Agroecological Approaches to

Climate-Proofing our Agriculture while also Raising ProductivityInternational Conference on

Sustainable Development in the Context of Climate Change

Asian Institute of TechnologySeptember 24, 2009

Norman Uphoff, Cornell University

Climate Change includes both:* Global warming, and* Increase in ‘extreme events’

* Drought (water stress)* Storms (rain, wind, flooding)* Extreme temperatures

For agriculture,extreme events are most serious kind of climate change* Climate change (abiotic stress) usually means greater incidence of pests and diseases (biotic stress)

21st Century presents different conditions from the 20th century:* Less land per capita changes the economics of large-scale, extensive cultivation → raise land productivity* Less availability and reliability of water → need for water productivity* Higher energy costs make large-scale, mechanized production and long-distance trade in agricultural commodities less profitable → new patterns of trade

Other differences compared to 20th Century: * Greater and growing public concern for environmental conservation/quality - agro-chemicals becoming less acceptable* Accessibility of technology to the poor is a greater concern because hunger and poverty are still major problemsThese and other considerations suggest a need for evolving what can be called ‘post-modern agriculture’

‘Ascending Migration of Endophytic Rhizobia, from Roots and Leaves, inside Rice Plants and Assessment of Benefits to

Rice Growth Physiology’Rhizo-bium test strain

Total plant root

volume/pot (cm3)

Shoot dry weight/ pot (g)

Net photo-synthetic

rate (μmol-2 s-1)

Water utilization efficiency

Area (cm2) of flag leaf

Grain yield/ pot (g)

Ac-ORS571 210 ± 36A 63 ± 2A 16.42 ± 1.39A 3.62 ± 0.17BC 17.64 ± 4.94ABC 86 ± 5A

SM-1021 180 ± 26A 67 ± 5A 14.99 ± 1.64B 4.02 ± 0.19AB 20.03 ± 3.92A 86 ± 4A

SM-1002 168 ± 8AB 52 ± 4BC 13.70 ± 0.73B 4.15 ± 0.32A 19.58 ± 4.47AB 61 ± 4B

R1-2370 175 ± 23A 61 ± 8AB 13.85 ± 0.38B 3.36 ± 0.41C 18.98 ± 4.49AB 64 ± 9B

Mh-93 193 ± 16A 67 ± 4A 13.86 ± 0.76B 3.18 ± 0.25CD 16.79 ± 3.43BC 77 ± 5A

Control 130 ± 10B 47 ± 6C 10.23 ± 1.03C 2.77 ± 0.69D 15.24 ± 4.0C 51 ± 4C

Feng Chi et al.,Applied and Envir. Microbiology 71 (2005), 7271-7278

* Agroecology is based upon the life in the soil (systems) -- recognizing the precedence of soil biology > soil chemistry

* By improving plants’ growing environment (E), we can induce more productive phenotypes from any genotype (G)

CUBA: two plants of same variety (VN

2084) and same age (52 DAP)

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar in 1980s has made these ideas and principles very concrete --and very powerful, especially with regard to Climate Change

SRI Experience in MadagascarSmall farmers (ave. <1 ha) -- on some of ‘poorest’ soils that had previously yielded2 tons/ha -- were able to average 8 tons/ha without new seeds or fertilizer

Same results from a larger French-funded project for irrigation improvement on the High Plateau; also seen in a 1996 study sponsored by French aid (N=108)

SRI Not a Technology = 6 Core Ideas

1. Use young seedlings to preserve growth potential (although direct seeding is becoming an option)

2. Avoid trauma to the roots --transplant quickly, carefully, shallow; no inversion of root tips upward

3. Give plants wider spacing – one plant per hill and in square pattern to achieve edge effect

4. Keep paddy soil moist but unflooded – mostly aerobic, not continuously saturated (hypoxic)

5. Actively aerate the soil -- as much as possible

6. Enhance soil organic matter as much as possible

Practices 1-3 support more plant growth; practices 4-6 enhance the growth and health of roots and soil biota

These Changes in Practices Lead to:

1. Increased grain yield by 50-100% or more if farmers’ yields are presently low

2. Reduced irrigation water requirements by 25-50%; SRI adapted to rainfed cropping

3. Lower costs of production by 10-20%, so net income increases by more than yield

4. Higher milling outturn by ca.15%; less chaff and fewer broken grains → more food

5. Less need for agrochemical use because of natural resistance to pests and diseases

6. Resistance to abiotic stresses due to bigger, stronger root systems and soil biotic activity

APPLICATIONS TO OTHER CROPS

• Wheat• Sugar cane• Finger millet

• Teff• Kidney beans

• Cotton• Vegetables?

