The mission of SRI-2030 is to scale up SRI and the complementary agroecological farming practices around it. In order to help scale and speed SRI adoption, SRI-2030 is partnering with organisations and governments across Africa funding dedicated Breakthrough Facilitators, whose role is to train up extension workers and farming communities. The Breakthrough Facilitator in Cameroon is agroecology expert Charlin Tsaffo.
Francesco Zampaolo Carnevale, SRI-2030 Programme Director, visited Cameroon to plan activities and make field visits with SRI-2030’s newest partner, Cercle International pour la Promotion de la Création (CIPCRE), an NGO in Cameroon. Together, they chose four areas in the Western Region to begin with: Bangourain, Santchou, Koutaba and Bamendjou. The SRI efforts will be integrated CIPCRE’s agroecological approach with the SRI promotion strategy used by Julius Fileshi, an early SRI adopter in the North-West. Briefly, the plan involves one-day SRI trainings for 600 farmers; training 60 farmers as trainers (provided with weeders, seeds and support), and community pilot plots in each zone for community participation, demonstrations and direct practice).
Elles sont plus de 500 femmes de la région des Savanes (nord-Togo) à bénéficier depuis lundi d'une formation sur le système de riziculture intensive (SRI).
Le système SRI permet d'augmenter la production tout en réduisant les coûts et les ressources au bénéfice des agriculteurs. Pour la FAO, promouvoir le SRI sur ces sites de production, c'est participer aussi à la production durable du riz au Togo.
SRI-Rice's insight:
English translation: ...more than 500 women from the Savanes region (northern Togo) have benefited from training the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The SRI system increases production while reducing costs and resources for the benefit of farmers.For FAO, promoting SRI on these production sites also means participating in sustainable rice production in Togo.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) held a two-day “train the trainers’ programme” on rice production in Kano for 20 extension workers that is intended to enhance yield and mitigate the effects of climate. Organised in collaboration with SRI-2030, the training included frontline extension workers from five states – Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Bauchi, and Adamawa. Speaking at the event, the minister of agriculture and food security, Abubakar Kyari, noted that the initiative aimed to increase farmers’ capacity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. James Dahlgreen, SRI-Rice Programme Manager explained, “SRI will help feed the world with less water, less climate impact, and without taking any more land from nature,. Governor Abba Kabir-Yusuf of Kano reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to agricultural development.
Meet Djaja Baldé, a determined farmer from Sintchä Benfica, whose adoption of improved rice production techniques is transforming her family’s future: “Look around, see for yourself. Never in all my years have I had so much rice.” (She is one of 150 farmers who participated in this project, with 48% of them being women who received training in SRI, the System of Rice Intensification). We are in the Gabú region of Guinea-Bissau, where five of the 15 pilot rice fields are that werre established in a 2022 project financed by the UN Joint Fund for Sustainable Development Goals and implemented by the UN in Guinea-Bissau.
Rockflower is excited to report significant progress in the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) project, which is aimed at transforming rice farming in the Oti Region of Ghana. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with One Africa Research Development and Extension Programme (OARDEP).
Since the project's inception, OARDEP has successfully increased the number of participating farmers to 141, with an emphasis on including women and girls, who now make up 85% of the participants. This expansion is critical in a region where 87% of the population engages in agricultural, predominantly rice cultivation. The project now encompasses five communities—Bala, Mate, Avegeme, Todome, and Abrani.
The Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP), under the National Executing Entity (NEE-CHAP), is spearheading the Scaling up of Climate Resilient Rice Production Project organized by the Rice Production Improvement Consortium of West Africa (RICOWAS) in Liberia. In Liberia, RICOWAS targets 13,620 farmers across 2,641 hectares in six project zones. Training sessions, including a TOT in Montserrado County and five other project zones, focus on SRI and CRRP, aiming to strengthen the skills of extension service providers and farmers
Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) in the northern sector have attended a two-day training workshop during July to enhance their capacity on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology. The training, organised by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), formed part of the Scaling up of Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa (RICOWAS Project). In Ghana, the project is being carried out in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Savannah, Volta, Oti, Western North and the Ashanti Regions.
SRI-Rice's insight:
[Togo also held an SRI trainer event during July]. The 13-country $14 million RICWAS Project in West Africa, which is funded by the Adaptation Fund and supported by Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel Sahara and Sahel Observatory, held the initial region-wide SRI training effort in Cote d'Ivoire, last April. Togo and several other countries have subsequently held national training-of-trainer and extension efforts in mid-2024..
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an environmentally sustainable farming method which has enabled growers from the Kapunga Village in Tanzania’s Mbarali district to boost their income and nutrition. Under the Capacity Building Related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements project in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries-Phase III (ACP MEAs 3) funded by the EU, the FAO project aims to support local farmers by training them in adopting SRI.
The initiative encourages smallholders to participate in Farmer Field Schools (FFSs), offering them group plots of land and SARO 5 seeds to practice SRI. ACP MEAs 3 helps farmers transition to more resilient and productive agrifood systems by offering training and capacity building in ecosystem-based practices that promote the sustainable resource management, protect the environment, and improve food security.
