2008-2009 UDPATES

• Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi Project (RGVN-SRI) Expands SRI in Assam
The pilot project on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) was started by setting up RGVN-SRI unit at RGVN, Guwahati, durng April 2008 under the fund support from Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Mumbai. According to Ramani Kanta Sarma, Coordinator of the RGVN-SRI Unit, the pilot project, which motivated 176 farmers from 21 districts of Assam to adopt SRI on 60.5 acres of land in Kharif paddy during the FY 2008-09, could motivate 619 farmers in Summer Autumn Paddy with total land coverage of 353.7 acres during FY 2008-09 in Assam. RGVN is conducting large-scale awareness-raising for potential SRI farmers of Assam and is expecting to motivate at least 4000 farmers for adoption of SRI during the FY 2009-10.

• Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) Manual Available
Following success with SRI, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), have worked to extend SRI principles and practices to the sugarcane crops through its Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) (see SRI-India article). Director General William Dar of ICRISAT released the Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI) manual at the "Improving Sugarcane Cultivation in India" event organized by the ICRISAT-WWF project on May 5, 2009.

• New Publication highlights Indian SRI Farmer Pioneers
A new publication, System of Rice Intensification Experiences of Farmers in India, compiles the experiences of Indian farmers who pioneered the SRI method in their regions. It is published by the WWF-ICRISAT project and can be downloaded from the sri-india.net site at http://sri-india.110mb.com/documents/Farmersexperiences.pdf.

• Orissa Reports 10,000 Farmers Using SRI Methods
The SRI Learning Alliance in Orissa State has polled its members and has constructed a detailed inventory of SRI use (kharif 2009, rabi 2008-2009), district-by-district, totalling close to 10,000 farmers. It shows which farmers have been supported by which NGO or government partners. Of most interest is that the top five districts for SRI uptake -- Koraput, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Ganjam and Nayagarh -- which contribute nearly 80% of both area and number of SRI farmers are ones classified as very backward according to their Human Development Indicators. That these districts are in the forefront suggests that SRI can have particular relevance for food security and poverty reduction efforts in India.

• Pragati Wins National NGO Award in Part for SRI Promotion
Pragati, based in Koraput in Orissa state, has received the 2008 NGO of the Year award for small NGOs in India, given annually by the Resource Alliance and Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation. The director of Pragati, Prabhakar Adhikari, credits the work that his NGO has done with SRI, taking it to poor and remote villages in tribal areas of Koraput district, for a large part of the credibility, appreciation and impact which Pragati as achieved. The award carries a cash award of Rs. 400,000 which will help to further Pragati’s work.

BAIF (Bharatia Agro-Industries Foundation), which received the NGO of the Year award for large NGOs, is doing successful SRI work with tribal villages in Dangs District of Gujarat state (see presentation). In 2006, the NGO partner PRADAN which is promoting SRI in seven states of Eastern India received the NGO of the Year award for large NGOs.

Award for Baharul Majumdar in Tripura State
The Department of Science and Technology of the Government of Tripura has selected Dr. Baharul Islam Majumdar for the 2007-08 Acharya Praful Chandra Ray Award for his outstanding contributions in the field of agriculture, citing his leadership in popularizing the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) techniques across the state of Tripura. The prize carries a cash award of 10,000 Indian rupees plus a gold medal and certificate. This is the first such award given by the Science and Technology Council in the agriculture sector. (see "Celebrating Creative Dissent in Science" on the India Water Portal Blog for more information).

Dr. Majumdar began his own trials of SRI methods in 2000 and and in 2002-03 started doing on-farm trials/demonstrations with 44 farmers. By 2005-06 this number had expanded to 880 farmers on 352 hectares. Their good results and confidence in the methods helped get state government support for a popularization campaign, under Baharul’s leadership. The next year, 73,390 farmers used SRI methods on 14,678 hectares, and in the 2007-08 season, over 160,000 farmers used SRI techniques on 32,500 hectares. The Tripura government goal for 2008-09 of 250,000 farmers using SRI methods on 50,000 hectares (21% of total rice area) is on track to be achieved. In 2007-08, the average SRI yield in Tripura was 4.3 tons/hectare compared with the state's average paddy yield of 2.5 tons/hectare.

