HORIZON INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS SITE

Dr. Aditi Mukherji: Dr. Mukherji was recognized for almost a decade of field work on poverty, agriculture and natural resource management in West Bengal, India, which has had a significant influence on state water policy. Photograph courtesy of IWMIAditi Mukherji, a senior social scientist based in International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Delhi office, has been announced as the first ever winner of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application. The $10,000 award, endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, will be presented on October 17, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa, by the World Food Prize Foundation.

The award was officially announced by Dr. Colin Chartres, director general of IWMI, the institutional winner of this year’s Stockholm Water Prize, at the opening plenary session of Stockholm 2012 World Water Week.   

Dr. Mukherji was recognized for almost a decade of field work on poverty, agriculture and natural resource management in West Bengal, India, which has had a significant influence on state water policy.

Agricultural Groundwater use in West Bengal - Aditi Mukherji, IWMI 

Aditi Mukherji, Senior Researcher, talks about agricultural groundwater use in West Bengal, India.

"I am delighted to win this prestigious award,” says Mukherji. “My research argued that intensive groundwater use with proper checks and balances could unleash a second round of Green Revolution in this poverty stricken but water rich state. I was fortunate that these arguments found acceptance among senior policy makers in the new government in West Bengal. The policy changes now enacted will make it easier for farmers to access the already abundant groundwater resources and intensify their farming activities in a profitable and sustainable manner."

This award recognizes exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under 40 who has clearly demonstrated intellectual courage, stamina, and determination in the fight to eliminate global hunger and poverty.

Dr. Aditi Mukherji is the first recipient of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation. The annual award will recognize researchers under 40 in the early stages of their work who emulate the scientific innovation and dedication demonstrated by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug.

West Bengal, IndiaA young Indian social scientist whose research on groundwater resources in agriculture led to major policy changes benefiting thousands of farmers in West Bengal was amed the first recipient of the “Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation” on the 27^th of August 2012 during the Stockholm World Water Week in Sweden. 

Dr. Aditi Mukherji is a senior researcher at the International Water Management Institute’s New Delhi office.

Aditi Mukherji, winner of the Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application was interviewed for the Solutions Site by Janine Selendy, Horizon International’s Chairman, President and Publisher.

Janine: Would you describe the situation, using examples if you will, before your research and policy changes were accepted and implemented?

Aditi: After posting impressive agricultural growth rates of 6% and above per annum in the late 1980s and early 1990s, West Bengal’s agricultural growth has stagnated at 1-2% per annum since early 2000s. Production of summer boro paddy – the harbinger of Green Revolution in Bengal – is showing a declining trend. While the costs of cultivation (especially irrigation costs) have increased several times, the market price of paddy has either stagnated or risen less steeply than the cost of production – thereby hurting farmers’ profit margins.

The rising cost of cultivation, largely as a result of high irrigation costs and non-remunerative crop prices, are at the heart of low profitability from agriculture. High irrigation costs are, in turn, a direct result of farmers’ dependence on expensive diesel for pumping groundwater and high electricity tariff rates in the state.

In the meanwhile, the state is home to 214 lakhs of poor people, i.e., 28.5% of the population of the state is below the poverty line. Of these, 84% of poor people live in villages. According to the National Sample Survey (NSS) 61^st round (2004-2005), 10.6% of rural households in Paschimbanga are reported as not having enough food every day during some months of the year. This was the highest percentage in India. More than 70% of West Bengal’s workforce depends on agriculture as their main source of livelihood. Distress migration from the state is high and is evidenced by scores of Bengali men and women who are working in the informal sector as low-paid wage laborers all across the country.

Boosting water benefits in West Bengal: Agricultural growth in West Bengal had slumped by more than half. As Eastern India’s most populous state it was critical that scarce land resources were made as productive as possible. Research identified that a major hindrance to agricultural productivity was getting access to groundwater which, unlike in some other parts of India, is plentiful. New policies recommended by IWMI were adopted to improve groundwater access for smallholder farmers. Photograph by Chhandak Pradhan, courtesy of IWMI.

Janine: What were the policy changes your research suggested and why? (I have added this question)

Aditi: I found that most important problem that farmers were facing in West Bengal was high energy costs for pumping groundwater. This was because of their dependence on diesel pumps and that fact that diesel prices have been increasing quite rapidly since early 2000s. In West Bengal, only 17% of all pumps are electrified, against a national average of over 60%. In states like Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh etc., over 70-90% pumps are electrified. Electrification of pumps would have been an easy solution, especially since West Bengal has been an electricity surplus state for a long time now. However, I found that farmers faced two main difficulties in getting an electricity connection. First was the Groundwater Act of 2005 which required all farmers to get a permit from the groundwater authority before they could apply for an electric connection.

