Rainwater Harvesting for Agriculture in the Dry Areas

In dry areas that receive less than 250mm of rainfall annually, rainwater is almost completely lost to evaporation and salt sinks. Improving the efficiency of rainwater use is therefore an extremely critical issue in these water-scarce areas with rapidly expanding, poor populations living in a fragile environment and facing food insecurity and depleted natural resource bases. This volume deals with methods and techniques of water harvesting to make more water available to humans, animals and for irrigation purposes, in places where rainwater is the only source of water. Water harvesting is playing an increasingly important role in the improved management of water resources in such dry environments. This book deals in detail with harvesting techniques that require a low external input technology and are relatively easy to implement, even with the limited resources available. In arid lands subject to desertification, where production potential is diminishing due to lack of proper management, water management could reverse this trend, improve the vegetative cover and halt environmental degradation. Water harvesting has already proved effective in recharging groundwater aquifers and constant research and testing is being done to further extend its impact. Besides techniques and applications, this volume deals with the socioeconomic aspects of an integrated, sustainable and collaborative approach of all parties involved. Case studies of harvesting projects are included to show the outcome of former approaches. The volume will be of great interest to policy-makers in water management, agricultural and water resources engineers, professionals and students, as well as individuals interested in constructing their own water harvesting systems.