2008 UPDATES

SRI Network Launched Following SRI Symposium in Bihar
On 29 December 2008, a state-level symposium on SRI was held in Patna, Bihar, with over 135 participants from all over this state, from NGOs, government agencies, research institutions and private sector, and from the self-help group (SHG) federations that are playing an active role in SRI dissemination. The meeting was organized by the Grameen Services of BASIX, a private consulting firm with many pro bono activities, together with the Women Development Corporation of the state government's Department of Welfare. The Principal Secretary of that department presided over the day's proceedings, most of which focused on experience-sharing, and particularly on women's involvement in the process. A representative of the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society told how SRI use had expanded from 128 farmers to over 5,000 within one year.

The BASIX model is innovative in that it signs up farmers, even small and poor ones, for SRI training and supervision, for a set fee, 300 rupees plus tax (about $7). This can be more than recovered by net increases in farmers' income from SRI. This gives farmers both expertise and confidence to undertake SRI. The minutes do not give many details of this arrangement but do report farmer satisfaction with this. One deterrent to SRI uptake has been access to reliable technical backup throughout the growing season. This arrangement ensures support (referred to as 'handholding' in the local English vernacular) and makes it self-financing in that farmers can afford to pay for this service from their enhanced income. (see minutes of the meeting).

Workshops in Orissa and Uttarkhand Held during December, 2008
A SRI Learning Alliance Workshop took place in Bhubneswar, Orissa, on December 8-9, 2008, followed by a workshop on Promotion of the System of Rice Intensification: Paddy Cultivation for Achieving Food Security in Dehradun, Uttarkhand, on December 11, 2008. The SRI learning Alliance in Orissa, which opened a workshop blog preceding the event, more recently opened the SRI-Orissa Google Group with over 60 members. (Contact sriximb@gmail.com for information on joining the latter group).

Third National SRI Symposium Convenes in Tamil Nadu
Information about the 3rd National SRI Symposium, held in Coambitore, India, including many of the presentations and publications, can be found on the SRI-India website. The conference was hosted by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, December 1-3, 2008, in Coimbatore. The previous symposium (2007) in Agartala, Tripura State, attracted over 250 participants from 27 states of India and 8 countries. Tamil Nadu was chosen as a venue because of its rapid expansion of SRI use, reaching 430,000 ha last season and 750,000 ha expected this year. Co-sponsors of the event include the Departments of Agriculture for Tamil Nadu and Tripura States; the state agricultural universities for Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh; the Directorate of Rice Research (Hyderabad) and the Directorate of Rice Development (Patna), as well as the Central Rice Research Institute (Cuttack); the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Mumbai); the S.D. Tata Trust (Mumbai); the NGO Watershed Support Services & Activities Network (WASSAN) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) through the WWF-ICRISAT Project.

SRI Map of India, Newsletters and Other Updates on the SRI India Website
Data on where SRI has been introduced into India is available on a map located on the SRI India website. The map indicates the location of the 164 districts (out of 564 rice-growing districts) where SRI has been introduced throughout India. The website also includes the most recent newsletter about SRI in India, presentations from the 3rd National SRI Symposium (Coambitore, India) and other documents relevant to SRI in India

Solution Exchange Dialogue on SRI
The Food and Nutrition Security Community (FNS) of Solution Exchange, which is facilitated by FAO and co-facilitated by Nutrition Foundation of India (NFI), recently carried out a moderated discussion on SRI experiences. The discussion results include a discussion summary, comparative experiences, responses from the April-May 2008 discussions and related resources.

SRI Report from State of Orissa
According to a November 14 article in The Hindu, a farmer from Balipada village in Ganjam district in Orissa got 60 quintals per hectare of paddy using SRI methods and another farmer in Randha is expected to harvest same quantity of paddy. The productivity is almost double the yield in traditional cultivation method, according to Sudhir Rout, a farmer from Balipada. In the conventional method he was getting only 35 to 45 quintals from the same field. The crop cutting was done in his field in the presence of agriculture statistical officers to record the productivity. State Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy and Director of Agriculture Arabinda Padhi who visited Randha village to inspect the crop were reportedly overwhelmed.

