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Efficient agricultural water use and management in paddy fields in Sri Lanka

National outlook









Salman, M., Suzuki, H., Ahmad, W., Giusti, S., Ali, A., Rathnayake, W.M.U.K., Sirisena, D.N., Senanayake, D.M.J.B., Herath, W.M.T.M., Meegasthenna, J., Ponnampalam, Y., Bandulasena, W.M, De Silva, A., Bandara, D., Nandharathne, A.B.D.T., Sooriyaarachchi, A.T., Pathmarajah, S. 2022. Efficient agricultural water use and management in paddy fields in Sri Lanka – National outlook. Rome, FAO. 



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    Book (stand-alone)
    Efficient agricultural water use and management in paddy fields in Zambia
    National outlook
    2022
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    An increasing number of regions in the world are frequently facing water shortage, and water demand is likely to grow in the next 20-30 years due to intensified agriculture, population growth, urbanization and climate change. Future demand of water by all sectors will, thus, require as much as 25 to 40 percent of water to be re-allocated from lower to higher productivity and employment-oriented activities, particularly in water stressed regions. As such, these reallocations are likely to come from agriculture due to its high share of water use. In view of the projected rise in water demand in both agriculture and non-agricultural sectors, appropriate actions that increase water use efficiency especially in irrigation are crucial to sustainably enhance agricultural production and productivity. In Zambia, rice is one of the most important cereal food and is at the centre of major socioeconomic activity for a large share of rural population. Paddy field system are especially water demanding as it needs continues inundation of the field during most of the growing season. In Zambia, there is no controlled infrastructure for paddy irrigation and nearly all of the rice is grown under paddy field system in the country rainfed lowlands. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been active to increase the understanding of the status of water use efficiency and water productivity in Zambia through the project “Efficient Agricultural Water Use and Management Enhancement in Paddy Fields”, funded by the Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
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    Policy brief
    Promoting productive water use and efficient water management in paddy fields 2023
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    The brief “Promoting productive water use and efficient water management in paddy fields” synthetizes the conclusions of the project “Efficient agricultural water use and management enhancement in paddy fields”. The brief summarizes the project objectives, the situation of paddy production in the participating countries, the lessons learnt from the assessment of paddy production in the context of agricultural water management, and the future actions. Funded by the Government of Japan, Phase I of the project is implemented by the Land and Water Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with partners and national institutions in Sri Lanka and Zambia. The project is expected to increase the understanding of the current status of water use efficiency and water productivity in the two countries, identifying both limits and potentials at national level. The analysis forms a base in assisting countries with technical and policy support to enhance water resources management in paddy fields. Strategies and investment portfolios are developed to ensuring the scaling-up and replication of the results within and outside the target countries and regions.
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    Book (stand-alone)
    The status of water use efficiency and productivity with a focus on paddy rice in Sri Lanka 2023
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    Global water demand is likely to grow in the next 20 to 30 years due to agriculture intensification, population growth, urbanization, and climate change. In Sri Lanka, one-third of the rural population depends on agriculture. Rice is the national staple food which is cultivated twice a year on more than half a million hectares of land under a range of physical and environmental conditions. Despite being self-sufficient in rice production, Sri Lanka has low levels of water productivity and water use efficiency in paddies. Furthermore, its water and food security is extremely vulnerable to climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been active to increase the understanding of the status of water use efficiency and water productivity in Sri Lanka through the project “Efficient Agricultural Water Use and Management Enhancement in Paddy Fields”, funded by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). The project objective is to identify limits and potentials of paddy rice production at national level. The project findings presented in this report are a basis for assisting the country with the evaluation of the status of water use efficiency and water productivity of paddy fields, providing technical and policy support to enhance water resources management in Sri Lanka.

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