The document discusses the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), emphasizing its role in sustainable agriculture and adaptation to climate change. SRI practices focus on producing more rice with fewer inputs by improving resource management rather than relying on chemical and mechanical enhancements. It highlights successful implementation across various countries and crops, demonstrating increased yields, cost savings, and environmental benefits.

1. The System of Rice Intensification
(SRI) in the Context of ‘Sustainable
Crop Production Intensification’
and Adaptation to Climate Change
Norman Uphoff, Cornell University
FAO/Bangkok seminar, AIT, April 11, 2013

2. SRI has been unfortunately and
unnecessarily controversial
No ‘magic’ – simply good agronomy
SRI is ideas rather than a technology;
it is more a matter of learning and
experimentation than of ‘transfer’
SRI is more appropriately viewed as a
MENU than as a RECIPE
SRI is a work in progress, not finished
Now SRI ideas are being extended and
extrapolated to many other crops

3. Need to Change the Concepts and
the Practices of ‘Intensification’
So far this strategy has been based on:
• Intensification of ENERGY inputs –
increased mechanization . . .
• Intensification of CHEMICAL inputs --
inorganic fertilizer and agrochemical
crop protection . . .
• Intensification of WATER inputs –
widespread irrigation . . .
• Intensification of CAPITAL inputs –
ever-increasing investment . . .

4. In the 21st Century, We Face Greatly
Changing Conditions for Agriculture
• Costs of ENERGY inputs are now higher,
and availability is less certain -- also see
negative environmental externalities
• Costs of fossil-fuel-based CHEMICAL
inputs are rising -- and we see their
adverse effects on soil and water quality
• The amounts and reliability of WATER
for agriculture are becoming more
problematic, more limiting, more costly
• Climate change presents many hazards
incl. increase in pest & disease problems

6. The World -- and particularly Asia --
Needs ‘a New Intensification’
• Instead of continuing with a strategy of
achieving MORE OUTPUT form MORE INPUTS
• We should learn how we can produce MORE
OUTPUT with REDUCED INPUTS – relying
more on nature’s processes than on our own
• Not considered possible with a MECHANICAL
mindset – zero-sum, even negative-sum
• It is possible within a BIOLOGICAL framework
-- positive-sum, by capitalizing on sun’s energy
• This points to a major shift in paradigms

7. What has been the greatest
paradigm shift for humankind?
• Arguably the shift from a Ptolemaic
(geocentric) understanding of the universe,
to a Copernican (heliocentric) conception
• The ‘new intensification’ will redirect our
thinking and actions in agriculture from
their current EGOCENTRIC orientation, that
regards us humans as the primary actors
• To a more HELIOCENTRIC orientation that
appreciates the power and productivity of
natural systems which give rise to the
processes and potentials of biology

8. We humans are part of nature and
need to learn to cooperate with it
• The supposedly impossible challenge of
producing more from less has been shown to
be possible from our experience with the
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
developed in Madagascar and now being
used increasingly widely around the world
• SRI increases yields and provides other
advantages not by increasing external inputs
but by changing the management of existing
resources: plants, soil, water and nutrients
• Can elaborate on this if there are questions

9. 2013: >50 countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America
where benefits of SRI management have been seen
Before 1999: Madagascar 2007: Afghanistan, Brazil, Mali
1999 China, Indonesia 2008: Rwanda, Costa Rica, Egypt,
2000-02: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, Ghana, Japan
Gambia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, 2009: Malaysia, Timor Leste
Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, 2010: Kenya, DPRK, Panama, Haiti
Thailand (15 at Sanya conference, 2002) 2011: Colombia, Korea, Taiwan,
2003: Benin, Guinea, Mozambique, Peru Tanzania
2004-05: Senegal, Pakistan, Vietnam
2012: Burundi, Dominican Republic,
2006: Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq,
Niger, Nigeria, Togo (total of 51)
Zambia

10. OVER 1 MILLION VIETNAMESE FARMERS BENEFIT FROM SRI
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 20:48 (GMT +7)
PANO – Vietnam celebrated over a
million small-scale farmers who are
embracing a technique that grows more
rice with less seeds, fertilizer, water, and
pesticides in an event at Thai Nguyen
University on October 18th.
The technique is called ‘system of rice intensification’ or SRI for short, which
is a package of agricultural techniques for hand-planted rice that helps
farmers reduce their costs while increasing their production. The Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development reported that by the summer-autumn
crop this year, there are 1,070,384 farmers using SRI on 185,065 hectares
(457,110 acres) in their rice fields. The number of farmers using SRI practices
in Vietnam has tripled since 2009. . . .

