Water Conservation for Livelihoods and Labour Constraints: A Case Study from Nepal

摘要

Cash crop production, increased demand for water and high workloads are raising concerns about thensustainability of intensive farming systems in Nepal. Water conservation technologies are seen as a potential optionnfor producing off-season cash crops, and reducing water demand and labour for water collection. Their appropriatenessnwas evaluated from biophysical and social perspectives by combining hydrometric monitoring, gender and waternuse surveys and field trials of drip irrigation systems. Results demonstrated domestic and irrigation water shortagesnprevalent from March to June, and an increased demand for water as farmers move towards market-based production.nWomen’s workloads were high, 13.5 hours per day, necessitating labour reduction as a condition for small-scalenwater projects. Low cost drip irrigation trials quantified high water use efficiency under a deficit water regime, andncapital costs could be paid off in the first crop. Labour was a significant component of variable costs makingnefficient technologies attractive as demonstrated by the 100+ systems adopted in the watershed since the trials inn2001.