http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11632 2020-10-26T07:08:46Z info:eu-repo/semantics/descriptiveMetadata http://oar.icrisat.org/11632/ An interdisciplinary framework for using archaeology, history and collective action to enhance India’s agricultural resilience and sustainability Green, A S Dixit, S Garg, K K Sandya, N R Singh, G Vatta, K Whitbread, A M Jones, M K Singh, R N Petrie, C A Sustainable Agriculture South Asia Water Resources South Asia has a deep history of agriculture that includes a range of past farming systems in different climatic zones. Many of these farming systems were resilient to changes in climate and sustainable over long periods of time. India’s present agricultural systems are facing serious challenges, as they have become increasingly reliant on the unsustainable extraction of groundwater for irrigation. This paper outlines an interdisciplinary framework for drawing on patterns from the past to guide interventions in the present. It compares past and present strategies for water management and use in semi-arid and temperate Punjab with equatorial Telangana. Structural differences in water use in these two regions suggest that a range of interventions should be adopted to expand the overall availability of surface water for agricultural systems in India, in combination with empowering local communities to create their own water management rules. Active interventions focus on the efficient use of water supplies, and increasing surface water availability through renovation of collective ponds and reservoirs. We argue that this conceptual framework has significant potential for guiding agronomic and economic interventions in the future. IOP Publishing 2020-10 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://oar.icrisat.org/11632/1/Green_2020_Environ._Res._Lett._15_105021.pdf Green, A S and Dixit, S and Garg, K K and Sandya, N R and Singh, G and Vatta, K and Whitbread, A M and Jones, M K and Singh, R N and Petrie, C A (2020) An interdisciplinary framework for using archaeology, history and collective action to enhance India’s agricultural resilience and sustainability. Environmental Research Letters, 15 (10). pp. 1-14. ISSN 1748-9326 https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aba780 doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aba780 info:eu-repo/semantics/objectFile info:eu-repo/semantics/humanStartPage