Reducing non-point DOC and nitrogen exports from rice fields: A pilot study and quantitative survey to determine the effects of different hydrologic management practices : Deliverable 15.3 Final Report

Rice cultivation at any level in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (existing or expanded) compels the need to quantify surface and subsurface loads of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), disinfection byproduct precursors (DBPPs) and nitrogen. This information can be used to develop Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce export of these constituents in order to improve drinking water quality. Although rice cultivation in the Delta is relatively limited, several factors outside of this research could contribute to increased rice acreage in the Delta: • Recently developed rice varieties seem more suitable for the Delta climate than earlier varieties which required warmer conditions; • Previous economic analyses (Appendix A.10) suggest rice is more profitable than corn, a dominant land use in the Delta; • Recent studies on wetlands at Twitchell Island suggest rice production can help mitigate oxidative subsidence (Miller et al. 2000); • The different oxidative states that result from flooding in rice as compared to those found in crops that require drained soils may help control crop specific weeds and nematodes when rice is incorporated into a crop rotation; and • Providing flooded conditions during a greater part of the year than other crops may benefit water birds. ... (PDF contains 249 pages)

Weather index insurance: Lessons learned and best practices for Bangladesh

WorldFish and the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) held a two-day workshop on the topic of Weather Index-Based Insurance: Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Bangladesh. Weather index insurance is based on a predefined weather event which when triggered ensures automatic payout to farmers who have taken out insurance. For example, the climatic trigger could be a predefined consecutive number of days where rainfall is below a set level or when the floodwater level reaches above a certain point. Index insurance has been operating for about 10 years in many countries but is still at an early stage in Bangladesh, where there are two schemes currently being piloted and three other projects being developed. The aim of the two-day workshop was twofold: to ascertain the present state of index insurance in Bangladesh and elsewhere, and to work together to identify ways forward.