RID’s ‘Wet and Dry’ Farming technique wins award

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RID’s ‘Wet and Dry’ Farming technique wins award

  

BANGKOK, 9 November 2016 (NNT) - The Royal Irrigation Department has taken to the stage of the 2nd World Irrigation Forum held in Chiang Mai province to present its research on rice farming with less water. or ‘Wet and Dry’ rice cultivation which won the WatSave Award 2016, telling the forum that the technology has been proven to save water, reduce costs, increase profits and reduce workforce numbers. 

The break-through work was achieved in a collaboration of the Royal Irrigation Department, the Irrigation Engineering Alumni Association under H.M. The King's Patronage and the International Network for Water and the Ecosystem in Paddy Fields' (INWEPF) Thai Committee. 

The ‘Wet and Dry’ Farming technique came from the concept that rice is not necessarily a water plant; in order to grow rice, one does not have to flood the fields with water. The method starts by planting baby rice plants 30 cm apart, while watering the field to a depth of around 5 cm and leaving it to dry. The expanded space of 30 cm ensures the plant’s ability to spread its root system to find nutrients. The spacing also allows animal life such as ducks to roam through and eat insects. 

Normally when farmers leave their fields flooded all the time, rice will naturally strive to grow to the surface, diverting its energy from creating grain to growing in height. All that water also means that the fertilizer is diluted and more fertilizer is soon needed, bacteria can also grow readily in water, while the rice, usually planted close together, creates an environment conducive to insect life. 

Too much water will also soften the soil, while sealing the ground below creating methane gas affecting the ability of the plant to source food and therefore the quality of the rice produced. A lot of water also means a greater cost. 

Director-General of the Royal Irrigation Department and Chairman of the Thai National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (THAICID) SanchaiKetworrachai, said today that the ‘Wet and Dry’ Farming technique can help farmers save 20-35% on water usage, reduce the need for chemical fertilizer by half; and reduce overall chemical substances by 70-100%. As the rice does not have to grow itself out of the water, it will produce more rice on a shorter stem. Many farmers have revealed that through this method they are able to produce more than a ton of rice per rai, generating at least 10,000 baht in profit per rai. 

In addition, methane gas can be lowered by 9%, which is in line with the policy to reduce Green House Gases (GHGs), that Thailand committed to at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change during the 21st Global Meeting on Climate Change. 

 

-- nnt 2016-11-09