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
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....
Join the NEW System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Global Research Network, which is jointly hosted by the Indonesian SRI Research and Innovation Network (IndoSRInet) and the SRI-Rice Center at Cornell University. By becoming a part of this network, you will gain access to a wealth of cutting-edge SRI research, facilitated through our comprehensive upgraded Zotero library offering research abstracts, metadata, and full-text content of refereed and high quality material.Don't miss our first SRI Research Newsletter, which will come out April 2024! [See contacts on the website to subscribe.]
In addition, we provide comprehensive updates on the latest research news in the field of SRI, ensuring you stay informed about current trends and breakthroughs. We also share news on funding and educational opportunities. Finally, upon joining the SRI Global Research Network, you will have the opportunity to actively participate in discussions with fellow members, fostering the exchange of insights and knowledge within our community.
This presentation by one of the earliest investigators of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) will review the practices, principles and effects of SRI and then some of the initial criticisms and objections. The main focus will be on scientific issues and opportunities that warrant investigation from agricultural science and/or social science perspectives.
SPEAKER: Norman Uphoff, DATE: February 21, 2024, [see video] VENUE: Cornell University, 175 Warren Hall; or, online via zoom ORGANIZERS: Dept. of Global Development, Cornell University. This presentation is part of the "Perspectives in International Development" seminar series
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
Rice farmers have expressed their satisfaction with the project of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in Tanzania that helps them withstand the effects of climate change and reduce production costs; at the same time, productivity is double that of conventional agriculture. This was stated during the SRI Stakeholders Annual workshop held in Mbeya Region on January 24 through 27, 2024, at the centre of Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute - TARI Uyole. While sharing his testimony, Mr. Filbert Kadebe a farmer from Mkula scheme found in Kilombero District, Morogoro Region, said that with SRI he managed to reduce cost by using 2 to 3 kilograms of seeds per hectare from the 30 kilograms he used to plant. Kadebe continued say that in SRI, with mat nursery technology it’s much easier for farmers to simplify the transplanting exercise as well as managing to transplant a single seedling.
The SRI project is implemented by the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Bio economy research (NIBIO) and the Swamination Research Institute (MSSRF) based in India.
SRI-Rice's insight:
The above link goes to the TARI home page. Once there you can find the article described above.
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.
As the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has evolved in many ways and in several directions over the past two decades, this review follows the evolution of SRI over time. This overview explains how rainfed SRI, direct-seeded SRI, mechanized SRI, and other modifications have emerged since 2000, and how versions of SRI have been adapted to improve the production of other crops such as wheat, finger millet, maize, and sugar cane.
SRI thinking and practices are also being incorporated into diversified farming systems, broadening the impact of SRI beyond monoculture to achieve broader objectives like the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the conservation of biodiversity. SRI observations and research have been contributing to the crop and soil sciences by focusing attention on plant roots and soil ecology and by showing how crop management can elicit more desirable phenotypes from a given genotype.
SRI-Rice's insight:
Norman Uphoff. 2023. SRI 2.0 and beyond: Sequencing the protean evolution of the System of Rice Intensification. Agronomy 13(5): 1253. doi:10.3390/agronomy13051253
A delegation from the global SRI community attended the 6th International Rice Congress (IRC) in Manila, Philippines, held October 16-19, 2023. The group included SRI representatives from Chile, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Philippines, UK, and USA. Various members of the group made scientific presentations and answered queries at the SRI booth at the IRC, and subsequently participated in side events, including a SRI Research Network meeting, a Philippines Dept. of Agriculture SRI Forum, a SRI meeting for national/regional SRI networks around the world, and field trips to three provinces. The visit was hosted by the SRI-Pilipinas network, organized by SRI-Rice (a program at Cornell University), SRI Global (an NGO in Ithaca, New York) and IndoSRInet (the Indonesian SRI network), and funded by SRI-2030 (an NGO in the UK).
In addition to the IRC events, several participants gave presentations at a Department of Agriculture Forum on SRI on October 20. Organized by the Philippines Council on Agriculture and Forestry (PCAF), the Forum on SRI Practice and Policy: Cross-Country Sharing included an address by the Philippines Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development, Leocadio Sebastian, and helped to strengthen the Philippine Government’s perception of what increased promotion of SRI could achieve within the rice sector. The government has recently approved 250 million pesos for SRI promotion throughout the country. Finally, with the assistance of SRI-Pilipinas members and Adelberto Baniqued, international participants visited SRI-Pilipinas SRI field sites and government assisted programs in the provinces of La Union, Quezon, and Davao del Norte. [contact sririce@cornell.edu for more info]
As part of the International Conference on “Managing Sustainable Transitions in Agriculture (MST 2023)," IRMA hosted a Nov. 8 pre-conference webinar on "Exploring Power, Inclusivity and Intersectionality." The first 20 minutes features Francesco Carnevale Zampaolo of SRI-2030 discussing "The Sustainable Rice NDC Alliance: An Opportunity to Boost Action at Scale." (More on the MST conference 2023 - https://www.irma.ac.in/conference/mst-2023/home)
SRI-Rice's insight:
NDC, or Nationally Determined Contribution, is a climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts. Each Party to the Paris Agreement is required to establish an NDC and update it every five years. To learn more about the Sustainable Rice NDC Alliance, visit https://www.sri-2030.org/the-alliance. For more information on SRI-2030, see https://www.sri-2030.org/
El proyecto busca aumentar la productividad del cultivo del arroz a través del uso del SICA, mejorando las condiciones productivas, sustentabilidad, rentabilidad y seguridad alimentaria de la AF de Chile, Venezuela, Panamá y Argentina. Atendiendo la demanda social por alimentos producidos en sistemas de manejo sustentables, que consideren la preservación de los recursos naturales con un menor impacto ambiental. Implementando y escalando un conjunto de prácticas de manejo específicas para cada región que permitan una mayor adaptación del cultivo al cambio climático.