Under previous groundwater regulations, many poor farmers in West Bengal were forced to water by hand: The reformed policy should open up new opportunities. Photograph by Chhandak Pradhan, courtesy of IWMIThis process of getting a permit was fraught with red tape and corruption. And then, even if a farmer managed to get a permit from the groundwater authorities he would then have to pay the full capital cost of electrification of tubewell. This included cost of wires, poles and transformers and often would come to Rs. 1.5 lakhs and more – much beyond the capacity of most small and marginal farmers owning less than half a hectare of land. So, to sum up, high diesel prices and lack of electrification was the twin problem facing farmers in Bengal.

Basically, the real constrain was getting electricity connection. So, we suggested removal of permits system in all blocks where groundwater situation is safe. We also suggested rationalization of capital costs of initial electrification, but at the same time recommended that metered tariffs for use of electricity must continue. We also suggested that MGNREGA (The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) funds should be used in a targeted manner for excavation of ponds in districts with alluvial aquifers for better groundwater recharge.

Janine: How is “intensive groundwater use with proper checks and balances” being applied?

Aditi: The government has accepted most of these suggestions. On 9^th November, 2011, vide an administrative order, the Secretary Water Resources changed the law whereby farmers residing in safe blocks and wanting to install pumps with less than 5 HP would no longer require a permit from groundwater department. Similarly, the electricity utility, West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has also come out with a circular saying that farmers would have a pay a one-time fixed cost for electrification and this cost will be around Rs. 10,000 or so. They will, of course, then continue to pay metered tariff. 

Here, let me emphasize, that West Bengal has several checks and balances in place. For instance, it has one of the best agricultural electricity governance regimes in India. Unlike other states where agricultural electricity consumption is not metered and farmers are often given free electricity, in West Bengal, all tubewells are metered and farmers are charged near commercial rates for pumping. The tariffs are quite high and this means that farmers have the right price signal to make efficient use of groundwater and electricity.

The check and balance is that the law change has been done only in blocks where groundwater is ‘safe’ – or in other words, there is not threat to groundwater quantity and quality. The government monitors groundwater quantity and quality and the moment a block is deemed to have over-exploited its groundwater resources, they are re-categorized as ‘semi-critical’; critical; or over-exploited. As soon as a block is semi critical, the law requiring permits kicks in and no new permits for electric pumps will be given. The government can also control pumping through increasing electricity tariff or by giving lesser hours of electricity in blocks where the resource is being over-exploited. So basically, there are economic and legal checks and balances in place.

Janine: What changes has this brought to the health of the farmers and other people in the region?

Aditi: With the law changed having happened only in November 2011, it is too early to see increase in agricultural production or household income but according to the state electricity utility, demand for electric pumps has already risen rapidly from 170,000 to 250,000 since the change of policy in 2011. This is likely to increase the area under summer crops and make irrigation cheaper and more profitable than before.

Janine: How many people are affected?

Aditi: With both these policy changes in place, it is expected that farmers will have easier access to groundwater, will be able to intensify their cropping systems, earn better livelihoods and emerge out of poverty.

Together these have the potential to drastically change the nature of agriculture in West Bengal and usher in a second Green Revolution. If West Bengal were an independent country, it would rank 12^th most populous in the world. The state has 7 million land holdings, of which 5.6 million are less than 1 ha size and therefore belong to small and marginal farmers. Thus the possible implications for agricultural output and poverty reduction of these two policy changes are tremendous.

Janine: Is the approach sustainable? Where else might this approach be applied?

Aditi: Yes, with proper checks and balances, this approach is sustainable. This is because West Bengal has very high rainfall and nature of alluvial aquifers means that there is adequate recharge. Of the 340or so blocks in the state, none are over-exploited and only 38 are semi-critical. The law change does not apply in those semi-critical blocks.  Also, the government needs to make investments in artificial recharge of aquifers. In addition, there needs to be constant monitoring of both groundwater quality and quantity and corrective steps need to be taken if there are indications of groundwater over-exploitation. As already mentioned, due to good electricity governance regimes, these corrective steps are not very hard to take and will involve either increasing electricity tariffs or decreasing hours of electricity in order to control the amount of pumping in regions where there is over-exploitation.

Janine: What are the conditions of the region regarding water for drinking and meeting sanitation and hygiene needs?

Aditi: Sorry, I don’t have enough information to write on this knowledgably as my work on agricultural water management.

Janine: Do you have any thoughts you would like to add about your experience and the changes you have made possible?

Aditi: I think, if these changes are implemented properly, the possible implications for agricultural output and poverty reduction are tremendous.

These policies are also replicable in much of eastern Indian states of Bihar and Assam with similar hydro-geological conditions. By providing timely, adequate and reliable irrigation, groundwater helps in reducing poverty. This also aligns with Government of India’s look east policy where it is trying to promote Green Revolution in eastern India. 

A farmer ploughs his field with oxen in Kadmati Village, Brahampur, West Bengal, India.: Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia.

