Bean sprout growing area in the greenhouse of VinEco farm. (Photo: HUU NGUYEN)
In fact, many localities, enterprises, cooperatives and farmers across the country have applied advanced, water-saving irrigation technology to millions of hectares of land with high efficiency. Applying this model helps save water, reduce production costs, labor, fertilizer, improve productivity, quality of agricultural products... and increase income for people.
The Department of Irrigation (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that, depending on the type of plant and the locality applying advanced, water-saving irrigation, in general, this technology has helped increase crop productivity from 10 to 50%; reduce labor costs from 10 to 90%.
Greening the "thirsty" land
Located in the South Central Coast region, Ninh Thuan province is considered a "mini desert" due to its year-round hot climate and low rainfall. With 23 reservoirs, the capacity of more than 300 million cubic meters, in the dry season the amount of water in the reservoirs drops to 50%, greatly affecting agricultural production.
To ensure irrigation water for production, farmers here have boldly changed their crop structure, applied advanced irrigation technology, and saved water, thereby turning barren sandy lands into green fields of asparagus, safe vegetables, etc., bringing in high income.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ninh Thuan, Dang Kim Cuong, shared: “Currently, farmers in the area are applying two methods: sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation. The irrigation system is installed quite simply, including: a pump, a water tank, underground pipes and a regulating valve installed in the garden. This method saves 20 to 40% of water in each irrigation; in which, some types of upland crops and perennial plants with high economic value can save 60 to 70% of water compared to the traditional flood irrigation method. In addition, this method also reduces 30% of labor, increases crop productivity by 15 to 20%/crop and increases income by 15 to 20%/crop”.
Although close to the Cai River water source, most of the orchards of the Ra Glai ethnic group in Bac Ray 1 and Bac Ray 2 villages, Phuoc Binh commune, Bac Ai district (Ninh Thuan) are mainly on hills and high mountains, so providing water for irrigation was not easy in the past. Thanks to the application of water-saving irrigation methods, hundreds of hectares of durian and green-skinned grapefruit of the people in the commune are still green even in the dry season.
Farmer Po Po Bi, Ra Glai ethnic group, Bac Ray 1 village happily said: “Three years ago, the sprinkler irrigation model was still quite unfamiliar to us. Previously, people mainly pumped water to flood each tree, so the irrigation water source was lacking and costly. In 2020, with support from the State and from their own capital of more than 30 million VND, the family installed a sprinkler irrigation system. Up to now, more than one hectare of green-skinned grapefruit is growing well and bearing the first fruits”. In early May, the climate in Ninh Thuan was very hot, but about 190 hectares of grapes in Thai An village, Vinh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district were still green and full of fruit. Director of Thai An Agricultural Service Cooperative Nguyen Khac Phong shared: "Although the water in Bau Tro pond has dried up, the grape growing area in Thai An village is still growing lushly thanks to farmers applying a very effective water-saving irrigation model."
Tuan Tu village, An Hai commune, Ninh Phuoc district (Ninh Thuan) has an agricultural land area of about 215 hectares, but most of it is poor sandy soil. In such harsh conditions, the Cham ethnic people here have boldly changed the crop structure, applying water-saving irrigation models to turn barren lands into green fields all year round.
According to local people, if watering is done in the traditional way, a lot of water is lost, causing waste and soil erosion, increasing costs. Notably, during the dry season, water resources are scarce, which greatly affects production.
Mr. Tu Cong Toan, An Hai commune shared: “After receiving guidance from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, my family invested 25 million VND to install a low-level sprinkler irrigation system for 7,000 square meters of land growing asparagus, onions, mustard greens, peanuts and watermelons, which brought about clear results. When watering automatically, the amount of water is regulated appropriately, so water is consumed very little and there is no loss like traditional watering methods.”
Misting water for Hoa Loc mango garden in Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district (Tien Giang).
Reduce production costs
In recent times, the application of advanced irrigation technology, saving water in agricultural production has created changes, positive effects and strong influence in the thinking, awareness and actions of authorities from central to local levels. More and more farmers are boldly and proactively investing in and applying advanced irrigation technology, saving water in agricultural production. To date, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of households have applied this technology in production.
Applying modern irrigation technology and techniques helps increase added value and develop sustainable agriculture, responding to drought. In addition, advanced, water-saving irrigation technology is chosen by many businesses to apply in clean, smart agricultural production to improve the quality and value of agricultural products, and increase product competitiveness. Up to now, hundreds of businesses nationwide have applied this technology...
Deputy Director of the Irrigation Department Luong Van Anh said: “To date, the whole country has 1.84 million hectares of crops using advanced, water-saving irrigation methods, accounting for more than 16% of the area. Of which, the northern mountainous region has 106,000 hectares, the Red River Delta has 231,000 hectares, the Central region has 275,000 hectares, the Central Highlands has 146,000 hectares, the Southeast has 199,000 hectares and the Mekong Delta has 883,000 hectares.
In areas heavily affected by drought, salinity intrusion and climate change such as the Central Highlands, the South Central Coast, the Southeast and the Mekong Delta, water-saving irrigation is increasingly gaining attention and is widely applied by people. According to statistics, applying advanced, water-saving irrigation technology can reduce water shortages, damage and risks in agricultural production by 5 to 80%, and reduce the risk of environmental pollution by reducing the amount of fertilizer by 5 to 40%.
This reality shows that applying advanced, water-saving irrigation technology has proven to be a fundamental solution to proactively adapt and effectively respond to drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion, and climate change.
Recently, the Southern Institute of Irrigation Science has experimented with a water-saving irrigation model combined with fertilization on durian trees at Mr. Ngo Tan Trung's household, Hoa Thinh Hamlet, Ngu Hiep Commune, Cai Lay District (Tien Giang) with an area of 2 hectares. The new feature of this model is the information technology connection system, helping farmers easily monitor and adjust the amount of irrigation water to suit the humidity of the garden.
In addition, the model is also connected to the weather forecasting system within a radius of 50 to 100 km, helping farmers to recognize early changes in the weather. According to Dr. Tran Thai Hung, Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, the initial experimental results of the model have shown good results in terms of irrigation water levels and fertilizer amounts for crops.
The mobile control application software helps farmers control humidity and weather so that they can plan irrigation control in the future. After applying the model for a period of time, Mr. Ngo Tan Trung shared: “My family finds that implementing production according to this model is very effective. The automatic irrigation system helps save time and labor compared to manual irrigation.
On the other hand, the system relies on humidity sensors in the garden that provide information via phone to have data to adjust the appropriate amount of irrigation water, helping to save about 50% of water compared to the traditional method, drip irrigation penetrates deeply without wasting water. Notably, the system can also monitor the weather situation in the garden and surrounding area to proactively irrigate and prevent pests.
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