Finger Millet Intensification

(left); regular management of improved variety (center)

and of traditional variety (right), India

Research on Applying/Adapting SRI Methods to Other Crops Research on Applying/Adapting SRI Methods to Other Crops – People’s Science Institute, Dehradun – People’s Science Institute, Dehradun

Crop No. of Farmer

s

Area (ha)

Grain Yield

(Q/ha)

%Incr.

2006 Conv.

SRI

1 Rajma 5 0.4 14 20 43

2 Mandwa 5 0.4 18 24 33

3 Wheat Research Farm

5.0 16 22 38

2007

1 Rajma 113 2.26 18 30 67

2 Mandwa 43 0.8 15 24 60

3 Wheat (I) 25 0.23 22 43 95

4 Wheat (UI)

25 0.09 16 26 63

Rajma (kidney bean)

Manduwa (finger millet)

From powerpoint report to 3rd National SRI Symposium, TNAU, Coimbatore, Dec. 1-3, 2008

ICRISAT-WWF Sugarcane

Initiative: at least 20% 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.’

Requirements/Constraints1. Water control to apply small amounts of

water reliably; may need drainage facilities2. Supply of biomass for making compost – can

use fertilizer as alternative3. Crop protection may be necessary, although

usually more resistance to pests & diseases4. Mechanical weeder is desirable as this can

aerate the soil as well as control weeds5. Skill & motivation of farmers most important;

need to learn new practices; SRI can become labor-saving once techniques are mastered

6. Support of experts? have faced opposition

Status of SRI: As of 1999

Known and practiced only in Madagascar

MADAGASCAR: Rice field grown with SRI methods

SRI benefits have been demonstrated in 34 countries

in Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Before 1999: Madagascar1999-2000: China, Indonesia2000-01: Bangladesh, Cuba Cambodia, Gambia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Thailand 2002-03: Benin, Guinea, Mozambique, Peru

2004-05: Senegal, Mali, Pakistan, Vietnam2006: Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Zambia2007: Afghanistan, Brazil 2008: Egypt, Rwanda, Congo, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Ghana

> 1 million ha and farmers

2009: SRI benefits have been validated in 36 countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin

America

CAMBODIA: Farmer in Takeo Province: yield of 6.72 tons/ha > 2-3 t/ha

AFGHANISTAN: SRI field in Baghlan Province, supported by Aga Khan Foundation Natural Resource Management

program

Afghanistan: SRI field at 30 days

SRI plant 72 days after transplanting – 133

tillers

Yield calculated at 11.56 tons/ha

Indonesia:Rice plants

same varietyand same age

in LombokProvince

Indonesia: Results of 9 seasons of on-farm comparative

evaluations of SRI by Nippon Koei, 2002-06

• No. of trials: 12,133• Total area covered: 9,429.1 hectares• Ave. increase in yield: 3.3 t/ha (78%)• Reduction in water requirements: 40%• Reduction in fertilizer use: 50%• Reduction in costs of production: 20%

MALI: Farmer in the Timbuku region

shows difference between regular rice and SRI rice

plants, 2007

First year trials:SRI yield 8.98 t/haControl yield 6.7

t/ha

Expanded trials in 2008 with support

of Better U Foundation

  SRI ControlFarmer Practice

Yield t/ha* 9.1 5.49 4.86Standard Error (SE) 0.24 0.27 0.18% Change compared to Control + 66 100 - 11% Change compared to Farmer Practice

+ 87 + 13 100

Number of Farmers

53 53 60

• * adjusted to 14% grain moisture content

MALI: Rice grain yield for SRI plots, control plots and farmer-practice

plots,Goundam circle, Timbuktu region, 2008

IRAQ: Comparison trials at Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf

IRAN: SRI roots and normal

(flooded) roots: note difference in color as well as size

What relevance of SRI to CLIMATE CHANGE?

