Regional Agricultural water productivity Monitoring for Climate Change Adaptation

Agricultural Water scarcity, amplified by climate change, poses a great challenge to global agricultural productivity and sustainability. This study explores a new indicator to monitor regional crop water productivity in agricultural systems. Using a combination of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite data, and ground observations, we assess spatiotemporal trends in water productivity across an agricultural production regional scale .The water productivity indicator (CWP_SM ) was computed as a ratio of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to volumetric soil moisture content at 30cm and 60cm soil depths respectively and compared against a benchmark water productivity indictor ( CWP_EC) computed as a ratio of Gross primary productivity (GPP)  to Evapotranspiration (ET). Our research findings highlight a consistent strong positive correlation and alignment of CWP_SM at 30 cm, CWP_SM at 60 cm and CWP_EC trends over time with however CWP_SM at 60 cm demonstrating superior accuracy and reliability compared to CWP_SM at 30 cm as a proxy for CWP_EC. The results highlight the importance of ensuring that water reaches deeper layers to at least 60 cm depth during irrigation due to the stability of soil moisture, observed at this depth.

By providing actionable insights, the study contributes to achieving sustainable development goals of climate action, ending hunger and underscoring the importance of monitoring crop water productivity in addressing water management challenges in agricultural production

This research was funded by Szechenyi Plan Plus Program under the RRF 2.3.1 21 2022 00008 project. We gratefully acknowledge their tremendous support and contributions to the research.