Timing is money: Why India must align its water and crop calendars to secure its farming future

Agriculture still anchors India’s rural economy, sustaining nearly half the population. Yet behind the pastoral images of swaying paddy or mustard fields lies a problem that is less visible but no less urgent: The lack of synchrony between the water calendar — rainfall, reservoir releases, irrigation schedules — and the crop calendar, which sets out the optimal windows for planting, growth and harvest.

When these two calendars align, water reaches plants precisely when it is most needed: during germination, flowering and grain filling. The outcome is healthier crops, better yields and more efficient water use. But across much of India this harmony remains elusive, with consequences that ripple across farming households, markets and the environment.

Dual threat of water deficiency and waterlogging

Mistimed irrigation cuts both ways. Water shortage during critical growth phases causes crop stress, lowering yields and harvest quality. This is especially damaging for marginal and smallholder farmers, who operate on narrow margins. Reduced output shrinks their marketable surplus and often forces them into debt cycles to cover inputs or repay earlier loans. This vicious circle worsens rural poverty and agrarian distress.

Conversely, excess water leads to waterlogging, submerging crops and suffocating roots by limiting oxygen availability. Waterlogged fields risk crop failure, and repeated episodes degrade soil health by increasing salinity, reducing aeration, and harming soil structure. These effects threaten long-term productivity, particularly in flood-prone and deltaic regions.

Rain-fed regions at the sharp end. The challenge intensifies in rainfed and semi-arid regions where farming depends primarily on the monsoon. Yet India’s monsoon has become increasingly unpredictable, with erratic onset, uneven spatial distribution, and frequent dry spells, a trend attributed to climate variability.

Such variability disrupts both water and crop calendars. Farmers here face hard choices: Delay sowing while waiting for sufficient rain, truncating the growing season and risking lower yields; or extract groundwater to ensure timely planting, increasing input costs and hastening aquifer depletion. 

This groundwater dependence sets off a downward spiral, with shrinking water tables raising pumping costs and threatening long-term sustainability. Parts of Rajasthan, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh exemplify this precarious situation.

Risks of uncoordinated rainfall patterns, rigid crop calendars

The devastation caused by excessive rainfall this year illustrates how badly India needs to reconcile its water and crop calendars. Unseasonal downpours drowned fields from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Paddy ready for harvest was flattened, pulses and oilseeds split open before ripening and onions and tomatoes rotted in waterlogged soils.

In August and September 2025, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded rainfall up to twice the seasonal norm. Soybean and maize, in their grain-filling stage, were submerged, precisely when too much water does the greatest harm. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, torrential rains ruined freshly transplanted paddy and derailed sowing schedules for pulses. In Maharashtra’s Marathwada, a long dry spell ended with cloudbursts that caused both crop loss and severe soil erosion.

Farmers had little room to manoeuvre. Sowing and harvesting calendars are rigid and without adaptive water management or early-warning systems, they were left exposed to the elements. 

Without adaptive synchronisation mechanisms such as dynamic reservoir release planning, early-warning advisories and promotion of climate-resilient cropping choices, the mismatch between water and crop calendars will only deepen under climate variability.

The toll of poorly timed irrigation is not just ecological but economic. Delayed watering during sensitive phases slashes yields. Data from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2023 showed rice yields in coastal Odisha fell by up to 20 per cent when irrigation was late during the grain-filling stage.

When surface water is unavailable, farmers turn to costly alternatives: Diesel pumps for groundwater or buying tanker water, which has further ramifications. Input costs soar, while profits shrink. 

Erratic water supply also disrupts cropping patterns, forcing farmers to alter their cropping decisions or delay sowing, which in turn disrupts agricultural cycles and depresses overall output. Improper irrigation can cause waterlogging, resulting in long-term soil health damage that undermines future productivity and financial returns.

On a broader scale, these inefficiencies pose serious risks to food security by threatening stable food production amid a growing population and the increasing pressures of climate change.

Lessons from Kerala, Punjab and Krishna Delta

Some states are showing what can be achieved when water and crop calendars are better aligned.

Kerala has recognised challenges such as delays in canal water releases and rainfall gaps that previously caused sowing postponements and reduced cultivation areas for rice varieties. 

Farmers are gradually shifting towards more efficient water use, exploring crops like tapioca and banana, which complement water availability patterns. The Kerala Water Authority’s initiative to digitise water release schedules and enhance coordination with agricultural agencies marks a significant and promising step toward better synchronization, ultimately supporting higher yields, income stability and more resilient farming practices.

Punjab’s canal irrigation system, too, demonstrates how scheduled water releases, aligned with wheat and paddy cycles, can support consistently high yields. Real-time monitoring and active farmer engagement have reinforced this success. This integrated approach has helped maintain consistently high yields and strong farm profitability.

Yet Punjab also warns of the dangers of over-reliance: Groundwater depletion and over-irrigation loom as major threats despite careful water scheduling.

The Krishna Delta, irrigated by reservoirs such as Nagarjuna Sagar, has taken a dynamic approach, matching water releases with inflows and crop demand. This flexible allocation has improved efficiency and boosted farmer incomes, an approach worth replicating more widely.

Together, these examples highlight how improved synchronisation between water availability and crop needs can strengthen agricultural productivity and resilience across diverse regions.

Multi-pronged approach for better synchronisation

To bridge the gap between water availability and crop needs, India must adopt comprehensive strategies. Effective water management in agriculture relies heavily on data-driven approaches, such as real-time hydrological monitoring, accurate weather forecasting and modelling of crop water demand, which together enable adaptive irrigation scheduling to minimise wastage and maximise yields. 

Equally important is decentralised, farmer-centric planning that empowers local water user associations and farmers to actively participate in water scheduling, ensuring delivery aligns with actual field requirements. Modernising infrastructure by repairing and automating canal networks, installing flow control devices, and expanding the use of micro-irrigation methods like drip and sprinkler systems further enhances precision and timeliness in water delivery. 

Investments in effective drainage systems are also essential to prevent waterlogging and maintain soil health, particularly in flood-prone areas. Encouraging crop diversification by promoting varieties suited to local water availability and climate such as millets, pulses, and drought-resistant crops helps reduce pressure on water resources while building resilience. Integrating climate change projections into irrigation and crop calendar planning ensures that these systems remain adaptive to increasing weather variability. 

Finally, strong policy coordination and collaboration among agricultural extension services, water authorities, and local governance bodies are critical for developing integrated frameworks that can dynamically respond to evolving environmental and agricultural conditions.

Laxmi Joshi is fellow at National Council of Applied Economic Research and Saurabh Bandyopadhyay is senior fellow at National Council of Applied Economic Research

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth