GGrantIndex
← Search

MAPPING SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE TO IDENTIFY THE EFFECTS OF AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR INDIA'S IMMINENT GROUNDWATER CRISISTHE PROPOSED STUDY WILL INTEGRATE THESE FINE-SCALE SATELLITE AND CENSUS DATA TO ACHIEVE TWO MAIN GOALS. (1) QUANTIFY THE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN INDIA. TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECT OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON CROPPED AREA YIELD AND SEASONAL WATER USE AT 8 000 WELLS. IT IS LIKELY THAT GROUNDWATER DEPLETION WILL HAVE DIFFERENT IMPACTS ON PRODUCTION DEPENDING ON HOW FARMERS ADAPT AND RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DECLINE. FOR EXAMPLE SOME COMMUNITIES MAY MAINTAIN CONSTANT PRODUCTION LEVELS BY INVESTING IN MORE POWERFUL PUMPS AND DEEPER WELLS TO CHASE THE WATER TABLE. OTHER COMMUNITIES MAY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF IRRIGATION USED RESULTING IN DECREASED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. THROUGH THIS WORK I WILL MAP THE HETEROGENEOUS WAYS IN WHICH AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DECLINE AND TEST WHETHER THERE ARE ANY SOCIOECONOMIC OR BIO-GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSES. THIS WILL DEVELOP A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DEPLETION WHICH CAN HELP ESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE FOOD SECURITY. SECOND (2) IDENTIFY POTENTIAL WATER-SAVING TECHNOLOGIES AND TARGET THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE REGIONS MOST AT RISK OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION. SPECIFICALLY PARTNERING WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED WATER-SAVING INTERVENTIONS LIKE INTRODUCING DRIP IRRIGATION ACROSS HUNDREDS OF VILLAGES ACROSS NORTHERN INDIA. BY LINKING SATELLITE-DERIVED MEASURES OF CROPPED AREA YIELD AND WATER USE WITH GEO-LOCATIONS OF INTERVENTIONS I WILL ASSESS WHAT IMPACT THESE INTERVENTIONS HAD ON PRODUCTION THROUGH TIME. THIS WILL HELP IDENTIFY IF THERE ARE ANY EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES THAT SUCCESSFULLY REDUCE GROUNDWATER USE WHILE MAINTAINING HIGH PRODUCTION LEVELS. I WILL ALSO CREATE MAPS OF WHICH REGIONS IN INDIA ARE THE MOST AT RISK FOR GROUNDWATER DEPLETION AND WILL WORK WITH END-USER ORGANIZATIONS TO TARGET FUTURE INTERVENTIONS TO THESE KEY REGIONS. THIS STUDY WILL THUS BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO QUANTIFY THE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN INDIA WHILE ALSO IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL STRATEGIES TO USE GROUNDWATER MORE SUSTAINABLY OVER THE UPCOMING DECADES.

$177,392FY2017National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

Regents Of The University Of Michigan

Investigators

View source on USAspending →
MAPPING SMALLHOLDER AGRICULTURE TO IDENTIFY THE EFFECTS OF AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS FOR INDIA'S IMMINENT GROUNDWATER CRISISTHE PROPOSED STUDY WILL INTEGRATE THESE FINE-SCALE SATELLITE AND CENSUS DATA TO ACHIEVE TWO MAIN GOALS. (1) QUANTIFY THE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN INDIA. TO QUANTIFY THE EFFECT OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON CROPPED AREA YIELD AND SEASONAL WATER USE AT 8 000 WELLS. IT IS LIKELY THAT GROUNDWATER DEPLETION WILL HAVE DIFFERENT IMPACTS ON PRODUCTION DEPENDING ON HOW FARMERS ADAPT AND RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DECLINE. FOR EXAMPLE SOME COMMUNITIES MAY MAINTAIN CONSTANT PRODUCTION LEVELS BY INVESTING IN MORE POWERFUL PUMPS AND DEEPER WELLS TO CHASE THE WATER TABLE. OTHER COMMUNITIES MAY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF IRRIGATION USED RESULTING IN DECREASED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION. THROUGH THIS WORK I WILL MAP THE HETEROGENEOUS WAYS IN WHICH AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DECLINE AND TEST WHETHER THERE ARE ANY SOCIOECONOMIC OR BIO-GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSES. THIS WILL DEVELOP A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW COMMUNITIES RESPOND TO GROUNDWATER DEPLETION WHICH CAN HELP ESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE FOOD SECURITY. SECOND (2) IDENTIFY POTENTIAL WATER-SAVING TECHNOLOGIES AND TARGET THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO THE REGIONS MOST AT RISK OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION. SPECIFICALLY PARTNERING WITH ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE IMPLEMENTED WATER-SAVING INTERVENTIONS LIKE INTRODUCING DRIP IRRIGATION ACROSS HUNDREDS OF VILLAGES ACROSS NORTHERN INDIA. BY LINKING SATELLITE-DERIVED MEASURES OF CROPPED AREA YIELD AND WATER USE WITH GEO-LOCATIONS OF INTERVENTIONS I WILL ASSESS WHAT IMPACT THESE INTERVENTIONS HAD ON PRODUCTION THROUGH TIME. THIS WILL HELP IDENTIFY IF THERE ARE ANY EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES THAT SUCCESSFULLY REDUCE GROUNDWATER USE WHILE MAINTAINING HIGH PRODUCTION LEVELS. I WILL ALSO CREATE MAPS OF WHICH REGIONS IN INDIA ARE THE MOST AT RISK FOR GROUNDWATER DEPLETION AND WILL WORK WITH END-USER ORGANIZATIONS TO TARGET FUTURE INTERVENTIONS TO THESE KEY REGIONS. THIS STUDY WILL THUS BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO QUANTIFY THE IMPACTS OF GROUNDWATER DEPLETION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN INDIA WHILE ALSO IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL STRATEGIES TO USE GROUNDWATER MORE SUSTAINABLY OVER THE UPCOMING DECADES. · GrantIndex