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. 

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.

 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.

The Sustainable Rice NDC Alliance continues to support its core aim of implementing high-yield low-emission rice agriculture by elevating rice-related NDC commitments. SRI-2030, the Alliance secretariat, is now focusing its support on Africa, although it will continue to support all nations pursuing sustainable rice production.

The Alliance continues to work directly with governments to design rice roadmaps with a current focus on West African nations. These are practical implementation plans combining agricultural policies such as National Rice Development Strategies or Climate Smart Agriculture frameworks with climate policy commitments as in countries’ NDCs. 

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Events:
A Focus on Finance meeting was followed by a panel on Food and Agriculture in Dubai in November 2023. Other recent activities include co-hosting a February workshop in Nairobi on African Paddy Rice Greenhouse Gas Mitigation. and an April webinar with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to examine how the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) can contribute to climate and development objectives  of the Bank’s goals.

[A French version of this document is also available.]

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.

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.

BA’KELALAN, Jan 31: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), a sustainable farming project supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) in partnership with CIMB Islamic, began in Ba'Kelalan and has now expanded to four additional villages...

The SRI rice farming project stands as a shining example of how collaboration between local communities, corporate partners, and conservation organisations can create a lasting positive impact on both people and the environment. According to WWF-Malaysia, this expansion reflects the positive impact and widespread acceptance of SRI as it promotes chemical-free farmers and employs targeted methods to reduce pests like the golden apple snail....

The Southeast Asia SRI Regional Network (SeaSRI) official website has been officially launched (https://seasri.org/)! This regional network was formed at the 6th International Rice Congress held in Manila in October 2023. It was constituted by representatives of SRI national networks in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Myanmar, with Vietnamese colleagues also supportive of this initiative but not present. SeaSRI is a collaborative network dedicated to promoting SRI practices throughout Southeast Asia. It brings together academics, researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders to embrace this environmentally friendly and economically viable approach, with the ultimate goal of enhancing food security and farmer well-being in Southeast Asia.