Rice Farming Systems Research Articles

Side effects of insecticidal usage in rice farming system on the non-target house fly Musca domestica in Punjab, Pakistan.

Insecticidal usage in the rice farming system may affect non-target insect species present in the same fields. Musca domestica, a well-known pest of medical and veterinary importance worldwide, is one of the important non-target insect species present in the rice farming system. In this study, five strains of M.domestica were exclusively collected from rice fields in major rice cultivated areas of Punjab, Pakistan, and evaluated for the presence of insecticide resistance against nine commonly used insecticides in the rice farming system. Moreover, the performance of life-history traits was also studied. Compared with a Lab-susceptible reference strain of M.domestica, all the field strains exhibited moderate levels of resistance to carbofuran (RRs = 27.96-46.00 fold) and cartap hydrochloride (RRs = 31.48-48.21 fold), low to moderate levels of resistance to gamma-cyhalothrin (RRs = 19.00-43.00 fold), chlorantraniliprole (RRs = 11.90-27.10 fold), monomehypo (RRs = 14.38-25.84 fold), and fipronil (RRs = 13.23-40.15 fold), low levels of resistance to triazophos (RRs = 11.13-19.83 fold), and very low to low levels of resistance (RRs = 7.83-13.28 fold) to flonicamid. The performance of life-history traits (developmental time, adult eclosion rate, fecundity, egg hatch rate, and longevity of adults) of field strains was weaker as compared with that of the Lab-susceptible strain. These results contribute to the growing knowledge on the effects of insecticidal usage in agriculture on non-target invertebrates, and necessitate the need to explore alternate insecticides that can effectively control insect pests but safe for non-target organisms.

Analisis Komparasi Profitabilitas Pertanian Padi Organik dan Anorganik di Desa Lombok Kulon Kabupaten Bondowoso

Profitability is a very important element for a business or company. Profitability ratios are usually used to see how the effectiveness and efficiency of a business in the use of venture capital. The factors that affect the level of profitability in this study are the cost of production, production, sales and profits. This research discusses how to compare the profitability of organic and inorganic rice farming. The analysis was conducted on 13 samples of organic rice farmers and 30 samples of inorganic farmers domiciled in Lombok Kulon Village, Bondowoso Regency. This study uses two types of profitability, namely Net Profit Margin (NPM) and Return On Capital Employed (ROCE). The test uses the Independent sample t-test and the Mann Whitney Test, depending on the results of the normality test data. The test results show that there are differences in the level of profitability of organic rice farming and inorganic rice farming. The test results with the statistical difference test also showed that there were significant differences in the comparison of the profitability levels in the two agricultural systems. Thus it can be concluded that there are significant differences in the level of profitability of Net Profit Margin (NPM) and Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) in organic and inorganic rice farming systems.
 Keywords: Profitability Ratio, NPM, ROCE, Organic Rice and AnOrganic Rice.

Information systems and actionable knowledge creation in rice-farming systems in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT Rice farmers in the Kumbungu District in Northern Ghana interact with information systems. Of interest here is the degree to which knowledge derived from such interaction is actionable. The paper addresses the overall question: what information systems are currently providing agricultural information to rice farmers, and to what extent does this result in actionable knowledge creation? Findings revealed that Farmer-to-Farmer systems contribute most to actionable knowledge creation. We conclude that systems integration and local actor participation are essential for actionable knowledge creation in information systems.

ANALISIS PENGARUH FAKTOR-FAKTOR PRODUKSI TERHADAP PRODUKSI PADI ANGGOTA KELOMPOK TANI MARGO UTOMO KECAMATAN UNGARAN TIMUR KABUPATEN SEMARANG

This study aimed to analyze the effect of utilizing production factors on rice production and to analyze the level of economic efficiency and technical efficiency of using production factors in rice farming system of the members of the Margo Utomo farmer group in Kalikayen village, Ungaran Timur sub-district, Semarang district. This research was conducted in November - December 2018 and the location was determined purposively in Kalikayen village, Ungaran Timur sub-district, Semarang district. Determination of samples in this study used the census method. Data was collected from all members of the Margo Utomo farmer group of 50 respondents by interviews using questionnaires. The data was analyzed using the multiple linear regression analysis method which than transformed into the Cobb-Douglas model production function and using one sample t-test to find the technical efficiency and the economic efficiency. The results showed that the use of production factors of land, seed, urea fertilizer had significant effect on the rice yield while the production factors of labor and pesticide had no effect. The use of factors such as land, labor, seed, urea fertilizer and pesticide was technically inefficient. The use of production factors such as land, seed, and urea fertilizer was not yet economically efficient while labor and pesticide was economically inefficient.Keywords : Efficiency, Factors Of Production, and Rice Production.

