Why Technologies Often Fail to Scale: Policy and Market Failures behind Limited Scaling of Alternate Wetting and Drying in Rice in Bangladesh

Flashcards about water management in rice production in Bangladesh.

What is the main reason for the failure to scale alternate wetting and drying (AWD) in Bangladesh?

Lack of economic incentives to save water as pricing is based on per unit area irrigated, not on the amount of water used.

What negative externalities have resulted from the rapid expansion of groundwater use for irrigation in Bangladesh?

Overuse, deterioration of groundwater quality, increased cost of irrigation, and higher greenhouse gas emissions.

What is AWD?

A method of intermittent irrigation that contrasts with the traditional practice of continuous flooding.

What is safe-AWD?

A practice that maintains the yield level by practicing intermittent irrigation guided by the observed soil moisture status.

When was safe-AWD introduced to Bangladesh?

2004

What is the typical reduction in the number of irrigations under safe-AWD compared to conventional practices?

27–35%

True or False: The drainage, runoff, and seepage losses from an individual field are often losses at higher spatial scales

False

Name three major types of water contracts that exist in Bangladesh?

Payment for water in the form of a share of the harvested crop, a fixed pre-negotiated cash payment for irrigation based on per unit area for the whole season, buyers paying a fixed amount per unit area for the right to use the sellers’ pumps for the whole season.

What is the most popular type of water market contract in Bangladesh?

Fixed pre-negotiated payment system

What is the likely evolutionary pathway for water markets mainly driven by?

Increasing opportunity cost of water

What is the most common method of pricing water in Bangladesh?

A fixed charge per unit area.

What is a rational response of a risk-averse farmer when electricity supply is uncertain?

To over-irrigate when electricity is available.

What is the estimated annual energy subsidy for irrigation in Bangladesh?

USD450 million

What are some crops that Bangladesh has a comparative advantage in producing?

Maize, pulse, and potato.

Why is a shift away from diesel-powered pumps to electric pumps desirable?

Farmers are likely to face increasing cost pressures if the government reduces subsidies; the environmental footprint of diesel-powered STWs is higher than electric ones.

What does the development of shorter duration rice varieties help with?

Less irrigation water.

What is the virtue of the rotational irrigation scheduling currently practiced in Bangladesh in LLP/DTW area?

Its simplicity and low monitoring cost.

What is needed to engender collective action?

Social regulations involving local community leaders and village elders

What can the use of flexible pipes for water distribution reduce?

Conveyance losses

About what percentage of rice farmers own land?

20%