Can Participatory Groundwater Management Enhance Drought Resilience? The Case of the Andhra Pradesh Farmer-Managed Groundwater Systems Project
This paper investigates whether the proactive involvement of local communities in the management of groundwater can help build drought resilience, using the case of the Andhra Pradesh (AP) Farmer Managed Groundwater Systems (APFAMGS) project as an...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Brief |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/479511579804284753/Can-Participatory-Groundwater-Management-Enhance-Drought-Resilience-The-Case-of-the-Andhra-Pradesh-Farmer-Managed-Groundwater-Systems-Project http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33243 |
| Summary: | This paper investigates whether the
proactive involvement of local communities in the management
of groundwater can help build drought resilience, using the
case of the Andhra Pradesh (AP) Farmer Managed Groundwater
Systems (APFAMGS) project as an example. The 18-year project
was implemented through seven districts of India’s AP and
Telangana states. During this period, participatory
groundwater management (PGM) initiatives evolved from a
focus on demand management to an emphasis on drought
adaptation as links between groundwater and climate
variability became increasingly conspicuous. This paper is
based on a review of existing studies, field visits to the
region, and interactions with communities and individual
farmers. The objective of APFAMGS was to promote sustainable
groundwater management by creating community awareness
through training, water planning, and alternative cropping
choices. The study concludes that PGM, as adopted in
APFAMGS, has a limited impact on groundwater levels in hard
rock areas under conditions of marginally decreasing
rainfall, greatly increasing net abstraction, and
groundwater dependency. However, the project improved
awareness that helped communities adapt to drought. The
conclusion is that to be effective in addressing drought
vulnerabilities, PGM must include policy interventions that
encompass incentive and regulatory mechanisms, and
village-based institutions must be linked to government
departments that manage groundwater. |
|---|