The System of Rice Intensification
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India

• News and activities (2007-2008)

• Reports and articles

• Activity archives (1999-2006)

• Extension material

• SRI Websites and listservs in India

• Workshops

Progress and Activities

2008 UDPATES
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.

2007
SRI Results in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand States
• The People’s Science Institute, an NGO working in the mountainous states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in northern India and based in Dehra Doon, has conducted 30 capacity-building workshops on SRI cultivation during the year, with financial support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust (SRTT). Of the 1,000 farmers trained, about 600 took up SRI in 2007. While non-SRI yields were 2.8-2.9 tons per ha, their SRI yields reached 5.3-5.5 tons per ha (a 92% average yield increase) with reduced use of water and less cost of inputs (see report with yield data and pictures of PSI's work with SRI).

• SRI Applications Being Extended to Wheat, Sugar Cane, Mustard
Colleagues at People's Science Institute (PSI) based in Dehradun and working in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in northern India have completed the first trials that we know of applying SRI concepts to wheat production. These results were reported at the 2nd National SRI Symposium held October 3-5 in Agartala, Tripura State. With wheat, there is no change in management as large as moving from anaerobic to aerobic soil conditions with SRI. However, using two different varieties of wheat, PSI evaluators found that the best use of wider spacing and other SRI-inspired practices – together with direct seeding at fixed spacing – produced 28 to 40% more grain yield and 18% more straw yield -- compared to the best control results using standard broadcasting methods of crop establishment at the research farm at Dehradun (see tables presented at the Agartala symposium).

Next season, PSI will do further on-farm trials with ‘SWI,’ including use of seed drill and weeder within an SRI framework to reduce labor costs. These first trials showed that wheat plants respond similarly to rice plants when their growing environment is changed. This may encourage others to undertake similar kinds of experiments with other crops. Other Indian NGOs -- PRADAN in eastern India and Green Foundation in Karnataka – have already found that finger millet (ragi) responds favorably to SRI concepts and practices with much higher grain yield.

We now have an English summary of a booklet prepared in Telugu language by Mr. Alwara Swamy in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh state, on the methodology he developed called Sugarcane Renewed Intensification (SRI). This is being taken up by the AP state government, as reported in Update #8.

Shambu Prasad at the Xavier Institute of Management has sent a write-up on a System of Mustard Intensification (SMI) developed by Pravash Chandra Sathpathy, an elderly farmer in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa state.

We are looking forward to further extrapolations to other crops such as maize and sorghum. In Tamil Nadu state, Gopal Swaminathan has used SRI concepts for cotton, getting a 20% increase in yield, with lower production costs, even though cotton is not a gramineaceous plant species.

• TNAU Advertises SRI Benefits under World Bank Project
The Water Technology Centre of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore has advertised SRI methods -- being promoted under a World Bank-funded project in Tamil Nadu state (IAMWARM) -- in Tamil language in the newspaper, New Indian Express, December 28, 2007 (see newspaper promotion and English translation). A 114% increase in net profit per hectare is noted.

•Second SRI National Symposium Draws >250 Participants from 26 Sates or Territories to Tripura State Event
The Second National Symposium on SRI, hosted by the Government of Tripura with support from the World Wildlife Fund and other partners, was held October 3-5, 2007 at Agartala in Tripura, India. One indicator of the spread of interest in SRI is that this year's national symposium doubled the number of sponsors for the event. The State Government of Tripura, which hosted the event; the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) based in Mumbai; the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; and the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust of Mumbai, joined last year's co-sponsors: the Directorate of Rice Research (DRR) in Hyderabad of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research; the Directorate of Rice Development (DRD) in Patna of the Ministry of Food and Cooperatives; the Acharya N. G. Ranga Agricultural University (ANGRAU) of Andhra Pradesh State in Hyderabad; and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Dialogue on Food, Water and Environment.

Participants included researchers, extension personnel, farmers, NGO workers, government decision-makers and private sector. There were also international participants from 7 countries. A formal report will be posted on the symposium website (www.sri-india.net). A detailed report on the symposium by Norman Uphoff has been posted, which is linked to the powerpoint presentations made at the event. A separate listing of these presentations (with links to powerpoints) has also been posted.

• Regional Workshop on Organic SRI and Seed Exchange in Tamil Nadu
G. Moghanraj Yadav, managing trustee of VAANGHAI (Virtual Action on Agriculture by Nagurway Growing and Husbandry of Animals in India) in Tamil Nadu state, reports on an organic SRI rice production workshop (Uzhavar Mugham – 2007), conducted August 17, 2007 (see also article in The Hindu). The main objective of the Uzhavar Mugham, was to distribute pre-released rice varieties to a network farmers working with VAANGHAI for Multi-Location Trials (MLT) as part of a Farmer-to-Farmer Seed Movement. The program supports the cultivation of organic rice under SRI methodology to reduce the costs of cultivation, with minimal irrigation, improving productivity to enrich farmers’ lifestyle and income level. The workshop was attended by 150 farmers from various districts of Tamil Nadu state.

• Field Visits Document Reasons for Spread of SRI in Tripura State
The most rapid spread of SRI methods has been occurring in the state of Tripura, bordering Bangladesh and the state of Assam. In 2005, <1,000 farmers were using the methods, whereas in 2007, the number was >70,000 (see report of visit to Tripura in April 2007 by WWF-sponsored team). Following the 2nd National SRI Symposium which was hosted by the State Government of Tripura, Norman Uphoff spent four days visiting villages where farmers have taken up SRI to learn directly from them and the extension staff working with them about their experience. What he learned is now available in a trip report.

Orissa Workshop Results in Book Publication
Dr. Shambu Prasad has forwarded a copy of a new book that he edited together with Koen Beumer and Debasis Mohanty. The book, entitled Towards a Learning Alliance: SRI in Orissa, was released during the national symposium in Tripura and is an outcome of an ongoing learning alliance in Orissa that emerged out of a state level dialogue workshop on SRI held in June 2007. The workshop was held in Bhubaneswar with 82 participants from government, university, NGO and farmer sectors, as well as interested individuals, to share experience with SRI in Orissa state. A report on this workshop, cosponsored by the Orissa Department of Agriculture, the Xavier Institute of Management, the Centre for World Solidarity, Oxfam GB, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature, is also available. Once the organizers began putting the workshop together, it became apparent that there was much more SRI activity going on in this state than anyone had recognized. The workshop contributed to a 'learning alliance' that is described in Dr. Prasad's book.

• SRI in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
Shambu Prasad has done an online search through the questions put to Ministers by MPs in parliamentary proceedings in New Delhi. The answers to these questions indicate that the Ministry of Agriculture has been giving support to SRI extension since 2004.

• Minister of Agriculture Endorses SRI in Parliament
Dr. Akhilesh Prasad Singh, in a written communication to the Rajya Sabha, has informed members of parliament that the ICAR has found SRI "effective in enhancing the production and productivity of rice in various parts of the country, including Andhra Pradesh."(see press release) This follows a recommendation from the Minister of Water Resources that SRI be used for its water-saving impact.

• The Tamil Nadu Department of Agriculture says that the 2006 samba paddy harvest will be a record-breaker, with average yields, having previously been 4.5 to 5 t/ha, reaching >6 t/ha. The department credits this in part to a new variety being popularized and to integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that reduce input use and costs while giving more crop protection; but it also credits SRI methods for helping raise production substantially, with an overall reduction in costs of production. See article in The Hindu, February 17, 2007.

(See archives for SRI activity in India for information 2001-2006)

Reports, Articles and Books

Extension Material and Presentations

Websites and 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/Conferences
 
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