1st Edition

The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus Lessons from India for Development

    246 Pages 31 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    246 Pages 31 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    It is becoming increasingly recognized that for the optimal sustainable development and use of natural resources, an integrated approach to water management, agriculture, food security and energy is required. This "nexus" is now the focus of major attention by researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. 

    In this book, the authors show how these issues are being addressed in India as part of its economic development, and how these can provide lessons for other developing nations. They address the conflicting claims of water resources for irrigation and hydropower, where both are scarce at the national level for fostering water and energy security. They also consider the relationship between water for irrigated agriculture and household use and its impact on rural poverty. They identify weaknesses in the current hydropower development programme in India that are preventing it from being an ecologically sustainable, socially just and economically viable solution to meeting growing energy demand. 

    The empirical analyses presented show the enormous scope for co-management of water, energy, agricultural growth and food security through appropriate technological interventions and market instruments.

    1. Water-Food-Energy Nexus: Global and Local Perspectives 

    M. Dinesh Kumar, Nitin Bassi, A. Narayanamoorthy and M.V.K. Sivamohan 

    2. Unraveling Gujarat’s Agricultural Growth Story 

    M. Dinesh Kumar, A. Narayanamoorthy, O.P. Singh, M.V.K. Sivamohan and Nitin Bassi 

    3. Ghost Workers and Invisible Dams: Checking the Validity of Claims about Impacts of NREGA 

    Nitin Bassi, M. Dinesh Kumar and A. Narayanamoorthy 

    4. Benefit Sharing Mechanism for Hydropower Projects-Pointers for North East India 

    Neena Rao 

    5. Is Irrigation Development Still Relevant in Reducing Rural Poverty in India?: An Analysis of Macro Level Data 

    A. Narayanamoorthy and Susanto Kumar Beero 

    6. Raising Agricultural Productivity with Reduced Use of Energy and Groundwater: Role of Market Instruments and Technology 

    M. Dinesh Kumar, Christopher A. Scott and O.P. Singh 

    7. Diesel Price Hikes and Farm Distress in the Fossil Fuel Dependent Agricultural Economy Myth and Reality 

    M. Dinesh Kumar, O.P. Singh and M.V.K. Sivamohan 

    8. Breaking the Agrarian Impasse in Eastern India 

    M. Dinesh Kumar, Nitin Bassi, M.V.K. Sivamohan and L. Venkatachalam 

    9. Developing a Household Level MUWS Vulnerability Index for Rural Areas 

    V. Niranjan, M. Dinesh Kumar and Yusuf Kabir  

    10. The Decade of Sector Reforms of Rural Water Supply in Maharashtra 

    Nitin Bassi, M. Dinesh Kumar, V. Niranjan and K. Siva Rama Kishan 

    11. Future Impacts of Agri-business Corporations on Global Food and Water Security 

    M. Dinesh Kumar 

    12. Of Statecraft: Managing Water, Energy and Food for Long-term National Security 

    M. Dinesh Kumar

    Biography

    M. Dinesh Kumar is Executive Director of the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP), and is based in Hyderabad, India. 

    Nitin Bassi is a Senior Researcher with IRAP and is based in Delhi, India. 

    A. Narayanamoorthy is NABARD Chair Professor and Head in the Department of Economics and Rural Development, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India. 

    M.V.K. Sivamohan is Principal Consultant for IRAP, and is based in Hyderabad, India.

    "Because this book provides such an interdisciplinary view of how a sustainable food system depends on responsible policies and management of water, energy and other inputs, it will be useful to people from many walks of life; including students, academics, policy makers, consultants, and industry. It is a book that can be read cover to cover or used as a reference for many critical food security topics related to water, energy and a host of issues that link the two." – Prof. Michael Faiver Walter, Cornell University, USA