Smart water management beneficial for farmers

Water is essential for agriculture and horticulture. But if it is too much, too little or too dirty this is threatening production.

Drought is an increasing risk for agriculture and horticulture, also in combination with heat stress. Water is used most efficiently by plants that are healthy and have an optimally developed root system. Good soil and careful fertilization are a precondition for  healthy crops. There is a close correlation between soil, water and fertilizer.

Our experience is that farmers give too much water too soon. This not only leads to a waste of water, but also a loss of valuable nutrients. By basing the irrigation on soil, moisture loss can be limited. New measurement techniques give insight to farmers. In the meantime, examples are known in which the use of water for crops has been reduced by 70%.

Heavy rains and flooding can lead to structural deterioration and lack of oxygen in the soil. This is at the expense of the product. For potatoes, for example, it is fatal when they are under water for 48 hours.

Water is also a vector for animal and plant diseases. Inundation, therefore, increases the risk of disease.

 

Sea level rise and salinization of agricultural land

An increased sea level and coastal inundations cause salinization of agricultural land in the deltas. Salt and agriculture tolerate each other poorly. All sorts of solutions are conceivable. For example an improved  protection of coastal areas to supplying fresh water. Recent projects show that even in coastal areas, fresh water in the soil can be buffered in fresh water lenses and aquifers. Other applied research made clear that some crops and varieties have a certain salt tolerance. Together with Wageningen University and Research (Plant Research) a mission was carried out to the Mekong delta to identity crops which could be suitable for saline soil conditions. The Flora on Salt and Drought Tolerant Crops was published October 2017. Viet Nam Farmers' Union and East West Seeds were also involved in this project.