Innovative Pathways for Enhancing Water Productivity in Rice-based systems in Cambodia

Axmed, M.M., van Halsema, G. Urfels, A, Flor, R.J., Jayasiri, N., Ouk, A., Keo, S., Penn, N., Rathmuny, T. 2024. Innovative Pathways for Enhancing Water Productivity in Rice-based systems in Cambodia. Research Report. Los Banos, Laguna: International Rice Research Institute.

This report summarized research conducted in Prey Veng and Takeo provinces in 2024 as part of a master's thesis (Full Thesis Report) investigating sustainable water resource management for rice-based systems. The research sought to address the following key questions: How do different water management strategies influence water consumption, crop yield, and profitability in rice-based systems amidst climatic variability? And what approaches can be adapted to tackle future climate challenges in order to secure and enhance rice production in Cambodia? Employing a multi-objective conceptual framework (Tang et al., 2023), this study utilized the water-driven productivity model, AquaCrop (Vanuytrecht et al., 2014). AquaCrop was initially calibrated for two short-duration rice varieties and sweet potatoes, followed by the development of five distinct irrigation scenarios.