Irrigated Rice Farming Research Articles

Energy Efficiency and Economic Analysis of an Irrigated Rice Farming System in Ampara District of Sri Lanka: An Assessment for 2018/19 <em>Maha</em> Season

This research presents the outcome of energy use efficiency and economic analysis of irrigated rice farming system in Ampara district, during 2018/19 <em>Maha </em>season, which will be useful for the farmers and decision makers. Primary data were collected from 80 farmers covering all the major irrigation schemes of Ampara district by using a structured questionnaire. The data collected on farm input and output volumes, and usage hours were converted to energy values using standard coefficients reported in literature. Economic analysis was done based on the regional cost information collected through the same questionnaire. Labor, machinery, fuel, agrochemicals, seeds and irrigation water were recognized as farm inputs, while rice yield and straw were considered as outputs. Total energy input and total energy output of rice production were 29,689±209.9 MJ/ha and 154,681±3,425.5 MJ/ha, respectively. The highest energy input was accounted by nitrogen fertilizer (44.76%). The system energy efficiency was 5.3±0.13 with a water productivity of 0.8±0.02 kg/m³. The share of the non-renewable energy (67.29%) is higher than the renewable. The average value of total cost of production per hectare, gross return per hectare, benefit-cost ratio and productivity of rice production calculated to be Rs. 134,540.64, Rs. 212,316.36, 1.58 and 0.04 kg/Rs, respectively. The unit cost of production was Rs. 23.45 /kg. Although economic value of major inputs of materials (33.48%), labour (31.59%) and power (34.95%) equally contribute to the cost of production, the shares of these three major inputs in term of energy were 58.32%, 1.50% and 16.24%, respectively. The energy analysis is a convenient tool to quantify efficiency of different rice farming systems overcoming the issues arise from monetary escalations across time and regional boundaries in economic efficiency analysis.

Agronomical performance and economic feasibility of new superior rice variety planted on the irrigated field in Jayapura, Papua

The study aims to evaluate the agronomical performance of new superior varieties of rice in irrigated fields cultivated through the Integrated Crop Management approach and the feasibility of the farming system. The research was carried out in Koya Barat, a region in District Muara Tami, Jayapura City, Papua Province in April-October 2019. The research used a single factor randomised block design with four new superior rice varieties as treatment afived 5 replications. The varieties were Inpari 36, Inpari 37, Inpari 43, and Ciherang. The data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and followed by DMRT to determine the differences between treatments. The R/C ratio, marginal B/C analysis and the break-even point (BEP) were analysed to determine the economic feasibility. The results showed that the performance of each variety varied following their genetic traits. The highest rice production was obtained from Inpari 37 variety (6.86 t/ha), while Ciherang produced the lowest yield (4.34 t/ha). Inpari 37 and Inpari 43 provided higher profit compared to Ciherang and Inpari 36 with R/C values of 3.43 and 3.42, respectively. The highest market acceptance of Inpari 37 was valued at IDR 29,498,000 followed by Inpari 43 at Rp 29,412,000, then Ciherang at IDR 18,662,000 and lastly, the Inpari 36 at IDR 25,542,000. Economically, rice farming is feasible to be developed because it has an R/C ratio of> 1. The irrigated rice farming in Jayapura City is profitable with a rate of around 2.42 % of the total cost spent.

Managing wetlands to solve the water crisis in the Katuma River ecosystem, Tanzania

The formerly perennial Katuma River in western Tanzania starts in a protected forest, it then flows through irrigated rice farms before reaching Lake Katavi, a floodplain wetland whose outflow regulates the river flow through the Katavi National Park (KNP) down to its outlet at Lake Rukwa, which has no outlet. In recent years, due to overexploitation of water for irrigation, the Katuma River dried out for up to four months per year and this greatly degraded the KNP ecosystem, the siltation of river lead to flooding of the adjacent areas during heavy rains, and the water level of Lake Rukwa has decreased by 4 m since 1992 while its fishery yield and water quality also deteriorated. In 2016, a total of 46 illegal weirs were removed from the Katuma River upstream of KNP. Following that, the river zero-flow periods were reduced by two months and Lake Rukwa water level rose by 1 m. We suggest that the construction of a low V-notch weir at the outlet of the Lake Katavi wetlands would further reduce the Katuma River zero-flow periods by an additional month, thus returning the river nearly to its former perennial status. The enforcement of regulations governing the construction of irrigation weirs is essential. These ecohydrology solutions do not eliminate the threats, but they amplify the opportunities for sustainable development at the basin scale. This example of active governance of water resources at the basin scale can be applied throughout Tanzania and in semi-arid East Africa in general.