Organic farming and associated management practices benefit multiple wildlife taxa: A large‐scale field study in rice paddy landscapes

Abstract Organic farming has potential for the conservation of global biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. Despite this, knowledge of the effects of organic farming systems on farmland biodiversity is limited in Asia, the worldwide leader in rice production. We conducted the first national‐scale study to investigate the effects of three different rice farming systems (conventional, low‐input and organic) and specific management practices (e.g. herbicide and insecticide applications, crop rotation and levee‐vegetation management) on species richness and abundance of multiple taxonomic groups (plants, invertebrates, Pelophylax and Hyla japonica frogs, cobitid loaches and birds) in Japan during 2013–2015. Organic fields supported the highest richness and abundance of several taxonomic groups (native/Red List plants, Tetragnatha spiders, Sympetrum dragonflies and Pelophylax frogs), followed by low‐input and conventional fields. We also found taxon‐specific responses to specific management practices. For instance, plant richness and Tetragnatha and Sympetrum abundance increased with reduced herbicide and/or insecticide applications. Sympetrum and cobitid loach abundance increased in the absence of crop rotation, whereas H. japonica abundance increased with crop rotation. Pelophylax abundance increased with an increased height of levee vegetation. At spatial scales larger than single fields, waterbird richness and abundance were positively correlated with the proportion of organic rice fields, presumably due to increased prey abundance. Meanwhile, landbird richness and abundance were positively associated with annual precipitation and annual mean temperature, suggesting that such climate increases food availability. Synthesis and applications. We highlight the positive effects of organic and low‐input farming for biodiversity relative to conventional farming in rice paddies. We also provide the scientific basis of the current agri‐environmental schemes in Japan, subsidising organic and low‐input farming for biodiversity. The taxon‐specific associations with management practices indicate that avoiding crop rotation, maintaining levee vegetation and organic farming at large spatial scales can also be wildlife friendly. These practices may thus be incorporated into agri‐environment schemes for effective biodiversity conservation.

Methane emission and soil microbial communities in early rice paddy as influenced by urea-N fertilization

Urea is widely used in rice farming systems to improve the nitrogen (N) availability and crop yield, yet its influence on CH4 emissions remains unclear. The present study aimed to identify the potential microbial mechanisms resulting in the N fertilizer-induced effects on CH4 emissions from paddies. A field experiment was conducted with (N1, 100 kg N ha−1) and without (N0) N fertilization. CH4 emission rate was measured every 3–7 day using the static chamber-gas chromatography method. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Illumina MiSeq sequencing approaches were employed to investigate the community composition and structure of methanogenic archaea and methanotrophic bacteria in rice rhizosphere soil at three time points (tillering stage 17d, heading stage 47d and mature stage 67 d). Urea application significantly stimulated the CH4 emissions from paddies, partially due to the decrease of redox potential (Eh) around the root region and the reduction of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration at the soil-water interface. qPCR indicated a sharp increase in methanogenic archaeal 16S rRNA and methanotrophic bacterial pmoA gene copies with urea fertilization. Next-generation sequencing of these amplicons revealed that the diversity of both methanogenic and methanotrophic communities was decreased by urea input. Additionally, urea fertilization stimulated the genera Methanoregula (methanogen) and Methylococcus (type I methanotrophs) and inhibited the genus Methylocystis (type II methanotrophs). Urea fertilization changed oxygen state of the paddy soil and water and thus changed the community structure of methanogens and methanotrophs, which resulted in increased CH4 emissions.

Optimum N rate for grain yield coincides with minimum greenhouse gas intensity in flooded rice fields

Excessive application of N fertilizer to rice results in water and atmospheric pollution including greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Therefore, N fertilizer management needs to be optimized taking into account grain yield, global warming potential (GWP, Mg CO2 eq. ha−1) and GHG intensity (GHGI, kg CO2 eq. kg−1 grain). However, the tradeoffs between the effects of N rate on rice grain yield, GWP and GHGI have not been adequately evaluated. Therefore, field experiments to determine the effect of N rate (as urea) on yield, GWP and GHGI were conducted in a typical flooded, transplanted rice paddy in a temperate environment. Methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission rates were determined throughout the entire year (both during growing and fallow seasons) over two years. Rice grain yield showed a quadratic response to N rate, and the maximum yield (6.7–6.8 t ha−1) was achieved at 112–119 kg N ha−1, 50% higher than the yield of the control (0 kg N ha−1). Increasing N rate increased the seasonal N2O flux by 4.56–7.11 g N2O kg−1 N, but N2O flux contributed less than 7% of the total GWP. The GWP was mainly determined by the CH4 flux, which showed a relatively flat quadratic response to N rate, peaking at 124–138 kg N ha−1. Thus, GWP also showed a quadratic response to N rate, peaking at 122–130 kg N ha−1. The GHGI decreased as N rate increased and was the lowest (1.10–1.28 kg CO2-eq. kg−1 grain yield) at 104–112 kg N ha−1, approximately 20% lower than GHGI in the 0 N treatment. In conclusion, the N rate for maximum yield was similar to the N rate for minimum GHGI, mainly because of the small effect of N rate on CH4 emissions and the low magnitude of N2O emissions. Thus, GHGI was largely driven by grain yield, so the N rate for maximum grain yield was similar to the N rate for maximum GHGI. Proper N fertilization is essential in rice farming systems to increase crop productivity and reduce the global warming impact (GWP and GHGI).

