Abstract
Spatio‐temporal variations and links between irrigation and the agricultural sector were delineated in the districts of an eastern Indian state, West Bengal, during 2001–2002 to 2011–2012. Cumulative annual exponential growth rate (CAEGR) was calculated for each of the parameters considered under agriculture and irrigation. The irrigation and agricultural scenario at district level were assessed through different indexes. The growth rate of most of the districts showed a declining trend in 5 out of 11 selected parameters, viz. share of cultivable land to total land, share of net sown area to cultivable land, food grain production, paddy production and cropping intensity. Overall, growth rates were found for the canal‐ and groundwater‐irrigated areas, respectively, with an increase of net irrigated area (CAEGR 0.17). Both the agricultural development index (ADI) and the irrigation coverage index (ICI) were found to be high to very high (≥60) in four districts, while two districts had very low to low ADI and ICI values (≤40) in all the years. The source‐wise irrigation utilization indices altogether explained 91% variation in ADI that was predominantly by canal and groundwater irrigation. Some missing links were also observed in some districts where the level of agricultural development did not match the irrigation scenario. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.