1. Co-management of Livelihoods and ESSR Outcomes in GDASES: Implications for WLE Research on Global Groundwater Governance Tushaar Shah November 5, 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka

2. Highlights South Asian perspective on GDASEs Global groundwater economy Evolutionary path of groundwater governance How should the new WLE focus on ESSR inform our research on GDASEs? How to bring groundwater into ESSR discourse? Win-win opportunities Acting outside the groundwater economy to change things within

3. Global Expansion in Groundwater Use in Agriculture

4. Each dot represents 5000 irrigation wells. Each well serves 4-6 farmers India pumps 2.5 times the groundwater that US pumps/year; but has 400 times more users to govern.

5. A typology of global agricultural groundwater economy Arid Agrarian Systems Industrial Agriculture Systems Small-holder Intensive Farming Systems Extensive Pastoralim ExamplesJordan, IranCalifornia, Australia South Asia, North China Sub-Saharan Africa Area served by groundwater> 6 m. ha irrigation ~ 15 m. ha irrigation > 100-150 m. ha irrigation > 500 m. ha grazing area Agrarian pop/km 2 of farm land40-50<1-5300-80010-20 % of geographic area under cultivation 1-55-1540-605-15 % of cultivated area under irrigation 30-902-1540-70~ 5 % of geographic area under groundwater irrigation 0.1-0.40.001-1.55-25<0.001 Driver of ag. groundwater use Only sourceWealth creationIntensive diversification Stock watering GW contribution to poverty alleviation LowVery lowVery highHigh GDASEs

6. Nature of ESSR may be similar; but responses may differ

7. Groundwater Irrigation Economies around the world US $ 300-800/ha US $ 5000-30000/ha

8. Stage 1 India, Pakistan, Bangladesh; Ethiopia; Ghana Stage II Mexico China Stage III US; Australia; Spain Groundwater law and its enforcement Non-existentPoorly enforcedStrict and vigorously enforced InstitutionsMissing; developmental Developmental; reactive Regulatory; proactive Incentive structuresPerverse; livelihoods-focused Perverse (Mexico) to rational (China) ESSR-driven Administrative & scientific capacity lowModerateVery high PoliticsMajoritarian; irrigator’s vote- bank; no ESSR clout Vote-bank strong but also ESSR clout ESSR Policy focusGW as a means to Poverty alleviation Sustainable resource use Co-management of ESSR Evolutionary trajectory of Groundwater Governance Regimes

9. Grounwater is private, informal economy. Governments have little role in investment and modest means in regulation. Therefore.. Big opportunities for co- management of livelihoods, productivity and ESSR by acting outside..

10. South Asia’s canal irrigation systems are ideally plumbed for conjunctive management of SW & GW? This change demands proactive management of systems Target decision maker? Canal irrigation managers

12. Figure 1 a Electricity Network Before Figure 1 b Electricity Network after Gujarat: Groundwater depletion sustained by perverse energy subsidies as in Mexico.. ESSR impacts of feeder separation?

13. Solar pumps are likely to take over India’s groundwater economy in 10 years. They will reduce carbon footprint but also deplete aquifers. What is the best way of promoting them? Target decision maker? National Solar Mission

14. Livelihoods++ Livelihoods -- -- ESSR ++ESSR -- -- Nobody wants this ESSR- oriented trade off Livelihood- oriented trade off Win-Win opportunities Incremental impacts of policy interventions Groundwater- impacts of decisions outside the groundwater sector ESSR pay-offs of improved conjunctive management ESSR benefits of Gujarat’s Jyotigram Scheme of rationing farm power ESSR benefits of shifting India’s rice- wheat system eastward Political ecology of prosopis juliflura

17. Title Economic benefits; technical efficiency; Production goals Eco-System Services and Resilience

18. Improved welfare GW abstraction and Use economicsinstitutions Access Forward Linkages Backward Linkages Resource situation Externality Management Groundwater economy Resource augmentation Context is All important.. Understanding the groundwater Socio-ecology in all its dimensions is Key to evolving a GwG strategy that is Effective in its context

20. Final slide title Related publications/further reading/ urls etc. e.g. visit the blogvisit the blog

21. Adaptive Groundwater Management in hard-rock India: The Case of Saurashtra, Gujarat Stages I Private Resource Development 1960-75 II Competitive Exploitation 1975-90 III Coping with Interdependence 1987-2010 IV GW-centric Adaptive Water Mgt 2000-2010 Driver of farmer behavior Irrigation expansion Maximize share in a limited aquifer Augment the resource Adapt to resource availability Observable Trends Wells multiply; innovations in drilling; specialization; drilling costs fall; water markets boom Competitive deepening; Storage wells bores within wells; bore-blasting; aquifer fracturing; Increase connectivity with water-bearing pores groundwater recharge; Watershed mgt Irrigation tanks and canals transformed for recharge; growing support for blanket restrictions on draft High value market crops; micro-irrigation; Dairying, poultry, sericulture, spices, fruit/veg.; demand for water import for recharge Govt. policies Capital and power subsidies Subsidies continue; half-hearted regulation support to decentralized recharge; ration farm power supply Farm power scarcity GW regulator; Managed Aquifer Recharge Market institutionsBuyers’ market for irrigation service Sellers’ market; well owners make a killing Irrigation service against 1/4 th or 1/3 rd crop share Irrigation for share in high value crops

22. Title Groundwater irrigation as vertical drainage Conjunctive management of surface and groundwater Groundwater irrigation’s carbon footprint Atomistic water control GW is invariably involved in high value agriculture Coping mechanisms and adaptation strategies How should the new WLE focus on ESSR inform our research on GDASEs? Discourse on GDASEs: difference of degree (more of ESSR) or of kind (GW as an eco- system with internalized externality only one of its ESS); social welfare function; payment for ES is way of internalizing externality The political ecology of prosopis juliflura Payment for ES: decentralized groundwater recharge in Saurashtra (gap between private and social cost and benefit) BRING GROUNDWATER INTO ESS PICTURE LOOK AT DIFFERENT SCALES TO UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE SYSTEM Institutions/governance Agriculture, small holders, poverty, resilience