India teams with FAO to improve irrigation in water-stressed farms
India has partnered with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to launch a sustainable agriculture and water management pilot in four states. With rising water stress and inefficient irrigation practices threatening rural livelihoods, this initiative will use pressurized pipe systems, digital tools, and farmer-led governance to improve water use, boost productivity, and build climate resilience across key farming regions.
India faces alarming water stress, particularly in agriculture, which consumes nearly 80% of the country’s freshwater. Groundwater levels continue to drop as traditional open canal systems cause significant losses. To address this, a pilot programme using closed, pressurized irrigation pipes has begun in four states. These systems cut evaporation losses, extend water access to more farms, and make water delivery more efficient, even over long distances.
The initiative goes beyond infrastructure by integrating real-time data and digital access. Optical fibre cables laid alongside pipelines will relay farm-level water consumption while providing Wi-Fi connectivity to rural areas. This smart system, coupled with mobile irrigation controls and soil moisture sensors, enables precision irrigation scheduling. Farmers will be trained to use these technologies, ensuring local control while increasing transparency and reducing water waste.
Key to this approach is strengthening grassroots governance. Water User Associations (WUA/S) will oversee irrigation management at the village level, ensuring community ownership and accountability. These bodies will eventually form block and district-level networks to coordinate water distribution and planning. The project emphasizes decentralisation, enabling smallholder farmers to collaborate, share resources, and better manage limited water supplies amid changing climate conditions.
FAO’s strategy, titled “Indian Irrigation Towards 2030,” will roll out in two phases. The first focuses on studies, pilot models, and WUA/S training through FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme. Based on initial success, a larger national rollout is planned via a Unilateral Trust Fund with the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The aim is to make India’s irrigation system more climate-resilient, efficient, and equitable over the long term.
India’s collaboration with the UN’s FAO marks a shift towards smarter, data-driven agriculture. By combining closed irrigation, digital infrastructure, and community governance, the pilot offers a blueprint for sustainable farming amid rising climate pressures. If scaled effectively, this project could transform water management in rural India—empowering farmers while conserving the country’s most precious and fast-depleting resource: water.
