Decision Making for Rice Farming Based on Seasonal Forecast System
Selected Entity：JIRCAS
（Japan International Research Center for Agriculture Sciences：JIRCAS）
Project summary
The project is to verify precision of forecast of harvest time of dry season and crop time of rain season crop by seasonal forecast-based decision support system for rice cultivation (WeRise: Weather-rice-nutrient integrated decision support system). At the same time, the project will verify effectivity of advice on farming plans based on WeRise’s forecast information. With proper decision making and farming using WeRise, rice production is expected to increase.
Challenges In irrigated rice cultivation of the target area, costs and waste of water resources due to over-operation of irrigation pumps are major challenges. Accurate forecast of timing and amount of rainfall enables to use stormwater and solve these problems. In the dual cropping, rainfall prediction helps to make an appropriate cultivation plan.
Solution WeRise is an ICT tool that was developed to help rice farmers make decisions. It can make seasonal forecasts up to 12 months ahead and based on that forecast, it can predict the optimum variety of crop, sowing time, fertilization time, and harvest time using a crop growth model. It is applicable for dual cropping and can improve farming plan by supporting to adjust the work schedule between two seasons.
Challenges In irrigated rice cultivation of the target area, costs and waste of water resources due to over-operation of irrigation pumps are major challenges. Accurate forecast of timing and amount of rainfall enables to use stormwater and solve these problems. In the dual cropping, rainfall prediction helps to make an appropriate cultivation plan.
Solution WeRise is an ICT tool that was developed to help rice farmers make decisions. It can make seasonal forecasts up to 12 months ahead and based on that forecast, it can predict the optimum variety of crop, sowing time, fertilization time, and harvest time using a crop growth model. It is applicable for dual cropping and can improve farming plan by supporting to adjust the work schedule between two seasons.
The Status of PoC
Initial Phase
A kick-off meeting was held in February 2021. Weekly meetings are held every Thursday to check progress and exchange information on activity plans. In March, activities on the site began, and based on the results of a questionnaire to farmers, some of the data set necessary for WeRise forecasts was prepared. In July, the shipment of the equipment to collect ground data was completed. In addition, using the existing database of meteorological, soil, and crop data, harvest time and yield prediction using WeRise has started.
See announcement of PoC selection for Senegal