Decision Support System to Increase Water Use Efficiency in Paddy Production

News source: Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysia, 2001-03-01

Water Use for Paddy Rice

The interrelationship of water use in the soil-crop-atmosphere with respect to the farming practices, the availability and economic of water, the input cost and the profitability are attributes of the intertwined complexity in rice production. The value accorded to water has changed with the rapid national development. A conflict of interest over water use between agriculture and other uses has become more acute, and should be resolved to codify knowledge. The application of IT to solve the burning issues of limited resource, and the role of water to supply the limited land for a greater output of rice with minimum capital input and environmental degradation, is warranted.

DSS Model

A DSS model was developed based on the ranges of possibilities of water use efficiency in rice production, derived from a combination of field experiments and publications. The model addresses the efficiency of water use in rice production, allowing users to estimate the possible limits, giving an intuitive feeling and "what if" situation for several probable scenarios. It explicitly deals with the aspect of water productivity for irrigatiion (WPI) due to variation in farming practices, giving tangible values relating yield, and water use, and the economic implications. It works on the frameworks of the boundary limit of the components of water balance at a farm level and the yield from selected crop varieties and farming practices.

For Use of Farm Managers and Policy Makers

This model will help farm managers and policy makers to make fair judgement on the value of water in rice production and the realistic limits of water use efficiency.

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