AWD Tech for Bangladesh Farmers
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Social
Farmers in the Barind Tracts are Being Encouraged to Adopt "Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD)", an Irrigation Method which Helps Save Water in Aquifers Amidst an Abnormal Decline in the Level of Underground Water
ThefarmersarealsobeingsuggestedtocultivatewheatinsteadofonlyIrri-Boropaddyinthedrought-pronedryareas,comprising25upazilasofRajshahi,NaogaonandChapainawabganjdistricts.
TheBarindMultipurposeDevelopmentAuthority(BMDA),thelargeststate-ownedorganisationfacilitatingirrigationinthecountry'snorthwestregion,hastakenuptheinitiativeforpromotingtheAWDirrigationmethod.
FieldlevelresearchesarebeingconductedontheAWDirrigationmethodandvariousprogrammes,includingthosetoprovidetrainingtofarmersandcampaigns,havebeenundertaken,saidBMDADeputyManager(agriculture)ATMRafiqulIslam.
HesaidadoptionoftheirrigationmethodinBorofarminginamassscalecanreduceuseofundergroundwaterby30percentwhilesimultaneouslyensuringadditionalyield.
GroundwaterlevelsintheBarindareahavedeclinedalarminglyduetotheadverseimpactsofclimatechange,Farakkadamandexcessiveextraction.
BMDAhasconceivedthemethodasanefforttokeeptheundergroundwaterreservesintactthroughlessconsumptionforirrigation.Hesaidthefarmersgenerallyuse3,000to3,200litresofwaterforirrigationtoproduceonekilogrammeofpaddy.But,thepaddyhardlyneed1,500to2,000litresundertheAWDtechnology.
Source: The Daily Star
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