Ambassador Quinn emphasized that an independent jury of experts selected Dr. Mukherji from an impressive group of candidates who were evaluated based on the attributes and accomplishments that reflect those demonstrated by Dr. Norman Borlaug during his work in developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat in Mexico and introducing adaptable wheat varieties into India and Pakistan during the 1950’s and 60’s, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Dr. Mukherji will be formally presented with the $10,000 award on October 17, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of this year’s World Food Prize international symposium.  This is a day after World Food Day, on the 16^th. This year’s World Food Day theme, “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world,” highlights the role of cooperatives in improving food security and reducing hunger. The year 2012 has also been designated “International Year of Cooperatives” by the UN General Assembly.

During her intense fieldwork surveying more than 4,000 groundwater users, Dr. Mukherji discovered that smallholder farmers in water-abundant eastern India were being prevented by certain policy restrictions from gaining access to the water resources needed for irrigating their crops. She then worked closely with the farmers and village residents to ensure that their concerns were fully recorded and that their collective voice was heard by the policy makers.

“Dr. Mukherji has demonstrated qualities that emulate Dr. Borlaug’s ingenuity and perseverance in transferring his scientific breakthroughs to farmers and hungry people around the world through the gateway of government policy and action,” said Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation. “Like Dr. Borlaug, she has shown persistence, innovation, effective communication, contribution to science, and application of that science for policy change to improve lives and livelihoods.”

Quinn added, “This year, the Stockholm Water Prize is honoring IWMI, the World Food Prize is recognizing renowned irrigation expert Dr. Daniel Hillel, and now this new award is going to Dr. Mukherji, creating a truly unique trifecta of honors that reflect the critical importance of water in the world’s global food supply.”

Dr. Mukherji said that her accomplishments have required a combination of field work, data collection and collaboration with other researchers and policy makers.

“Access to reliable, affordable and timely irrigation are very powerful tools of poverty alleviation,” Dr. Mukherji said.  “What truly inspires me is the impact that one’s research can make on the lives of the poor by providing more food on their table – something that Dr. Borlaug showed us years ago through his pioneering work in Mexico, India and elsewhere. He is my ultimate role model.”

Her research combined with her action in the political arena led to the enactment of two critical policy changes in the past two years—one to remove a restrictive permit requirement for operating low-power irrigation pumps; and another to reduce the electrification cost to run the pumps. As a result, farmers now have easier and more universal access to groundwater for irrigation and will be able to intensify their cropping systems, earn better livelihoods and emerge out of poverty.

Dr. Mukherji took her research data directly to the government, first meeting with the head of the Indian Planning Commission, who then included her in an official delegation to meet with the West Bengal Secretary of Water Resources, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Finance and Rural Development. The evidence she presented convinced these and other officials that the enacted groundwater policy, which had been based on a common discourse surrounding water scarcity and depletion elsewhere in India, needed to align with actual abundant groundwater supplies in eastern India. Dr. Mukherji showed that the old policies that effectively banned the pumping of groundwater by poorer farmers had a huge impact in increasing poverty and malnourishment among large segments of the population.

Dr. Mukherji was educated at Presidency College, Calcutta; Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi; and the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai; and completed a Ph.D degree in Human Geography at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

About the World Food Prize:  The World Food Prize was founded in 1986 by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, The World Food Prize has honored outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world. Laureates have been recognized from Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Denmark, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United Nations and the United States. The Prize also hosts the annual Borlaug Dialogue international symposium on global food issues and a variety of youth programs that aim to inspire the next generation to work in the fields surrounding global agriculture.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), with headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was named the 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for its pioneering research that has served to improve agriculture water management, enhance food security, protect environmental health and alleviate poverty in developing countries.

Several aditional articles related to 2012 World Water Week appear on the Horizon International Solutions Site:

International Water Management Institute (IWMI) named 2012 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

Finding Means to Meet Water and Food Needs at 2012 World Water Week

Singapore Students Win 2012 Stockholm Junior Water Prize

PepsiCo Receives the 2012 Stockholm Industry Water Award

Finding Means to Meet Water and Food Needs at 2012 World Water Week

WASH Media Award Winners Recognized for Excellence in Reporting

Global Leaders are Convening at World Water Week to Confront Growing Water and Food Insecurity

See additional articles related to food and water under headings agriculture, water, health, sanitation, among others on the Horizon International Solutions Site.

About the World Water Week in Stockholm
The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together thousands of experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions www.worldwaterweek.org.

About Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that generates knowledge and informs decision-making towards water wise policy and sustainable development. SIWI performs research, builds institutional capacity and provides advisory services in five thematic areas: water governance, transboundary water management, water and climate change, the water-energy-food nexus, and water economics. SIWI organises the World Water Week in Stockholm and hosts the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and the Stockholm Industry Water Award. www.siwi.org