Ms. Megha Mhaskar will present her APS as per the details below:
Date: September 18, 2023
Time: 11:30 - 13:00 hrs.
Venue: CTARA Conference Room No.1
Guide: Prof. Parmeshwar D. Udmale
RPC Members: Prof. Amit Arora, Prof. Yogendra Shastri
Title: Water-Energy-Food Nexus (Synergies and Trade-offs) in Sugarcane Farming: A Case of Drought-Prone Maharashtra State, India
Abstract:
The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a complex and interconnected system that plays a significant role in human livelihoods and agricultural sustainability. In the changing climate era, there are concerns about the overexploitation of land, water, and energy resources. It is, therefore, crucial to use these resources effectively to meet present demand by reducing trade-offs and increasing synergies ensuring sustainability. Changes in cropping patterns over the last few decades and increased spatial-temporal variations in rainfall have raised uncertainties in agriculture production. Regarding crop production, sugarcane is a water-intensive crop largely cultivated in the drought-prone region of Maharashtra. It is considered an ideal crop for providing food and bioenergy production. According to the amendments made in the ‘National Policy on Biofuels - 2018’ in 2022, India will need an additional 6.26 million hectares of land under sugarcane to achieve the 20% ethanol blending petrol target by 2025. Along with positive impacts, it will also raise many concerns that will put food production systems exacerbated by the effects of climate change. These challenges suggest an integrated approach is required for understanding the interrelationships between WEF systems.
Access to water, energy and food, and efficient use of these limited resources is the main basis for sustainable development. Water and food security are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 6. Climate change-related extreme events add to the uncertainty in the availability, access, utilization, and stability of water and food in space and time. However, the lack of finer-resolution socioeconomic data limits well-informed decision-making at the local level.
In this background, it is essential to assess the present status of water and food security at a finer scale using available and quantifiable indicators. The present report includes an indicator-based approach for assessing water and food security at the sub-district level in Maharashtra State, India. The literature review-based assessment framework consists of four water and food security dimensions: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability, and their indicators. The water security index (WSI) and food security index (FSI) were calculated using different indicators. The water-food security index (WFSI) was developed by integrating WSI and FSI. Results show that most of the subdistricts from Western Maharashtra (Kolhapur, Pune, Sangli, Satara, Solapur) are high in terms of WFSI. In contrast, most of the subdistricts from the Marathwada (Aurangabad, Beed, Hingoli, Jalna, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad, and Parbhani) show low WFSI. This localized assessment approach provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders at finer resolution. The details about study area selection and survey questionnaire are also included in this second APS report.