11. CHINA: SRI extension/impact in Sichuan Province, 2004-10
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
SRI area (ha) 1,133 7,267 57,400 117,267 204,467 252,467 301,067 941,068
SRI yield (kg/ha) 9,105 9,435 8,805 9,075 9,300 9,495 9,555 9,252
Non-SRI yield (kg/ha) 7,740 7,650 7,005 7,395 7,575 7,710 7,740 7,545
SRI increment (t/ha) * 1,365 1,785 1,800# 1,680 1,725 1,785 1,815# 1,708
SRI yield increase (%) * 17.6% 23.3% 25.7% 22.7% 22.8% 23.2% 23.5% 22.7%
Grain increase (tons） 1,547 12,971 103,320 197,008 352,705 450,653 546,436 1.66 mill
Added net income from
1.28 11.64 106.5 205.1 450.8 571.7 704.3 2,051
SRI use (million RMB) * (>$300 mill)
* Comparison is with Sichuan provincial average for paddy yield and SRI returns
# Drought years: SRI yields were relatively better than with conventional methods
Source: Data are from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture.

12. , INDIA: Results from Bihar state, 2007-2012
SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION -- state average yield: 2.3 t/ha
2007 2008 2009 2010 2012
Climatic Normal 2 times Drought + Complete Good
conditions rainfall flooding rain in Sept. drought rainfall
No. of smallholders 128 5,146 8,367 19,911 NR
Area under SRI (ha) 30 544 786 1,412 335,000
SRI yield (t/ha) 10.0 7.75 6.5 3.22* 8.08
Conv. yield (t/ha) 2.7 2.36 2.02 1.66* 2.9
SYSTEM OF WHEAT INTENSIFICATION -- state average yield: 2.4 t/ha
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2011-12
No. of smallholders 415 25,235 48,521 NR
Area under SWI (ha) 16 1,200 2,536 183,085
SWI yield (t/ha) 3.6 4.5 NR 5.1
Conv. yield (t/ha) 1.6 1.6 NR 2.7
* Results from measurements of yield on 74 farmers’ SRI and conventional fields

13. SRI benefits are more than
an increase in yield:
• Water saving
• More tolerance of climate stresses
• Resistance to pests and disease
• Reduced costs of production
• Higher farmer income
• More environmentally-friendly
• Grain quality, shorter crop cycle, etc.

14. Other Benefits from Changes in Practices
1. Water saving – major concern in many places, also
now have ‘rainfed’ version with similar results
2. Greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses –
less damage from pests and diseases, drought,
typhoons, flooding, cold spells [discuss tomorrow]
3. Shorter crop cycle – same varieties are harvested
by 1-3 weeks sooner, save water, less crop risk
4. High milling output – by about 15%, due to fewer
unfilled grains (less chaff) and fewer broken grains
5. Reductions in labor requirements – widely reported
incentive for changing practices in India and China;
Drought-resistance: Rice fields in Sri Lanka,many places
also, mechanization is being introduced same variety
6. Reductions in costs of production – greater farmer
and same soil 3 weeks after irrigation had stopped because
of drought and profitability, also health benefits (right)
income – conventional rice field (left) and SRI

15. Storm resistance:
Dông Trù village,
Ha Noi province,
Vietnam, after
fields were hit by
a tropical storm
Right: conventional
field and plant;
Left: SRI field
and plant
Same variety used
in both fields:
serious lodging
seen on right --
no lodging on left

16. Disease and pest resistance: Evaluation by
the Vietnam National IPM Program, 2005-06 –
averages of data from on-farm trials in 8 provinces
Spring season Summer season
SRI Farmer Differ- SRI Farmer Differ-
plots plots ence plots plots ence
Sheath blight 6.7% 18.1% 63.0% 5.2% 19.8% 73.7%
Leaf blight -- -- -- 8.6% 36.3% 76.5%
Small leaf 63.4 107.7 41.1% 61.8 122.3 49.5%
folder *
Brown plant 542 1,440 62.4% 545 3,214 83.0%
hopper *
AVERAGE 55.5% 70.7%
* Insects/m2

