New planting technique in Laos adapts to climate change

Dry-direct seeding using drum seeders is one of the new options to reduce loss from natural disasters, particularly floods and drought. Lao researchers studied the technique for over three years in Savannakhet province.

The study came under a project carried out by the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture Promotion and Cooperatives, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and the Faculty of Agriculture at the National University of Laos for developing improved farming and marketing systems in Laos.

Farmers who use this method should be able to achieve two harvests during the rainy season as they can plant the first crop at the end of April or beginning of May when the early, light rains have fallen.

They don’t have to wait for the heavy rains in the middle of the year and, after harvesting this crop, should be able to plant again soon after, the Agriculture and Forestry Research Centre director, Dr Thavone Inthavong said.

Another major benefit of this new technique is in cost cutting. Farmers should be able to reduce their outlay by as much as 50 per cent compared to traditional methods with the big saving coming in labour costs.

Using traditional methods, about 30 people were required to plant one hectare per day – but by dry-direct seeding using drum seeders this can be cut to only one person, he said.

“I have worked with this new method on the project for three years now and can confirm that planting rice this way is better than our traditional method,” a project farmer in Outhoumphone district,  Bounpheng Phtesarath, said.

Rice production using the new method also faces less risk from flooding because farmers are able to work in upland farming areas where less water is available. The yield obtained using either method is similar, he said.

One major problem that Bounpheng is struggling with, however, in using this new method is what to do with his livestock which he would normally leave to graze in the fields until planting time, but now he has to remove them earlier.

Cost cutting using the new method has allowed  farmers to get help and advice on other technical matters such as establishing an irrigation system, the use of fertiliser and other methods of soil improvement.

The farmers now pay close attention to short and long range weather forecasts to help them know when they should start their planting.