SRI-Rice's insight:
This project trains technicians and producers linked to the rice sector in LAC on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), to increase productivity and sustainability while reducing costs and inputs in Chile, Venezuela, Panama and Argentina. The Project is executed with the support of FONTAGRO, and leadership of INIA Chile, with the co-execution of IDIAP of Panama and INTA Argentina and in partnership with IICA, FLAR, UNER, UNL and FUNDARROZ from Venezuela. [See this article in English.]
La creciente sequía llevó a investigadores de INIA a incorporar una forma de regar campos arroceros sin afectar la calidad ni el rendimiento del cultivo.Este sistema llegó para quedarse”, sostuvo el productor arrocero Luis Valenzuela del sector Santa Amelia, en San Carlos, al referirse a la implementación del SRI (System of Rice Intensification) o sistema de intensificación del cultivo del arroz, que está implementando el INIA como nueva forma para producir arroz en Chile.
Esta metodología utiliza riegos intermitentes, en reemplazo de la tradicional inundación que ha caracterizado a este cultivo, cambio que no es antojadizo, ya que responde a la creciente disminución de agua para riego, en gran parte del orbe.
SRI-Rice's insight:
“This system is here to stay,” said rice producer Luis Valenzuela from the Santa Amelia sector, in San Carlos, Chile, when referring to the implementation of the SRI (System of Rice Intensification), which is being implemented by the INIA. SRI uses intermittent irrigation, replacing the traditional flooding-- a change that is not taken lightly, since it responds to the growing decrease in water for irrigation. Also the application of nitrogen has an efficiency of 70% in dry soil, while in flooded soil it only reaches 30%. An additional benefit noted was savings in products for weed control. Agronomist Karla Cordero added that, with the absence of flooding, “methane is no longer produced and the production of nitrous oxide is reduced."
The Jubilee Justice Black Farmers' Rice Project, launched in 2020, supports smallholder Black farmers to grow organic, regenerative, specialty rice. The rice is processed and marketed through their own cooperative with support from Jubilee Justice.
After Konda Mason, founder of Jubilee Justice, learned of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), she was emboldened by the idea that Black farmers could lead the development of growing regenerative, organic rice systems using the SRI method. In 2020, Mason joined forces with Erika Styger, an SRI expert at Cornell University, organic farmer Mark Fulford, and Iriel Edwards, 2020 Cornell graduate and first farm manager for Jubilee Justice.
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).
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...
... 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.
[Video]: Economic empowerment of Women through the application of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India (2022-23)
New and ‘improved’ rice varieties have contributed greatly to increased production over the past 50 years, but the rate of rice yield increase based on genetic changes has declined in recent decades compared with the early years of the Green Revolution. In fact, many rice consumers continue to prefer to consume ‘traditional’ rice varieties because of their taste, aroma, texture, and other qualities. Furthermore, many farmers prefer to cultivate these varieties because of their better adaptation to local climatic and soil conditions and their evolved resistance to endemic stresses.
The practices that comprise the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) provide traditional rice varieties with micro-environments that are more favorable for the expression of their genetic and agronomic potentials. Interactions among rice plants, soil characteristics, water, energy, and other inputs improve the phenotypic and physiological performance of rice plants. This paper considers how the cultivation of traditional rice varieties with SRI methods can raise yields, reduce farmers’ costs of production, and generate higher incomes while contributing to the conservation of rice biodiversity.
This declaration recognized the increasing vulnerability of agriculture and food systems to climate change, highlighting the escalating threat to their resilience. Regrettably, however, this declaration did not directly address the substantial emissions from agriculture, nor the low cost of mitigating thesehttps://www.sri-2030.org/the-alliance. Following the declaration, the Food, Agriculture, and Water Day at COP28 saw further announcements aimed at increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation in agriculture. (See article for list). Other organizations such as the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative (SLRI) and Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) have been working on addressing the environmental impacts of rice production for several years.
During 2023, SRI-2030 launched the Sustainable Rice NDC Alliance to bring together countries with rice-related commitments in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In fact, more than 30 countries include rice in their NDCs and 13 countries specifically listed SRI methods as a mitigation and/or adaptation option. Encouraging more countries to commit to sustainable rice production in their NDCs would channel resources toward actionable strategies benefiting farmers, consumers, and the environment.
SRI-Rice's insight:
Read more about the NDC Alliance on the SRI-2030 website.
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.
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.
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
Conservation Agriculture (CA) and the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) are both agroecologically-oriented production systems that support more productive, sustainable, and resource-conserving farming, with synergies arising from their respective assemblages of reinforcing agronomic methods.
SRI-Rice's insight:
Carnevale Zampaolo, F.; Kassam, A.; Friedrich, T.; Parr, A.; Uphoff, N. Compatibility between Conservation Agriculture and the System of Rice Intensification. Agronomy2023, 13, 2758.
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.