1) Groundwater is a major source of freshwater for agriculture and domestic use in dryland areas of Asia, but groundwater tables are declining due to overextraction. Meeting future food demand will require doubling production while using resources like water and energy more efficiently. 2) Integrated watershed management programs have successfully improved resource availability, sustainability, and incomes. These programs focus on soil and water conservation, productivity enhancement, wasteland development, and capacity building. 3) Decentralized approaches like solar pumps, constructed wetlands, biogas from organic waste, and wasteland crops like Jatropha can boost water and energy supplies while reducing dependence on firewood and fossil fuels in dryland communities.

1. Issues and Opportunities for Water-Energy-Food
Nexus in Asia
Suhas P Wani and Team
Research Program - Asia

2. Challenges of the
21st Century
1545 m3
5177 m3
120 m ha
affected
Our Challenges

3. Food Demand in 2050 will be Doubled
than the Current Requirements

4. Large Scale Groundwater Extraction
with High Energy Cost in India
GW Status (India) Values
GW withdrawal (1960) 25 Km3
GW withdrawal (2009) 300 Km3
No of bore wells (1960) 1 Million
No of bore wells (2009) 20 Million
Pressurehead(m)
• Groundwater is main freshwater source for domestic
and agricultural use in dry lands
• Groundwater table depleted in most part of dryland
areas due to over extraction
• Energy consumption and Per unit pumping cost
increased several folds

5. Increased Efficiency of Resources for Sustainable
Intensification
 Land
 Water
 Energy
 Nutrients
 Labor

6.  Current farmers’ yields are lower by 2 to 5 folds than the
achievable yields
 Vast potential of rainfed agriculture needs to be harnessed
Rainfed Agriculture: A Large Untapped Potential

7. Particulars Unit
No. of
studies
Mean Minimum Maximum t-value
Efficiency B:C ratio Ratio 311 2.01 0.82 7.30 35.09
IRR Per cent 162 27.43 2.03 102.70 21.75
Equity Employment Person
days ha-1 y-1
99 154.53 0.05 900.00 8.13
Sustainability
Increase in
irrigated area
Per cent 93 51.55 1.28 204.00 10.94
Increase in
cropping
intensity
Per cent 339 35.51 3.00 283.00 14.96
Runoff
reduced
Per cent 83 45.72 0.38 96.00 9.36
Soil loss saved t ha-1 y-1 72 1.12 0.11 2.05 47.21
Watershed Program is the Growth Engine Revolutionalizing
Drylands: Meta-analysis-636 Case Studies
Components of watershed program
• Soil and water conservation
• Productivity enhancement
• Wasteland development
• Income generation activities
• Capacity building

8.  Convergence
 Collective action
 Capacity building
 Consortium for
technical backstopping
Consortium Approach for Community
Watershed Management

9. Hydrological
Parameters
No Intervention
stage
After AWM
interventions
Rainfall (mm) 750 750
Runoff (mm) 143 (19 %) 60 (8 %)
ET (mm) 512 (68 %) 540 (72 %)
GW recharge (mm) 70 (9 %) 120 (16 %)
Agricultural Water Management Interventions Improved
Water Resources Availability: Adarsha Watershed Kothapally,
Southern India

10. Powerguda: Biodiesel (Pongamia) Production
from Community Wasteland
Interventions:
 SHGs planted trees in CPRs and forest lands
 Oil from seed used to generate electricity,
pump-up groundwater, run farm
equipment, produce biodiesel for transport
 Oil cake substitute for chemical fertilizer,
bio-pesticide
 Fuel displacement, carbon sequestration
provide carbon income to community
collectively
Impact:
 Built institutions
 Developed social capital
 Enhanced health and
nutrition awareness
 Increased incomes

