The livelihoods of millions of rice farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta have become increasingly vulnerable due to reduced rainfall and the resulting water stress. In this context, promoting water-saving practices, such as alternate wetting and drying technology, is vital to sustain rice production and enhance people’s resilience to climatic changes in the Delta. Since this technology is not widely applied in the region, this study hypothesized that a precise water measurement using the Internet of Things technology could facilitate the uptake of the alternate wetting and drying rice cultivation practice. The study applied a rigorous research design to assess the differential benefits of applying the technology with sensors. Participating farmers were divided into three treatment groups that produced rice using either the continuously flooded irrigation technique, manual alternate wetting and drying tubes, or tubes with sensors. The on-farm trials’ results showed that the precise water level measurements with the sensors allowed the farmers to maximize the benefits from alternate wetting and drying irrigation. The experimental results indicated an additional 13-20% of water savings over manual alternate wetting and drying. The technology also reduced irrigation energy costs by 25% and moderately enhanced rice yields by 2-11%. This pilot was the first to demonstrate in a large-scale open-field trial that it is feasible and beneficial for smallholder farmers to apply cutting-edge Internet of Things technology to increase water use efficiency in their rice farms. The technology adoption would significantly contribute to sustaining the agriculture-based livelihoods of people in the Delta.

由于降雨量减少和由此产生的水资源压力，越南湄公河三角洲数百万稻农的生计变得越来越脆弱。在此背景下，推广节水做法，例如干湿交替技术，对于维持水稻生产和增强人们对三角洲气候变化的适应能力至关重要。由于这项技术在该地区没有广泛应用，本研究假设使用物联网技术进行精确的水测量可以促进采用交替干湿水稻种植实践。该研究采用了严格的研究设计来评估将该技术与传感器一起应用的不同优势。参与的农民被分为三个处理组，使用连续洪水灌溉技术、手动交替润湿和干燥管或带有传感器的管生产水稻。农场试验的结果表明，使用传感器进行精确的水位测量使农民能够最大限度地利用干湿交替灌溉的好处。实验结果表明，与手动交替润湿和干燥相比，可额外节省 13-20% 的水。该技术还将灌溉能源成本降低了 25%，并使水稻产量适度提高了 2-11%。该试点首次在大规模露天试验中证明，小农应用尖端物联网技术提高稻田用水效率是可行且有益的。