Growing rice with little water

Heavy rains with floods, then no rain & farmers who can't grow crops, new kind of rice for this new reality in Thailand.

Photo above of a rice field that uses a new water-saving technology that can be used in droughts called Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) that uses a new aerobic rice developed at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines (Source: IRRI YouTube video below).

Click button to listen to Water Saving Rice Cultivation to download

RICE

Water-saving methods crucial as drought hits farmers

24/04/2012
Apinya Wipatayotin

Farmers need to turn to new rice growing techniques to reduce water usage in light of the severe drought in the region and to ease the impact of climate change.

Bas Bouman of the Philippines-based International Rive Research Institute (IRRI), said the world's leading rice producers, such as China, India and Vietnam, have already turned towards new techniques that reduce the amount of water used.

"The change would not only help save water, but also energy and overall production costs. "In growing rice, we don't need to keep fields submerged all the time. We can make them wet and dry at different periods of time. This technique not only helps conserve water for other agricultural purposes, it also helps ensure stable yields and reduces the investment cost," Mr Bouman said.

IRRI has been experimenting with the so-called "Alternative Wetting and Drying" (AWD) technique which reduces water use in a rice field by 10-30%. 

In the fields where the new techniques are being tried out, tubes made from bamboo are inserted into the soil to measure the water level below the ground.

If the water level in the soil is between 5 to 10cm from the surface, it means there is enough water to feed the rice seedlings. If the water level falls below that, farmers will then pump water into the paddy fields.

The method also reduces methane emissions in fields by 75%, experts said.

In Bangladesh, 50,000 technical trial results showed the AWD technique reduced water consumption by 30-50% and the cost of irrigation by 21-27%. 

Meanwhile, the use of aerobic rice instead of other rice strains also brought down water consumption by 50%. 

Aerobic rice does not require submerged fields. The water volume need only be enough to keep the soil moist.

More research will be needed to breed better varieties and improve cultivation practice as yield from aerobic rice was 20-30% lower than the yield from submerged rice fields.

The IRRI has already experimented with the AWD technique in the northeastern and central regions of Thailand.

"The technique is available for farmers in Thailand. But we are going to try more techniques and select the best [one] to match the country's environment. I think we need to do more to bring it to the real farms," Mr Bouman said during a seminar on "Preparing Rice for the Global Water Crisis", organised by the Thai Rice Foundation under Royal Patronage.

IRRI figures show a rice field takes two to three times more water than a wheat or a maize field.

It takes about 2,500 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice.

(Source: Bangkok Post, RICE, Water-saving methods crucial as drought hits farmers, 24/04/2012, Apinya Wipatayotin, link) 

Rice Cultivation Vocabulary

Alternative Wetting and Drying (AWD) - a water-saving technology in rice growing that uses drought-resistant aerobic rice developed at IRRI (See IRRI webpage and video)
aerobic - using oxygen
aerobic rice - a new drought-resistant type of rice (See Wikipedia)

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) - a world-famous rice research institute located in the Philippines (See Wikipedia and website)
Thai Rice Foundation - (See Wikipedia)

drought - a period when there is very little rain or water in an area (See Wikipedia) ความแห้งแล้ง

cultivation - growing plants
practice - a way of doing something การปฏิบัติ
cultivation practice

techniques - methods of doing a task or activity เทคนิค
rice growing techiques
rice growing techniques to reduce water usage

crucial - very important because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
Water-saving methods crucial as drought hits farmers

in light of - to do or believe something because of
severe - very serious and worrying ที่รุนแรง ที่น่าเป็นห่วง
severe drought
ease - to make or become less severe, difficult, unpleasant, painful, etc ทำให้ง่าย
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
ease the impact - reduce the influence or negative effect 
climate - the general weather conditions usually found in a particular place สภาพอากาศ
climate change - the long-term changes in the earth's weather that often life more difficult (more or less rain causing more or less water as well as droughts and flooding at certain times of year)

Farmers need to turn to new rice growing techniques to reduce water usage in light of the severe drought in the region and to ease the impact of climate change. Bas Bouman of the Philippines-based International Rive Research Institute (IRRI), said the world's leading rice producers, such as China, India and Vietnam, have already turned towards new techniques that reduce the amount of water used.

