Enhancing Agronomic Practices for Improved Ecosystem Resilience in I and D Operations : A Practice Note
Water management in irrigated agriculture has been identified as a sustainability challenge due to a combination of continuously increasing demand and the ability of farmers to access water in excess of renewable supply. Intensive irrigation and re...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/521051593663430427/Enhancing-Agronomic-Practices-for-Improved-Ecosystem-Resilience-in-I-and-D-Operations-A-Practice-Note http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34194 |
| Summary: | Water management in irrigated
agriculture has been identified as a sustainability
challenge due to a combination of continuously increasing
demand and the ability of farmers to access water in excess
of renewable supply. Intensive irrigation and related
agricultural practices can also impair soil and water
resources on which they rely by way of pollution and
degradation of soil health. Thereby input-intensive farming
can generate externalities beyond the intended immediate
benefits. These risks are all well understood. However,
methods to systematically integrate such measure into
irrigation development goals have typically been lacking.
Raising the environmental performance of intensive arable
production can be accomplished through a broader adoption of
good agricultural practice on irrigated land and by
enhancing farmers’ skills in soil and water management as
well as through related national-level governance
strategies. Relevant agronomic practices include those that
reducing pollution, improving soil fertility, and enhancing
biodiversity can minimize the impacts of agricultural
production on natural ecosystems and the services they
provide. These also include appropriate matching of crop,
soil type, and irrigation methods. Conserving the natural
resource base and reducing quality impacts while improving
producer net returns is a core objective of WSiA. As a
practice of responsible use of natural resources, water
stewardship in agriculture (WSiA) responds to sustainability
challenges presented by irrigated agriculture by protecting
farming operations from resource-related risks as well as
minimizing potentially negative impacts on water users and
the natural environment. |
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