This book with 12 chapters provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations of agricultural water management, and presents a range of basic techniques for promoting efficient water use on farms. Subjects covered include crop water requirements, soil and water conservation, rainwater harvesting, conservation agriculture, supplementary irrigation, and more. The book provides a practical, as opposed to an academic, approach; it is hoped that farmers' groups, extension agents, students and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can use it as a starting point for continued study. The methods presented in this book are most applicable to agricultural projects that fall into the 'smallholder' category - that is, small farms with little or no mechanization.

• Sustainable Water Management in Smallholder Farming: Theory and Practice
• Copyright
• Contents
• Part 1: Theoretical Foundations of Water Management in Agriculture
  • Preamble to Part 1
    • The Scope of this Book
    • The Importance of Water
    • Water and Agriculture: the Global Outlook
    • References
  • 1: Key Concepts
    • The Water Cycle
    • Water Distribution
      • Current trends in water availability
        • Demand
        • Climate patterns
        • Quality
    • Water in Agriculture
      • Plants and water
      • Assessing water availability for agriculture
      • Water sources for agriculture
      • Irrigation
    • Water Management Planning
      • Key concepts in water management planning
        • Water productivity
        • Water use efficiency (WUE)
    • References
  • 2: Goals of Agricultural Water Management
    • Goal #1: Reducing Vulnerability
      • Precipitation amount (mm/year)
      • Precipitation timing (seasonality)
      • Precipitation distribution within rainy season(s)
      • Precipitation intensity and duration
    • Goal #2: Producing Higher Yields from Within a Limited Water Budget
    • Goal #3: Preventing Land Degradation
      • Soil erosion by wind or water
      • Desertification
      • Chemical degradation
      • Salinization
      • Soil degradation
    • Meeting the Goals
    • References
  • 3: Soil and Water
    • Understanding Healthy Soil
      • Water movement through soil and plants
      • Soil infiltration
    • Soil Water Storage
      • Soil water content
      • Water holding capacity
      • Determining water holding capacity
      • The importance of soil water holding capacity
      • Field capacity and soil saturation
      • Permanent wilting point and available water
      • Soil fertility
        • Release of nutrients from plant residues and manure
        • Application of synthetic fertilizers
        • Nitrogen-fixing plants
    • References
  • 4: Plants and Water
    • Plant Water Use
    • Determining Crop Water Requirement
      • Factors affecting evapotranspiration
      • Methods for determining crop evapotranspiration
        • Direct measurement using a lysimeter
        • Indirect estimation using climate data
      • Water stress
    • References
  • 5: Climate Outlook
    • References
• Part 2: Improving Water Productivity in Rainfed Agriculture
  • Preamble to Part 2
    • Situation of Rainfed Farming Systems Throughout the World
    • Enhancing Rainwater Productivity in Smallholder Agriculture
    • Taking an Integrated Approach
    • Developing an Integrated Water Strategy
    • Topics Covered in Part 2
    • References
  • 6: Soil-focused Strategies: Reducing Water Loss
    • Improving Water Holding Capacity
      • Cover cropping and green manures
      • Fallowing and stubble
      • Crop residue recycling
        • Manure application
        • Composting
        • Mulching
      • Agroforestry
      • Conservation agriculture (conservation tillage, no-till farming)
    • Controlling Evaporation
      • Application of mulch to cover bare soil
      • Using cover crops during the growing season
      • Dense planting and intercropping
    • Controlling Weed Growth
    • Reducing Runoff
    • References
  • 7: Rainwater Harvesting
    • In-field Rainwater Harvesting
      • Microcatchments and pitting techniques
      • Contour farming
      • Terraces
    • Off-field Rainwater Harvesting
      • Water harvesting structures for direct infiltration
      • Spate irrigation
      • Bunds and gullies for channeling runoff water into storage
    • Water Storage
      • Farm ponds
      • Improved ponds/tanks and underground cisterns
      • Small earth dams
      • Subsurface dams
      • Sand dams
    • Supplemental irrigation
    • References
  • 8: Crop-focused Strategies: Using Available Water Wisely
    • Crop Choice
    • Cropping Patterns for efficient water use
      • Intercropping
      • Strip cropping
      • Relay cropping
    • Encouraging the Natural Adaptation of Plants to Dry Conditions
      • Early sowing
      • Promoting the development of root systems
      • Deficit irrigation
    • References
  • 9: Conservation Agriculture
    • A Different Approach to Soil Management
    • Benefits of Conservation Agriculture
    • Key Principles of Conservation Agriculture
      • 1. Reduced or no tillage
        • Deep ripping
        • Subsoiling
        • Direct planting
      • 2. Soil cover/crop residue recycling
      • 3. Diversified cropping
    • Transitioning to Conservation Agriculture
    • References
• Part 3: Irrigation
  • Preamble to Part 3
    • What is Irrigation?
    • History and Current Thinking
    • Dangers of Large-scale Irrigation
    • Topics Covered in Part 3
    • References
  • 10: Irrigation
    • Irrigation Decisions
    • Water Application Methods
      • Gravity-fed irrigation methods
        • Surface irrigation
        • Micro-irrigation
      • Pressurized irrigation methods
        • Sprinkler irrigation
        • Drip irrigation
      • Other forms of irrigation
    • Irrigation Efficiency
    • References
  • 11: Irrigation Scheduling
    • Goals of Irrigation Scheduling
    • Irrigation Water Requirement
      • Calculating irrigation depth
      • Water applied in supplemental irrigation
    • When to Irrigate
      • Irrigation scheduling approaches
        • Crop observation method
        • Soil water balance/calendar method
        • Critical stages method
    • Deficit Irrigation
    • Drainage
      • Surface drainage
      • Subsurface drainage
    • References
  • 12: Water Sources for Agriculture
    • Water Quantity
    • Measuring Irrigation Water
    • 1. Quantifying water flows onto the field
    • 2. Estimating the time required to reach full irrigation depth
    • 3. Total volume of water used
    • Water Quality
      • Salinity
      • Chemical quality
      • Other contaminants specific to the water source
    • Major Sources of Irrigation Water
      • Surface water
      • Groundwater
      • Wastewater
      • agricultural drainage water
      • Harvested rainwater
    • Moving Water to the Field
      • Popular human-powered lifting devices
      • Traditional animal-powered lifting devices
      • Basic mechanically-powered lifting devices
    • References
• Summary of Key Points
• Index