Our Rice + Drip Farmer Mr.T. Mahipal Yadav won the Innovative Rice Farmer of the year 2015. The award was instituted by Indian Institute of Rice Research (Earlier -Directorate of Rice Research) which is ICAR’s institute of excellence on rice research, based in Hyderabad.

Mr.Yadav is from village Chinthalapet, Metpally Mandal, Karimnagar District of Telangana. This innovative 30 year young farmer is educated up to 9th grade, has family owned 7.5 acre of agricultural land. He was doing rice farming, since his young age. But recently he shifted to Drip-Irrigated rice and produced record yield of 3.6 ton/acre as compared to traditional rice farming which was 2.2 ton/acre. He also presented his case study at Innovative rice farmers meet held on 29th August, 2015, at IIRR Hyderabad. This innovative and spirited farmer was assisted by Scientists from Jain Irrigation- Mr. M. S. Prasad and Mr. Viplav Kumar.

Using precision input technology (water and nutrients) management, Mr.T.Mahipal Yadav could reduce his costs in labour, energy use for pumping and fertilizer use. He also could produce more rice with less inputs and cost. It envisaged that this innovative method of rice irrigation is an appropriate solution for the ever increasing water shortage in most of the rice growing South Asia.