Conference Agenda

Rainfall uncertainty and groundwater depletion exacerbates production risks in agriculture. It endangers food security issues in developing countries, such as India, which heavily rely on groundwater resources and the timing of monsoon for production decisions. Micro-irrigation technologies, such as drip and sprinkler systems, are being subsidized and promoted in India for over a decade, can partially offset groundwater scarcity and shape a climate-resilient agriculture pathway. However, the adoption of these technologies are very low. Existing research on MI technology have often mostly relied on static models, failing to explain the dynamic nature of MI technology uptake, its sustained use, and disadoption. Using a high-frequency, plot-level panel data, covering 1,161 agricultural households in the Eastern and Semi-arid Tropics of India, we uncover patterns of adoption over half-a-decade period. Our duration analysis model identifies covariates that accelerates (and decelerates) the speed of MI adoption. We provide novel evidence on water-saving technology adoption response to negative rainfall shocks as well as pinpoint the role of community level adoption and past exposure to adoption as significant determinants of adoption speed. We also find that the households from marginalized castes (SC/ST) face a substantially lower probability of speedy adoption, suggesting the role of social structures in mediating access to technology. We also find evidence of disadoption of MI technologies, which can undermine the welfare gains anticipated under full adoption, warranting further research to understand factors that can deter disadoption.