In the context of improving water productivity, there is a growing interest in deficit irrigation, an irrigation practice whereby water supply is reduced below maximum levels and mild stress is allowed with minimal effects on yield. Under conditions of scarce water supply and drought, deficit irrigation can lead to greater economic gains than maximizing yields per unit of water for a given crop; farmers are more inclined to use water more efficiently, and more water-efficient cash crop selection helps optimize returns. However, this approach requires precise knowledge of crop response to water as drought tolerance varies considerably by species, cultivar and stage of growth. The studies present the latest research concepts and involve various practices for deficit irrigation. Both annual and perennial crops were exposed to different levels of water stress, either during a particular growth phase, throughout the whole growing season or in a combination of growth stages. The overall finding, based on the synthesis of the different contributions, is that deficit or regulated-deficit irrigation can be beneficial where appropriately applied. Substantial savings of water can be achieved with little impact on the quality and quantity of the harvested yield. However, to be successful, an intimate knowledge of crop behavior is required, as crop response to water stress varies considerably.

The purpose of the workshop was to promote Land Resources Information Systems (LRIS) and their application in the assessment, mapping and monitoring of land in relation to food security in the South African Development Community (SADC) countries. The workshop reviewed advances made both within and outside SADC. Experiences were discussed and a plan of action prepared to promote future reporting and exchange of information, data expertise and experiences in land information using technical cooperation among developing countries

This report aims to synthesize the results of a crop water use study conducted by country teams of the GEF/World Bank project, Regional Climate, Water, and Agriculture: Impacts on and Adaptation of Agro-ecological Systems in Africa. It also presents the results of the second phase of the study based on climate change scenarios, conducted by the South Africa country team. The actual evapotranspiration of five commonly grown crops-maize, millet, sorghum, groundnuts, and beans-in two selected districts were analyzed by six country teams. In addition, two country teams also analyzed other crops grown in the districts. The regional analysis shows that the actual yield of the different crops-specifically of maize and groundnuts-improves with an increase in actual evapotranspiration, although the gap remains wide between actual and potential yield and actual and maximum evapotranspiration, especially for the rainfed crops. This highlights the importance of improved water management if agriculture is to play an important role as a source of food security and better livelihoods. The report highlights the vulnerability of maize to water stress and the increased risks to the viability of rainfed farming systems based on this crop. The results of the second phase of analysis show that a 2°C increase in the temperature and a doubling of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere will shorten the growing period of maize, which will result in decreased crop water requirement and use. The authors recommend extending this type of analysis to other crops as well as to other countries to develop a clearer picture of the changing pattern in crop water use of the major crops grown in the project countries.

The Proceeding contains the following sections: i) Groundwater Exploration and Exploitation; (ii) RS&GIS Applications in Water Resources; (iii) Watershed Management: Hydrological, Socio-Economic and Cultural Models; (iv) Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies; (v) Rainwater Harvesting and Rural and Urban Water Supplies; (vi) Floods, Reservoir Sedimentation and Seawater Intrusion; (vii) Water Quality, Pollution and Environment; (viii) Irrigation Management; (ix) Water Logging and Water Productivity in Agriculture; (x) Groundwater Quality; (xi) Hydrologic Parameter Estimation and Modelling; (xii) Climate Change, Water, Food and Environmental Security; (xiii) Groundwater Recharge and Modelling; (xiv) Computational Methods in Hydrology; (xv) Soil and Water Conservation Technologies.

This book addresses the following topics: the contemporary model for water management and alternative approaches; the socioeconomic framework, water policy and institutions; water use for food purposes, water-resources inventory and irrigation; manifestations of welfare loss and water prices; change in dietary patterns and water security; hydrological stress and pressures on water availability; groundwater management problems; vulnerability and climate change; water demand of major crops; gray water footprint and water pollution; gray water footprint and mining; virtual water and food trade; estimates of the water footprint of four key cereals, forage, livestock and bottled drinks. It is the result of a cooperation between 16 researchers from eleven Mexican academic institutions.

This is an open access book. Socio-culturally, people in the Southeast Asian region have a heterogeneous composition. This diversity can be seen from the large number of ethnic compositions that inhabit the region. For example, in Indonesia, there are already various ethnic groups, not yet to mention in other regions such as Malaysia, Philippine, and others. The diversity of these ethnic groups is directly proportional to the variety of languages that exist in Southeast Asia. Similarly with the languages, the culture in these ethnic groups is definitely diverse. Interestingly, this diversity is constantly changing, keeping up with the global changes. These changes are important to study, in order to get an overview of the socio-cultural changes and continuity that currently exist in the Southeast Asian region. The various changes and continuity that occur historically, geographically, and socio-culturally mentioned above, will also have various impacts on the educational aspect. Therefore, it is also pivotal to examine the various change and continuity that occur in the field of education of Southeast Asia. This is because the field of education will determine where Southeast Asia will be taken in the future.

Crop production depends on the successful implementation of the soil, water, and nutrient management technologies. Food production by the year 2020 needs to be increased by 50 percent more than the present levels to satisfy the needs of around 8 billion people. Much of the increase would have to come from intensification of agricultural production. Importance of wise usage of water, nutrient management, and tillage in the agricultural sector for sustaining agricultural growth and slowing down environmental degradation calls for urgent attention of researchers, planners, and policy makers. Crop models enable researchers to promptly speculate on the long-term consequences of changes in agricultural practices. In addition, cropping systems, under different conditions, are making it possible to identify the adaptations required to respond to changes. This book adopts an interdisciplinary approach and contributes to this new vision. Leading authors analyze topics related to crop production technologies. The efforts have been made to keep the language as simple as possible, keeping in mind the readers of different language origins. The emphasis has been on general descriptions and principles of each topic, technical details, original research work, and modeling aspects. However, the comprehensive journal references in each area should enable the reader to pursue further studies of special interest. The subject has been presented through fifteen chapters to clearly specify different topics for convenience of the readers.

Study conducted at Thondamuthur Block in Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, India.