III. CONTEXT FARMERS Rajasthan’s agricultural output is among the highest in India, and its people rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. In terms of total production, Rajasthan is first among Indian states in millet and mustard, second in groundnuts, third in pulses and soybeans, and fifth in wheat.38 It also boasts India’s second-largest herd of livestock. In terms of income, agriculture comprised 25 percent of Rajasthan’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in FY 2019-20. No fewer than 5.4 million households—some 60 percent of the state’s population—are engaged in farming and depend on the sector for their livelihoods. Of these, approximately 50 percent are classified as ‘small’ or ‘marginal’ farmers, meaning they own less than two hectares of land.39 Rajasthan’s agricultural sector is thus a crucial check against poverty and food insecurity. Rajasthan owes its agricultural success to decades of expanded groundwater irrigation infrastructure (Figure 1). After India achieved its independence in 1942, GoI and Government of Rajasthan (GoR) promoted rapid construction of the state’s groundwater irrigation infrastructure through government programs.40 These efforts, combined with a lack of alternative irrigation sources in Rajasthan and the advent of the Green Revolution, increased massively the amount of groundwater drawn for agriculture. Today, agriculture soaks up 83 percent of Rajasthan’s water resources, and 73 percent of the state’s irrigated land depends on groundwater. Rajasthan’s farmers have capitalized on increased access to groundwater by expanding cropping area, growing irrigated dry season crops such as wheat and oilseeds, and growing high-value horticultural crops.41 In 2018, farmers planted 2.8 million hectares of wheat and 4.11 million hectares of oilseeds, 99.6 percent and 64 percent of which were irrigated, respectively.42 In arid western Rajasthan, area irrigated by wells increased from 136,000 hectares in 1951, to 651,000 hectares in 1981, to 1.56 million hectares in 2005. Groundwater became a major driver of changes in land use, as even rocky and gravelly wastelands were transformed into irrigated croplands.43
Gross Irrigated Area ('000 hectares) 30000
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1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013
15000
1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013
Foodgrain Production ('000 metric tons)
Figure 1: Foodgrain Production in Rajasthan Increased groundwater-sourced irrigation has been a primary driver of increases in agricultural output in Rajasthan over the past six decades.44 According to the Ministry of Agriculture, gross irrigated area increased from 1.7 million hectares in 1957 to 9.7 million hectares in 2014. In the same time frame, foodgrain production increased from 4.9 million to 20.8 million metric tons. 73 percent of irrigated land in Rajasthan uses groundwater.
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