This season, we started very early with land preparation of the fields. Land preparation is important to ensure that the rice field is ready for planting. A well-prepared field controls weeds, recycles plant nutrients, and provides a suitable soil surface for direct seeding.

Land preparation covers a wide range of practices from zero-tillage or minimum tillage which minimizes soil disturbance through to a totally ‘puddled’ soil which actually destroys soil structure.

In order to optimise field-level management, we have adopted Real Time Kinematic (RTK) technology using GPS guidance systems to ensure we have the most accurate picture of the field and achieve the highest level of precision to create an accurate well balanced design. Basically, topographical data collected are then processed with a specific software to build optimal dig irrigation channels around the edges of the field with the tractors on autopilot. The system not only offer higher accuracy but also higher quality constructions while reducing the amount of time it takes to complete our land-leveling operations. All those information can also be reused for future seasons.

The use of the agricultural precision tool helps to ensure optimal water management by providing improvements in yields, water usage, and farm productivity. So far, 1,300 ha have been prepared and dig irrigation channels have been built over 650 ha, waiting for pre-sowing herbicides.