SRI Global News - June-August 2026 System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

This study investigates the impact of rice production training in a modified version of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) on the performance of small-scale rice farmers in a rain-fed area of Tanzania. Utilizing the plot level variation, we employ propensity score matching (PSM) to assess the impact of training on technology adoption, productivity, and profitability. We also estimate a difference-in-differences model with plot fixed effects using recall panel data covering the periods before and after training. We found that trainees achieved an average paddy yield of 4.7 tons per hectare and rice profit of 191.5 USD per hectare on the plots where new technologies were adopted, which is higher by about 1.3–1.8 tons and 119–137 USD per hectare than on the other plots. Our study suggests the high potential of transforming favorable rain-fed rice growing areas in SSA so as to achieve a rice Green Revolution through training in modern input use and improved agronomic practices.

The soft-spoken Mrs. Lonah Anyango Okumu is an uncelebrated heroine in her own right. This mother of seven children is a widow who has overcome many odds to bring up and educate her family single-handedly as well as become a leading champion of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), in western Kenya.

On the verge of abandoning Kenya’s third most popular staple, however, Francis heard of a new technology that could reverse his dwindling fortunes. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI), introduced for the first time at the neighbouring Ahero Irrigation Scheme in 2011, had forayed into West Kano, raising hope for Francis and his contemporaries.

Tumusiime, Emmanuel. 2017. Suitable for whom? The case of system of rice intensification in Tanzania. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension.  doi: 10.1080/1389224X.2017.1310660