“We are moving from the age of food security to the age of sustainability.” With this resonant message, Ambassador V.B. Soni (Retd.) set the tone for his address at the 6th Agri-Business Conclave and Awards on May 21, 2025. “From being a food-deficient country dependent on imports in the 1960s, India has emerged as the world’s largest producer of milk, pulses, and the second-largest in cereals, fruits, and vegetables. But this success story is now at a turning point. This growth has been achieved at a cost — depleting groundwater, degrading soils, and excessive chemical use. Sustainability is no longer an optional value; it is the defining principle of future agribusiness.” Indian farmers, scientists, and entrepreneurs are pioneering climate-smart solutions — from low-input agriculture and organic farming to resource-efficient practices like the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). “India’s farmers are innovating every day. They need enabling systems, not just schemes.”
R. Murugavel, an SRI farmer from Vadugapatti in Theni district, was felicitated by Theni Collector R.V. Shajeevana, officers and farmers associations here on Monday for bagging the State-level award for recording the highest productivity in yield. Mr. Murugavel told media persons that he had been doing farming for the last two decades. He was now growing paddy and other crops on 1.40 hectares of leased land. “I was encouraged by Agriculture Department officials in Periyakulam, who organised training programmes and camps on System Rice Intensification (SRI) technique,” he said.
Climate change and climate variability create hurdles for food security and agriculture- based livelihoods, and acts as an obstacle to the economic growth of the people of Manipur, India.
The Directorate of Environment has introduced the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to reduce GHG emissions and improve agricultural productivity in Phayeng village where a project to transform the village to a carbon-positive eco model village is in progress. Twenty-one farmers covering about 12 hectares of land were selected based on their interest and field conditions for a pilot study of SRI. Recent changes in the climate are affecting the Phayeng ecosystem services in terms of agricultural sectors and food insecurities.
A high potential is seen in SRI to help secure livelihoods and to enhance resilience to expected adverse impacts of climate change. SRI can be applied with both irrigated and rain-fed rice systems. The most vulnerable people and vulnerable economic sectors like agriculture will be given attention on priority basis.
The theme of this second webinar (Oct. 24) in the SRI Global Research Network Series is "The Integration of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) with Intercropping." Event speakers were: 1. Francesco Carnevale Zampaolo (SRI-2030, UK) spoke on "Compatibility between Conservation Agriculture and the SRI" 2. Tavseef Mairaj Shah (CinSOIL GmbH & Hamburg University of Technology, Germany) spoke on "iRice - Intercropping Beans with Rice under the SRI as an Innovative Agroecological Approach" For more info, visit the SRI Global Research Network: https://sri-research.org
Herbicide use may pose a risk of environmental pollution or evolution of resistant weeds. As a result, an experiment was carried out to assess the influence of different non-chemical weed management tactics (one hoeing (HH) at 12 DAS followed by (fb) one hand weeding at 30 DAS, one HH at 12 DAS fb Sesbania co-culture and its mulching, one HH at 12 DAS fb rice straw mulching @ 4t ha−1, one HH at 12 DAS fb rice straw mulching @ 6 t ha−1) on weed control, crop growth and yield, and economic returns in direct-seeded rice (DSR).
Zero-till seed drill-sown crop (PN) had the lowest weed density at 25 days after sowing (DAS), while square planting geometry (PS) had the lowest weed density at 60 DAS. PS also resulted in a lower weed management index (WMI), agronomic management index (AMI), and integrated weed management index (IWMI), as well as higher growth attributes, grain yield (4.19 t ha–1), and net return (620.98 US$ ha–1). In the case of weed management treatments, one HH at 12 DAS fb Sesbania co-culture and its mulching had the lowest weed density at 25 DAS. However, one hoeing at 12 DAS fb one hand weeding at 30 DAS (HH + WH) achieved the highest grain yield (4.85 t ha–1) and net returns (851.03 US$ ha–1) as well as the lowest weed density at 60 DAS. PS × HH + WH treatment combination had the lowest weed persistent index (WPI), WMI, AMI, and IWMI, and the highest growth attributes, production efficiency, and economic return.
SRI-Rice's insight:
As we move toward more integration of SRI with CA and direct-seeding, these studies are becoming more important!
