I want to share a bit about a project I am participating in on a small island in northern Madagascar. It is a remote island where agriculture is mainly subsistence-based and highly dependent on seasonal rainfall. Rice is cultivated under rainfed conditions, and longer dry seasons are increasingly affecting crop development and food security.
The goal of this project is to study rice crop development through an agrohydrological model based on FAO crop water balance principles and evapotranspiration approaches. The idea is to better understand when water stress occurs during the growing season and explore possible adaptation measures to reduce climate vulnerability.
I will keep sharing updates as the project progresses, and I would love to hear comments or experiences from people working in agriculture, hydrology, or climate adaptation.
One question for the community:
Has anyone worked with rice root development under rainfed conditions? FAO references suggest maximum root depths of around 50 cm, but in one of our fields we are observing roots of only ~8 cm. Any thoughts on what could explain such shallow rooting?
