Concept Note on agricultural water management
Principal Investigator
Prof. Ligy Philip
Objective
- A novel mobile application, "NeerPasanam", was developed to provide farmers with weather-informed irrigation advisories.
Description
- Many water-intensive key agricultural regions in Tamil Nadu, and elsewhere in India, practicing rice cultivation, face significant challenges related to water scarcity., Most of the farmers schedule the irrigation events based on their intuition and traditional practices, which do not account for climate variability., AquaMAP has initiated a "model" project, with funding support from IBM (funding secured against an international call), and local stakeholders in Gadananathi-Ramnadhi basin, Tamil Nadu, to address water scarcity and climate variability challenges in rice cultivation.
Impact
- NeerPasanam integrates 7-day weather forecasts, soil data, and farmers input regarding crop to guide irrigation decisions., In just one year, 78 farmers registered; by season's end, 93% were actively using the app., During erratic monsoons, farmers adjusted irrigation and fertilizer application based on app alerts., Water savings ranged from 20 mm to 200 mm per farm, thanks to advisories helping avoid unnecessary irrigation., 21% of farmers used the app to time fertilizer and pesticide use more effectively., Weather-informed planning supported smarter sowing and harvesting decisions.