Intense cultivation with narrow row spacing in wheat, a common practice in the Indo-Gangetic plains of South Asia, renders the crop more susceptible to lodging during physiological maturity. This susceptibility, compounded by the use of traditional crop cultivars, has led to a substantial decline in overall crop productivity. The results of a two-year field study on the system of wheat intensification (SWI) was conducted suggested that adoption of SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm resulted in significantly higher intercellular CO2 concentration (5.9–6.3%), transpiration rate (13.2–15.8%), stomatal conductance (55–59%), net photosynthetic rate (126–160%), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) interception (1.6–25.2%) over the existing conventional method (plant geometry 22.5 cm × continuous plant to plant spacing) of wheat cultivation.
The lodging resistance capacity of both the lower and upper 3rd nodes was significantly higher in the SWI compared to other cultivation methods. In addition, adoption of the SWI at 20 cm × 20 cm enhanced crop grain yield by 36.9–41.6%, and biological yield by 27.5–29.8%.. Further, increased root volumes, surface root density and higher NPK uptake were recorded under SWI at 20×20 cm in comparison to rest of the treatments. Therefore, adoption of SWI at 20 cm ×20 cm and square planting (with cultivars HD 2967) might be the best strategy for enhancing crop productivity and resource-use efficiency.
A novel approach called the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has become a revolutionary force in the vast agricultural areas of India, where crop farming determines the beat of life. This creative farming method not only goes against the accepted wisdom in rice growing, but it also signals a big shift in the lives of many farmers...
Berhampur: SRI (System of Rice Intensification) method of paddy cultivation can help check climate change and benefit the farmers as it consumes less water in comparison to other methods of cultivation. ...In Ganjam district hundreds of acres are left uncultivated [due to climate change]. In this situation, the district project management unit under the Berhampur Forest department is laying stress on SRI cultivation. This has come as a relief for the distressed farmers fed up with crop loss and reduced output in the traditional method of cultivation. SRI method of cultivation is being implemented in the district with the support of the state government, the Green Climate Fund, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Farmers think that this new method is helping them raise their crops without hassle.
…This year over 900 farmers in Chikiti, Rangeilunda, Khallikote and Ganjam blocks have taken up SRI. Assisted by two voluntary outfits Lipika and Pallishree and supervised by 30 experts, an additional 870 farmers have taken up SRI on 200 acre of farmland. The cultivation was initially started by training the farmers in 39 villages
For Vasantha Ganesan, a 32-year-old farmer at Ponnamaravathi taluk in the district, the third time was the charm as she was conferred the C Narayanaswamy Naidu Award by Chief Minister MK Stalin for achieving the highest yield of paddy through the System of Rice Intensification, during the Republic Day celebrations in Chennai on Thursday. Her parcel of land at Aalavayal returned a yield of 14,551.25 kg of paddy/hectare to claim the award that entails a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, besides a medal and a certificate.
Sarvathobhadram-Organic–Farmers Cooperative is helpful in supporting small and marginal farmers in customizing, adapting, and tailoring the system to their specific requirements. The Farmers Club, which has 50 members, was founded in May 2020 to create additional cash while also encouraging farmers to shift to organic farming using System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The club’s mission is to ensure food security, livelihood, and entrepreneurship in the Anthikad Block Panchayat (Kerala). The project addressed climate change and resilience, collaborating with government departments and utilizing convergence to maximize the schemes accessible to farmers in panchayath.
SRI-Rice's insight:
This case study is a detailed account of the methods, constraints/solutions, and outcomes of an organic SRI project in Kerala.
Field experiments were carried out to evaluate the influence of the system of rice intensification (SRI) and microbial inoculation, which revealed significant enhancement in the uptake of nitrogen and zinc in brown rice grain, husk, and straw. Increases of 30–60% in the soil dehydrogenase activity and the total polysaccharide content were recorded with an Anabaena-Mesorhizobium biofilm, while the N recovery efficiency was the highest (86%) with BF1–4 (cyanobacterial consortium) inoculant. Available N and zinc in soil were highly correlated with soil organic carbon and dehydrogenase activity, indicative of the significance of soil microbiological processes in nutrient availability.... Our investigation illustrates that microbial options can significantly contribute toward greater uptake of N and Zn, with superior efficiency-related and agronomic productivity indices.
