Saving irrigation - a solution to promote sustainable farming

These solutions not only improve productivity and optimize resources, but also promote sustainable farming and protect the environment.

Realizing that traditional irrigation methods are both costly and wasteful, Mr. Nong Van Thach (Xuan Phu commune, Ea Kar district) invested in and installed a water-saving irrigation system for 1.5 hectares of durian.

Mr. Thach said that in increasingly harsh climate conditions, most crops, especially perennial plants, are susceptible to water shortages. With durian, water needs become even more important because the tree needs to be continuously supplied with water throughout the growth process, but only at a sufficient level. If watered too much or too little, it can affect the growth of the tree.

The water-saving irrigation system was installed by Mr. Nong Van Thach (Xuan Phu commune, Ea Kar district) for his durian garden.

Previously, with a large garden area, Mr. Thach had to spend all day manually watering between the tree roots. Since September 2024, after installing 700 sprinkler nozzles at the roots combined with a remote control system, this work has become much simpler and more effective. In just about 3 hours, his family's entire garden has been watered evenly, saving 20-30% of water compared to the old method. "The water-saving irrigation system limits erosion, keeps the soil moist and especially helps to proactively provide water for production. Thanks to that, taking care of crops is more effective, especially in prolonged dry weather conditions," Mr. Thach shared.

According to Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Phu Commune (Ea Kar District), since implementing the water-saving irrigation model, people have switched to burying pipes underground, and installing drip irrigation nozzles, sprinklers, etc. Changing farming methods not only helps reduce production costs and save labor, but also contributes to increasing income and improving life.

Accompanying people in responding to climate change, in recent times, Dak Lak province's functional departments have actively supported farmers to access and replicate water-saving irrigation models. For example, the water-saving irrigation model belongs to the Project "Enhancing the resilience of small-scale agriculture to water security due to climate change in the Central Highlands and South Central regions" (abbreviated as the SACCR Project). Beneficiaries are poor and near-poor households, ethnic minority households, and households where women are the breadwinners of their families. The project has a total local implementation budget of nearly 9.7 billion VND, implemented from 2025 - 2026.

Mr. Y Niu Nie (Ea Yong commune, Krong Pac district) uses a water-saving irrigation system to bring fertilizer from the container to the base of the tree, increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption.

The SACCR project is currently being implemented in 11 communes and towns in the province. Among them, Mr. Y Niu Nie's family (Ea Yong commune, Krong Pac district) is one of the households supported to install an energy-saving irrigation system for 2 sao of durian land. The entire garden area is equipped with about 80 irrigation nozzles, using the sprinkler irrigation method at the base. Thanks to the modern irrigation system, his family also combines fertilization and spraying pesticides through a pipe system directly to the base of the tree, helping the plants absorb nutrients more effectively than traditional manual methods.

Support for the installation of an energy-saving irrigation system not only helps Mr. Y Niu's family reduce production costs but also creates conditions for investing and taking care of the garden in a more systematic and scientific way. "With the attention and support from all sectors and levels, the family will try to effectively utilize the irrigation system to increase productivity, take care of the durian garden in a sustainable way, improve income and contribute to protecting local water resources," Mr. Y Niu confided.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Nam, Deputy Director of the Dak Lak SACCR Project Management Board, said that in the coming time, he will continue to support 1,646 households with materials and equipment for water-saving irrigation, applied on an area of 300 hectares of various crops, with a total cost of about 6.3 billion VND. Through this support activity, local authorities in communes in the project area will have a basis to propagate and replicate the model, encouraging many households to apply it in actual production. Thereby, contributing to saving irrigation water in cultivation, ensuring water security and adapting to climate change conditions in accordance with the goals set by the SACCR Project.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202504/tuoi-tiet-kiem-giai-phap-thuc-day-canh-tac-ben-vung-91c1b13/