ABSTRACT
Agriculture is the backbone of our country’s economy, accounting for almost 13% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing 70% of the population. Though this is a rosy picture of our agriculture, how long can it continue to meet the growing demands of the ever-increasing population? This is a difficult question to be answered, if we depend only on traditional farming. Agriculture in India is climate restricted though it is having a large area under crop husbandry. About 48% of the geographical area of the country receives less than 1,000 mm rainfall and the rest about 1,000–2,500 mm. The difficulty is that the rainfall occurs in 3–4 months’ duration, making rainwater storage imperative for crop irrigation purpose. However, the available water for irrigation cannot cover the net cultivated area and the water resources have assumed a declining trend in agriculture. Only 48% of the cultivated area is presently irrigated. Irrigation cover cannot be increased as the available 1,143 BCM of water would not extend further. By 2050 our water need (both irrigation and total need) would cross the availability level. To achieve the increased food production of 494 million tons by 2050, our irrigated area should increase from 79 million ha to 146 million ha. Similarly, the cultivated land area cannot increase beyond 2 million ha during the period 2010–2050. In future there is a serious situation where there is no possibility for increasing water, land, or energy for increased crop production in order to achieve the food security.
