Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, will face major water scarcity problems in the future. Agriculture in Thailand uses more than 70% of the consumed water, and changing climate patterns have led to droughts and irregular rainfall in cassava growing regions. Like other Asian countries, increasing population, urbanization, agricultural and industrial expansion is impacting the water quality of various water sources. Furthermore, pollutants from human activities contribute to the degradation of the water quality in the region. The severe flooding in the rainy season and extreme drought in the dry season could become two major sources of Southeast Asia's water crisis. This has become an emerging problem because farmers expanded their farms, and many farmers do not conserve water and have failed to plan crop production efficiently. Water scarcity is a global threat that is estimated to impact Southeast Asia. The region must develop a long-term plan to manage these challenges. Effective water management needs to be implemented. The challenge for Southeast Asia is to remain an important producer of agricultural crops while optimizing yields, manage water use efficiently, and guarantee a livelihood for farmers. Especially, cassava growers are small scale farmers with a low income. Cassava production can be significantly increased through irrigation, but solutions to optimize cassava yields need to be affordable and make effective use of limited water available.

We aim to develop a decision support tool for cassava producers. We will develop the tool with the participation of stakeholders, including contracted farmers, breeders, irrigation specialists, starch factory holders. The end goal is to develop a smart-phone app that will provide the farmer with critical information about the current status of the soil and crop and forecasts of crop yield as influenced by irrigation management decisions.

Contacts IBG-2

Dr. Tobias Wojciechowski

Dr. Johannes Auke Postma