Efficient water management and irrigation on farms

In this chapter, a brief overview of the current state of irrigation water resource management, both supply- and demand-side, is presented; innovative technologies and practices designed to improve water use efficiency and water productivity, such as the agricultural yield achieved per unit of water available or applied, are discussed; the energy implications of these are considered; and the importance of integrated decision-making at farm, irrigation scheme and policy levels is highlighted. Increasingly and to the extent possible, such decisions must account for trade-offs between food production and water and energy use (i.e. effectively, environmental security) and between adaptation and mitigation policy and practices