In India, paddy rice cultivation occupies about 44 million hectares – the largest rice-producing area in Asia – and accounts for 20 per cent of total rice production worldwide. AWD reduces the frequency of flooding in rice farms, thus improving soil quality. Better soil structures allow farmers to intercrop rice with other agricultural crops, which in turn leads to diversified farming systems, providing multiple sources of income. AWD-DSR also reduces the incidence of certain pests and diseases, further improving yields and boosting farmers’ resilience.
In 2021, nurture.farm ran the AWD-DSR programme on 22,000 acres in Punjab and Haryana. In the winter season, nurture. farm led the programme on 120,000 acres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Over the course of both programmes, over 80,000 small and marginal farmers were supported with the technology to perform AWD-DSR, which led to 15 per cent to 30 per cent water savings.
