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Doing Different Things or Doing It Differently?
Can the System of Rice Intensification be the answer to meet the country's future rice demand? A macro-level study covering 13 major rice-growing states indicates that fields with SRI have a higher average yield compared to non-SRI fields. Out of the four core SRI components typically recommended, 41% adopted one component, 39% adopted two to three components, and only 20% adopted all the components. Full adopters recorded the highest yield increase (31%), but all adopters had yields higher than those that used conventional practices. They also had higher gross margins and lower production costs compared to non-SRI fields. Though the rice yield of the country can significantly increase under SRI and modified SRI practices, there are major constraints that have to be tackled before this can be achieved.
The study was undertaken as part of the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Program. The authors wish to thank Mark Giordano, IWMI, Colombo; Sakrawat Kanwar, ICRISAT, Hyderabad; Tushaar Shah, IWMI, Anand; Krishna Reddy Kakumanu, IWMI, Hyderabad; P Paramasivam, TNAU, Coimbatore; and Ashwani Kumar, ICAR, Bhubaneswar for their very valuable discussions and suggestions. The support provided by the scientists in the 13 study states in the collection of primary data from farm surveys and stakeholder interviews is gratefully acknowledged. Besides, more than 40 scientists and extension offi cials in different regions were contacted to discuss the outcome of the study and the authors wish to thank them for sharing their experiences and views.
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