Dukungan Penyuluhan dan Lingkungan Ekternal terhadap Adopsi Inovasi dan Keberlanjutan Usaha Pertanian Padi Organik

<em>The implementation of organic rice farming requires farmers who have different behaviors from the knowledge, attitudes and skills of farming that has been built up so far. The purpose of this research was to analyze the agriculture extension support, analyze the external support, and analyze the factors that influence adoption of innovation and the sustainability of organic rice farming. Research locations in Bondowoso District and Banyuwangi District, East Java Province. The sample of this study amounted to 224 respondents from 670 populations of organic rice farmers. The research method used surveys to get quantitative data and deepened with qualitative data. Analysis techniques with descriptive analysis and Structural Equition Model. The results showed that agricultural extension support in the low category. The indicators of extension subject, capability of extension advisor and intensity of agricultural extension in the high category. The indicator of variable external support such as policy support, farmers group support, and information access in th high category. The level of implementation organic rice farming in the indicators of economy, social, and environment aspect was in the high category. The factor that influence the adoption of innovation was agricultural extension support. The factors that influence the implementation of sustainability of organic rice farming systems were (1) innovation adoption, (2) agricultural extension support, and (3) external support.</em>

Soil Fertility Properties and Rice Biomass Production Under Three Rice Farming Systems at Vertisols Sambung Macan Sub District, Sragen Regency

The farmers realize that green revolution technology with high inputs is no longer sustainable. They want to move to other rice farming systems. The aim of research was to study soil chemical-physical characteristics and rice productions under three rice farming systems. This study was conducted in Vertisols at Sambung Macan Sub District, Sragen Regency, arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications and as the treatments was an organic, semi organic and conventional rice systems. One kilo gram composites soil samples of 0-20 cm in depth were collected from five random sampling points of every site and taken in March 2017, before soil preparation. Rice biomass productions namely rice grains, rice straw and rice residues were harvested in the end of June 2017. The results indicated that in organic field, the soil chemical-physical fertility was superior to that of in semi organic and conventional and semi organic system was better than conventional in terms of soil pH, organic C and total N, P and K total, soil bulk density, particle density, soil porosity and permeability. Similar finding was observed for rice biomass productions. The rice grains yields were 7.53 ± 0.85, 6.60 ± 0.15 and 5.77 ± 0.71, rice straw were 7.97 ± 0.47, 7.63 ± 0.21 and 6.93 ± 0.25 and forrice residues were 4.20 ± 0.10, 3.30 ± 0.20 and 3.25 ± 0.35 Mgs ha-1 season-1 in organic, semi organic and conventional systems, respectively.Compared to the conventional system, the organic increased about 31 %, 15% and 29 % for rice grains, rice straw and rice residues, respectively. Comparing semi organic to conventional, the improvement was 14 %, 10 % and 2 % for rice grains, rice straw and rice residues, respectively. This short term research concluded that organic rice farming was superior to both semi organic and conventional systems, but the long term effect of organic need to be further evaluated.

Hiệu quả của vi khuẩn chịu mặn Burkholderia sp. PL9 và Acinetobacter sp. GH1-1 lên sinh trưởng và năng suất lúa LP5 trồng trên nền đất nhiễm mặn mô hình lúa-tôm ở huyện Mỹ Xuyên, tỉnh Sóc Trăng

