Precision land leveling for sustainable rice production: case studies in Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, and India

Abstract

Laser-controlled land leveling (LLL) can help improve rice production's spatial and temporal management, leading to optimized water and crop management. This research resulted in sustainable performance indicators to illustrate that LLL is a sustainable technology for rice production. The assessment was conducted in Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and India. Benefits of LLL include saving land use, water, and agronomic inputs, increasing yield, and decreasing postharvest losses resulting in saving energy of 3.0–6.9 GJ ha−1 and decreasing emissions by 1151–1486 kg CO2-eq ha−1. Additionally, LLL application can obtain a net profit of USD 52–84 ha−1 per rice production season in the countries studied. The result demonstrated that LLL is a sustainable technology as well as strongly supports sustainable rice production. The study would lead to better adoption of this technology through its evidence-based promotion.

Private Service Provision Contributes to Widespread Innovation Adoption Among Smallholder Farmers: Laser Land Levelling Technology in Northwestern India

“…It facilitates a more uniform distribution of water and fertilisers, which is essential for efficient input use and high yields (Jat et al, 2006;Chen et al, 2024). Proper land levelling is particularly important in rice-wheat systems in which flood irrigation is used and where a certain water depth must be maintained for rice cultivation (Jat et al, 2006;Nguyen-Van-Hung et al, 2022). Unlike the traditional approach of land levelling, namely to use wooden or iron planks, LLL technology is more precise: with its precision-guided system, LLL can achieve a smoother surface (± 2cm) (Jat et al, 2006).…”

Contribution of Agriculture to Climate Change and Low-Emission Agricultural Development in Asia and the Pacific

“…Given the coal-dependent electricity generation system in India, LLL reduces about 0.15 Mg of CO2eq of emissions per year if the rice-wheat system is followed in a hectare of land (Gill 2014). A study of Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam, and India showed that LLL saved energy of 3.0-6.9 GJ ha −1 , thereby decreasing GHG emissions by 1,151-1,186 Kg CO2eq ha −1 in rice production (Nguyen- Van-Hung et al 2022).…”

Labranza Mecanizada Y Tradicional en Terrazas De La Pequeña Agricultura Altoandina en Perú: Comparación Técnica Y Económica

“…De esta forma, lo que se buscó con este estudio fue determinar si la labranza mecanizada puede lograr un suelo con iguales o mejores características de profundidad y diámetro medio ponderado de suelo labrado, en comparación a la forma tradicional; así como, menos pesada en términos energéticos, más rápida y económica para el agricultor en terrazas de la agricultura altoandina. aún persiste (Arita y Kimura, 2003;Pingali, 2007;Zhang B. et al, 2019;Paudel, Gartaula, et al, 2020;Nguyen-Van-Hung et al, 2022). Sin embargo, en países del Asia como Birmania, India, Vietnam y China la mecanización, desde áreas menores a 2 hectáreas, ha sido implementada con importantes resultados (Zhang X. et al, 2017;Liu et al, 2020;Belton et al, 2021;Vemireddy y Choudhary, 2021).…”