Ms. Sobia Asghar presented on 'Economic Outputs and Key Learning from Projects ' at Regional Review and Planning Workshop 2017, Hanoi, Vietnam

1. Sustaining and Enhancing the Momentum for
Innovation around the System of Rice Intensification
in Lower Mekong River Basin (SRI-LMB):
Economic outputs and key learning from projects
Sobia Asghar
PhD Candidate, Natural Resources Management
&
Research Assistant, SRI-LMB
Regional Review and Planning Workshop, 24-25 April 2017, Hanoi,
Vietnam

2. Contents
Project Introduction and
Objectives
Results and Findings
Learnings and Way Forward

3. Introduction and objectives of SRI- LMB
project
Rice cultivation plays a key role in ensuring livelihoods, stable rural
income and food security in Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB)
Specially for smallholder farmers in rainfed areas of LMB.
But sustainability of rice production and rural livelihoods are
threatened by climate change, lowering market prices of rice,
environmental problems and high production costs

4. Project Overview
• Overall objective: To contribute to enhance
resilience of rainfed farmers of LMB region
confronting climate change
• How: Increased crop yield, productivity and
profitability on sustainable basis at smallholders
farmers’ field in rainfed areas of LMB region
Specific Objective: To compare and review
economic performance of SRI cultivation techniques
with other rice cultivation techniques locally

5. Geographic location
Rainfed
areas of
Lower
Mekong
River Basin

6. Prioritized List of Problems in Thailand, Vietnam
and Cambodia
Thailand Vietnam Cambodia
Climatic
Problems
• Drought condition
• low rainfall
• Prolonged and excessive rains
after sowing
• Flooding
• Dry spell
• Drought conditions occur
every year
Environmental
Problems
• Pest and Disease,
• Heavy weed infestation
• Soil deterioration
• Pest and disease
• Water shortage
• Soil deterioration
• Pest and disease
Socio-Economic
Problems
• Low market price of rice • Rice price slump
• Expensive chemical fertilizers
• Labor unavailability
• High production cost
• High transplanting density
• Low market price of rice
• Expensive chemical inputs
and labour
• Labour unavailability
• Limited agricultural
knowledge in farmers

7. Rice Production Technologies in SRI-LMB Project
Crop management
practice
Conventional practice
(CM)
SRI-Transition SRI
Sowing Technique Broadcasting,
Random Transplant
Transplanting Transplanting (Mechanical
and Manual)
Seedbed Wet seedbed with
high seed rate
Wet seedbed with less
seeding rate
Dry raised seedbed with less
seed rate
Seedling age > 30 days old 16-30 days 8-15 days (VT-19-8 d)
Seed rate 100-150 kg/ha 20-30% less than CM 5-20 kg/ha
Transplanting spacing Random/less than
10×10 cm
10×15 cm–19×19 cm
and 40 x 40cm
20x20 cm–30x30 cm
Seedlings/hill 5-6 seedlings/hill 4-5 seedlings/hill 1-3 seedlings/hill
Soil condition Flooded Relative aerobic soil Maintain aerobic condition
Manure application <5 t/ha 6-9 t/ha >9 t/ha
Weed management Chemical and manual With rotary hoe
1-2 times
With rotary hoe
more than 2 times
Pest management Chemical Apply IPM Apply IPM (environment
management)

8. SRI Vs. Conventional Practices (Cont…)
34.56
6.85
14.73
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Yield in SRI
Techniques w.r.t. Conventional Techniques
of Rice Production
Thailand
Vietnaam
Regional
115.43
425.87
99.52
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Net Return in SRI
Techniques w.r.t. Conventional Techniques
of Rice Production
Thailand
Vietnaam
Regional

9. SRI Vs. Conventional Practices (Cont.)
24.41
-1.20
0.56
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Farm Gate Price
of Rice Recieved by SRI and Conventional
Farmers Respectively
Thailand
Vietnaam
Regional
-19.23
-15.36
-21.81
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Unit Cost of Rice
at SRI and Conventional Rice Producing
Farms Respectively
Thailand
Vietnaam
Regional

10. Economics of Mechanical Vs. Hand Transplanting
(only in Thailand)
-21.05
-4.62
13.16
23.56
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
1
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Average Yield, Net Returns, Unit
cost and Rice Price in Mechincally Transplanted Rice w.r.t
Hand Transplantion Rice in Thailand
Net Benefits
Yield
Price of Rice
Unit Cost

11. Economics of Maintaining Specific Plant Spacing
While Transplanting
34.56
-12.23
38.98
11.63
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
40
50
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Rice in SRI
Techniques w.r.t. Conventional Techniques
of Rice Production
Thailand
Vietnaam
Cambodia
Regional
115.43
-2.91
336.19
105.70
-50
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Net Benefits in SRI
Techniques w.r.t. Conventional Techniques
of Rice Production
Thailand
Vietnaam
Cambodia
Regional

12. Economics of Maintaining Specific Plant Spacing
While Transplanting
24.49
2.27
0.93
12.58
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Price of Rice
Percentage(%)
Axis Title
Percentage Difference in Farm Gate Price
of Rice Recieved Farmers
Thailand
Vietnaam
Cambodia
Regional
-20.53
-0.91
-27.67
-14.26
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Unit Cost of Rice
under SRI Spacing and Conventional
Spacing Respectively
Thailand
Vietnaam
Cambodia
Regional

13. Economics of Different Seedling Rates
84.07
49.96
73.72
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Average Net
Return in SRI Techniques w.r.t.
Conventional Techniques of Rice
Production
Thailand
Cambodia
Regional
24.08
0.82
9.87
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Average Total
Yield in SRI Techniques w.r.t. Conventional
Techniques of Rice Production
Thailand
Cambodia
Regional

14. Economics of Different Seedling Rates
23.47
0.00
14.29
0
5
10
15
20
25
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Average Price of
Rice in SRI Techniques w.r.t. Conventional
Techniques of Rice Production
Thailand
Cambodia
Regional
-11.50
-16.49
-11.75
-18
-16
-14
-12
-10
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
Percentage(%)
Percentage Difference in Average Unit
Cost in SRI Techniques w.r.t. Conventional
Techniques of Rice Production
Thailand
Cambodia
Regional

15. Conclusion
Regional Analysis shows that
 SRI techniques ensure food security by providing highest yield as
compared to all other techniques
 Net return values suggest that market price of rice along with yield
play important role in economic benefits
Inter-country comparison suggests that
 Thai rice farmers are economically better off than other two countries
despite low yield due to higher rice price
 Contrary to that, Vietnamese farmer have lowest income from rice
because they incur highest costs of production due to higher use of
chemical inputs and they have lower rice price

16. Conclusion
More, chemical use reduction experiments
should be implemented
Price regulation policies should be
implemented for improvement of rice
farmer’s income

17. Thank you for Your Attention