The regional training of trainers’ workshop on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Climate-Resilient Rice Production (CRRP) took place in Grand-Lahou on Friday, April 5th, 2024. Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, OSS Executive Secretary, expressed his gratitude towards the authorities of Côte d’Ivoire for hosting the event, highlighting National Rural Development Support Agency (ANADER) and its excellent agricultural mechanization training center in Grand-Lahou. He also thanked Dr. Erika Styger and Dr. Karim Traore for training of the future Master Trainers who will play a significant role in the RICOWAS project. [See also French version.]
SRI-Rice's insight:
The first regional RICOWAS training of trainers workshop was hosted by ANADER in Côte d’Ivoire. It included 45 experts from 13 West African countries belonging to the regional Scaling up Climate Resilient Rice Production in West Africa (RICOWAS) project, a four-year, $14 million effort funded by the Adaptation Fund to apply principles of SRI and Climate-Resilient Rice Production (CRRP). RICOWAS is overseen by the Sahara and Sahel Observator (OSS).
... Over a period of four years (2016–2019), we quantify the benefits accrued to the uptake of SRI among smallholder farmers in Oluch irrigation scheme western Kenya. Our comparisons are in reference to a baseline study conducted prior to the full-scale promotion of SRI in the study area. Our study findings reveal that the uptake of specific SRI practices increased by at least 30–80%, and acreage under rice farming increased by 50%. Although SRI required more production costs per acre (as much as 63% increase), SRI had at least 28.6% higher return per shilling invested. Our findings underscore previous results in the literature that SRI is associated with not only productivity but also economic benefits justifying the need for scaling especially among smallholder farmers.
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) has trained Agricultural Extension Agents (AEAs) and farmers on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) activities under the RICOWAS scaling up climate resilient rice production in West Africa project. Dr Issah Sugri, Senior Research Scientist at CSIR-SARI and Project Monitor, said the four-year RICOWAS project, was funded by Adaptation Fund supported by Observatoire Du Sahara Et Du Sahel Sahara and Sahel Observatory. The project, implemented by CSIR-SARI, is to strengthen human and institutional capacity in climate-resilient rice production (CRRP) and also to assist farmers to scale-up CRRP...
SRI-Rice's insight:
The USD 14 million RICOWAS project will be operating in 13 countries in West Africa during the next four years. We also found articles recently on the RICOWAS efforts getting going in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Discover the inspiring story of Zambian entrepreneur Henry Ngimbu and how he’s making a difference in rural communities in his home country through the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Learn about the four key areas he believes are paramount to growing SRI in Zambia and the potential for SRI adoption in the country. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HENRY"S JOURNEY, READ HERE: www.sri-2030.org/blog-post/henry-ngimbu-zambia-sri-story
FAO video from Tanzania: System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a rice farming technique that uses less, water, fewer seeds and produces higher yields. SRI benefits environmental conservation and increases farmers income. [The FAO-assisted activities described in the video are connected to the EU-funded Multilateral Environmental Agreements in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP MEAs 3)].
The theme of this January 21, 2025, webinar is “System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Research in Africa” (This is the third in the SRI Research Webinar Series, which is hosted by the SRI Global Research Network.) Speakers were: 1. Aisha Abdulkadir (Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria) presented “Enhancing Food Security in Africa through SRI: Challenges and Opportunities” 2. Primitiva Andrea Mboyerwa (Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania) presented “Eco Rice: The SRI’s Pathway to Multiple Sustainable Development Goals”
Two years in, the SRI Tanzania project has made a significant impact on the lives of 2,880 farmers, with a 30-40% increase in yield and an approximately 90% reduction in seed usage.
The emphasis of the Norad-funded project SRI Tanzania is on the promotion of the climate-smart agriculture System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods. The project is currently being implemented in five districts in Tanzania by the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) and the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI).
NIBIO’s CEO Ivar Horneland Kristensen reflected on the project’s wider potential: “On a larger scale, if all two million rice farmers in Tanzania adopted this approach, the impact would be transformative. Tanzania could not only secure its own food supply but also help feed six neighbouring countries, improving lives and bolstering regional and global food security,” he says.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI) has outdoored its System of Rice Intensification (SRI) technology and potentials of recently released rice varieties. At a day’s visit for farmers at Botanga in the Kumbungu, the efficiency, and the benefits of the SRI technology was introduced to the farmers in the area […]
Lonah Anyango Okumu, a 63-year-old Kenyan farmer from Kisumu in the Western region, transformed from a housewife to a successful rice farmer over four decades.Today, Lonah has grown into one of the biggest commercial farmers, not only in Kisumu, but the entire Western Region. Through education and adoption of SRI and other innovative farming techniques, she increased her yields significantly, improving her family's livelihood and educating her seven children to university level. Her success has inspired other women in her community to become landowners and farmers, revolutionising gender roles in agriculture.
The Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP) is implementing Climate Smart Agriculture under the Livelihood Innovation Food Security Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Project with funding from Irish Aid through Concern Worldwide Liberia. The project, which began in Grand Bassa, Liberia, during 2023 and extended to Rivercess in February 2024, is currently working with 25 smallholder farmers per community, which comprises a total of 214 smallholder farmers who are being introduced to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) for rice cultivation.
Since the introduction of the SRI in Grand Bassa County, farmer groups like the one in Crayton Estate, have been able to grow rice twice in a year with less external inputs. The resulting SRI adoption has proven sustainable for farming thus far and is achieving high yields. In addition to SRI methods for production, CHAP has created a market for the SRI farmers’ out-grower scheme across the country in support of the “I love Liberian rice” domestic rice production in keeping with the Ministry of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), which includes cultivation of 50,000 ha of lowland rice across the country from 2023 to 2030.
Rice consumption in Angola, like in many other African nations, is rising due to shifts in eating habits and population growth. The surge in consumption combined with low domestic production and productivity has led to a consistent rise in rice imports. In 2021 the State Treasury of Angola spent over US$260 million on rice imports.
During a February 2024 African Paddy Rice Greenhouse Gas Mitigation workshop, Eng. Carlos Francisco Canza, Angola's focal point within the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) from the Rural Extension Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, learned about SRI. Elielda Lopes Fernandes, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) Manager for Food and Agriculture in Angola, was also interested in SRI, and with SRI-2030 knowledge materials, they transplanted the rice seedlings in early July 2024 following SRI principles, marking the first known experimentation of SRI methods in Angola.
French language System of Rice Intensification (SRI) video from World Bank-funded PRéCA (Projet de Résilience et Compétitivité Agricoles -- Agriculture Resilience and Competitiveness Project) in Burkina Faso
Video: La plaine rizicole de Karfiguéla s'est transformée grâce au projet « Eau, CLÉ du Développement Durable » (ECDD). Autrefois désespérée en raison du changement climatique et de pratiques agricoles inefficaces, cette région prospère à nouveau. Le projet ECDD a expérimenté avec succès des pratiques agroécologiques sur une superficie de 500 m². Des agriculteurs témoignent de l'impact positif sur leurs rendements et la qualité de leurs cultures. Le projet, mis en œuvre par l’Organisation néerlandaise de développement (SNV) et l’ONG World Waternet.
SRI-Rice's insight:
English: The rice-growing plain of Karfiguéla has been transformed thanks to the “Water, Key to Sustainable Development” (ECDD) project which successfully experimented with agroecological practices, including SRI. Farmers testify to the positive impact on their yields and the quality of their crops. The project, implemented by the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) and the NGO World Waternet.
El arroz climáticamente inteligente, desarrollado por el Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias de Chile (INIA) junto al sistema SRI (System of Rice Intensification, por sus siglas en inglés) e impulsado por el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA) en las Américas, tiene como características salientes ser producido con hasta la mitad del agua que necesita el tradicional, un 80% menos de semillas y una reducción de emisiones de metano a través de la siembra directa e innovaciones como el riego subterráneo y por goteo.
SRI-Rice's insight:
In the Americas, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is promoting the salient characteristics of the climate-smart rice developed by Chile’s Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) drawing on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methodology.
This study undertook to identify a ‘best-bet’ version of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) for conditions in northwestern Nigeria, considering what is feasible for farmer use. Two years of experimental data from 260 farmer-managed rice plots evaluating four of the SRI practices in Zamfara State were analyzed. The variables evaluated were seedling age at transplanting, plant density, irrigation schedule, and fertilizer application. Farm budget analysis showed that the best-bet SRI practices most productive given the natural environment and farming system were transplanting 11-day-old seedlings at 25 cm × 25 cm spacing, with alternate wetting-and-drying of fields, as well as providing full compost plus some inorganic fertilization.
Net economic returns were found to be highest with best-bet SRI practices and ranged from USD 1450–2120 ha−1. While rice production was profitable under both SRI and more conventional management, the return on investment was at least 40% higher with SRI practices than with the other practices evaluated. Based on our data and analysis, we recommend that the Nigerian government and its development partners prioritize and expand the testing and promotion of SRI in the northwest and other regions of the country. This initiative can significantly enhance farmers’ incomes and, ultimately, bolster food security.
In Saint Louis, northern Senegal, farmers have had to buy extra rice to feed their families for as long as anyone can remember. “Normally, people can only live off the rice they grow for a few months,” according to Abdoulaye Sy, director at the government’s National Agricultural and Rural Advisory Agency (ANCAR). The rest of the time, people buy rice from wholesalers, hoisting 20-kilogram (44-pound) burlap sacks onto communal minibuses or horse-drawn carts for the long ride home.
But since officials at ANCAR introduced a new method for growing rice, called the “system of rice intensification” (SRI), yields have more than doubled. For the first time, according to ANCAR, families can live off their own crop and make money from the surplus.to
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