August 18, 2009

 

Asia needs immediate modernised irrigation

 

 

Many Asian countries will have to import food if irrigation methods are not modernised, as 94 percent of arable land in South Asia is already being used for growing food, according to a new report by the International Water Management Institute and the FAO.

 

A computer model showed that Asia could obtain three quarters of the additional food it needs with better irrigation systems.

 

The report's researchers said some developing nations will have to import more than a quarter of the rice, wheat and corn they will need by 2050, which could be politically risky.

 

To meet the food needs of Asia's population, the continent needs to either import large quantities of grains from other regions, improve and expand "rain-fed" agriculture, or to focus on irrigated farmlands.

 

Lead author of the study said the option of expanding irrigated land area in Asia is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited land or water.

 

The scenarios presented in the report do not factor in climate change which is likely to make rainfall more erratic.

 

The report recommends modernising the region's large scale irrigation systems which rely on surface water but have fallen into disrepair through lack of investment.

 

The report also suggested that governments should help individual farmers use cheap pumps to extract ground water for irrigation.