Improving water management in agriculture: Irrigation and food production

by Jerry W. Knox (Editor), Jerry W. Knox (Contribution by), Upali Amarasinghe (Contribution by), Mladen Todorovic (Contribution by), Stephen Anderson (Contribution by)

Overview

• Provides a comprehensive overview of the interventions available to optimise water management in agriculture, including rainwater harvesting and farm reservoirs
• Considers the development and application of alternative irrigation techniques which carry a reduced environmental impact, such as solar powered irrigation
• Addresses the importance of diversification and collaboration in securing water resources for a rapidly growing population

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781801462754
Publisher:	Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Series:	Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricultural Science , #138
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400

About the Author

Dr Jerry W. Knox is based within the Centre for Water, Environment and Development at Cranfield University, UK. As Professor of Agricultural Water Management, Jerry has an international reputation in the science, engineering and management of water for agriculture, including assessing the relationships between water resources, crop productivity and the environment, and the sustainability of agricultural production in the context of a changing climate. His research interests are in biophysical and water resource modelling, irrigation agronomy, soil and irrigation management, abiotic (drought) impacts on crop productivity and climate impacts and adaptation responses in agriculture. He was previously Editor for Outlook on Agriculture and Associate Editor for Irrigation Science.

Stephen H. Anderson is the William A. Albrecht Distinguished Professor of Soil and Environmental Sciences in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, USA. His current areas of research include evaluating soil management effects on soil hydraulic properties, developing X-ray computed tomography and microtomography techniques to assess pore-scale soil properties and processes, and utilizing hydrologic models to evaluate effectiveness of conservation practices at the watershed scale.
Henk Ritzema is a former Associate Professor at the Water Resources Management Chair Group of Wageningen University. He retired in September 2020. Henk Ritzema has published over 160 articles, books and reports and is a regular invited speaker at international conferences and workshops.
Dr Juan Antonio Rodriguez is Professor of Hydraulics and Irrigation Engineering at the University of Córdoba, Spain. He has more than 20 years worth of experience in research, education and consultancy in the field of hydraulics and irrigation water resources management. He has authored over 100 papers in scientific peer reviewed journals (h index of 23 in JCR and 24 in Scopus) and has participated in 60 research and consultancy projects (project leader in 22).

Table of Contents

Part 1 Current and future water demands for agriculture

• 1. Introduction: improving water management in agriculture: Jerry Knox, Cranfield University, UK;
• 2. Monitoring agricultural water use, data challenges and potential solutions for sustainable water management: Tim Foster, University of Manchester, UK;
• 3. Forecasting future water use in agriculture: Upali Amarasinghe, IWMI, Sri Lanka;

Part 2 Improving agricultural water management practices

• 4. Agronomic practices to optimise soil water retention: Stephen Anderson, University of Missouri, USA;
• 5. Advances in drainage design and management for irrigated agriculture: Henk Ritzema, Wageningen University, The Netherlands;
• 6. Tracking plant water abiotic stresses and signalling for irrigated horticulture: Ian C. Dodd, Lancaster University, UK;
• 7. Managing energy demands in irrigated agriculture: Juan Rodriguez-Diaz, University of Cordoba, Spain;
• 8. Solar powered irrigation: current developments and future uptake: Muhammed Arif Watto, University of Agriculture - Faisalabad, Pakistan;

Part 3 Improving water resources allocation and management

• 9. Advances in farmer-led irrigation development in Africa: Philip Woodhouse, University of Manchester, UK;
• 10. Improving water use in agriculture to reduce environmental impact: the irrigation efficiency paradox: Bruce Lankford, University of East Anglia, UK;
• 11. Developments in water sharing and water trading to secure supplies for agriculture: Sarah Wheeler, University of Adelaide, Australia;
• 12. Irrigation modernization in India: Martin Burton, Independent Consultant, UK;

Part 4 Addressing future water and climate risks

• 13. PRECIMED: development of a DSS for precision irrigation in Mediterranean agriculture: Maria Fernanda Ortuno Gallud, Spanish National Research Council, Spain;
• 14. Integrating biophysical and ballistic models to assess the agronomic and environmental impacts of precision irrigation: Andre Daccache, University of California-Davis, USA;
• 15. Managing climate change, droughts and water scarcity affecting agriculture: Ray-Shyan Wu, National Central University, Taiwan;
• 16. Water-energy-food nexus (WEF): Oscar Melo, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile;

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The book does exceptionally well in linking the myriad of issues which are relevant to agricultural water management, covering biophysical and engineering aspects together with socioeconomics. In doing this, the editor and the book’s contributing authors have presented an excellent state of the art analysis of irrigation and food production on an international level.” (Professor Elías Fereres, University of Cordoba and IAS-CSIC, Spain)