submerged - under water จมน้ำ อยู่ใต้น้ำ
conserve - to keep and protect something from damage, change or waste สงวน,เก็บรักษา
conserve water
stable - not changing suddenly or a lot, therefore predictable and easy to work with   คงที่, มั่นคง ไม่เปลี่ยนแปลง
yields - how much crop a farmer gets from farming one hectare of land ผลผลิต ให้ผลผลิต
stable yield
ensure - to make certain that something happens or is done รับรอง ให้ความมั่นใจ  ให้การยืนยัน
ensure stable yields
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
investment cost

"The change would not only help save water, but also energy and overall production costs. "In growing rice, we don't need to keep fields submerged all the time. We can make them wet and dry at different periods of time. This technique not only helps conserve water for other agricultural purposes, it also helps ensure stable yields and reduces the investment cost," Mr Bouman said.

experimenting - trying different ways to solve a problem
rice yield - the amount of rice produced on a given amount of land

IRRI has been experimenting with the so-called "Alternative Wetting and Drying" (AWD) technique which reduces water use in a rice field by 10-30%. 

tried out - to use something to see how it works (before buying it or deciding to use it)
tubes - long narrow hollow object, like a pipe
bamboo
soil - the earth or dirt used to grow crops such as rice
insert - put into something
inserted into the soil - put into the soil or earth

In the fields where the new techniques are being tried out, tubes made from bamboo are inserted into the soil to measure the water level below the ground.

surface - the top or outside of something
surface of a rice field
rice seedlings - small baby rice plants
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
paddy fields - rice fields
pump - a machine for moving water (or another liquid such as gasoline) from one place to another place
pump water into paddy fields

If the water level in the soil is between 5 to 10cm from the surface, it means there is enough water to feed the rice seedlings. If the water level falls below that, farmers will then pump water into the paddy fields.

emissions - gases released into the air (from cars, factories, etc) การปล่อยออกมา
methane
methane emissions

The method also reduces methane emissions in fields by 75%, experts said.

trial - a test, usually over a limited period of time, to discover how effective or suitable something or someone is การทดลอง, การทดสอบ  การลองผิดลองถูก การทดลอง testing it out (before making it permanent)
results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task
trial results
technical - involving materials, processes, and machines to do specialised work เฉพาะทาง requiring special detailed knowledge (example: computers, electronics, manufacturing)
technical trial - testing some new technology to see if it works (before using it)
technical trial results
consumption - using, eating or drinking something การบริโภค
water consumption - the amount of water used by a person or family
irrigation - the process of supplying water to an area of land through pipes or channels so that crops will grow การชลประทาน ระบบชลประทาน  (See Wikipedia)

In Bangladesh, 50,000 technical trial results showed the AWD technique reduced water consumption by 30-50% and the cost of irrigation by 21-27%. 

strain - one special kind of plant
rice strains - different kinds or varieties of rice

Meanwhile, the use of aerobic rice instead of other rice strains also brought down water consumption by 50%. 

volume - the quantity or amount of something
water volume
moist - containing water; slightly wet เปียกชื้น
moist soil - slightly wet soil (earth, dirt)
keep the soil moist - put water in the soil (don't let it become too dry)

Aerobic rice does not require submerged fields. The water volume need only be enough to keep the soil moist.

breed - raise animals or plants for the purpose of producing more animals เพาะเลี้ยง
breed varieties of rice
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
improve cultivation practice
yield - the amount produced (here: the amount produced from a fixed amount of land) ผลผลิต yield - the amount produced per rai used in farming ให้ผลผลิตต่อไร่

More research will be needed to breed better varieties and improve cultivation practice as yield from aerobic rice was 20-30% lower than the yield from submerged rice fields.  The IRRI has already experimented with the AWD technique in the northeastern and central regions of Thailand.

match - to look the same as or very similar to something else ซึ่งไม่คู่ควร
environment - the natural world of land, sea, plants, and animals
figures - statistics, numbers describing the economy Trade balance The country's
IRRI figures
wheat - a grain used to make bread, eaten by many around the world (See Wikipedia)
maize - corn ข้าวโพด (See Wikipedia)

"The technique is available for farmers in Thailand. But we are going to try more techniques and select the best [one] to match the country's environment. I think we need to do more to bring it to the real farms," Mr Bouman said during a seminar on "Preparing Rice for the Global Water Crisis", organised by the Thai Rice Foundation under Royal Patronage.  IRRI figures show a rice field takes two to three times more water than a wheat or a maize field.  It takes about 2,500 litres of water to produce 1kg of rice.