Alternate Wet and Dry technique - an introduction to our social impacts research approach
This blog provides a short introduction to the social aspects of a field trial on the “Alternate Wet and Dry” (AWD) technique conducted in Ting Bien District of An Giang province in the upper Mekong Delta. In order to understand the full benefits or disadvantages to application of the AWD technique for farmers, as the practitioners, it was important to gain direct feedback from farmers and gauge their opinion. The research team did this by holding meetings with two groups of rice farmers in Van Giao and Vinh Trung communes on June 25- 26th 2022.The farmers involved in the meetings were those who directly participated in the AWD trial and other local farmers cultivating rice nearby, who observed the trial. We sought from this cross-sectional sample of farmers to understand the effectiveness of the AWD technique and any wider impact at the community level. We applied two main tools to sample local views, namely focus group discussion and a questionnaire survey, each of which we outline below.
Focus group discussion
Farmers who participated in the trial shared their views on some of the advantages and disadvantages of the AWD technique, with feedback noted by social science researchers. According to the farmers, the Winter-Spring crop in 2021-2022 faced some difficulties due to a serious infestation of rice stem gall midge (Orselia oryzae). Farmers expressed that it was the most damage they had seen over the last 20 years and impacted many provinces in the Mekong Delta. An Giang province was one of the most damaged provinces, causing rice yield losses. Farmers taking part in the AWD trial noted that the rice plants were stronger, and less rice plants collapsed or fell.
A focus group discussion with farmers participating in the trial in Van Giao Commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province
For the group of farmers cultivating nearby the experimental area they said they had seen the experiment and saw a notice-board outlining the trial. But because the information was written in Vietnamese, the Khmer farmers were mostly unable to understand the meaning, as few can read Vietnamese script. They would have preferred that the contents were written in Khmer script. However, they learned about the trial through direct conversations with their neighbors. They knew that the experiment aim to save water in rice farming. Therefore, in any follow-up activities of the project, it is recommended that results and extension information should be available in both Khmer and Vietnamese languages.
Holding a meeting with farmers cultivating around the trial area in Vinh Trung commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province
Farmer questionnaire survey
With the support of staff from the Agriculture Department and Plant Protection officers in Tinh Bien District, and the farmers who participated in the pilot trial, a questionnaire survey was conducted among local farmers in the wider community. A total of 80 farmers in Van Giao and Vinh Trung communes were interviewed (40 households/commune, of which 50% were farmers participating in the trial). The content of the questionnaire focused on general household information, awareness of water security issues, irrigation service for rice fields, cost and profit of the Winter-Spring crop 2021-2022, and the potential of AWD to be replicated or expanded.
Interviewing rice farmers in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province Both husband and wife responded in some cases
Interviewing rice farmers in Vinh Trung commune, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province during the Covid pandemic
Conducting household interviews was also an opportunity for students of Rural Development at An Giang University-VNU to access field sites and gain valuable experience of farmer interaction in social science research. Issues such as management of time, transportation, participatory research tools and communication skills were enhanced to complement the more theoretical knowledge learned at university.
Rural Development students and staff at AGU- VNU travel by motorbike to conduct farmer interviews in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province
The results of this activity play an important role in improving the understanding of the applicability of the AWD technique in any follow-up measures and ultimately, the replicability of the water saving method to other communities in the Mekong delta. The preliminary results from survey expressed that reducing the number of pumping times is possible by adjusting the current irrigation pumping regime. The following project activities are provided with comments for improvement. For example, the materials for the next local workshop will be compiled and printed in both Vietnamese and Khmer language. The project team hopes that with timely adjustments, the project will be better adapted to the needs and expectations of rice farmers in the community during its remaining months of implementation.
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