February 2013: The 18th issue of SuccessStories, a publication of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), describes the positive outcomes of a project to improve drip irrigation installation in Tamil Nadu, India, through capacity building.

The state of Tamil Nadu, faced with high seasonal variability of rainfall and increases in water demand, implemented a partial subsidy for drip irrigation systems. The objective was to conserve water and boost agricultural productivity. The Tamil Nadu Drip Irrigation Project (TNDRIP), which started in September 2009, followed an IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Program study in the Coimbatore District that demonstrated that less than 8% of farmers knew how to properly use drip irrigation.

The project, a partnership between IWMI, the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, the Tamil Nadu State Agriculture Department and Jain Irrigation Systems, provided hands-on technical training at the village level to 1,000 farmers during its initial phase. Monitoring and evaluation of the project demonstrated that those trained in drip irrigation had increased their crop yields and reduced the amount of water used. The project also developed a digital water calculator to assist farmers in assessing water requirements of various crops and scheduling irrigation. The project has also been up-scaled to other villages.

IWMI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Publication: IWMI SuccessStories Issue 18]