Researchers at Tra Vinh University created a mobile app that makes it easier for Vietnamese farmers to implement alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology to reduce water use in view of future water scarcity and rising levels of salinity.
Instead of being continuously flooded, AWD involves flooding and draining rice fields in quick rotation. The technique requires farmers to closely monitor their fields to determine when to use the least amount of water to keep the plants healthy.
The app sends recommendations to farmers based on solar-powered sensors that take a reading of the underground water level every five minutes in the AWD plot. The app allows them to remotely control water levels in their field.
Farmers in the Phu Can cooperative experimenting with a technique reported producing the same amount of rice using 20% less water.
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