The objective of this study was to evaluate efficacy of the nitrogen fixer, Burkholderia sp. PL9 and IAA synthesizer, Acinetobacter sp. GH1-1, respectively, isolated from rice cultivated salt affected soils in the shrimp – rice farming system in Soc Trang province on growth and yield of rice cultivar LP5 on salt affected soil of shrimp – rice farming system in My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province. The field experiment was designed as a randomized complete block design with 4 replications and ten treatments. Some parameters including growth, yield components and yield were collected. The results showed that two treatments applied with 50% recommended N (full PK) together with an inoculation of either Burkholderia sp. PL9 or Acinetobacter Sp. GH1-1 had the same plant height, panicle length at the harvesting time (no application for Acinetobacter sp. GH1-1) as the recommended NPK fertilizer treatment without inoculation of bacteria did. Moreover, these two treatments also had a similar panicle numbers/m2 for Acinetobacter sp. GH1-1 and had even higher one for Burkholderia sp. PL9 as compared to the recommended NPK fertilizer treatment without inoculation of bacteria. The rice yield of these two treatments was similar and not significantly different from that of the recommended NPK fertilizer treatment without inoculation. In short, the results showed that both nitrogen fixer, Burkholderia sp. PL9 and IAA plant hormone synthesizer, Acinetobacter sp. GH1-1 had a capacity to provide up to 50% recommended inorganic N fertilizer for rice when grown on salt affected soil.

Comparative Study on 3 Rice Farming Systems: Conventional, Partially Organic, and Organic Farming, Case Study in Prey Kabbas District, Takeo, Cambodia

Comparative Study on 3 Rice Farming Systems: Conventional, Partially Organic, and Organic Farming, Case Study in Prey Kabbas District, Takeo, Cambodia

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.

The Analysis of Quality of Paddy Harvest Yield to Support Food Security: A System Thinking Approach (Case Study: East Java)

Rice (Oryza Sativa) is a staple food for the people in Indonesia. East Java Province is a province with potential agricultural in Indonesia. East Java has advantages in agriculture and has a role in the national food sector. Population in Indonesia is projected to reach 271.1 million by 2020. East Java’s population growth rate from 2010 to 2017 was 0.64% with consumption of 213,783 tons of rice in 2018. Raw materials such as paddy, are perishable materials that require fast and precise handling. When handling is not right it will cause a loss of the results of high quality and quantity, this can be harmful to farmers because it will affect their income. This study uses a system dynamic to build the conceptual model (Causal Loop Diagram) to improving the quality of paddy yields to support food security. The results of study are a model that has some useful information regarding factors that affect the quality paddy. This can be used as decision support by the government for decision making about policies that will be applied to improve the quality of paddy harvest yields for support food security. Further research can be carried out by simulating several scenarios to predict the state of the rice farming system in the future.

KARAKTERISTIK DAN MUTU BERAS LOKAL KABUPATEN BULUNGAN KALIMANTAN UTARA

The quality of rice determines rice prices and consumer tastes. This study aims to identify the characteristics and quality of local rice based on SNI 01-6128-2015 standards. This research was conducted by exploration method. The amount of rice taken is 1 kg. Each local rice is observed for its physical properties and quality. Physical properties include white degree, clarity, shape and size of rice while the quality of rice is adjusted to the standard quality SNI 01-6128-2015. The results show that the physical properties of local rice have white degrees which vary between 58.8 - 54.6%. Where the type of krayan rice and rice taro shows the highest white degree. The value of clarity of local rice shows in the range of 1.70 - 2.57%. The level of rice clarity affects the level of consumer preference. The size of local rice has a long and medium sized category. Long-term rice is Puy, Ikang, Angga and Red rice which are cultivated with traditional lowland rice farming systems with a length (6.5-7) mm. While medium-sized rice is the type of krayan rice and taro rice which are cultivated organically with traditional rice farming systems by the people of the highlands with a length (5.5-5.6) mm. The form of local rice has the form of lean rice (2.8-3.5) and the form of medium rice (2.2-2.8). Ikang rice, Angga and krayan have a slim shape while Puih, Keladi and Merah have medium forms. Judging from the rice quality requirements of the SNI standard (2015), it can be seen that the local rice in Bulungan meets the requirements for quality standards for rice III, IV and V. Ikang and Krayan rice meets III quality. Puy, Angga and Keladi rice meets the quality of rice IV. While brown rice fulfills the quality of rice V. This shows that the local rice in Bulungan definitely needs better postharvest handling to improve the quality of rice so that the rice produced is able to compete in the market. Conclusion Bulungan local rice has characteristics with the size and shape of lean and medium rice with a relatively low quality

Life cycle assessment in conventional rice farming system: Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions using cradle-to-gate approach

