Project properties

Title Surface Fertigation Practices for Smallholder Farmers in the North China Plain, China
Group Water Resources Management group
Project type thesis
Credits 36
Supervisor(s) tbd
Examiner(s)
Contact info henk.ritzema@wur.nl
Begin date 2020/01/01
End date 2022/01/01
Description Host institute: Farmland Irrigation Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Local supervisor: Sun Xiulu (PhD student WU)
Country: China & The Netherlands
Period: open

Problem context
The North China Plain (NCP) has seen a significant increase in grain yield in recent years, but also an increasing input of water and fertiliser. Farmers mainly use surface irrigation and broadcast fertilisation. Their excessive irrigation and fertilisation practices have increased water scarcity and non-point pollution, which has become a major constraint for sustainable agricultural development in this region. The research aims to develop surface fertigation practices for smallholder farmers to improve the on-farm irrigation and fertilisation performance. Data has been collected in experimental and farmer’s fields in Xinxiang, Henan, China. This research is part of the PhD study “Surface Fertigation Practices for Smallholder Farmers in the North China Plain”. The models WinSRFR and SWAP are used to process the data and to simulate improved surface fertigation practices.

Research Objective/Question
• To develop surface fertigation practices for smallholder farmers to improve the on-farm irrigation and fertilisation performance.

What is expected from the student (type of research):
• To assist with data processing and modeling of the surface fertigation process.
Used skills
Requirements