AMEF-BEST Reports on SRI Experience in Tamil Nadu, 2007-2008
The NGO known as AMEF (Agricultural-Man-Ecology Foundation) has reported on SRI initiatives in Pudokkutai district of Tamil Nadu State. Using farmer field school methods, 105 farmers used SRI methods on 88 acres. Average yield increase is only about 28% (1 ton/ha), but not all SRI practices were used as recommended. The average age of seedlings transplanted was still 22 days (range 11-50 days), but this represented quite a reduction from 39 days average with conventional practice. Farmers' greatest benefit was a 55% reduction in cash costs of production per hectare, which together with the yield increase led to a significant increase in their net income..

Districts in India Reporting SRI Yield Increases, Water Savings and Rapid Spread
Results from the past season in Tamil Nadu state are being reported in the Indian press, and some districts have very recorded very impressive performances. Tiruchi District farmers achieved 8.4 t/ha with SRI methods, and up to 13 t/ha, according to district officials, who said the new methods were used on 17,000 ha. For next season, they were given a target of 30,000 ha, half of the rice-growing area of the district, but decided instead to organize a campaign of extension for 61,000 ha, the entire district (see article in The Hindu). In Erode district, SRI use went from 500 ha to over 13,000 ha this past season, 21% of the rice area, with an average SRI yield of 10.7 t/ha, which was 3.3 t/ha more than with usual methods. District officials said they would aim for 40,000 ha next season, 80% of the district rice-growing land (see article in the Hindu). For Tamil Nadu district as a whole, the Minister of Agriculture has set a target of 750,000 ha, given that on average, Tamil Nadu farmers are increasing their paddy yields by 50% with SRI methods, while reducing seeds, water and manual labor (see articles in The Hindu, 1/1/08 and 2/20/08).

Three-Year Evaluation of SRI Methods in Punjab State
Dr. Amrik Singh (MANAGE) has prepared a report summarizing results of his three years of trials/demonstrations in Gurdaspur District, 2005-2007. The trials, conducted with controls and replications, and several different varieties, showed an average 50% increase in yield with 40-50% less requirement for water. This latter consideration is very urgent in Punjab because the water table is dropping, due to groundwater extractions, so rapidly that large areas of the state may have to abandon agricultural production within 15 years. The number of farmers cooperating with Dr. Singh on SRI evaluation went from 10 on 3 acres in 2005, to 150 using SRI on 175 acres in 2007.

SRI Training Planned for Punjab State, India
On May 16-17, 2008, a state-wide training program on SRI will be conducted in Gurdapur, inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture. About 200 farmers from all over the state are expected to attend. Trainers will include Dr. Ravinder Babu from ICAR’s Directorate of Rice Research (Hyderabad), Dr. M. C. Diwakar, director of MOA’s Directorate of Rice Development (Patna), Dr. Mohinder Kumar, and Dr. Amrik Singh.

(See archives for SRI activity in India for information 2001-2007)

