Why is it Important to Increase the Area Under Irrigation?

The biggest reason is that the Indian Monsoon is incredibly massive, but highly erratic and unpredictable.

• Some years it rains too much (causing massive floods), and some years it doesn't rain at all (causing severe droughts).
• If farmers have guaranteed Irrigation (canals, tube wells, dams), they do not have to nervously pray for rain. They can successfully grow healthy crops even during a terrible drought year.

• Without irrigation, a farmer can only grow one massive crop during the rainy season (Kharif crop, like rice).
• With heavy, guaranteed irrigation, a farmer can use the exact same piece of land to grow a second winter crop (Rabi, like wheat) and even a third summer crop (Zaid, like watermelons).
• Growing 2 or 3 crops a year massively multiplies the farmer's income.

• The massive 'Green Revolution' introduced modern HYV seeds that produce double the amount of grain.
• However, these magical seeds are extremely thirsty. They absolutely require massive, guaranteed, and regular doses of water. If they don't get exact water at the exact time, the entire crop will die. They cannot survive on unpredictable rainfall alone.

India has a massive population of over 1.4 billion people to feed. If irrigation is not expanded, a single bad monsoon could cause a massive national famine, forcing the country to desperately beg for wheat from foreign countries.