Some Agro-ecological and Institutional Aspects of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): The Bangladesh Case

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Some Agro-ecological and Institutional Aspects of
the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) The
Bangladesh Case

• Prof. A. M. Muazzam Husain
• Coordinator
• SRI National Network Bangladesh

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Introduction

• The paper discusses some agro-ecological and
  institutional constraints to effective
  application of SRI method in Bangladesh
• Results of some SRI trials are also presented to
  show the impact of SRI in the country

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A. Agro-ecological Constraints

• Unfavourable soil condition sandy soil affects
  irrigation mgmt, raises cost (28 of total cost
  in RBP area), and adversely affects yield
• Climatic factors rainfall and submergence of
  rice plots prevent irrigation control during
  Kharif (wet season) - no drainage is possible
  thus SRI has been restricted to Rabi
  season so far
• Fall in temperature cold wave and fog during
  Rabi (winter) season causes cold injury to young
  plants resulting in stunting and seedling
  mortality transplantation is often delayed,
  affecting yield

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B. Cross-cutting factors

• Soil nutrient depletion due to
• High cropping intensity (average 178)
• Increased demand for food results in high
  cropping intensity
• Imbalanced and exclusive use of chemical
  fertiliser
• Drastic fall in organic fertilizer due to
  replacement of animal draft power by power
  tiller
• Rice mono-cropping in many areas means no crop
  rotation
• Use of cow dung and crop residues as fuel has
  led to organic manure and biomass shortage

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Cross Cutting Factors continued

• - In 70 of medium-high and high land soil,
  organic matter has gone below critical level
• Reluctance to Weeding
• - Farmers are habituated to keep plots
  flooded to reduce need for weeding
• - Weeding is considered to increase labour
  cost and time
• What to do
• - As weeding helps in controlling weeds and
  aeration of the soil facilitates nutrient
  uptake, rotary weeders may be supplied that
  reduce time and cost, and they add biomass into
  the soil. Extension staff may motivate farmers
  and show them benefits

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C. Institutional Constraints

• Water management problems in isolated SRI plots
• - Transplantation of SRI seedlings gets
  delayed for
• non-availability of water
• - Transplanting SRI seedlings with non-SRI
  older
• seedlings causes late flowering and seed
  formation
• in SRI plots
• - Lack of water adversely affects grain
  formation
• of SRI plants
• - Increased pest infestation and yield loss
  

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Institutional Constraints.. Contd.

• A way out
• Community/command area approach is a solution to
  irrigation problem - benefits documented by
  ActionAid experience during 2006-07 Boro season
  include
• Easier management of irrigation, fertiliser
  application, weeding, and pest control
• Production cost is lower
• Yield and profitability are higher
• Farmers can harvest crop at same time, and
• Demonstration effect is better

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Institutional Constraints. Contd.

• Lack of government policy support
• General apathy of most rice scientists at BRRI
• Sporadic and individual level interest shown by
  DAE in the past technical
  support now increasing
• Lack of interest from large national NGOs
• Several international NGOs like Oxfam GB and
  ActionAid are showing interest to improve
  food security for resource-poor households, but
  on limited scale and often in unfavourable areas

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Results of selected SRI trials PETRRA SP 36 02
Farmer participation, acreage, yield gain, and
economic returns
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Comparative yields, returns and BCR of different
methods in Satkhira, 2002-03
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Monitored farmers and average yield gains in
Oxfam GB and ActionAid studies, 2005-06 and
2006-07
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Impact of SRI in Bangladesh

• Agronomic and economic findings of SRI trials
  have been positive
• Farmers perceptions are also positive
• However, trials were conducted on a small scale
  and on isolated plots trials were sporadic and
  short-lived
• Trials were abandoned before farmers could adopt
  the new method (SRI) with confidence
• Lack of funding source and institutional support
  for conducting large-scale trials
• As a result, country-wide impact has so far been
  modest

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Concluding remarks

• Even with an early start (1999-2000), progress
  and impact of SRI in Bangladesh has been modest
  due to various factors mentioned
• The SRI NNB recently received some funds for
  promotional activities, a MOU was signed with DAE
  for undertaking a national SRI promotion
  programme, a few international NGOs are extending
  their support for replication of SRI, and a few
  other institutions including BAU plan to come
  forward to work on SRI
• With these recent welcome changes, the SRI NNB
  hopes to help create a significant impact on
  adoption rate of SRI in the country in near future

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Thank YOU