Profitability analysis of rice production: a microeconomic perspective from northern Ghana

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to estimate the profitability of rice production for irrigated and rain-fed farmers; determine the factors that influence farmers' decision to participate in irrigation and the impact of irrigation on rice farmers' profitability in northern Ghana.Design/methodology/approachUsing cross-sectional data collected from 543 rice farmers in northern Ghana, the study employed both non-parametric (cost benefit analysis) and parametric (endogenous switching regression) approaches to analyse the data.FindingsThe empirical results reveal a significant difference between the profits of irrigated (GHS 2442.30) and rain-fed farmers (GHS 576.20), as well as the cost-benefit ratios between irrigators (2.53) and rain-fed farmers (1.37). Also, participation in irrigation was found to be influenced by relatively small farm size and off-farm income; while profitability was influenced by membership in a farmer-based organization, access to agricultural extension services and perception of decreasing rainfall intensity. Irrigation also had a positive significant net impact on profitability of rice production.Research limitations/implicationsThe results provide justification for development partners and the government of Ghana through the “one-village-one-dam” policy, to invest in irrigation in northern Ghana in order to improve household welfare as well as build resilience for sustainable production systems.Originality/valueThis study is the first of its kind to provide a robust analysis of the difference in profits of rain-fed and irrigated rice farmers while estimating the determinants of Ghanaian farmers' choice of either of the regimes within a bias-corrected framework.

Entomological indicators of malaria transmission and insecticide resistance profile of Anopheles gambiae at the early phase of irrigated rice farming in the forest area of central Cameroon

Background:Cameroonian authorities have recently established irrigated rice projects across the country. The assessment of the impact of such projects in the transmission of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, imposes to compare the situation before and after their implementation in a given locality. In Bankeng, a village in a forest area in Cameroon, no preliminary data on malaria transmission indicators was collected before the implantation of irrigated rice farming. To attempt to catch up for this shortcoming 6 months after the first rice seedlings were sown., the present study aimed to generate data which could serve as a baseline to assess the impact of irrigated rice farming in Bankeng.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at the end of the rainy season in July 2018. Mosquitoes were sampled by night collections on human volunteers, identified morphologically and members of different complexes further sorted to species using molecular tools.Plasmodiuminfectious status was determined by Taqman genotyping. To assess resistance profile to insecticides, WHO bioassays were performed using two-to-five days old femalesAn. gambiaes.l. reared from larval collections in Bankeng. Furthermore, the molecular basis of resistance were investigatedResults:An. gambiaes.l represented 98% of the 1087 mosquitoes collected withAnopheles gambiaeas the predominant species. The total human biting rate was 44.5 bites/person/night. Entomological inoculation rate was 3.8 ib/p/n. The BankengAn. gambiaepopulation exhibited a high level of resistance to almost all insecticides except to organophosphates with a high frequency of L1014F kdr mutation (93.9%) and a 6-fold over-expression ofCYP6P3P450 gene. Conclusion: In the absence of preliminary data before the implementation of the irrigated rice fields; the present study provides interesting data which could help for the future assessment of the impact of irrigated rice cultivation on malaria transmission in the locality of Bankeng.

Difference use of labors in land area for each stage of rice farming in irrigated rice fields

The purpose of this study was to look at differences in labor use in <1 ha land area and > 1 ha land area in rice farming in irrigated rice fields in Mulyasri Village, Tomoni District, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. The sample of respondents in this study was 32 irrigated rice farmers. Data collection methods used in this study were interviews and questionnaires. The analytical method used in this study was the Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA) method. This research was conducted from October 2018 to November 2018. The results of the study showed that there were differences in the use of labor. The use of HOK on land area < 1 ha is more than the use of HOK on land area > 1.

