Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and Farmer Innovations in Rice Cultivation Irrigation: A Case Study of Dry-Seeded Rice in Rural Eastern Mazandaran

Introduction
The present research centers on the innovative cultivation and production of rice through direct seeding (dry-seeded rice), as an alternative to continuous flooding or traditional methods, and examines the productivity and economic impacts of this novel approach. Unlike traditional paddy cultivation with flood irrigation, this innovation involves direct and phased irrigation or dry seeding. Indeed, in this new method, rice planting and irrigation are adapted to the plant's specific water needs, maximizing the utilization of existing soil moisture. Agricultural water consumption is reduced by approximately 65% due to the modified irrigation technique. This study stems from extensive irrigation measurements conducted over four crop years (2020-2023) in rice fields in rural areas of Behshahr County, with the active participation of local rice farmers. Following successful trials, this method is rapidly expanding to other farms and villages. Key advantages of this new irrigation approach (dry-seeded rice) include reduced use of agricultural pesticides due to fewer pests resulting from the irrigation type, lower production costs, decreased labor hours and days per acre compared to traditional rice production, increased per capita rice yield per hectare, and easy training and dissemination of the cultivation method. This dry-seeding irrigation technique is applicable to both high-yield rice varieties (Neda) and low-yield, high-value varieties (Tarom). Overall, direct-seeded rice can be considered "rainfed cultivation," while the traditional method can be termed "irrigated cultivation." Given the water resource challenges and limitations in rural areas, this research aims to answer: How has the experience of direct rice irrigation (dry-seeded rice) unfolded in rural eastern Mazandaran, and what are its advantages compared to cultivating other crops and traditional rice farming?
 
Methodology
This applied research employs a descriptive-analytical approach and is based on participatory evaluation methods. Data collection involved both library research and fieldwork, utilizing semi-structured individual and group interviews, as well as observation. The study's geographical scope encompassed villages in Behshahr, Neka, and Galougah counties. During the research period from 2020 to 2023, approximately 130 villages in these counties engaged in rice cultivation (Statistical Yearbook of Mazandaran Province, 2016, pp. 35, 63). To conduct the participatory research, villages with direct rice cultivation were first identified, and a snowball sampling method was used to determine the sample size. Criteria such as the area under dry cultivation, access to farmers during the cultivation period, and willingness to participate in the research process influenced sample selection. After identifying the sample, participatory meetings were held in each sample village, and sometimes directly in the fields. Based on the opinions of participating rice farmers, discussions focused on: the characteristics of direct rice irrigation; the advantages of direct irrigation for rice production compared to traditional methods; the benefits of direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) compared to other crops in rural eastern Mazandaran; and finally, the overall advantages of direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) for rice production compared to traditional planting. Simultaneously, each of these axes was analyzed, and issues were prioritized. The research process spanned four consecutive years (2020-2023) during the rice cultivation season, generally from April to September. In the first year, 5 farmers participated; in the second year, with 10 new additions, the sample grew to 15; in the third year, with 15 new additions, it reached 30; and in the fourth year, with 20 new additions, the statistical population expanded to 32 farmers, with some participants repeating from the second year onwards. The total number of participating farmers in the sample throughout the research period was 50. These participants were from the villages of Khorshid Kola and Lemrask in Galougah County; Altepeh, Saro, Ghareh Tapeh, Hosseinabad, and Zaghmarz in Behshahr County; and Hajimohalleh, Kolat, Kamishan, and Nodeh in Neka County. The dry-seeding experience in the studied villages was successfully implemented for both high-yield rice varieties like Neda and high-value varieties like Tarom.
 
Findings
The direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) method offers numerous advantages in terms of irrigation volume, irrigation stages, yield, economic value of production, and per capita income per hectare, compared to other common crops in the region. Given the climatic characteristics of eastern Mazandaran (Behshahr, Neka, and Galougah counties), which receive an average long-term annual rainfall of 600 to 650 mm, and whose groundwater resources have significantly declined in recent decades due to high agricultural water consumption, dry-seeded rice can be introduced as the dominant agricultural cultivation pattern for the region. This cultivation method can generate up to three times more per capita income per hectare than other dominant crops in the region after rice, such as cotton, soybean, and corn. If carefully and systematically managed, this per capita income could increase up to fourfold. It is notable that in the direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) method, specifically for the high-yield Neda variety, approximately 75 kg of usable or marketable rice and about 2 kg of broken rice are harvested and produced from every 120 kg of paddy (the standard unit for harvested rough rice sacks on the farm). According to participants' statements regarding the direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) method during the study years, agricultural water consumption per hectare is approximately one-third (a 1:3 ratio) of the traditional method. In other words, direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) requires about 66% less water resources for rice cultivation than the traditional flood irrigation method. As direct irrigation (dry-seeded rice) is carried out according to the plant's biological needs and in a regular, phased manner in comparison with climatic conditions, there might be minor variations in this amount. Nevertheless, given the decreasing trend of long-term annual rainfall in eastern Mazandaran (600 to 650 mm), the increasing trend of land desiccation each year, and the lowering of the regional groundwater table, the dry-seeding method has gained significant importance.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
With proper planning, precise training, effective information dissemination, appropriate promotion, and leveraging experiences, it's possible to achieve water and soil conservation, increased farmer income, higher quality produce with fewer pests and pesticides. Furthermore, reduced production costs, decreased water consumption given regional water resource limitations, reduced labor intensity in rice cultivation, effective per-hectare productivity, and determination of regional cultivation patterns and rural economics can be planned and implemented. It appears that despite the attention of the Irrigation Organization and the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad among farmers and villages in eastern Mazandaran, the development and expansion of dry-seeding have occurred informally and unsystematically. Therefore, strong support from governmental bodies for promoting this cultivation method in the villages of the region, and even in other northern provinces of Iran, is expected and recommended. This support can manifest through producing educational programs in rural areas, promoting modern irrigation techniques, face-to-face promotion of the direct (dry-seeding) method of rice irrigation, and developing promotional programs. Moreover, just as governmental support is provided for drip irrigation and optimal use of surface and groundwater resources in horticulture and some other agricultural sectors, direct (dry-seeding) rice irrigation should also receive support from relevant organizations for drip or sprinkler irrigation, which would be welcomed by rural rice producers.