Tanks are one of the most important traditional sources of water for irrigation and other livelihood purposes in southern India. The present study was conducted to develop the strategies for enhancing the land and water productivity in tank command areas in the rain-fed regions of Telangana. Three strategies were identified, these strategies include change in the cropping pattern, water saving technologies and conjunctive use of tank with open well/bore well water. Due to change in cropping pattern from paddy to irrigated, dry crops like maize, chillies and cotton increased the cultural command area of the tanks by 79% and net reruns by 43%. The conjunctive use of tank water and well water is the better strategy for optimal resource use and higher returns in tank command areas. Results also showed that the alternate wetting and drying strategy in tank command areas increased the command area by 35%. These strategies can be implemented to increase the water use efficiency, cultural command area and net returns in the tank command areas of Southern India.

A study was conducted in the command area of Guvvalagudem major distributary of the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal, Andhra Pradesh to determine weekly canal water supplies and demands and to examine if any imbalances between the two exist in the command area. It was concluded that most of the times canal supplies were lesser than the design capacity and there were wide gaps between weekly canal water demands and supplies. The mismatch between the annual supplies and the annual demands were lesser in magnitude (up to 20%) when compared to the weekly mismatches, which went up to 100% in some cases.

Natural farming (NF) has emerged as a promising agro-ecological tactic to enhance resource use and reduce dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs. However, comprehensive field-based evidence across diverse agro-climatic regions remains limited. This study assessed the effects of NF on water use, water and crop productivity, economic returns, energy consumption, and soil fertility across four agro-climatic zones of Andhra Pradesh, India, using a paired-field approach during 2023–2025. Compared with conventional farming (CF), NF reduced total water utilization by 16.1–39.0%, resulting in a 15.0–55.5% improvement in water productivity. Although rice yield declined marginally by 4.40–8.40% in the Southern, Krishna, and High-Altitude zones during some seasons, yields remained comparable in the Godavari zone. The cost of cultivation decreased substantially by 20.6–35.1%, while gross returns remained largely comparable between production systems, varying from −7.0% to +5.05%. Consequently, NF increased net returns by 8.8–29.0% and improved the benefit-cost ratio by 23.7–47.8% relative to CF. Irrigation-related energy consumption was reduced by 21.8–57.7%, indicating greater resource-use efficiency under NF. The sustainable yield index values remained high (0.68–0.91), demonstrating stable crop productivity despite reduced external inputs. Natural farming practices also improved soil health by buffering soil pH towards neutrality; soil organic carbon (SOC) enhanced from 0.38–0.73% under CF to 0.57–1.01% under NF. Similarly, available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium increased under NF. Overall, these findings demonstrate that natural farming improves water and energy productivity, reduces production costs, and increases farm profitability while maintaining stable rice productivity across diverse agro-climatic conditions. The results highlight the potential of natural farming as a climate-resilient and resource-efficient strategy for sustainable rice production in India.