ABSTRACT
There have been numerous past research studies on the physical and socioeconomic impacts of agricultural water management interventions. They broadly cover the following: the physical impact of water-saving technologies on irrigation water use (Narayanamoorthy, 2004); the impact of water-saving technologies and water-efficient crops on crop water productivity in physical terms (kg/m3) (Kumar, 2007); the benefit–cost analysis of micro-irrigation systems, such as drips and sprinklers (Palanisamy et al., 2002; Kumar et al., 2004; Narayanamoorthy, 2004) and the comparative economics of the cultivation of water-efficient and high valued crops; and only limited analysis of the economic and social costs and benefits of micro-irrigation systems (Suresh Kumar and Palanisami, 2011). But all these analyses are based on individual plot level assessments of physical, economic, environmental or social variables.
