The document discusses FAO's Regional Rice Initiative which aims to promote sustainable intensification of rice production in Asia through landscape management. It notes the challenges of decreasing land and labor for rice farming. The initiative supports rice farmers through capacity building programs to adopt practices like alternate wetting and drying, integrated pest management, and introducing additional crops and animals to increase productivity and incomes while using resources efficiently. Evaluation of farmer field school programs in the Philippines found that the sustainable practices increased rice yields by 10% and farm incomes by 15% while reducing production costs by 15%. The initiative contributes to FAO's goal of making agriculture more productive and sustainable.

1. FAO’s Regional Rice Initiative:
Landscape Management for Sustainable
Intensification of Rice Production in Asia
Jan Willem Ketelaar, FAO-RAP
International Symposium on
Agroecology, Kunming, Yunnan, China
29-31 August 2016

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Asia Africa Americas Rest of world
Million tons milled rice
2010 global rice production
Additional rice needed:
114 million tons by 2035
Global rice production increases needed to
meet demand by 2035 (Source: IRRI)

3. The Challenge:
• In Asian rice production:
– Land is moving out
– Labor is moving out
– Water is moving out
• Increases in productivity &
efficiency needed
• In order for rice production
to grow, farmers will need to
learn how to save and let
agroecological processes
work for them! Source:
IRRI Images

4. Taking on the Challenge:
Sustainable Intensification of Crop
Production, optimizing multiple
ecosystem goods & services
A POLICYMAKER’S GUIDE
TO THE SUSTAINABLE
INTENSIFICATION
OF SMALLHOLDER CROP
PRODUCTION
www.fao.org/ag/save-and-grow/
www.fao.org/publications/save-
and-grow/maize-rice-wheat/en/

5. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
for a world without hunger

6. Designed to:
Regional Rice Initiative
Contribute to FAO’
Strategic Objective 2 (SO2)
“Make agriculture,
forestry and fisheries more
productive and
sustainable” initiated as a
pilot project in 2013
Focus countries:
Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Philippines

7. Supports:
Regional Rice Initiative
Rice farmers in applying sustainable rice production
practices in order to increase rice production and
improve resource use efficiency for improved food
and nutrition security

8. Rice Landscapes and Farming Systems –
more than just rice!

10.  Capacity building on
Sustainable
Intensification of
Rice Production
through Farmers
Field Schools

11. PHILIPPINESSave and Grow innovative Practices Conventional Practices
Thorough land preparation (plowing, 1st & 2nd
harrowing and final leveling) Not well leveled
Best inbred seeds in the location either purified or
certified/hybrid Own saved or certified seeds
Planting distance of 20 x 20 cm, 25 x 25cm and 30 x
30 cm Planting distance of 20 x 20 cm
Transplanting 1-2 seedlings/hill Transplanting 4-7 seedlings/hill
Soil analysis and Site Specific Nutrient Management
(SSNM), use of smartphone applications
No soil analysis; no basal fertilizer
application
Application of organic fertilizer (vermin cast) No organic fertilizer
Alternate wet and dry water management (1-2 cm) Constantly flooded (3-5 cm)
Timely use of rotary weeder Hand weeding
Integrated pest management with additional biological
control augmentation Integrated pest management
Planting of vegetables (eggplants, legumes) on the
bunds Not applied
Introduction of ducks, rice-fish Not applied

12. Save and Grow FFS: Targets and
Results from Mindanao, Philippines
(N=20, 643 farmers, Wet Season, 2013)
Increase rice productivity by at least 10%
Increase cost efficiencies by reducing
production costs by at least 15%
Increase farm incomes by at least 15%

13. Regional Rice Initiative (2013-17)
Rice-fish
Rice-duck
Trees outside
forest
Rice-vegetables
Climate change
adaptation
Cultures/
Heritages
Value Chains
Policy and strategy
formulation and
implementation
• National rice
strategy/policy
strengthened
• Farm input policy
review/reduce
subsidies
• Investments in
farmer training,
up-scaling at
landscape levels
• Contributions for
International
Convention
implementation
Evidence
Knowledge
• - Inputs
• + Yield
• + Income
• + rice
ecosystem
goods &
services
Producing
more and
better with
less inputs in
a sustainable
way

14. For more information-Regional Rice Initiative :
http://www.fao.org/asiapacific/perspectives/regional-
rice/en/
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5296e.pdf