Water-saving irrigation - the "key" to open the door to modern agriculture

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - As water resources become increasingly scarce and production costs continue to increase, many farmers have found solutions from water-saving irrigation systems (WISE). Not only does this technology help reduce labor, save fertilizers and optimize irrigation water, it also opens up a new direction for efficient, smart and sustainable agricultural production. Models of drip irrigation and remote-controlled automatic irrigation are gradually changing traditional farming thinking, creating a breakthrough in the journey of transforming high-tech agriculture in the locality.

Water-saving irrigation helps Mr. Le Van Long, Minh Son commune (Trieu Son) reduce 90% of labor.

According to statistics from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the whole province currently has over 3,600 hectares of cultivation area applying TNTK technology; mainly applied on fruit trees, sugarcane, vegetables in greenhouses and net houses. Of which, irrigation using Israeli technology accounts for nearly 64% of the area. Actual results show that TNTK technology helps reduce 40 - 70% of water usage compared to traditional irrigation, saving about 70 - 80% of labor thanks to automating the operating process. In particular, crop productivity increases by 20 - 40%, product quality is improved, helping farmers easily link consumption with large units and enterprises. Some models have even recorded an increase in income of up to 40% per production cycle... This technology not only brings economic value but also plays an important role in protecting the environment, limiting soil erosion and preventing water pollution by controlling the amount of irrigation water and fertilizer reasonably. This is an important basis for building organic agriculture and high-tech agriculture.

In Van Du town (Thach Thanh), Mr. Le Son Hai has invested in developing a high-tech ginger growing model on his family's 5ha area. Instead of using traditional irrigation methods that are labor-intensive and water-intensive, Mr. Hai has invested in installing a TNTK system with branch pipes arranged close to the base. Thanks to that, the system only needs to be operated for one hour, the entire land area is watered just enough, creating stable moisture in the soil and ensuring nutrients are absorbed more effectively.

A highlight of this system is the ability to combine watering and fertilizing at the same time. Fertilizer is diluted in water, put into a tank, then directly delivered to the base of the tree through the irrigation system. This method not only helps save fertilizer (up to 30% less than traditional fertilization) but also limits the amount of fertilizer spilled into the environment, avoiding waste and pollution. In addition, the method of concentrated irrigation at the base helps limit the impact on the quality of the tubers, thereby increasing crop yields.

In particular, with the TNTK system, labor costs are reduced by 80%, and there is no longer the need to manually pull irrigation pipes or carry water in buckets like before. Farmers can proactively irrigate at any time of the day without needing much support from human resources. At the same time, the system also allows flexible adjustment of irrigation areas, water volume and irrigation time according to each growth stage of the plant.

As one of the pioneers in applying water-saving irrigation technology, Mr. Le Van Long, Minh Son commune (Trieu Son) has invested in developing a model of growing vegetables and fruit trees in greenhouses in the direction of high technology, synchronously applying the TNTK system. Not only installing modern drip irrigation pipes according to Israeli technology, Mr. Long also integrated a sensor system to measure temperature, humidity, and light, from which the system can automatically adjust the irrigation mode to suit the growth needs of crops at each time. A prominent convenience is that the entire system is connected to a smartphone. He can control the irrigation pump remotely, anywhere with internet, which is especially useful when the garden owner cannot be present in the production area. The automatic irrigation system helps farmers save time and effort, while still ensuring that crops are cared for properly and at the right time.

Water-saving irrigation helps Mr. Le Van Long, Minh Son commune (Trieu Son) reduce 90% of labor.

Mr. Long said: "The actual operation has proven the outstanding efficiency of the model: the amount of water used is reduced by up to 70% compared to traditional irrigation methods; labor is reduced by up to 90%, almost no manual intervention is required. Moreover, although the initial investment cost is somewhat high, in the long term, it saves significantly thanks to reduced operating and labor costs and increased harvest productivity. "The application of smart agriculture is not only a technical step forward but also a solution to the problem of saving resources, adapting to climate change and increasing the value of agricultural products in the current trend of concentrated commodity production".

Although there have been many positive signs, in reality, the area applying TNTK in localities still accounts for a modest proportion of the total cultivated area of ​​the whole province. The biggest obstacle at present is the high initial investment cost, ranging from 100 - 200 million VND/ha, beyond the financial capacity of many small-scale farmers. To overcome difficulties and expand the TNTK area, our province has promoted investment support policies, through programs such as "Digital transformation in agriculture", "Development of raw material areas" or capital from the National Target Program on New Rural Development... Some localities such as Yen Dinh, Trieu Son, Thach Thanh have also proactively issued their own mechanisms to encourage people and cooperatives to invest in TNTK. Along with that, district-level agricultural service centers have actively coordinated with equipment suppliers and agricultural extension organizations to organize training courses on installation, operation and maintenance of automatic irrigation systems. In addition, the agricultural and environmental sectors have increased communication and built demonstration models. Many pilot models have been included in agricultural training and seminars, helping farmers witness the superiority of TNTK over traditional methods. This is also an important step to change production thinking from "spontaneous" to "strategic". TNTK will not only be a technical solution, but also a change in thinking from traditional farming to smart, sustainable agriculture, contributing to building a green - clean - efficient and nature-friendly agriculture.

Article and photos: Tran Hang

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/tuoi-nuoc-tiet-kiem-chia-khoa-mo-canh-cua-nong-nghiep-hien-dai-249931.htm