Presenter: B.C. Barah, C. Ramasamy and K. N. Selvaraj, V. Ratna Reddy, and G. Nagaraj, Scientific inputs from T. M. Thyagarajan Institution: National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR), Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and University of Agricultural Sciences, India Subject Country: India

1. SRI Information Handout/Farmers’ Manual on Socio Economic and Ecological Concern for System of Rice Intensification (SRI): A Productivity Enhancing Practice in India B. C. Barah C. Ramasamy and K. N. Selvaraj, V. Ratna Reddy, and G. Nagaraj Scientific inputs from Dr. T. M. Thyagarajan National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR) Centre for Economic and Social Studies Tamilnadu Agricultural University and University of Agricultural Sciences

4. By practicing the following methods explained below, rice productivity can be improved significantly with lesser inputs 1 6 4 3 2 5

5. Get better yield prospects from the following practices: Practice No. # 1 : SOIL BED PREPARATION Effectively leveled field is easier for marking operation; and it is also easier for the proper distribution of scarce water resources and for transplanting of young seedlings Land leveler with wooden plank made of local materials improves field capacity. Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University (ANGRAU), Hyderabad, has developed an improved leveler-cum-marker at a cost of about Rs.900 per piece.

7. Practice No. # 3: WIDER SPACING Row and column spacing should be at least 25x25 cm, and can go up to 45x45cm or even more, at the rate of one seedling per hill, when the soil has improved through SRI practices. Due to wider space between seedlings, the roots and the canopy of the plant grow undisturbed. External soil nutrients could be reduced as the wider space provides more energy and air for the plants. Therefore, the plants enjoy the advantage of ‘ the edge effect’ for the whole field, and there is more biological N fixation

8. Practice No. # 4: NO CONTINUOUS FLOODING Unlike in conventional practice, the fields should not be flooded continuously . In order to keep soil moist, practice alternate wetting and drying of fields is followed. This promotes judicious use of water. Depending on type of soil, it should be irrigated and then let to dry, even to cracking stage, although with clay, may need to keep a thin film of water on the field. This creates scope for water saving, and hairline cracks improve soil aeration for plants and microbes. .

9. Practice No. # 5: REGULAR WEEDINGS Woman farmer ( Mrs. Manonmani of Thenpaththuvillage near Tirurnveli in Tamilnadu) reports she could harvest 6088 kg of rice per acre. She used the rotary weeder shown here regularly and feels that this makes weed management ‘ child’s play’. The weeds are converted into manure and incorporated into soil. Use mechanical rotary weeder every 10-14 days for weed control and soil aeration, starting 10-12 days after transplanting. This improves biological activity in the soil and facilitates vigorous root growth. Beyond minimum of 2 weedings, additional weedings can add 0.5-2.0 t/ha to yield

10. Weeding is crucial: Multiple direction weedings are good More weedings enrich soil for better root growth due to incorporation of organic matter and aeration of soil [FLD CRIDA , Hyderabad]

12. Andhra Farmer says: Farmers could not believe their own eyes when they saw only 23 cms long seedlings in 11 days, and then on the 39th day after transplantation, their plants with 84 tillers. Mr. Rambabu of Srinagar village in Manopadu mandal of Mahabubnagar District was surprised to see such seedlings; he considers the whole exercise as ‘a miracle’. Luxurious tillering from a single seed A convincing OUTPUT:

13. SRI NORMAL RICE Picture from Dong Tru village, Vietnam, after typhoon, taken by Elske van de Fliert, FAO IPM advisor, during Sept. 2005 visit. Due to the sturdy stems and larger, healthier root systems, SRI plants have capacity to resist lodging compared to rice plants grown with usual methods (e.g., continuous flooding).

15. International experiences: Gain in yield due to SRI (ton/ha) in 12 Countries 177% 7.2 2.6 Madagascar 102% 8.5 4.2 Nepal 100% 8.0 4.0 India From: Norman Uphoff, Presentation to Intl Year of Rice Conference, FAO, Rome, Feb. 2004 14% 12.4 10.9 China 29% 6.3 4.9 Bangladesh 37% 7.4 5.0 Indonesia 58% 9.8 6.2 Cuba 78% 4.8 2.7 Cambodia 112% 5.3 2.5 Sierra Leone 116% 7.8 3.6 Sri Lanka 169% 5.4 2.0 Myanmar 209% 7.1 2.3 Gambia % increase SRI Conventional Countries

16. Source: Collated from a village survey in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh 2005 by Dr. Ratna Reddy, Hyderabad 32 5915 7804 Net Return with family labor 20 9388 11230 Net Return w/o family labor 16 15145 17502 Value of output (product+by-product) 9 5757 6271 Operational cost (Rs./acre) 138 314 747 Hired labor cost: (Rs./acre) 100 3 6 : Female 100 4 8 Hired Labor: Male 167 6 16 : Female 18 78 92 Family labor: Male 4 633 660 Labor cost (Rs./acre) (-) 47 97 51 Irrigation (no./acre) (-) 93 35 2.4 Seed rate 29 22.8 29.4 Yield Likely to increase 4.55 1.34 Area % Difference Normal SRI A comparison of Input use pattern in SRI rice

17. To summarize SRI may have diverse meaning as rice is cultivated in highly diverse way. Depending on the agenda of various groups of farmers in adopting technology innovations, they try to maximise productivity within the local production environments and social systems. This implies that there is no single solution or policy of productivity enhancement for all situations across the spatio-temporal dimension. New technology/practice like SRI opens up the vista for sustainable agriculture and/or revitalise the potential of traditional as well as modern seed varieties that seems to have gradually lost in the green revolution agenda. As the newer practice is dedicated mainly for the small and marginal farmers, it has important household food security implication. The SRI is an innovative practice of rice cultivation that has a chance to revive the shrinking opportunity in rice production systems. Source; IWMI-Tata initiative 2005