SI-012-02 :
Water Security &
Climate-Resilient Agriculture Systems

Situation

Thailand’s agricultural system is highly dependent on rainfall patterns and seasonal water availability, with uneven irrigation coverage across regions. Key structural challenges include:

• Inconsistent water distribution between regions (flood vs drought cycles)

• Limited irrigation infrastructure coverage and efficiency

• Lack of integrated water management across river basins

• Increasing climate variability affecting rainfall predictability

• Weak linkage between water management and crop planning decisions

This results in high production volatility, crop losses, and inefficient water utilization, directly impacting farmer income and national food security.

Shift

Global agriculture is shifting from passive water dependence → active water management and climate-resilient systems.

Key transitions include:

• From seasonal irrigation → real-time, demand-based water allocation

• From reactive drought/flood response → predictive climate risk management

• From monocrop vulnerability → diversified, climate-adaptive cropping systems

• From fragmented water governance → integrated basin-level management

Water is no longer just a resource—it is becoming the primary constraint and control variable of agricultural productivity.

Advantage

Thailand has the potential to develop a nationally integrated water-agriculture system:

• Extensive river basin network across the country

• Existing large-scale irrigation infrastructure with expansion potential

• Strong institutional foundation in water and agricultural agencies

• Opportunity to integrate water management with digital and data systems

This enables Thailand to move toward a “Smart Water–Smart Agriculture Model”.

Additional Structural Advantage

Thailand can design a multi-layer water resilience architecture:

• Water Infrastructure Layer → Reservoirs, canals, smart irrigation systems

• Data & Monitoring Layer → Real-time water levels, rainfall, soil moisture tracking

• Forecasting Layer → Climate modeling and predictive analytics

• Allocation Layer → Intelligent water distribution based on crop and regional needs

• Adaptation Layer → Climate-resilient crops and diversified farming systems

Supported by:

• Integration with Smart Farming systems (SI-012-01)

• Linkage with national data infrastructure (SI-011)

• Public–private collaboration for infrastructure and technology deployment

This creates a system where water supply and agricultural production are dynamically aligned.

Implication

Without water security and climate adaptation:

• Agricultural output becomes increasingly unstable

• Farmer income volatility increases

• Food supply risks rise under extreme weather conditions

• Resource conflicts intensify across regions and sectors

With a resilient water-agriculture system:

• Thailand stabilizes agricultural production across seasons

• Improves water-use efficiency and sustainability

• Enhances resilience to climate shocks (droughts, floods)

• Strengthens national food security and export reliability

Action Layer