El Nino Impact on Rice Farming: Amidst the threat of El Nino, farmers of Andhra Pradesh changed farming techniques; DSR and AWD are saving crores of liters of water.

Amidst the spread of El Nino in the Pacific Ocean and the fear of weak monsoon or less rainfall in the current Kharif season, farmers of Andhra Pradesh have taken a very revolutionary and shocking step to save water. Due to fear of drought and severe water shortage, the farmers here have started to deviate from their age-old traditional techniques of growing paddy (rice).

Farmers in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh are now increasingly adopting modern, scientific and extremely water-efficient farming techniques instead of traditional flooding of paddy fields. With this wise step, not only the crops are being protected, but also a record saving of millions and crores of liters of water is being achieved from the underground water level.

Story of Majji Satyam: When 52-year-old farmer changed the traditional method taught by his father

A special ground report by news agency PTI shares the inspiring story of Majji Satyam, a progressive farmer from JR Puram village in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. Majji Satyam, a 52-year-old farmer, has 5 acres of fertile cultivable land and two borewells for irrigation. He has been growing paddy all his life in the traditional way taught by his father and grandfathers.

Under this old method, first the paddy plants are prepared in a separate nursery, then they are uprooted and transplanted again in the main fields filled with water and it is mandatory to keep several inches of water in the fields till the harvest. But this year, in view of the serious forecast of less rainfall due to El Nino, Satyam has completely changed its technology. Satyam said:

“In previous years, usually pre-monsoon rains would come in the month of May itself, due to which we would plant nurseries. But this year, even after half of the month of June has passed, the sky is dry. When I heard from agricultural scientists that this time the monsoon will be very weak due to El Nino, I did not take the risk and this time instead of traditional planting DSR technology “Final decision to give it a try.”

What is Direct Sowing (DSR) and AWD technology of paddy?

These modern technologies are proving to be a boon for farmers facing the brunt of deficient monsoon or partial drought:

• DSR (Direct Seeded Rice): In this technique, there is no need to prepare a separate nursery like the traditional method. Under this, paddy seeds are sown directly in the dry or slightly moist soil of the main field through a special machine (seed drill). It neither requires transplantation with the help of expensive labour, nor does it require storing water in the fields for weeks or making mud (puddling) by driving a tractor.

• AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying): It is a smart technology of efficient water management, in which paddy fields are watered and drained in fixed intervals and cycles instead of continuously immersing them in water.

Mathematics of water saving: 12 lakh liters of water is saved in one acre.

Paddy cultivation done in traditional way is considered to be the most water consuming crop in the world. In comparison, direct seeding (DSR) and AWD techniques dramatically reduce water requirements.

Suman Saraswatibhatla, Director (Rural Livelihoods and Climate Action), Dr. Reddy’s Foundation, shared the scientific data of this savings:

Importance of soil moisture: To make both these techniques successful on the ground, it is very important to continuously track the soil moisture in the upper 30-40 cm of the field. This digital moisture data decides when and in what quantity farmers have to do light irrigation.

Record saving of 3000 crore liters of water and reduced carbon emissions

Majji Satyam is not the only farmer who has changed his thinking. Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of Andhra Pradesh Nearly 10 lakh acres of paddy fields in more than 1500 villages Thousands of farmers working in ‘Action for Climate and Environment’ (ACE) under the program to move away from water-intensive traditional farming. This eco-friendly initiative is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of pharma giant Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.CSR) is being implemented by Dr. Reddy’s Foundation with the support of the fund.

• Last year’s great record: Last year, aware farmers of these two districts had successfully adopted DSR in 3,667 acres and AWD technology in 21,963 acres. As a result the entire belt Historic saving of more than 3000 crore liters of water and in the environment More than 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide Reduction in emissions of harmful greenhouse gases equivalent to . Given the strong predictions of El Nino again this year, the number of farmers adopting this technology is expected to increase even more.

• Huge reduction in cost: Another 50-year-old farmer from the same village, R Sanyas Rao, has been successfully using ‘Wet DSR’ in 5 acres since last year. He told that with this technology his cost of ploughing, nursery construction and the most expensive labor has been reduced to half. This year he is cultivating dry DSR in two acres and low-water maize in the remaining three acres.

The traditional sowing calendar changed; Help is being provided through Digital Soil Health Card

The traditional time cycle of sowing of crops in this coastal belt (Srikakulam) has completely changed over the years due to frequent cyclones and monsoon uncertainties. While earlier paddy sowing used to end at the end of June, in the last 3-4 years it has shifted to July and the main transplantation takes place by August.

Cover Crops and Soil Health: To make proper use of this idle period (May-June period), the foundation encourages farmers to plant short duration cover crops like Urad, Moong and Sesame Encouraging to grow. Apart from this, green manure crops like jute and napier help in holding nitrogen and moisture in the soil.

State-of-the-Art Soil Testing: To arrest the deteriorating soil health of Srikakulam, the Foundation has launched its state-of-the-art lab facility in Hyderabad in January 2025. Through this, instant soil test reports are being given to the farmers. released last year More than 5000 Soil Health Cards It was found that the soil of this area is severely deficient in organic carbon and micro-nutrients like sulphur, zinc and boron, while the amount of potash is high. Based on this, now through bulk SMS and digital farmer meetings, farmers are being made aware to apply fertilizer in accurate and balanced quantity as per the need of the soil instead of the habit of adding urea without thinking.