Rice farming is one of the highly intensive agricultural activities in Malaysia. Increasing population since the country's independence parallels the increasing demands for rice products. The impact on the environment has been highlighted as one of the criteria for it to be more accessible and acceptable for commercial and consumer consumption as technology progresses. In view of this, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) provides a platform for the environmental emission from rice to be quantified. This study focused on the conventional approach of rice production, which begins from seed cultivation, land preparation, seeding, field maintenance, and harvesting. It quantified all the inputs involved in the process such as fertilizer, soil conditioner, pesticides and fuel. The results of the LCA's Greenhouse Gas (GHG) impact analysis had identified that net emission for production of un-milled rice grain was 1.39 tonnes CO2 eq per tonne. The analysis further highlighted that major emission contributed mostly from CH4 during field cultivation, measured with percentage CO2 eq contribution of 76.85%. A mitigation potential was therefore proposed for on-field biomass and water management. This included improving the rate of straw degradation and potential of improving water management through alternate wetting and drying (AWD). It may potentially reduce the environmental emission by half if successfully implemented.

Impacts of Recent Temperatures Rise on Double-Rice Phenology Across Southern China

Rice phenology was determined by temperature and agronomic management. It was essential to quantify the interaction between warming temperatures and rice phenology to understand the impact of climate change in rice farming systems. Based on the quantitative analysis of data from double-cropping rice in the south of China in the last 20 years, we found that the average temperature of the whole growth periods of early rice and late rice increased by an average of 0.76 °C and 0.49 °C decade−1, respectively. The whole growth period (WGP) change trend of early rice decreased by 0.07 d decade−1, but the WGP of late rice increased 1.26 d decade−1. The vegetative growth period (VGP) and the reproductive growth period (RGP) of early rice and late rice were all shorted. Regression analysis showed that the VGP of early rice and late rice decreased by 2.99 days and 2.82 days, and the RGP decreased by 1.67 days and 1.81 days, respectively, as the mean air temperature increased by 1 °C during the corresponding stages. The WGPs of early rice and late rice decreased by 3.81 days and 5.31 days, respectively, with the mean air temperature increased by 1 °C during growth duration. According to our studies, the rising mean air temperature could lead to a shortening of the double-rice growth period. Therefore, we must adjust the planting pattern of the double-rice system to mitigate and adapt to future climate change.

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

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

Eroding Traditional Knowledge Systems Plea Scientific Validation: Ecological Characterization of Traditionally Managed Semi-Deep Water Rice Field Agroecosystem in Barak Valley, Assam, Northeast India

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems illustrate various ways and means of natural resource utilization and management, which has come into being through keen observations as well as the age-old trial and error methods. However, such knowledge systems are gradually eroding due to various reasons. Proper documentation, characterization, scientific validation, and popularization of such knowledge systems would help in preserving them for posterity. The present study characterizes the ecological attributes of a traditional rice farming system called Asra in Karimganj district of Barak Valley, Assam. The objective was to investigate the water properties and community composition of plankton and rice stem epiphyton of the water logged Asra rice field agro-ecosystem. The substantial contribution of Asra rice field ecosystems in maintaining the overall biodiversity of the system has been highlighted in the present study. The study revealed the presence of 77 genera of phytoplankton and 55 genera of rice stem phyto-epiphyton, which belonged to six major classes viz., Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cyanophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Xanthophyceae and Zygnemophyceae. Besides, 29 genera of zooplankton and 14 genera of rice stem zoo-epiphyton belonging to five major groups viz., Protozoa, Cladocera, Copepoda, Ostracoda and Rotifera were also recorded. The study shows that the Asra rice fields are rich repository of plankton and rice stem epiphyton, the natural live food resources for fish. The study emphasizes on conservation of traditional farming system like Asra, and stresses on the need for sustainable utilization of the existing bioresources in such system by introducing the concurrent practice of rice-fish culture in the study area.

Phytolith assemblage analysis for the identification of rice paddy

The rice arable system is of importance to both society and the environment. The emergence of rice paddies was a crucial step in the transition from pre-domestic cultivation to systematic land use and management. However, many aspects of the formation of rice farming systems remain unclear. An important reason is the lack of reliable methods for identifying early rice paddies. One possible means of remedying this knowledge deficit is through analysis of phytolith assemblages, which are closely related to their parent plant communities. In this study, phytolith assemblages from 27 surface soil samples from wild rice fields, 91 surface soil samples from modern rice paddies, and 50 soil samples from non-rice fields were analysed to establish a discriminant function. This discriminant function enabled classification of 89.3% of the samples into appropriate groups. Further, the results suggested that phytolith assemblages can be used to identify rice fields and differentiate between wild rice fields and domesticated rice fields. The method was demonstrated to be an effective way of utilising the large amounts of unidentifiable phytoliths discovered at archaeological sites to provide a modern analogue that may be a valuable key to unlocking the past.

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.