At this conference (note new dates!), the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and System of Crop Intensification (SCI) [which includes a wider range of crops] will be considered in terms of policy, farming systems research, climate change, resource conservation technologies, resource use efficiency, etc. Date: Dec. 12-14, 2022 Venue: [hybid] ICAR - Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, India Organized by: Society for Advancement of Rice Research Registration: https://forms.gle/gesvRdQbupjaJie26 More information: See website or e-mail: icsci82022@gmail.com or kumaricsci2022@gmail.com
A System of Rice Intensification (SRI) impact assessment was undertaken in 20 project villages in the Narayanpet block. Analyses were carried out on water usage, input cost, plant growth, farmer group collectivization, gross and net returns of SRI, and conventional paddy cultivation. The result shows that significant water saving was achieved for SRI, i.e., 8586 m3∙ha−1 under tubewell irrigation over conventional. Less utilisation of water and distance maintained in SRI reduced biotic and abiotic stress caused by snails and nutrient deprivation, respectively. Yield for sampled SRI farmers showed a 22% increase, 13% less than conventional paddy farmers, which highly impacts the SRI farmers’ net income, i.e., 69% more than the conventional returns. The SRI method has a lower labour deployment of 8 people/ha than the conventional method, which requires 16 people/ha. Input cost saving in these two categories has ranked top and fetched maximum production efficiency among the others. The seed cost was significantly (87%) reduced for SRI as 8 kg per ha was required rather than the conventional that required 62 kg/ha.
The theme of this webinar is "Insect Diversity and Dynamics in System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Cultivation" Date: 27 March 2025 Speaker: Padmavathi Chintalapati (Principal Scientist, Entomology, ICAR - Indian Institute of Rice Research, India) This is seminar #4 of the SRI Global Research Network's webinar series. See https://SRI-research.org for details
SRI-Rice's insight:
Don't miss the next SRI Global Research Network webinar (#5) on July 10, 2025! Sonali McDermid will speak on integrated climate-crop-economic SRI modeling assessment with an overview of work in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India. Details are forthcoming...
CLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAYCLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAY `CLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAY CLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAYCLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAYCLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAYCLICK TO WIn $1000 GIVE AWAY
"Asia Initiatives and Dilasa Janvikas Pratishthan tested the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in combination with social capital credits (SoCCs) in one of their projects to empower women in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, India. By promoting sustainable farming practices, they are not just enhancing livelihoods but also fostering climate resilience and environmental conservation for those most vulnerable to climate catastrophes in some of the marginalized regions of the world."
This study assesses the impact of three cultivation methods (wetland, SRI, and direct seeding) on the biochemical properties and bacterial communities within the rice rhizosphere across three key growth stages: tillering, flowering, and maturity. The results deepened our understanding of how different cultivation practices influence plant-microbe interactions and their implications for overall rice productivity and soil health. Soil organic carbon (SOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), dehydrogenase, substrate-induced respiration (SIR), and metabolic quotient (MQ) were assessed along with high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing of rice rhizosphere soils.
The rice rhizosphere soil under the SRI registered the highest SOC, MBC, and dehydrogenase followed by wetland and least in direct seeded aerobic cultivation. Cultivation methods caused notable shifts in the abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi, while crop growth stages affected the abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, and Bacteroidetes. Based on these results, the SRI method brings higher diversification to the rhizosphere bacteriobiota, as well as greater incorporation of carbon into the soil and increased dehydrogenase activity compared to the wetland and aerobic rice.
The impact of climate change on methane (CH4) emissions from rice production in the Coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu was studied utilizing the closed-chamber method for gas collection and gas chromatography analysis. This study identified differences in CH4 emissions between conventional cultivation methods and the system of rice intensification (SRI). Experimental data were subsequently used to guide parametrization and validation of the DeNitrification–DeComposition (DNDC) model.
The validated model was then used to develop future CH4 emissions projections under various shared socio-economic pathways for the mid- (2021–2050) and late (2051–2080) century. The analysis revealed a potential increase in CH4 emissions for the simulated scenarios, which was dependent on specific soil and irrigation management practices. Conventional cultivation produced the highest CH4 emissions. The findings underscored an urgency to develop climate-smart location-specific mitigation strategies focused on simultaneously improving current water and nutrient management practices. This research also highlighted the critical interaction that exists between agricultural practices and climate change, and emphasized the need to implement adaptive crop management strategies that can sustain productivity and mitigate the environmental impacts of rice-based systems in southern India.
Green manuring–system of rice intensification (SRI)–blackgram (rice fallow pulses) cropping system is novel, and appears to be a sustainable approach, combining innovative farming techniques to optimize yields, improve soil health, and minimize environmental impacts. Field demonstrations were conducted on a farmer's field through the National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban, Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, within the kharif rabi and summer seasons of 2019–20. The demonstration was conducted in 50 hectares with 92 locations of Ponnaniyar sub-basin.