11.  Survival rate for plants was 85% of 4,500 trees (planted in 2002)
 Oil yields in 2003, 2004 and 2005 are extracted from pongamia
seeds collected in nearby forest
 Carbon emission reduction from fuel switch (from petroleum
diesel to pongamia oil) is 78%
 Carbon value is calculated at US$21 t-1 of carbon, or US$5.722 t-1
of CO2 equivalent
Reduced Carbon Foot Print: Powerguda Village
Year
Oil yield
(kg) Trees
Total oil
yield
(kg)
C
(t)
CO2 eq
(t)
Value
(US$)
Discount
Value
(at 3%) NPV
2003 3,600 410 0.3198 1.1737 6.7158 1.00 6.7158
2004 494 0.38532 1.414124 8.09172 0.97 7.848968
2005 590 0.4602 1.688934 9.6642 0.94 9.084348
2006 0.5 1,125 0.8775 3.220425 18.4275 0.91 16.76903
2007 1 3,600 2.808 10.30536 58.968 0.88 50.71248
2008 1.5 5,400 4.212 15.45804 88.452 0.85 51.89184
2009 2 7,200 5.616 20.61072 117.936 0.82 96.70752
2010 2.5 9,000 7.202 26.43134 151.242 0.79 119.4812
2011 3 10,800 8.424 30.91608 176.904 0.76 134.447
2012 3.5 12,600 9.828 36.06876 206.388 0.73 150.6632
51,219 40.13282 147.2874 842.7892 644.3214

12. Fallow land
Jatropha land with in-situ
mgt. practices
Rainfall (mm) 896 896
Outflow (mm) 393 (43%) 274 (31%)
E or ET (mm) 460 (52 %)
(non-productive)
580 (64%)
(productive use)
GW recharge (mm) 43 (5%) 42 (5%)
Annual Water Budget of Biodiesel Crop (Jatropha)
on Degraded Land at Velchel Village, Southern India
0
30
60
90
120
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Time (Months)
Evaporation/ETflow(mm)
Evaporation from Fallow land
Transpiration from cultivated land
Evaporation from cultivated land
Impact
• Minimized land degradation
• Enhanced water use efficiency
• Carbon sequestration
• Improved base flow
• Additional income for land less

13. Water Harvested from 1 ha farm area
during monsoon in a pond (20X20X3m)
1000 m3
Area irrigated during Rabi
(Depends upon cropping system)
2000 – 4400 m2
Solar pump capacity 1– 2 HP
Cost of solar pump 1.5 lakh
Cost of storage pit + drip system 1.5 lakh
Total cost 3.0 Lakh
Cost of cultivation @ Rs. 50000/ha Rs. 10000
Crop Vegetables yield (Tomato) @ 30 t/ha 6000 kg
Average price @ Rs 10/- Rs. 60000
Net Income Rs.50000
Payback Period 6 years
Solar – Drip Irrigation System

14. Solar Energy for Lifting Wastewater Aiding Natural
Treatment
 Constructed wet lands are used
for gray water treatment at
ICRISAT campus
 Solar energy is used for pumping
wastewater from sumps to
treatment units
 It produces biomass nearly 2
kg/m2/day

15. Specification and benefits
 Digester capacity = 15 m3/day
 Processing capacity of Organic waste
(Plant biomass, agro residue, food
waste)= 100 kg/day
 Slurry (bi-product) is rich in nutrients–
good nutrient source for agriculture
Purpose
 Understanding energy potential of
biomass generated from wet lands and
agro-food residue at ICRISAT campus
 Integration of wetland and bio-gas
technology to continually offer clean
technology both at rural and peri-urban
areas
Biomass as Source of Bio-energy

16.  With 4 pigs, energy saving
equivalent to 1.4 kg coal or
6-9 kg fire wood, and money
saving to the tune of 200-
300 CNY/year is achieved
 Protecting ecosystem by
reduced dependence on
cutting firewood from approx.
56-112 ha/annum
 Improve rural sanitation
 Labor saving on cutting and
carrying firewood
Firedamp (Biogas) Tank Combined with Kitchen
Room, Toilet and Pig Pen (Lucheba watershed, China)

17.  Integrated watershed management proved to be a
growth engines in drylands which helps in conserving
natural resources and addressing water-food-energy
security
 Decentralized approach of water harvesting can reduce
water-energy footprint in dryland system
 Wasteland management has potential for producing
biofuel as well as generating various ecosystem services
 Renewable energy has untapped potential which can
bridge demand-supply gap in dryland areas
Conclusion

18. Thank you!