<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agartala, Oct 26 : A scientist from Kailashahar in Tripura has advocated an irrigation-led strategy to help African nations achieve rice self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on imports, stressing the importance of modern water-management systems in boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening food security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Deb, head of the Water and Climate Research Unit at the International Rice Research Institute’s (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi, presented a roadmap for improving rice production at the recently concluded Global Rice Policy Dialogue in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing policymakers, researchers and development experts, he emphasised the need to identify regions with high agricultural potential and prioritise investments in irrigation infrastructure rather than relying solely on expanding cultivated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientifically managed irrigation systems and efficient water-use practices can help African countries increase domestic rice production, improve farmers’ incomes and build resilience against climate-related challenges, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-day dialogue, organised with the support of the African Union, IRRI, AfricaRice and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, brought together policymakers and experts to discuss agricultural reforms, technological innovation and food-security challenges facing the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of international collaboration, Dr Deb is working with the Kenyan government to develop a framework for identifying regions where irrigation investments could deliver significant agricultural benefits. The initiative seeks to improve productivity while ensuring the sustainable use of water resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His research also focuses on agricultural water management in India. In Kerala, he is associated with a World Bank-supported initiative to digitally monitor water flows across a canal-irrigation network covering more than 20,000 hectares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The initiative aims to improve water distribution and support informed decision-making in irrigation management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Deb is also collaborating with NASA scientists to validate data from the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission. The work seeks to integrate satellite observations with agricultural and water-resource studies to improve irrigation planning, climate monitoring and crop management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His research spans irrigation engineering, climate adaptation and sustainable farming, linking scientific advances with practical solutions for agricultural challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After completing his doctoral studies at the University of Newcastle in Australia, Dr Deb pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Alabama in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His work across India and international research collaborations highlights the contribution of Indian scientists to efforts to address global food-security challenges and promote sustainable agricultural practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Agartala, Oct 26 : A scientist from Kailashahar in Tripura has advocated an irrigation-led strategy to help African nations achieve rice self-sufficiency and reduce dependence on imports, stressing the importance of modern water-management systems in boosting agricultural productivity and strengthening food security. Dr Deb, head of the Water and Climate Research Unit at the International […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":243,"featured_media":27386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[6140],"class_list":["post-27385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uncategorized"],"authors":[{"term_id":6140,"user_id":243,"is_guest":0,"slug":"bindusmitabhowmik","display_name":"Bindusmita Bhowmik","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-02-at-11.04.01-AM.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-02-at-11.04.01-AM.jpeg"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Bindusmita","last_name":"Bhowmik","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/243"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27385"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27387,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27385\/revisions\/27387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27385"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aguli.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=27385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}