Dr. Georg Deichert, GIZ PARA Tra Vinh

1. Page 1company presentation 201229/05/2013
Poverty Alleviation in Rural Areas (PARA)
Adaptation to climate change within pro-poor
value chains – Experiences from Tra Vinh

2. Page 229.05.2013
Using Value Chain Approach
Input
supply
Production Processing Trading Marketing Consumption
Producers remain a key player in a value-chain approach
• Producers represent the poor in most value chains
• Producers will be most affected by climate change impacts
• How can the value share for the producer be increased?

3. Page 3
Options for addressing the challenges through
Value Chain Interventions
29.05.2013
Input
supply
Production Processing Trading Marketing Consumption
Improving market linkages
Forming of groups

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There is a need for green pro-poor and profitable
technology options
• A great potential lies in sustainable agriculture
• This implies a paradigm shift from:
more input more output to:
less input more output
• Is it possible????
SRI is one example for a climate smart option
29.05.2013

5. Page 5
SRI is a flexible set of
practices aiming to
provide the best
environment for the rice
plant to utilize its
potential, thereby
improving the productive
efficiency of land, labour,
water, nutrients and
capital.

6. Page 6
SRI
benefits
Reduced seed
(up to 90%)
Reduced or no
chemical fertilizer
Reduced or no
pesticides
Reduced water
use (up to 50%)
Reduced methane
emission
Recover
biodiversity
Reduced risks
of crop failure
Increase yield
and income
Improved soil
quality

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Where can SRI be applied?
• SRI can be applied in any
places where rice is grown
• Apply SRI especially in
areas with
• Difficult production conditions,
• Affected by climate change
impacts (salinity, drought,
storms, etc)
• High poverty rates (farmers
with small production area)
• Traditional cultivation methods
Conventional rice plants collapsed
after the strong rain while SRI rice
stayed still

8. Page 8
Conventional methods SRI in Tra Vinh
Soil preparation Normal levelling and drainages Normal levelling and drainages, with
supplement of micro-organism
Nursery None Tray nursery
Transplanting /
Sowing
- Direct sowing: 150 - 200 kg/ha
- Row sowing: 100 - 120 kg/ha
- Single seedling
- Seedling age: 8 - 12 days
- 17x17 cm (ca. 5 kg/ha)
Weed control Herbicides Manual weeder
Pest control Multiple preventive spraying IPM recommended
Soil nutrition Chemical fertilizer Chemical fertilizer, with micro-
organism supplement
Aeration None At least twice with manual weeder
Water management Keep fields flooded
- Drain for pesticide and
herbicide spraying
- Keep drained 7 - 10 days
before harvesting
Intermittent irrigation, retain soil
moisture without flooding
- Flood only for fertilizer applications
- Create aerobic soil conditions

9. Page 9
Farmers do field grid
marking, seedlings care,
and weeding/ aeration
when implement SRI
For more information on SRI techniques in Tra Vinh, please refer to this
YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8niRXa2k5c

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SRI plants are about 18, 30 and 85 days old

11. Page 11
Sample GHG emission
on rice fields
ToT training on SRI for
provincial Extension staff

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Tieu Can district
(Half brackish water)
Cau Ke district
(Fresh water )
Cau Ngang district
(Insufficient water)
SRI Control SRI Control SRI Control
No. of plants/m2 35 352 35 365 35 382
No. of tillers/m2
439 869 385 950 434 890
No. of panicles/m2
347 517 280 510 335 433
No. of good
grains/panicle
103 65 108 52 90 53
Yield (t/ha) 8.7 8.0 7.0 6.5 6.4 5.0
Production cost
(USD/ha)
833 1,024 733 865 806 999
CM (USD/ha) 1,590 776 1,016 630 1,760 404
Input cost (USD/kg) 0.10 0.13 0.10 0.13 0.13 0.20
Implementation results (4th round)
Results of the Winter-Spring crop (Dec 2012 – March 2013), in different conditions

13. Page 13
Economic table in March 2013
SRI Control of SRI to
the control
Seed (USD/ha) 18 60 -70%
Fertilizers (USD/ha) 203.5 312.5 -35%
Plant protection drugs (USD/ha) 26 198.5 -87%
Hired services (USD/ha) 227 205.5 10%
Labour (USD/ha) 307.5 237.5 29%
Total production cost (USD/ha) 782 1,014 -23%
Yield (t/ha) 7.4 6.5 14%
Paddy price (USD/kg) 0.30 0.25 20%
Revenue (USD/ha) 2,220 1,625 37%
Contribution margin (USD/ha) 1,438 611 135%
Hired services: plough, leveling, dig drainages, pump water, harvesting
Currency exchange rate: 1 USD = 20,000 VND

14. Page 14
Comparison table in labour days per ha
Field work SRI (days) Conventional direct
(days)
Nursery preparation 6.5 0
Transplanting 30 0
Re-transplanting 5 12.5
Weeding/aeration 10 5
Fertilizer application 7.5 15
Pesticide application 2.5 15
Total 61.5 47.5
Labour was calculated for one person doing 8 hrs/day,
average labour cost was 5 USD/day

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Compared to the conventional method, SRI has demonstrated
outstanding results of the development of the single plant, the rice grain
quality, the productivity and the profit in different conditions.

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Social impacts on farmers
• Promote unity of the community, illustrated by farmer groups
practicing “rotation labour” in transplanting and exchange
experiences
• Awareness raised that less inputs can produce higher profit
• Though farmer field schools (FFS), farmers have
• Experienced proof of resilient SRI fields (pests, storm)
• Improved the recording of household economic data (financial literacy)
• Enhanced field management (fertilizer, water, pest and routine caring)

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SRI farmers discuss
about the practices with
specialists
Farmer’s exchange on
SRI experiences

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Challenges for SRI application
• Insecure market linkages
• Scarcity of labor forces in rural areas poses
challenges to transplanting practice
• “Modern” farmers are reluctant to spend intensive
labour on field management
• Farmers’ knowledge about the direct effects of field
practices on the environment is still limited

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Challenges for SRI application (cont.)
• Big agro chemical companies have huge advertising
campaigns, big support schemes for trial farmers and
dense approaching networks to influence farmers
• Lack of experienced Agri. Extension Officials and
government’s support budget
• Farmers do not have clear orientation and sound
knowledge to identify good/not good applications

20. Page 20
Up-scaling SRI: options
• Promote SRI for seed
production
• Explore SRI potentials by
producing certified rice

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Potential measures
• Plan “seed production
area” to supply for high
quality rice production
• Support seed buyers and
cooperatives to develop
strategy to buy SRI rice
seeds
• Government departments
and mass organizations
should propagate SRI rice
as a safe food productLãnh ñ o B NN&PTNT thăm ru ng
SRI ngày 18/04/2013

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Potential measures (cont.)
• Initial support for new
implementing farmers:
• part of inputs
• and consultancy from
DARD officers
throughout the crop.
• Introduce the model to
strong operational
Cooperative groups

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SRI has been successful on over 50 countries in the world. It
is and will be further developed in places growing rice.
Thank you very much for your attention