrated irrigation projects, including PPP-style initiatives.
- This award is also available to farmer cooperatives for innovative, clustered community irrigation projects.
- Along with an advisory group to offer policy advice and guarantee effective planning, coordination, and monitoring programs, a steering committee will be established to assess and approve these state government projects.
Challenges of the Micro Irrigation Fund:
- Power availability: Energy is the primary component of an irrigation system, and for large-scale projects, only electricity is a practical source that, despite existing welfare programs, is still out of the price range of every farmer.
- Financial Challenges: Farmers frequently struggle to obtain the appropriate financial services help. According to reports, a reduced adoption rate for micro-irrigation was caused by budget cuts made between 2013 and 2016.
- Drip Method of Irrigation (DMI) adoption is occurring at a slower rate: The potential for drip irrigation in India is thought to total 27 million hectares, according to the Task Force on Micro-Irrigation in India (2004). However, only 4% of the total irrigated land and 15% of its potential is covered by drip irrigation (2016-17). Additionally, DMI usage is only widespread in a select few States.
- Failure to act responsibly by state governments: The scheme only runs for a few months out of the year in the majority of Indian states (with Gujarat and Tamil Nadu being the main exceptions). Although funds are available, program applications are only handled at the end of a fiscal year. This is done often to meet pre-set targets in what is referred to as the “March rush.” Only a few farmers can apply because of the short window.
- Reimbursement of Subsidies Delayed: The money for building drip irrigation systems is distributed to vendors only after careful consideration, unlike other subsidies that are given straight to recipients. The inspection and testing of the installed system for transferring subsidies don’t have a set schedule.
Achievements of the Micro Irrigation Fund:
- Over the past few years, the country’s water scarcity and droughts have drawn attention to water-saving technology, and various governments have aggressively expanded micro-irrigation.
- The government has set a goal of micro-irrigating 100 lakh hectares in five years. According to government data, the use of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems, which covered 11.72 lakh hectares of land in 2019–20, was beneficial to roughly 11 lakh farmers.
- A tried-and-true method that has become quite well-liked among farmers is micro-irrigation. Farmers have been able to reduce their use of irrigation water by 20 to 48 percent, energy use by 10 to 17 percent, labor costs by 30 to 40 percent, fertilizer use by 11 to 19 percent, and crop yield by 20 to 38 percent.
- Micro-irrigation systems increase crop output while using up to 40% less water than conventional flood irrigation methods because they apply water at the right time and place (the root zone). By assuring a conveyance efficiency of approximately 70% and a total water use efficiency of about 90%.
- Micro-irrigation systems in fields and piped water facilities connecting dams can help reduce water losses. There is no better strategy to encourage sustainable agricultural water use.
Conclusion:
Using drippers, sprinklers, foggers, and other emitters, water is watered via the surface or subsurface of the ground using the current type of irrigation known as micro-irrigation. The two most widely utilized micro-irrigation techniques are sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation. Precision agriculture will bring about the next agricultural revolution. Micro-irrigation may be a necessary first step in transforming Indian agriculture to one that is productive, profitable, and sustainable. It is clear that micro-irrigation is crucial to achieving sustainability in Indian agriculture and cannot be overlooked. However, there is still a long way to go, and to educate the Indian farming community about the benefits of micro-irrigation, there must be intensive demonstrations, training, and awareness initiatives. One of our society’s communities that is in the most hardship is the farming community. Working with the community will enable us to demonstrate the technique’s usefulness and benefits to them.