Analysis of the drought mitigated mechanism in terraced paddy fields using CWSI and TVDI indices and hydrological monitoring

Abstract

Food security is often threatened by droughts during rice production. Although most of the rice is produced in lowland or irrigated "wet" rice fields, terraced paddy fields are important in the rice production system in island or mountainous countries. With the intensifying frequency of El Nino periods in recent decades, there has been a risk of droughts in terraced paddy areas. To mitigate drought, remote sensing data analysis could be an efficient and reliable tool for obtaining scarce ground monitoring data. In this study, crop water stress index (CWSI) and temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) were applied to evaluate the drought intensity, and hydrological monitoring data was provided as a support for the evaluation. The results indicated that droughts normally occurred during the dry season, and intensified during El Nino periods. CWSI and TVDI were visible to predict drought occurrences in the watershed area. TVDI overestimated the drought inside Keduang watershed compared to CWSI because of the complex condition of the terraced paddy area, including the hydrology in this area. The complex topography, high groundwater table, and continuous plot-to-plot irrigation helped to maintain the water availability and mitigated the drought impact for rice production in the studied terraced paddy field.