Level of work day (human, animal, and machine) at each stage of rice farming in irrigated rice fields

The purpose of this study was to analyze the outpouring of labor (human, animal and machine) used at each stage of rice farming in irrigated rice fields in Mulyasri Village, Tomoni District, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. The sample of respondents in this study was 32 irrigated rice farmers. Data collection method used in this study was interviews and questionnaires. The data analysis method used in this research was a quantitative descriptive method. This research was conducted from October 2018 to November 2018. The results of this research indicated that the use of human labor (men) amounted to 82.94 HOK/Ha (58.78%) HOK/Ha, the use of female labor was 5.08 HOK/Ha (3.60 %) HOK/Ha and it is less than the use of human labor (men) and also machine labor amounted 53.08 HOK/Ha (37.62%) HOK/Ha.

Employment wage and wage system (human, animal and machine) at each stage of rice farming in irrigated rice fields

The purpose of this study was to analyze the wage system and labor costs (human, animal, and machine) used at each stage of rice farming in irrigated rice fields in Mulyasri Village, Tomoni District, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. The sample of respondents in this study was 32 irrigated rice farmers. Data collection method used in this study was by conducting interviews and questionnaires. The data analysis method used in this research was a quantitative descriptive method. This research was conducted from October 2018 to November 2018. The results of the study used was the wage system in the village of Mulyasri namely wholesale and daily labor costs IDR 64,105,-/HOK (land processing), IDR 62,000,-/HOK (seeding), IDR107,327,-/HOK (planting), IDR 62,000,-/HOK (fertilizing), IDR 45,000,-/HOK (pest control), IDR 28,000/sack (harvest), and IDR419,749,-/HOK (post-harvest).

The 21st Century Agriculture: When Rice Research Draws Attention to Climate Variability and How Weedy Rice and Underutilized Grains Come in Handy.

Rice, the first crop to be fully sequenced and annotated in the mid-2000s, is an excellent model species for crop research due mainly to its relatively small genome and rich genetic diversity. The 130-million-year-old cereal came into the limelight in the 1960s when the semi-dwarfing gene sd-1, better known as the “green revolution” gene, resulted in the establishment of a high-yielding semi-dwarf variety IR8. Deemed as the miracle rice, IR8 saved millions of lives and revolutionized irrigated rice farming particularly in the tropics. The technology, however, spurred some unintended negative consequences, especially in prompting ubiquitous monoculture systems that increase agricultural vulnerability to extreme weather events and climate variability. One feasible way to incorporate resilience in modern rice varieties with narrow genetic backgrounds is by introgressing alleles from the germplasm of its weedy and wild relatives, or perhaps from the suitable underutilized species that harbor novel genes responsive to various biotic and abiotic stresses. This review reminisces the fascinating half-century journey of rice research and highlights the potential utilization of weedy rice and underutilized grains in modern breeding programs. Other possible alternatives to improve the sustainability of crop production systems in a changing climate are also discussed.

English

To meet the rising food demand for next generations, soils are needed to stand biological yield and promote animal, plant and human welfare. In this logic, the aim of the study was to determine the effects of different soil uses; (a) successive irrigated rice planting and (b) different soil management practices onto soil chemical properties and nutrient cycling. The study was carried out in areas with dissimilar years of irrigated rice farming, managed with conventional tillage (CT) and minimum cultivation (MC). Having as a reference a native vegetation plot, areas with 2, 4, 9, 14 and 26 years of different management such as conventional tillage or minimum cultivation were evaluated. Soil samplings were performed in the 0 - 0.10, 0.10 - 0.20 and 0.20 - 0.30 m layers. Three sub samples per layer were collected within each replicate and then condensed to the combined sample; straw sampling was also performed. Total nitrogen (TN) and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined by dry digestion in a Vario El III elemental. Highest TOC results were obtained in Ar9 and Ar14 areas in 0-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m layers; straw production varied from 7.61 to 8.94 Mg ha-1. Ar2 presented higher value in relation to others; nevertheless these variations were not significant. Still, it was observed that the Ar9 and Ar14 areas presented a higher total biomass production (grains and straw) than those found in Ar4, Ar2 and Ar26; so, these variations did not differ. Conversion of native ecosystems to irrigated rice production areas significantly affects soil fertility. Key words: Total organic carbon, soil management, irrigated rice.

