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Water Management Information Dissemination and Extension for Irrigated Agriculture
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Pilot and Demonstration Activities
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Tarlac and Nueva Ecija in Central Luzon, Philippines are rice-producing provinces that use water-saving technologies to irrigate rice fields and increase rice yield. This PDA trained irrigation system managers and other water user groups on these new technologies. |
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Water for agriculture is increasingly becoming scarce and expensive. Increased demand from an ever increasing population is the cause, leading to increased irrigation demand to produce enough food, and to competition for water from sectors such as cities and industry.
Rice, the most important staple food in Asia, is the biggest consumer of irrigation water.
To safeguard food security and conserve water resources, scientists have been researching on water-saving irrigation technologies for rice production. They have had successes with various technologies that have tremendous potential to produce rice using less water, to increase water productivity, and to save on water that can be used to irrigate more land. Unfortunately, many of these technologies have not been extended to Asian rice farmers.
To remedy this situation in the Philippines, IRRI, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), and PhilRice initiated a project in 2001 designed to develop a strategy and methodology for the transfer, adaptation, and adoption of water-saving technologies. Pilot sites were established in two provinces- Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. These pilot sites demonstrated that with the use of water-saving technologies, rice could be grown using 30-40% less water without significant effect on yield. Moreover, with restricted water supply, aerobic rice gave higher yields than traditional lowland rice. The project established an effective NIA-farmer-scientist partnership and a vision for widespread extension and adoption of water-saving technologies in the Philippines.
As a next step toward technology transfer of water-saving technologies in the Philippines (beyond the established pilot sites) and in Asia in general, a training course on water-saving technologies is urgently needed.
To develop and implement a training course on water-saving technologies and knowledge transfer, aimed at irrigation system managers, extension officers, leaders of irrigator associations, and water user groups.
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This PDA was completed on 20 January 2004. Read the Final Report [PDF].
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This PDA
The training course on IRRI’s water saving technologies has been replicated among members of IRRI’s network. Appropriate adjustments to local conditions have been made to suit training-specific needs. |
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