The improved practice of SRI recorded higher plant height and other yield attributes, including yields from 7580 to 9400 kg ha−1. Concurrently, within the IPT framework for the GM–SRI–Rice fallow pulses cropping system, the yields for Rice fallow Blackgram were 590 to 730 kg ha−1. A remarkable 39.9 percent enhancement in system productivity through the adoption of IPT practicesas well as significantly higher water productivity, The green manure–system of rice intensification–rice fallow pulses crop sequences emerged as the more productive and sustainable option, displaying the potential to enhance soil productivity and fertility status compared to conventional rice–blackgram/groundnut cropping sequences. These systems present promising alternatives for farmers Tamil Nadu's Ponnaniyar sub-basin.
How can we produce rice in a way that uses fewer resources and regenerates nature? In this episode Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Transforming Tradition series, we hear why a growing number of farmers around the world are changing the way they produce rice, by adopting an agroecological approach called the System of Rice Intensification (SRI).
[Video]: Economic empowerment of Women through the application of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India (2022-23)
Initial evaluations of the System of Rice Intensification focused mainly on its impacts on yield and income. Researchers at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research have conducted a more comprehensive evaluation of SRI methods over six years, comparing them with three alternatives: modified, partially mechanized SRI (MSRI); direct-seeded rice (DSR); and conventional rice with flooding of fields (CTF). Grain yield with SRI methods was found to be about 50% higher than with CTF (6.35 t ha−1 vs. 4.27 t ha−1), while the MSRI yield was essentially the same (6.34 t ha−1), 16% more than with DSR (5.45 t ha−1).
Water productivity with SRI methods was 5.32–6.85 kg ha-mm−1, followed by 4.14–5.72 kg ha-mm−1 for MSRI, 5.06–5.11 kg ha-mm−1 for DSR, and 3.52–4.56 kg ha-mm−1 for CTF. In comparison with CTF, SRI methods significantly enhanced soil microbial populations over time. Biological activity in the rhizosphere was also higher. Similarly, an indicator of soil organic matter, glucosidase activity, was 78% higher compared to CTF. SRI management reduced GHG emissions by 21%, while DSR reduced them by 23%, and MSRI by 13%, compared to CTF. Economic analysis showed both gross and net economic returns to be higher with SRI. While the study documented advantages of SRI, it also showed that MSRI is a promising adaptation that provides similar benefits but with lower labor requirements.
SRI-Rice's insight:
R.M. Kumar, P. Chintalapati. et al. 2023. Comparison of System of Rice Intensification applications and alternatives in India: Agronomic, economic, environmental, energy, and their effects. Agronomy 13(10): 2492. doi:10.3390/agronomy13102492
Tamil language video on featuring a three-row paddy weeder that can be used with SRI methods. (However, rows must be very straight to weed 3 rows at once!)
A solar energy operated two-row weeder was developed for weeding in wetland paddy crop. Its major components are power source, power transmission system, weeding wheels, and a float. The power source comprised a DC motor, solar panel, and power storage unit with maximum power point tracker and motor controller. Solar panel/power storage unit through a motor controller supplied power to the DC motor and it was transmitted to the shaft of the weeding wheel through a dog clutch. A float prevents sinkage of the weeder. The weeder could do weeding at a rate of 0.06 ha per hour with field efficiency, weeding efficiency, and plant damage of 83.3%, 83% and 2-3%, respectively. As compared to cono-weeder, the cost of weeding was 41.2 % lower due to higher field capacity and fewer labor requirements. Annual use less than 4.13 ha for the developed weeder was found uneconomical for carrying out weeding. The developed powering system comprising solar photovoltaic panels could supply power to do weeding continuously for 2 hours with a maximum discharge of 20 % from the battery.
"It has been widely assumed that market mechanisms are central in incentivizing the development of sustainable innovations and that market formation is critical for the diffusion of innovations. We challenge the centrality of markets in understanding and promoting the development and diffusion of sustainable innovations using the case of the System of Rice Intensification. This innovation for sustainable rice cultivation was developed and diffused without relying on market mechanisms yet has been adopted by millions of farmers worldwide. To further our understanding of economic mechanisms beyond markets, we revisit Polanyi's distinction between markets, reciprocity, redistribution, and subsistence. This distinction helps to situate markets in a broader economic context and helps to understand how mechanisms for market exchange intersect with other types of economies in ways that can either positively or negatively affect sustainability."
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.
Your new post is loading...
