Sustainability Concerns of Irrigated Agriculture

Abstract

The introduction of irrigation generally constitutes a significant intervention in the prevailing physical,environmental and socio-economic conditions of the area. In the process, existing equilibria are disturbed and in the course of time new ones are established. The underlying premise of irrigation development, of course, is that the new conditions satisfy mankind’s objectives better than the old ones. In many respects this premise has proven to be true. Irrigation has been a major development force in many ancient civilizations and it continues to play this role in today’s world. While only one sixth of the world’s cropped land is irrigated, this irrigated part accounts for about one third of the world’s food harvest. Over one half of the increase in food production over the last 25 years has come from irrigated land and irrigation undoubtedly will continue to play a critically important role in assuring the food security of the world’s ever growing population. Irrigation also contributes significantly to the poverty alleviation and general improvement of the quality of rural life. All this applies especially to the developing countries many of which rely heavily on irrigation for their further development and experience the highest population growth rates.