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Missing Linkages in the Electricity–Water Nexus in Indian Agriculture
Agriculture electricity supply has been the Achilles heel in the context of electricity policy and subsidy in India. The study summarises all the electricity consumption methods and numbers in the major agricultural states by state electricity regulatory commissions and researchers. Clear disparities in electricity consumption can be seen for some states and crops in the numbers summarised. It highlights the issues with the current methodologies and proposes to develop better methods for estimation of energy consumption in agriculture.
Agriculture electricity supply has been the Achilles heel in the context of electricity policy and subsidy in India. The study summarises all the electricity consumption methods and numbers in the major agricultural states by state electricity regulatory commissions and researchers. Clear disparities in electricity consumption can be seen for some states and crops in the numbers summarised. It highlights the issues with the current methodologies and proposes to develop better methods for estimation of energy consumption in agriculture.
Food, water and energy are inextricably linked in a nexus, and actions in one sector influence the others. In the past, these sectors were discussed in separate silos. Policies that promoted food production, emphasised on supplemental irrigation, which was made possible by energised irrigation. The effect of this one-sided push for food production over decades had its effects on groundwater depletion. In addition, the subsidies that were tools to promote equity and accessibility to all farmers have favoured some sections of farmers and resulted in inequitable profitability for farmers.
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