Reports, Articles and Books

• Gujja, Biksham, N. Loganandhan, V. Vinod Goud, and N. Loganandhan, V. V. Goud (eds). System of Rice Intensification Experiences of Farmers in India. ICRISAT - WWF Project International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. 116 p.
• Bera, Sayantan. 2009 (May 9). A magic wand for hungry stomachs. Tehelka Magazine, 6(18).
• 2008. Minutes of the State Level, SRI symposium held 29 December, 2008, in Patna, Bihar. Indian Grameen Services, BASIX Bihar and Women Development Corporation, Patna. 20 p.
• Gujja, Biksham, N. Loganandhan, and V. Goud. 2008. System of Rice Intensification Experiences of Farmers in India. ICRISAT - WWF Project International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics Andhra Pradesh, India 116 p. (1.92 MB)
• Ghosh, Gopi N., N.P.Y. Raman, and T.N. Anuradha. 2008 (May 19). Consolidated reply to a query on Systemic Rice Intensification (SRI) Experiences. The Food and Nutrition Security Community (FNS) of Solution Exchange [a discussion community in India facilitated by FAO and Nutrition Foundation of India (NFI)]. 21 p. (pdf)
• Radha. 2008. AMEF-BEST SRI programme in Tamil Nadu, 2007-2008. Report from Agriculture-Man-Ecology Foundation. 2 p. (pdf)
• Singh, Amrik. 2008. Performance of System of Rice Intensification and conventional rice cultivation methods under Punjab conditions. Report by the Agriculture Development Officer, Department of Agriculture, Punjab. 7 p.
• Uphoff, Norman. 2007. Report on 2nd National SRI Symposium, Agartala, Tripura State, India, October 3-5. 40 p.
• Uphoff, Norman. 2007. Report on village visits in Triputa State of India to assess progress with SRI, October 6-9. 24 p.
• Prasad, C. Shambu, K. Beumer and D. Mohanty. 2007. Towards a Learning Alliance: SRI in Orissa. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and WWF-Dialogue Project, Hyderabad. 78p. (2MB)
• Prasad, Shambu. 2007. System of Rice Intensification in the Indian Parliament. Unpublished document listing items referring to SRI on the Indian parliament website (Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha). 18 p.
• Papers and Abstracts of the SRI National Symposium, held
  17-18th November 2006, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, are posted on the WASSAN website.
• Prasad, C. Shambu. 2006. The System of Rice Intensification: Innovation History and Institutional Challenges. WWF International - ICRISAT Dialogue Project. New Concept Information Systems, Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad. 79 p. (this document is also available on the ILAC website.
• Uphoff, Norman. 2006. Report on SRI status in the In dian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. October 5-8 and 14-17, 35p. (pdf)
• Fingerman, Kevin. 2006. Report of a Meeting on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). ANGR Agricultural University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, 29 June 2006. 4p.
• 2006. Water and Livelihoods: SRI in Large Irrigation Projects in Andhra Pradesh. JalaSpandana - South India Farmers Organisation for Water Management. 15 p.
• Pittock, Jamie. et al. 2006. System of Rice Intensification. Dialogue Bulletin 19:6-13 (pdf)(from WWF's Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment)
• Murty, M.V.R. et al. 2006. System of Rice Intensification. Dialogue Bulletin 18:10-19 (pdf) (from WWF's Dialogue on Water, Food and Environment)
• Vijayakumar M., S. D. Sundar Singh, N. K. Prabhakaran and T. M. Thiyagarajan. 2005. Effect of SRI (System of Rice Intensification) practices on the yield attributes, yield and water productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.). Acta Agronomica Hungarica 52(4):399-408.
• Uphoff, Norman. 2005.Report on a visit to India and Bangladesh regarding SRI progress. February 17-26. 34 p (trip report/pdf)
• 2005. SRI paddy to address water problems: Report of JalaSpandana, Andhra Pradesh, India. JalaSpandana – South India Farmers Organisation for Water Management. 4 p.
• 2005. System of Rice Intensification: Seeds of the next Green Revolution. Case study on the PRADAN's SRI involvement. http://www.indianngos.com/p/pradan/rt_riceintensification.htm. PRADAN PRofessional Assistance for Development ActioN, is an Indian NGO),
• Ananth, P.N. 2005. SRI is reviving paddy cultivation in Kerala.
• Uphoff, Norman. 2004. Report on SRI field visits in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. January 22-29. Trip report (pdf)
• Satyanarayana, A. 2004. Review of results and progress the System of Rice Intensification during 2003, ANGRAU University, Hyderabad, India
• Uphoff, Norman. 2003. Report on visits to Andhra Pradesh, India
  September 25-27. Trip report (pdf)
• Uphoff, Norman. 2003. Report on SRI activities in Tamil Nadu and New Delhi, September 22-24 and 29-30. Trip report (pdf)
• Experiments with a modified System of Rice Intensification in India
  a presentation by T. M. Thiyagarajan, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, at the International Conference "Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)," Sanya, China, April 1-4, 2002

Selected Newspaper articles (see 2009 SRI News for more recent news)

• 2008. SRI method brings high yield In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. 23 May.
• Ganesan, S. 2008. SRI implementation in all paddy fields in Tiruchi district In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. 26 April.
• 2008. Rice intensification to cover 7.50 lakh hectares In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. 20 February.
• 2007. A tool to increase paddy yield In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. 22 August.
• Vydhianathan, S. 2007. Record samba paddy production on the cards In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. 17 February.
  
