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Agriculture in South Asia and its implications on downstream health and sustainability: A review

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  • Atapattu, Sithara S.
  • Kodituwakku, Dekshika C.

Abstract

Agriculture, a century old practice, has rarely been questioned as it is a necessity for feeding the world's population. With the increase in food requirement, the sustainability of upland agriculture has posed threats to downstream and coastal areas of river basins. In South Asia, the coastal population depends on the lower part of the river basin for their livelihood such as agriculture and aquaculture. There have been numerous occasions where downstream areas have suffered as a consequence of ad hoc agricultural development activities upstream. Problems encountered in the downstream coastal areas include river desiccation, groundwater depletion, water pollution and sedimentation, salinization and salt water intrusion, soil erosion and nutrient depletion, and dynamic changes in the coastal wetland systems. The objective of this paper is to evaluate current agricultural practices, existing problems, and their implications downstream. This would facilitate the adoption of the river basin approach in managing water resources focusing on the South Asian region.

Suggested Citation

  • Atapattu, Sithara S. & Kodituwakku, Dekshika C., 2009. "Agriculture in South Asia and its implications on downstream health and sustainability: A review," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(3), pages 361-373, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:96:y:2009:i:3:p:361-373
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Atapattu, Sithara & Molden, David, 2006. "Achieving food and environmental security: better river basin management for healthy coastal zones," IWMI Books, Reports H039123, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Smakhtin, Vladimir & Arunachalam, M. & Behera, S. & Chatterjee, A. & Das, S. & Gautam, P. & Joshi, G. D. & Sivaramakrishnan, K. G. & Unni, K. S., 2007. "Developing procedures for assessment of ecological status of Indian River basins in the context of environmental water requirements," IWMI Research Reports H040333, International Water Management Institute.
    3. Islam, M. R., 2006. "Managing diverse land uses in coastal Bangladesh: institutional approaches," IWMI Books, Reports H039119, International Water Management Institute.
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    5. Hoanh, Chu Thai & Tuong, T. P. & Gowing, J. W. & Hardy, B., 2006. "Environment and livelihoods in tropical coastal zones: managing agriculture, fishery, aquaculture conflicts," IWMI Books, Reports H039101, International Water Management Institute.
    6. Sethi, Laxmi Narayan & Panda, Sudhindra N. & Nayak, Manoj K., 2006. "Optimal crop planning and water resources allocation in a coastal groundwater basin, Orissa, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 83(3), pages 209-220, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Atapattu, Sithara S. & De Silva, Sanjiv & Senaratna Sellamuttu, Sonali, 2010. "Wetlands and agriculture: a case for integrated water resource management in Sri Lanka," Conference Papers h042855, International Water Management Institute.
    2. Komali Kantamaneni & Louis Rice & Komali Yenneti & Luiza C. Campos, 2020. "Assessing the Vulnerability of Agriculture Systems to Climate Change in Coastal Areas: A Novel Index," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, June.
    3. Jianxu Liu & Mengjiao Wang & Li Yang & Sanzidur Rahman & Songsak Sriboonchitta, 2020. "Agricultural Productivity Growth and Its Determinants in South and Southeast Asian Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-21, June.
    4. Rattan Lal, 2015. "Restoring Soil Quality to Mitigate Soil Degradation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-21, May.
    5. Pandeya, B. & Mulligan, M., 2013. "Modelling crop evapotranspiration and potential impacts on future water availability in the Indo-Gangetic Basin," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 163-172.
    6. Mondol, Md Anarul Haque & Zhu, Xuan & Dunkerley, David & Henley, Benjamin J., 2022. "Changing occurrence of crop water surplus or deficit and the impact of irrigation: An analysis highlighting consequences for rice production in Bangladesh," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).

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