Farmers' Perspectives on the Adoption of Micro-Irrigation in Canal Command Areas for Sustainable Water Management Management

In India, governmental agencies and industries are working to promote the adoption of micro-irrigation to enhance irrigation efficiency and farm outputs. However, despite these efforts, the level of development achieved has been unsatisfactory. Improving the irrigation efficiency of existing projects can conserve water to irrigate new areas or meet the needs of the non-agricultural sector. This approach is cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, as it minimizes the need to create additional irrigation potential, which can be resource-intensive and have adverse environmental impacts. A social survey was conducted in the Gadarjudda minor canal command area of the Upper Ganga Canal of Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India to assess the socio-economic and technical factors influencing farmers' perspectives on adopting micro-irrigation systems. Data has been collected through structured interviews across the canal system's head, middle, and tail regions. The study analyzed key aspects: age, education, occupation, cropping patterns, landholding, irrigation sources, and techno-economic feasibility. The results indicated that while farmers had medium awareness, knowledge, and a positive attitude toward micro-irrigation, their low purchasing capacity significantly hindered adoption. Despite a high willingness to adopt the technology, financial constraints remain a significant barrier, even with existing government schemes. The study concludes that, while there is strong interest in adopting micro-irrigation, targeted financial incentives, subsidies, and technical training are essential to overcoming economic constraints, especially for small and marginal farmers, to promote sustainable water management in the canal command area.