• Sharma, Ashok. 2006. Rice intensification promises good dividend for farmers In The Financial Express (net edition), October 6. http://www.financialexpress.com/
  fe_full_story.php?content_id=142542m
• Venkateshwarlu, K. 2005. YSR announces 4-cr. programme for popularising SRI method In The Hindu (on-line edition). Andhra Pradesh section. Mon. Nov. 16. http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/09/stories/2004080907370500.htm
• 2005. Mangalore: Another 'paddy revolution' scripted In Mangalorean.com 14 April. http://mangalorean.com/index.php.
• 2005. New technology promises rice revolution In The Times of India. Wed. 22 Feb. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1029911.cms.
• 2005. Madagascar technology: Proven method for boosting rice yields In The Hindu (on-line edition). Sci Tech section. Thurs. 28 April. http://www.hindu.com/seta/
  2005/04/28/stories/2005042801071900.htm
• Sudhadar, P. 2004. Dalit woman shows the way to better yields In The Hindu (on-line edition). Tamil Nadu section. Mon. 9 Aug. http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/09/stories/2004080907370500.htm

Extension Material and Presentations

• India-based practical material in Hindi (1), Tamil (1), Telugu (5), Oriya (1) and English (4) can be found in the Manuals and Bulletins section of the SRI website
• Over 70 PowerPoint presentations about SRI in India are available on the SRI-Cornell Slideshare.net site
  
  
• 2008. Presentations and publications from the 3rd National SRI Symposium, are available on the SRI-India website
• 2008. SRI in Large Irrigation Projects in Andhra Pradesh, India --online booklet that details with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of paddy cultivation carried out by JalaSpandana in Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme, Priyadharshini Jurala Project and Kurnool Cuddapah Canal in Krishna Basin in Andhra Pradesh). Jalaspandana org. website.
• Powerpoint Presentations from the Second national SRI Symposium, Agartala, Tripura State, India, October 3-5, 2007
• Abraham, B., N. Dhal, and P.S. Sundaray. 2007. PRADAN's experiences with SRI. PowerPoint presentation to the Sustainable Rice Systems (SRS) Group at Cornell University. April 13, 2007. (9.5 MB)
• Poster presentations at the Second International Rice Congress was held in New Delhi, India, October 6-13, 2006:
  

-Ramasami, S. et al. "Direct-Planting System"- Energy Saving High Output Rice Establishment Technique for Lowland. Tamil Nadu University.
-Sridevi, V. and V. Chellamuthu. Relative Contribution of Different Components of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to Yield of Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal.(as 5p pdf; 242 kb)

• Satyanarayana, A. System of Rice Intensification - Less can be more, a Powerpoint Presentation by A. Satyanarayana, Acharya N.G Ranga Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India

India-based SRI Websites
see also discussion groups

• The SRI-India website (http://www.sri-india.net/) has basic SRI information relevant to India as well as information on the second national symposium on SRI which will be held October 3-5, 2007, at Agartala in Tripura, India.
• SRI Method: An Alternative in Paddy Cultivation is a section of the Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) website with substantial (primarily Indian) SRI resources, including practical information and a video.
• SRI section / South Asia Network on Dams, Water and People
• SRI-India is a Google Group created in October 2007 for those interested in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as it relates to food security. There are currently 135 members. The majority of the traffic on this electronic discussion group relates to SRI in India. To subscribe to this electronic discussion group, see instructions on the SRI-India Google Groups site (http://groups.google.com/group/sriindia) or send an e-mail to: sriindia@googlegroups.com.