17. Modern Traditional
improved aromatic
variety variety
(Ciherang) – (Sintanur)
no yield - 8 t/ha
Resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses:
fields in East Java, Indonesia hit by both brown planthopper (BPH)
and by storm damage (typhoon): the rice field on the left was
managed with standard practices; organic SRI is seen on right

18. % lodging of rice as affected by irrigation practices when
combined with different ages of seedlings and different
spacings in trials done in Chiba, Japan
(Chapagain and Yamaji, Paddy and Water Environment, 2009)
Irrigation Seedling Spacing Plant lodging (in percent)
method age (cm2) Partial Complete Total
30x30 6.67 0 6.67
Inter- 14
mittent
30x18 40.00 6.67 46.67
irrigation 30x30 26.67 20 46.67
(AWDI) 21
30x18 13.33 13.33 26.67
30x30 16.67 33.33 50.00
Ordinary 14
irrigation 30x18 26.67 53.33 80.00
(continuous
30x30 20 76.67 96.67
flooding) 21
30x18 13.33 80 93.33

19. Resistance to cold temperatures: Yield and
meteorological data from ANGRAU, A.P., India
Season Normal (t/ha) SRI (t/ha)
Kharif 2006 0.21* 4.16
Rabi 2005-06 2.25 3.47
* Low yield was due to cold injury to plants (see below)
Period Mean max. Mean min. No. of sunshine
temp. 0C temp. 0C hrs
1 – 15 Nov 27.7 19.2 4.9
16–30 Nov 29.6 17.9 7.5
1 – 15 Dec 29.1 14.6 8.6
16–31 Dec 28.1 12.2# 8.6
# Sudden drop in minimum temp. for 5 days (16–21 Dec = 9.2-9.9o C )

20. Comparison of methane and nitrous oxide emissions (GHGs)
1000
840.1
800
kg CH4 / ha
600 72 %
400
237.6
200
0
CT SRI
Emission (kg/ha) CO2 ton/ha
Treatment
CH4 N2 O equivalent
CT 840.1 0 17.6
SRI 237.6 0.074 5.0

21. SRI practices are being used beyond RICE:
Farmer-led innovations -- with CSO help -- in:
• Wheat (SWI) -- India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mali
• Sugarcane (SSI) -- India, Cuba
• Finger millet (SFMI) -- India, Ethiopia
• Mustard/rapeseed/canola (SMI) -- India
• Teff (STI) -- Ethiopia
• Sorghum (SSI2) – Ethiopia
• Turmeric (STI2) -- India
System of Crop Intensification (SCI): maize, black
gram, green gram, red gram, tomatoes, chillies,
eggplant, sesame, etc. -- India, Ethiopia

25. WHEAT: SWI (left) vs. conventional plants in Bihar, India

26. Phenotypical
differences in
wheat panicles
with SWI practice
seen in Nepal

27. TEF: Application of
SRI concepts and
practices to growing
tef (STI) in Ethiopia,
most popular grain
Left: transplanted tef
Right: broadcasted tef
Conventional yield
usually only 1 t/ha,
STI = 3 to 5 t/ha;
with micronutrient
amendments, yields
6 t/ha and higher

28. Good STI tef crop in Tigray province of Ethiopia

29. ICRISAT-WWF
Sugarcane Initiative:
• 20-100% more
cane yield, with
• 30% reduction in
water, and
• 25% reduction in
chemical inputs
“The inspiration for putting
this package together is
from the successful
approach of SRI – System
of Rice Intensification.”

30. SUGARCANE: SSI cane
plants seen in India –
SSI is now getting
started in Cuba,
known as SiCAS

31. What is creating these changes?
• Growth and health of ROOT
systems
• Greater abundance, activity and
diversity of beneficial SOIL
ORGANISMS
SRI practices promote the
LIFE IN THE SOIL and this life, in turn,
can nurture us and feed us!

32. SRI is ‘not finished’
• We see learning, modification,
adaptation and further expansion –
with continuous farmer innovation
• SRI mobilizes biological potentials
and processes, rather than depend
so much on costly chemical inputs
or requiring new varieties
• Most important, SRI is farmer-
friendly and environmentally-friendly
– resistant to climate change and even
helping to mitigate this