Research Training Seminar 6.3

Doing Research on Irrigation Technology:
Balancing Technical and Social Factors

Chitra Krishnan
Independent Researcher
abcks5[at]yahoo.co.in

Date: July 25, 2008 (Friday); Time: 2:30 p.m.
Venue: Class Room #7, XIMB Campus

Dr Chitra Krishnan has been trained as a civil engineer and pursued her Masters in environmental engineering. Her working stints in different rural contexts of Kerala and an organic farm in the USA have shaped her interests leading to her PhD in applied mechanics from IIT Delhi. She is currently practising dryland farming at Gubbi in Tumkur district, Karnataka and is involved in research studies during the agricultural off-season. Dr Krishnan will speak about her doctoral research on Tank and anicut irrigation systems: An engineering analysis. Her experience indicates that a researcher's broader social concerns can influence and shape the research process without compromising academic rigour.

Abstract: To contribute to the prevailing knowledge on irrigation, one has to balance between traditional knowledge and modern conceptions of design, between users' and policy-makers' perspectives, and in general, between technical and social factors. There can be certain risks involved in pursuing such a line of enquiry. Ultimately, research in this area ought to help us design more effective irrigation systems. However, designing irrigation systems turns out to be a complex task. The seminar will focus on the kind of knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for this task and its implications for doing research in this area.

**A recent article by Dr Krishnan: Krishnan, C., & Veeravalli, S. V. (2006). Tanks and anicuts of south India: Examples of an alternative science of engineering. In A. V. Balasubramanian, & Nirmala Devi, T. D. (Eds.). Traditional knowledge systems of India and Sri Lanka (Compas series on worldviews and sciences, 5) (pp. 220-226). Chennai, India: Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems. Retrieved July 25, 2008, from http://www.compasnet.org/afbeeldingen/Books/Traditional%20Knowledge%20India/krishnan.pdf

A l l a r e w e l c o m e !

For more information about this seminar series, please visit:
Research Seminars @ XIMB
http://www1.ximb.ac.in/users/web/fpm.nsf/pages/Seminars