Many farmers are attaining additional benefits through the method of Alternate Wetting and Drying-AWD in the Barind area which is being detected as water-stressed due to the adverse impact of climate change.
Abdul Matin, 45, a farmer of Hossaindanga village under Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj district, has been using the AWD method for the last couple of years.
Giving a salient feature of the method, he said it's a modern resilient and water-saving technology. It lessens irrigation cost worth Taka 800 to 1,000
for per bigha of land in addition to boost yield by three to five mounds of paddy.
Altaf Hossain, 54, another farmer of Noyagram village under the same upazila,is very much happy over adopting AWD, an irrigation method, on his paddy farming field.
"AWD method helps save water in aquifers amidst an abnormal decline in the level of underground water in recent days," said Hossain while talking to BSS here on Saturday.
In the last Irri-boro season, he gave 15 irrigations to one bigha of paddy field instead of the previous season's 22 irrigations in conventional
methods. He also got four mounds of paddy more than that of the conventional system.
He has harvested 44 mounds of paddy from two bighas of land through adopting the AWD irrigation method.
Elaborating aspects of the water-saving irrigation system Altaf Hossain said the irrigation method should be promoted to protect the underground waterfrom furthermore declining.
More than 93 farmers had brought 115 bighas of irri-boro land under AWD irrigation system in the drought-prone Barind area in the current season in order to lessen the gradually mounting pressure on groundwater level. Hossain also said many of his fellow farmers are using the method being motivated by various government and non-government organizations to mitigate the water crisis in the region.
DASCOH Foundation has been implementing a project titled "Climate Resilient Agricultural Advancement in Barind" in Paba upazila of Rajshahi, Sadar of Chapainawabganj and Niamotpur and Potnitola upazilas in Naogaon districts.
Technically supported by the Syngenta Foundation and financially supported by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, the project is
intended to benefit 25,000 farmers in terms of climate-smart agriculture practices. In addition to the practice of climate-smart agriculture, the beneficiary farmers will gain capacity to boost irrigation efficiency and farm productivity.
Local agro-business opportunities will be expanded to the farmers through connecting with a strong public-private stakeholder network.
Akramul Haque, chief executive officer of DASCOH Foundation, said there is an urgent need of reducing installation of deep tube-well as per the National Water Policy-2018.
Utmost emphasis should be given on innovation of new more agriculture technologies and expansion of those for continuation of rice production in the changed situation.
Farhad Zamil, country director of Syngenta Foundation, mentioned that the expanded adoption of AWD irrigation method during Boro rice farming can save minimum 30 percent irrigation water along with considerably increasing rice output.
He said adoption of the simplest and lowest cost technology also helps farmers to adapt to scarcity of irrigation water.
"Adoption of AWD technology with proper agronomic management reduces five numbers of irrigation saving 30 percent water, 30 litres diesel and electricity for irrigation to produce 500 kilograms more Boro paddy per hectare of land," he said.
Farmers have already started reaping enormous benefits of AWD irrigation technology following massive motivational activities being conducted by various government and non-government organisations.