Soil moisture measurement for agriculture

Chapter 2. Whilst infrastructure projects have
often focused on improving the supply of
water for agriculture, there has been much
less focus on managing or reducing the
agricultural water demand. The net effect of
increasing supply, without managing demand,
is that agricultural water (and energy)
consumption increases, without necessarily
increasing food production. Improved agricultural
Water Use Efficiency (WUE) can help
address this issue, as well as contributing to
reducing the pressures on water resources
(NITI Aayog 2019). This chapter outlines how
recent improvements in large area measurement
of soil moisture and the availability of
high-resolution Soil Moisture Deficit information
at a fine scale can provide actionable
guidance to farmers. Practical methods,
demonstrated in farm pilot studies, to manage
irrigation demand are discussed, along with
considerations of efficient irrigation methods,
with the objective of improving WUE.