Quantifying Water and Energy Linkages in Irrigation

While Asia has the world's fastest-growing economy, 29 of 48 countries assessed by the Asian Water Development Outlook are water-insecure, posing a threat to the region's continued growth. As economies develop, increasing demands will be placed on water for food and water for energy. In the irrigation subsector, energy is required for ground and surface water pumping, as well as for fueling on-farm irrigation technology and other farm machinery. Water and energy are intrinsically linked, yet there is limited information on quantifying energy use in irrigation systems. This publication summarizes the results of a pilot study to quantify water and energy use in high-efficiency irrigation systems within drought-affected provinces in Viet Nam.