Watershed scale ecosystem services assessment through water saving irrigation with Smart Agriculture

• Overview

  Generally, smart agriculture aims to improve crop production efficiency by using ICT to reduce inputs of materials and resources for crop production, such as water, fertilizer, energy and labor forces. Especially in arid zone with predominantly water scarcity, improving of water use efficiency is a major issue in both the short and long term aspects. Also, a side effect of irrigation is the improvement of ecosystem services such as healthy water cycle and ecosystem conservation at the watershed scale. In this study, we will develop an irrigation technology for efficient use of water resources with detection of Crop Water Stress Index (CWSI) by thermos-camera and auto-irrigation facilities. And implement outreach to farmers to distribute surplus water resources to downstream areas using ICT, based on a case study of smart water-saving irrigation for cotton cultivation in Izmir, Turkey, where dryland agriculture is practiced. This is expected to accelerate the implementation of smart agriculture.

  

Members

Motoi Kusadokoro (Institute of Agriculture / Associate Professor)