Groundwater and climate smart agriculture: a reflection from West Bengal, India

Over-exploitation of groundwater for agricultural practices is an increasing risk in India and has important implications for food security and livelihoods, particularly for rural households. An analysis of primary data collected from a few blocks in West Bengal, a state in India, reveals that there is limited adaptation to climate change despite awareness and a tendency to keep lowering the bore-well depth to access water. In this paper, we take stock of some of the key solutions to move the farmers towards adopting climate smart agriculture techniques, with a special focus on water resource management. We pay close attention to the debate on the emergence of water markets, and provide some fresh perspectives on the same. We also discuss the importance of ‘gender-smart’ approaches, extension services, ownership of local government and community participation in ensuring adaptation. Overall, this study provides a broad understanding of the issues at stake to make climate smart agriculture viable in India.