Zones with more than 40% of irrigation are located in the plain (see the physical map [www.mapsofindia.com/maps/andhrapradesh/andhrapradeshphysical.htm]), except for the north of Andhra Pradesh where the irrigated lands benefit from dams on the Godavari and its affluents.

In the plain however, the density of the irrigated lands is not homogeneous and cannot be explained by a simple physical determinism of topography or hydrography as we had advanced it on the scale of South India. Sure, deltas are densely irrigated. But, the Nagarjuna Sagar dam and its long canals explain that the irrigated lands do not follow strictly the Krishna valley. Near Cudappah, the geographical distribution of irrigation is complex to interpret. It is first of all astonishing to see the influence of Kurnool Cuddappah Canal only close to Cudappah. Then, although small dams exist on the affluents of the Penner, the green spots result more from an irrigation by pumps or tank, in this landscape of valleys steepsided within Nallamalai and Velikonda hills surrounding Cuddappah from North to South. Other factors - such as a more or less easy access to the ground water, or undoubtedly also social and socio-economic factors which remain to be determined - may intervene to understand this geography of irrigation.

It is interesting to compare this map of irrigation with that of the percentage of cultivators [cultivators % of agriculture workforce]: the areas with great density of irrigation suit the zones where the cultivators are proportionally very few, whereas the number of workers is important [agricultural workers per cultivated hectares]. They represent in fact the zones of intensive rice growing, activity which requires many workers and which, here, depends on labour employed by the cultivators. The same phenomenon can be observed in Tamil Nadu.

O.A.