KHEM SOTHEA (PhD)
Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)
Research Experiences
I am a research associate belonging to the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Crop production and Environment Division. My research has focused on floodplain modeling which applied to irrigation drainage sub-models to estimate water requirement and water balance in the paddy fields in the lowland of the Cambodian Mekong Delta. I am originally from Cambodia and first came to Japan as a Monboshugaku scholarship grantee in 2001. I finished my masters degree in agricultural engineering at Utsunomiya University in 2003, while I graduated with my PhD degree in the same field in March 2007 at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan.
I have experience of using a series Tank Model which applies to the semi-arid area of the Lower Mekong for analyzing the total inflow into the Deltaic areas. The combination of Tank Model and ARMA time series model was used for flood forecasting of the Mekong River. Water balance of the Delta was analyzed to grasp the macro-scopic framework of the inundation. The water balance was analyzed using three models, namely; Mekong Runoff Model, Water Balance Model of the Tonle Sap Lake and the Cambodian floodplain. The simulated results of the inundation model are used to assess the feasibility of double-rice cropping in a sub-area. The results of flood recession processes from October to May were utilized for identifying the land appearance in the sub-area, and the potential of securing land for double-rice cropping was estimated based on the period of land appearance. These simulations were also used to examine the effect of some water control measures for increasing the potential land for double rice cropping by delaying the start of inundation. The results showed that small embankments and installation of control gates on the Colmatage canals, which are the unique systems that draw flood water intentionally from the mainstream to the back marsh, will be effective for securing the period for double rice cropping.
Based on the results of this analysis, I was permitted to make a presentation by the Tokyo University of Agriculture at the World Environmental & Water Resources Congress which was held in Omaha, Nebraska USA in May 21~25, 2006, organized by Environment and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) of the American Society Civil Engineer (ASCE).
Research Interest
To promote the development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in harmony with the environment and improvement and utilization of the natural environmental resources, JIRCAS has carried out its main activities through the implementation of international collaborative research projects. The future of rice production will depend heavily on developing and adopting strategies and practices that will use water efficiently in irrigation system. For this purpose, the assessment of regional water availability and development of crop production technologies based on water resources in existing farm systems are the main activities (JIRCAS newsletter 2001). Based on JIRCAS annual report 2001, about 60% of world food production is derived from rainfed agricultural areas which account for over 80% of total arable land. Water practices in rainfed agriculture have important implications on food and environmental security. Increases in productivity of rainfed agriculture lessen the need for more irrigation. Water harvesting and supplemental irrigation show promise to increase production, improve livelihoods and household food security for many rural poor. In light of this, the project was first conducted in Northeast Thailand for developing sustainable farming systems to improve the agricultural technologies for crop and livestock production of the rain-fed lowland. The project’s target area has been extended to the lowland-upland boundary zone mainly in the Southeast Asia region of Thai, Loa, Cambodia including Indonesia.
We know that about 70% of usable fresh water is available in the world is used for agriculture and it will continue to increase year by year. With population growth and increasing water demand in the dry season, effectively managing available water in the world is vital for agricultural production. Efficient management of water resources requires an understanding of the hydrological watershed phenomenon.
Addressing these constraints, requires hydrological models that explicitly solve the effects of global scale water cycle change and water use at system level that are able to quantify effects of interventions at different spatial scale levels on water flows and water availabilities throughout the irrigation system. The required models will be important for proposing appropriate policies for management of development in the agriculture context. In order to participate and contribute to relevant facts of water use for agricultural production, first; I have utilized the hydrological and hydraulic models (Tank model, LISFLOOD-FP, MIKE-11 or MIKE-SHE) for estimating rainfall to run-off in sub-catchments, channel routing with overland flow, depth flood and flood extent in the low-lying floodplain area for water resource management. The outcome of these models was processed through GIS software to analyze the policy scenarios related to food, water and the environment. My intensive works has also focused on analysis water balance of different part in the study area which leads to evaluate overall water use efficiency to improve irrigation water management. The work has included the use of remote sensing data and its application in hydrology and water resources management.
I believe that my working experiences, combined with research background in hydrology and water resources can contribute to the water management contexts.
Sincerely Yours,
1 comment:
Good research
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