Workshops and Conferences
(not a complete listing)

• Meeting on 'Policy Dialogue on Evolving Strategies for Increasing Rice Production through Promotion of SRI'
  Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) May 4, 2009
• 2- Day Training of Sytem of Rice Intensification Methodology. organized by Ekoventure. Pondicherry. February 8-9, 2009
• State Level SRI Symposium. Hotel Patliputra Ashok, R Block, Patna, Bihar. December 29, 2008
• Promotion of the System of Rice Intensification: Paddy Cultivation for Achieving Food Security. Dehradun, Uttarkhand.
  December 11, 2008
• SRI Learning Alliance Workshop. Bhubneswar, Orissa
  December 8-9, 2008
• Third SRI National Symposium (2008). Coimbatore, India. December 1-3, 2008. (Hosted by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
  (see symposium presentations and publications)
• SRI National Symposium 2007. Agartala, Tripura, India. October 3-5, 2007. (see also powerpoints, Uphoff workshop report, and symposium website)
• Regional Workshop on Organic SRI and Seed Exchange in Tamil Nadu. VAANGHAI, Sikkal, Sangamangalam, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. August 17, 2007.
• Orissa State Dialogue on SRI. Image Conference Hall. Bhubaneswar, Orissa. June 23, 2007. (see pdf report; 35 p)
• Regional Workshop on Organic SRI and Seed Exchange in Tamil Nadu. VAANGHAI, Sikkal, Sangamangalam, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu August 17, 2007.
• All-India symposium on SRI. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. 17-18th November 2006. Supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) with the co-sponsorship of ANGRAU and the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR) of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR). In addition to the invited papers, 61 posters were presented, ranging geographically from Jammu and Kashmir in the north to the Andaman Islands in the south. WASSAN has posted lead papers and abstracts on their website. A report by Norman Uphoff has additional details.
• The Second International Rice Congress. New Delhi, India, October 6-13, 2006. There were at least 15 posters on SRI evaluation and explanation, most contributed by Indian researchers (including Sridevi and Chellamuthu, 242 kb; Ramasamy et al, 898 kb) but posters came also from Bhutan, Nepal and Thailand (see details in Uphoff's IRC report).
• A multi-stakeholder review of SRI experience in Andhra Pradesh was held at the Acharya N. G. Rao Agricultural University (ANGRAU) on June 29, 2006. (see report by Kevin Fingerman).
• A conference on SRI was organized by Thiyagarajan at Killikulam College of Agriculture in September 2003 provided a forum for exchanging information.

Listservs / Electronic Discussion Groups

• SRI-India is a Google Group created in October 2007 for those interested in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as it relates to food security. There are currently 245 members. The majority of the traffic on this electronic discussion group relates to SRI in India. To subscribe to this electronic discussion group, see instructions on the SRI-India Google Groups site (http://groups.google.com/group/sriindia) or send an e-mail to: sriindia@googlegroups.com.
• SRI-Orissa is a Google discussion group for supporting the ongoing learning alliance on the System of Rice Intensification or SRI in Orissa (see also the Learning Alliance blog/website). Those interested in joining the group can mail sriximb@gmail.com with a brief introduction of yourself and why you intend joining the group.
  To subscribe to the Google Group, go to the SRI-Orissa URL at http://groups.google.com/group/sriorissa and follow the instructions, or send e-mail to: sriximb@gmail.com
• SSI-India (the Sustainable Sugarcare Intitiative) is a Google Group created in May 2009 to provide practical options to sugarcane farmers in improving the productivity of land, water and labour, all at the same time. Many of the practices are based on the same principles as SRI. The majority of the traffic relates to sugarcane production in India. To subscribe to this electronic discussion group, see instructions on the SSI website (http://groups.google.com/group/SSI-India/) or send an e-mail to: SSI-India @googlegroups.com or srabandalai@gmail.com.

SRI Newsletters

• The ICRISAT-WWF Project in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, began publishing the SRI Newsletter in September 2008. Available from the SRI India website, this newsletter is to strengthen the partnerships- farmers, civil society, government institutions, research agencies, funding agencies to work together for large scale adoption of SRI. It is also time to openly discuss issues related to SRI so that mechanisms can be established to address them in the field.
  

  Issue I (Sept. '08)	Issue 4 (Jan. '09)
  Issue 2 (Oct. '08)	Issue 5 (Feb/March '09)
  Issue 3 (Nov. '08)	Issue 6 (April/May '09)