Reinstating Local Agency: Origins and Development of Irrigated Rice Production in the Usangu Plains, 1920s to 1960

Many colonial scholars in the 20th century pointed out that agriculture was introduced in the continent from outside, basically Europe and Asia. They refused to accept that African ingenuity had a role to play in the development of agriculture. Premised on this line of thinking, many scholars who studied the Usangu Plains attributed the introduction and development of rice production in the plains to the Baluchi. Drawing from archival, oral and secondary written sources, and working within the framework of local agency and political economy theories, this paper argues that contrary to the popular notions that have attributed irrigated rice farming to the Baluchi community, the establishment of irrigated rice farming in the region was primarily an indigenous initiative of the Sangu. It further recognizes the role-played by the British colonial state in the expansion of irrigated rice farming which has seldom been accounted for by scholars who studied the area under study.

Morphological and Phenological Responses of Eragrostis plana Nees and Eragrostis pilosa (L.) P. Beauv. Plants Subjected to Different Soil Moisture Conditions

ABSTRACT: Experiments were run in a greenhouse where samples of Eragrostis pilosa and Eragrostis plana, species that infest rice crops, were subjected to three soil moisture conditions (50% of soil water retention capacity (WRC), 100% of WRC, 10 cm water depth), simulating three different environments (upland, lowland and irrigated rice farm, respectively), with the aim of studying how these conditions affect the morphology and vegetative cycle of these plants, by means of development and growth assessments. Results show that each species responds differently when subjected to varying amounts of water in the soil. Soaking the soil with 10 cm of water was the treatment that most negatively influenced the development of E. plana plants, reducing the formation of panicles per plant, as well as the aerial part dry mass. The responses of E. pilosa plants to the waterlogged environment manifested as reductions in tillering parameters, number of panicles per plant, root and aerial part dry mass, changes in flag leaf formation, and vegetative cycle increases, which allows inferring that these plants are more sensitive to hypotoxic environments. Thus, the water depth treatment is possibly what caused negative effects on the development of the study plants, which indicates that water management in irrigated rice farming is of uttermost importance for management of invasive plants.

POLICY FOR IMPROVING ADOPTION AND PROFITABILITY OF IRRIGATION IN BENIN

Majority of the irrigation schemes developed in Benin failed upon the withdrawal of foreign partners in 1980s, and these schemes were abandoned by farmers. The 2008 food crisis and the new challenge of climate change and variability have renewed Benin government interest to invest in irrigation development to achieve food security. This article explores the policies needed for such investments to be successful and improve adoption of irrigation and farmers’ profitability using a case study from the rice irrigation scheme of Malanville, Benin. Results indicate that irrigated rice farming is profitable in Benin. Furthermore, profitability is positively correlated with education, access to credit, extension services, soil quality, amount of fertilizer and herbicide applied, and ownership of mobile phone. Policy reforms needed to sustain the development of irrigation and to increase profits include the development of irrigation policy document, the reinforcement of institutional supports for farmers, and the improvement in the production practices.

Agronomic, Water Productivity and Economic Analysis of Irrigated Rice under Different Nitrogen and Water Management Methods

