economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

commanded by an irrigation system and the scale and magnitude <strong>of</strong> such OFD
works would depend on the size <strong>of</strong> the irrigation system being designed. The
absence <strong>of</strong> such water control structures leads to problems <strong>of</strong> water logging, soil
salinity and alkalinity. Moreover, the OFD structures are invariably influenced
by factors, such as climate, topography, soil texture and water permeability <strong>of</strong> the
soil.
From the
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soclo-economlc perspective, OFD assumes much more
importance as it involves substantial investment from the part <strong>of</strong> the state as well
as individual farmers. More importantly, adoption <strong>of</strong> scientific OFD works
would result in increased crop yield and income to the farmer and the state and
improved water use efficiency <strong>of</strong> the irrigation system, thus help sustain the
resource base for the future. For the society. it amounts to effective and equitable
distribution <strong>of</strong> water across the command area.
It is important to note that achievement <strong>of</strong> water use efficiency or
optimum utilisation <strong>of</strong> irrigation potential in an irrigation system (irrespective <strong>of</strong>
scale) warrants OFD as an integral part <strong>of</strong> water management at the field level. In
other words, integration <strong>of</strong> OFD and On-Farm Water Management (OFWM)
constitutes the crux <strong>of</strong> any strategy towards planning for the development <strong>of</strong>
water resources and sustaining the resource base for the future.
However, given the agro-economic, physiological and englneenng
importance <strong>of</strong> OFD as an essential activity in achieving water use efficiency,
increase in productivity and income. its adoption is largely constrained in terms
<strong>of</strong> a variety <strong>of</strong> factors at the farm level. Moreover, there is bound to happen
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