The impact of on-farm water saving irrigation techniques on rice productivity and profitability in Zhanghe Irrigation System, Hubei, China

Abstract

To optimize the use of limited water resources, surface irrigation systems in parts of China have introduced a new water saving irrigation method for rice termed alternate wetting and drying (AWD). The basic feature of this method is to irrigate so that the soil alternates between periods of standing water and damp or dry soil conditions from 30 days after crop establishment up to harvesting. However, many Chinese rice farmers still practice the continuous irrigation method with late-season drying of the soil.A comparative assessment of these two methods of onfarm water management for rice was conducted at two sites within the Zhanghe Irrigation System (ZIS) in Hubei province of China for the 1999 and 2000 rice crops. The objective was to evaluate the impact of AWD on crop management practices and the profitability of rice production. In conjunction with irrigation district officials, two sites within ZIS were selected for study, one where AWD was supposed to be widely practiced (Tuanlin, TL) and one where it had not been introduced (Lengshui, LS). It was found that farmers at both sites do not practice a pure form of either AWD or continuous flooding. However, farmers in TL did tend to let the soil dry more frequently than their counterparts in LS.Because most farmers practice neither pure AWD nor pure continuous flooding, an AWD score was developed that measures the frequency with which farmers allow their soil to dry. This AWD score was not significantly correlated with yield after controlling for site and year effects and input use. AWD scores were also not correlated with input use. We conclude that AWD saves water at the farm level without adversely affecting yields or farm profitability.

Transferring water from irrigation to higher valued uses: a case study of the Zhanghe irrigation system in China

“…It is estimated that by 2002 this practice has been adopted on 40% of the rice growing area or 12 million ha in China (Li and Barker 2004). Research results have shown that farmers in ZID practiced AWD primarily in years of low rainfall or shortage of water supplied by ZIS but that AWD could be practiced without loss in yield (Belder et al 2004;Cabangon et al 2004;Belder et al 2005;Moya et al 2004). Bouman et al (2007) with research along the Yellow River concluded that most water savings under AWD came from a reduction in percolation rates.…”

Water management and crop production for food security in China: A review

“…Highly divisible and low cost technologies have been more successfully adopted at the household level. At the community level such practices are adopted on a limited scale, due partly to policy failures and constraints to adoption such as information and financial support, extension programs, coordination failure in collective action, and the need for large fixed investments (Moya et al, 2004). The scope for increasing field level water savings and water productivity in rice production remains substantial.…”

“…The government has promoted the adoption of water saving technologies and provided financial support for infrastructure, with notable impacts on food security (Li, 2006). For instance, wet/dry irrigation for rice has positive impacts on yields, water productivity, fertilizer use efficiency and irrigation costs and returns (Moya et al, 2004). The Fig.…”

Energy and water tradeoffs in enhancing food security: A selective international assessment

“…Studies have shown (Mushtaq et al, 2006;Moya et al, 2004;Li and Barker, 2004; Belder et al , 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 13 2004) that AWD irrigation practices save 5-30% of water without adversely affecting yields. The water saving would result in decreased pumping costs, reduced energy inputs and ultimately an increase in profits.…”

“…This is because of the adoption of water-saving irrigation practices, in particular alternate wetting and drying (AWD) (Bouman et al, 2007;Cabangon et al, 2004). The basic feature of the AWD method is to irrigate so that the soil alternates between periods of standing water and damp or dry soil conditions from 30 days after crop establishment up to harvesting (Moya et al, 2004). In general, rice grown on tubewell has higher water productivity (0.95 kg/m 3 ) than canal irrigation (0.84 kg/m 3 ), due to more timely and flexible water supply, which not only helped in reducing the irrigation water quantity but also increased yield (Figure 9).…”