WEBVTT FILE

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The Indus River has been a lifeline to farmers for thousands of years

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where skills and knowledge have been passed down from generation to generation

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Our children are farmers, learned farming from elders, we’ve been doing it for generations.

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Now, using NASA satellites, the next generation are experimenting with new tricks of the trade.

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Flowing for almost two thousand miles,

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the Indus River provides freshwater for watering crops in four countries.

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In Pakistan, 90 percent of agriculture work relies on surface water and groundwater from the river.

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But over the past few decades, populations have grown

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and these freshwater resources have become scarce.

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Earlier this season, the groundwater level was low.

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We drilled a well near our house, but it stopped producing after one week.

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The cotton was short last year and it was not just a loss for a single farmer, but for all of Pakistan.

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Two, three generations ago, when water was plentiful,

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they had more water than what they needed to grow crops. 

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This is Faisal Hossain.

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He leads a research group at the University of Washington

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that explores how developing countries can use water more sustainably.

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But as the demand grew, they had to grow more crops.

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and when they didn't have enough surface water,

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they were pumping it from the ground.

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Today, it has become one of the most depleted basins in the world,

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which, compounded with high crop demands, is cause for concern.

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We farmers are in real crisis because one crop is being harvested while the next is made ready for planting — continuously.

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To tackle this, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources

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want to help farmers look beneath the soil.

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You need to know the rainfall, the weather conditions, and the crop condition.

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We get a lot of that from satellites —

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NASA satellite missions such as the GPM, the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission.

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With help from Faisal’s research group,

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they’re attempting to give a clear picture of the water available in the land

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allowing farmers to see exactly how much they need to irrigate

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and avoid under or overwatering crops, which can hinder crop growth.

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Using NASA satellites and ground sensors,

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scientists are gathering weather measurements like temperature,

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wind speed, pressure, humidity and solar radiation­­.

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Combining that information with weather prediction models they have created the Irrigation Advisory System.

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This provides real-time estimates of the amount of water that evaporates through sunlight and wind.

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In short, scientists can analyze how much water specific crops need.

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Dark regions show a higher demand of water.

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Light regions show a lower demand of water.

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This indicates that crops in different parts of the country require different amounts of water.

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These calculations are done throughout the country for different crops

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and are analyzed with rainfall measurements from NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement mission.

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Then, they’re turned into weekly instructions sent to farmers’ cell phones.

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Dear farmer friend, we would like to inform you that the irrigation need for your banana crop was 2 inches during the past week.

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Whether it's a flip phone or a smartphone,

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it has pretty good penetration even in developing countries.

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Since the program began in Pakistan in 2016,

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it has grown from 700 farmers to more than 100,000.

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And now, the system has expanded to India and Bangladesh –

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other countries who are also scarce in water.   

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Having access to this information is not only important now,

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but it will be critical as our planet continues to change.

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We believe that access is a fundamental human right.

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I see the future where every farmer, wherever they are,

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are easily able to tap into this information,

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