The most limiting factors for irrigated rice farming are water and nitrogen. Efficient water and nitrogen management has remained critical for sustainable rice production in irrigated rice farming system. Due to rapid global population growth and climate change, future rice production will depend heavily on developing strategies and practices that use water and nitrogen efficiently. The study therefore set to evaluate agronomic, water productivity and economic analysis of irrigated rice under various nitrogen and water management methods. To achieve the set objectives, field and pot experiments were carried out at the Soil and Irrigation Research Centre, University of Ghana, Kpong in 2015 and 2016 cropping season. The field experiment was laid in a split plot design with water management treatments as main plots and N fertilizer as subplot treatment. The pot experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with five replications. The water management treatments were; continuous submergence (SC), alternate wet and dry soil condition (AWD) and moist soil condition (MC). Nitrogen fertilizer rates were; no N fertilizer (N0), 60 kg N/ha (N1) and 90 kg N/ha (N2). Data such as yield and yield parameters of rice, water use, water productivity, costs and returns were recorded. Results obtained from both pot and field experiments revealed that rice yields were at par in AWD and SC but yields were lower in MC treatment. With N fertilizer, higher yields were observed with 90 kg N/ha. The interaction effect of submerged with 90 kg N/ha gave the highest grain yield. N fertilizer effect on water use and water productivity was ranked as N2 > N1 > N0 while water management effect on water use and water productivity was ranked in this order: SC > AWD > MC and MC > AWD > SC respectively.

Increasing the efficiency of rice agribusiness through the recommendations of balanced fertilizers and price policies

The efforts in increasing national rice production through production efficiency and price efficiency more important alternative than having extensification through the extension of the area. This study was purposed in leveling the national rice agribusiness economic efficiency by comparing between before and after the subsidy price was calculated based on the conditions of irrigated rice farming technology in Java in 2010 and in 2014. The results of the analysis rice farming nation efficiency 85% was increased to be 88% on fertilizer subsidies had been taken into account. The rice farming efficiency in year 2014 was 71% to be 84% at the subsidies price calculated. National technical efficiency of lowland rice production can still be increased in improving production technology through the application of balanced in use of NPK, KCl, and organic fertilizer recommendation. In 2014 conditionally shown the economic efficiency on farm level 38%, was smaller than national level 65%, the grain was sold by the government purchase price, using technology, and only looks up to 48% efficiency after fertilizer subsidy prices had been taken into account. Overall the agribusiness efficiency of wetland rice trends to increase above 50% at milling has the price as the retail price at the farm level. It was suggested that technical efficiency on production should increased technology in application of fertilizer on rice farming in Java.

Governance arrangements and adaptive decision-making in rice farming systems in Northern Ghana

Climate variability has consequences on water availability in rice farming systems. In Ghana, rice farmers in the Northern Savannah are amongst the most vulnerable to long periods of drought and erratic rainfall conditions. Within the Kumbungu district, farmers engaged in both rain-fed and irrigated rice farming are no exception. Coping with uncertain water availability conditions requires adaptive decision-making for sustained productivity in rice cropping. From an adaptive governance perspective, the extent to which formal and traditional governance arrangements enable adaptive decisions amongst rice farmers remains a key question. Using an exploratory research design, the study investigates three key questions; what water-dependent decisions rice farmers take and how these are adaptive to changing water availability conditions; what formal and informal governance arrangements rice cropping decisions are embedded in; and how existing governance arrangements enable or constrain adaptive decision-making. Rice farmers in twelve communities around the Bontanga Irrigation Scheme in the Kumbungu District in the Northern region were engaged through individual interviews and focus group discussions. The study reveals that farmers take six major water-dependent decisions throughout the cropping season; decision to or not to plant rice, land preparation, planting, weed control, fertilizer application and harvesting. Farmer decisions are most adaptive to water availability conditions during planting and fertilizer application. Both formal and traditional governance arrangements influence the extent to which farmers are able to adapt to changes in water availability conditions. The paper also reflects on the potential of hydro-climatic information and the place of Environmental Virtual Observatories (EVOs) in adaptive governance and decision-making.

Biomonitoring of chlorpyrifos exposure and health risk assessment among applicators on rice farms in Ghana.

