Transforming Parastatal Systems and Enhancing Agricultural and water productivity –Multi-Sectoral Experiences from Tamil Nadu, India

Perspectives in International Development Seminar Series

Climate change has brought in frequent cycles of floods and droughts exposing the vulnerability of the farm households and rural economy in India. In Southern States of India, irrigation infrastructures called tank (mini reservoirs) were created centuries ago to facilitate surface irrigation for farmers. These tanks serve the dual purpose of storing excess rain water runoff from nearby catchments and recharging the underground water. Traditionally, parastatals have engaged with water from a narrow engineering perspective, while water is a multi-dimensional resource requiring an understanding of many other disciplines for its sustainable management. Therefore, a multi-sectoral approach with the farmer at its center is imperative so that farmers can effectively come together to manage their water in an equitable and sustainable manner. Climate resilience requires a shift from endless exploitation and command and control centralization to participatory sustainable demand management through convergence, budgeting and diversification towards sustainable water and crop productivity. TNIAMP is implemented with these perspectives and objectives of enhancing productivity and climate resilience of irrigated agriculture in selected sub-basins in Tamil Nadu.

About the presenter

Vibhu Nayar is a senior policy maker of the Indian Administrative Service working presently as additional chief secretary in Govt. of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India. He is also serving as project director for World Bank Assisted Projects viz., IAMWARM (Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and Water bodies Restoration and Management Project) and iIAMP (Irrigation Agriculture Modernization Project) with outlays of nearly one billion dollars.  He was also a member of the UN-International Steering Committee on Global Water Operator Partnerships (GWOPA) and founder member secretary of the Indian National Change Management Forum on Governance and Service Delivery. He has been nominated as the anchor adviser to assist Department of Drinking Water Supply, Government of India on service delivery and establishing water operators partnerships in India. He has many policy papers to his credit and has assisted many country governments at both policy and implementation levels. He has worked on the unique canvass across WES & IWRM sectors involving policy making and meta implementation, for over three decades. 

About the seminar series

The "Perspectives in International Development Seminar Series" is co-sponsored by the Department of Global Development, the Department of Natural Resources,  the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the School of Integrative Plant Science.