The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) has introduced a new irrigation farming method to maximize water use and improve rice yield.
Referred to as the ultimate wetting and drying method, the technique has been introduced to rice farmers at the Tono irrigation scheme in the Upper East Region as part of the Wagrinnova project.
It involves using soil water monitoring tools for irrigation scheduling decisions, such as the chameleon sensor and wetting front detector, introduced by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and monitored by the Virtual Irrigation Academy (VIA).
Irrigation Project to help farmers monitor water levels
Mr. Ramson Adombilla, an Irrigation Engineer at CSIR-SARI, said the Wagrinnova project looks at sustainable rice intensification, with several principles contributing to water productivity and crop yield.
He made these assertions at the end of the Wagrinnova project meeting in Tamale organized by the CSIR-SARI and the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The Wagrinnova project is a consortium of different agencies, including UDS and CSIR-SARI, in Ghana and other countries like Senegal and Burkina Faso to demonstrate to farmers the efficient use of water. The LEAP-Agri and European Union funded it.
Mr. Adombilla said the ultimate wetting and drying method would help farmers monitor water levels as and when they fall within their rice fields to inform decisions on when to irrigate to curb farmers continuously flooding their farms.
“Aside from this method, we have also introduced simple tools that are user-friendly for farmers to use to inform their irrigation scheduling, being able to tell when and how much water to apply to a crop. These tools use colours in the form of lights to communicate the soil moisture levels to the farmers, whether the soil is falling short of moisture or has moisture.”
Mr. Ramson Adombilla
Wagrinnova project engages farmers in myriad activities
Wagrinnova project has seen many activities during its implementation, including a gender study to ascertain whether women were involved in irrigation decision-making and scheduling practices.
Dr. Edward Martey, the Coordinator of the Wagrinnova project at CSIR-SARI, said the study revealed strict gender roles in the northern part of the country, adding that the study gave an idea of entry points to reduce some of the strict gender roles.
He said the team would follow up in the project implementation areas to determine if remedies to include women in the Agroecology decision-making are effective.
Rice is a water-intensive crop
Traditionally, rice is a water-intensive crop and requires water for three primary purposes – preparing land (puddling), continual seepage, percolation, and growing the produce.
According to a new study, irrigation could be a strong tool for increasing the world’s food supply as climate change alters precipitation patterns.
Many experts have praised the Wagrinnova project and called for support from other institutions to support farmers alike.
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