Chlorpyrifos is a neurotoxic insecticide that is widely used in the agricultural sector of Ghana. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of chlorpyrifos exposure and health risk among applicators (n = 21) on irrigated rice farms in Ghana, based on a typical application event. Pre- and post-application urine samples (24-h) were collected from the applicators and analysed for 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), using LC-MS/MS. The levels of chlorpyrifos-absorbed dose with the applicators were estimated from the urinary TCP levels. Prior to application, the median absorbed dose of chlorpyrifos (background exposure) with the applicators was 0.2μg/kg/day (range 0.05 to 2μg/kg/day). Following application, the median absorbed dose of chlorpyrifos (application exposure) increased 30-fold to 6μg/kg/day (range 0.7 to 74μg/kg/day). The mean elimination half-life (t1/2) of chlorpyrifos was calculated to be 50h. Hazard quotient (HQ) values (HQ > 1) obtained with the chronic (10μg/kg/day) and acute (100μg/kg/day) guideline values of the WHO suggested no risk of chronic or acute health effects, respectively, among both the median and 5% highly exposed groups. However, HQ values (HQ > 1) obtained with the chronic (0.3μg/kg/day) and acute (5μg/kg/day) guideline values of the USEPA suggested risk of chronic and acute health effects, respectively, among both the median and 5% highly exposed groups. The quantity of chlorpyrifos formulation applied, spraying duration, and the number of spray tanks applied significantly correlated with the absorbed dose levels of chlorpyrifos from application exposure. Therefore, these factorssuggest means to reduce exposure and consequent health risk among the applicators.

Effect of Nitrogen and Water Management on Methane Emission of Boro Rice Cultivation in Bangladesh

Water and nitrogen are two key elements required for successful rice cultivation. We examined the responses of nitrogen and water management on methane emission of Boro rice in the field laboratory of Bangladesh Agricultural University research farm, Mymensingh. Three treatments were studied in the field experiment viz, T1: Control plot (no nitrogen fertilizer), T2: Urea super granule (78 kg N/ha), T3: Prilled urea (104 kg N/ha) with three replications under two water management of Continuous Standing Water (CSW) and Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). Air samples were collected by the closed-chamber method and methane gas was determined by gas chromatography. The highest CH4 emission was found from CSW plots and the lowest from AWD plots. Under CSW condition, the effects of urea treatments on CH4 emission were not significant. In case of urea treatments, the highest CH4 emission was observed from treatment T3 under CSW condition and T2 under AWD condition and the lowest emission was from the control treatment. The overall results suggest that prilled urea and urea super granule should be applied under AWD and CSW condition, respectively to keep less CH4 emission from irrigated rice agriculture.

Assessment of Neighborhood and Spillover Effects on Technical Efficiency of Irrigated Rice Farmers

Neighborhood and spillover effects on technical efficiency were investigated among 270 randomly drawn farming households from 18 irrigated villages in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, using a two-step procedure. In the first stage, stochastic frontier production function was used to estimate farmer’s technical efficiency; in the second stage, appropriate spatial econometric models of technical efficiency were estimated. Spatial econometric models adopted in this study detected spatial dependency on technical efficiency in the error term of the spatial model across seasons and locations, which can be associated with unobserved factors that similarly influence farmers’ technical efficiencies at the same time. Farm size, income, and regular contact and consultation with agricultural technicians were found to significantly affect technical efficiency. Results of the spatial regression show that owner-cultivator status and loamy soil are associated with increased technical efficiency. The local government of Guimba can use findings of this study in formulating agricultural policies and implementing essential interventions to improve the technical efficiency of rice farmers.

Valuation of ecosystem services provided by irrigated rice agriculture in Thailand: a choice experiment considering attribute nonattendance

This research investigates how the public of a middle-income country, Thailand, values ecosystem services associated with irrigated rice agriculture using a choice experiment. The results show a significant willingness to pay for services such as drought mitigation, water quality and the environment and maintenance of rural lifestyles and rice landscapes. The iterative procedure developed to fully analyze the incidence of attribute nonattendance (ANA) improved the model fit when compared with a multinomial logit model or an ANA model with potentially only one attribute ignored at a time (ANA-1). Moreover, the inferred probability of the class of respondents having attended all attributes was 45%, compared to 9% with ANA-1 model. However, it also suggests that 55% of the respondents made their choices by considering only two of the five attributes. Finally, this research also suggests that failing to consider ANA does not change the public ranking of scenarios contrasted by the services they would provide but would overestimate the WTP for these scenarios. (Resume d'auteur)