1. RESISTANCE TO DROUGHT

Journal of Sichuan Agricultural Science and Technology

(2009), Vol. 2, No. 23“Introduction of Land-Cover Integrated Technologies with Water

Saving and High Yield” -- Lv Shihua et al. • Yield in normal year is 150-200 kg/mu (2.25-3.0 t/ha); yield in drought year is 200 kg/mu (3.0 t/ha) or even more• Net income in normal year is increased by new methods from profit of 100 ¥/mu to 600-800 ¥/mu (i.e., from profit of $220/ha to >$1,500/ha)• Net income in drought year with new methods goes from loss of 200-300 ¥/mu to 300-500 ¥/mu profit (from a loss of $550/ha to a profit of $880/ha)

SRI LANKA: Rice paddies,with same soil, same variety, same irrigation system and same drought, three weeks after water was stopped: conventional

(left), SRI (right)

2. RESISTANCE TO STORM DAMAGE (LODGING)

VIETNAM: Farmer in Dông Trù village – after typhoon

China: Bu Tou village, Zhejiang• 2004: Nie Fu-qiu had best yield in province: 12 t/ha

• 2005: Even though his SRI rice fields were hit by 3 typhoons – he was able to harvest 11.15 tons/ha - while other farmers’ fields were badly affected by the storm damage

• 2008: Nie used chemical fertilizer, and crop lodged

3. TOLERANCE OF EXTREME

TEMPERATURES

Period Period Mean Mean max. max.

temp. temp. 00CC

Mean Mean min. min.

temp. temp. 00C C

No. of No. of sunshine sunshine

hrshrs

1 – 151 – 15 NovNov 27.727.7 19.219.2 4.94.9

16–3016–30 Nov Nov 29.629.6 17.917.9 7.57.5

1 – 15 Dec1 – 15 Dec 29.129.1 14.614.6 8.68.6

16–31 Dec 16–31 Dec 28.128.1 12.212.2++ 8.68.6

Meteorological and yield data from ANGRAU IPM evaluation, Andhra

Pradesh, India, 2006

SeasonSeason Normal (t/ha)Normal (t/ha) SRI (t/ha)SRI (t/ha)

Kharif 2006Kharif 2006 0.21*0.21* 4.164.16

Rabi 2005-06Rabi 2005-06 2.25 2.25 3.473.47

* Low yield due to cold injury (see above)

+Sudden drop in min. temp. between 16–21 Dec. (9.2-9.80 C for 5 days)

4. PEST AND DISEASE RESISTANCE

(Biotic stresses)

Reduction in Diseases and PestsVietnam National IPM Program evaluation based on data from 8

provinces, 2005-06Spring season Summer season

SRIPlots

Farmer

Plots

Differ-ence

SRIPlots

Farmer

Plots

Differ-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 folder *

63.4 107.7 41.1% 61.8 122.3 49.5%

Brown plant hopper *

542 1,440 62.4% 545 3,214 83.0%

AVERAGE

55.5% 70.7%

* Insects/m2

Insects(their damageor population)

SRI cultivation(mean ± SE)

Conventional cultivation

(mean ± SE)

t value

(difference)(SRI

reduction)

Cut worm(% damaged

leaves per hill)

17.9 ± 1.9(18.0)

23.2 ± 2.0(19.1)

6.6**

- 23%

Thrips(per hill)

6.6 ± 0.1(2.2)

20.2 ± 2.0(4.1)

12.2**

- 67%Green leaf

hopper(per hill)

0.6 ± 0.1(1.0)

1.1 ± 0.2(1.2)

10.7**

- 45%

Brown plant hopper(per hill)

1.1 ± 0.2(1.2)

2.7 ± 0.2(1.8)

14.4**

- 60%

Whorl maggot

(% truncated leaves per hill)

5.6 ± 1.8(5.9)

8.8 ± 1.4(9.1)

4.5**

- 36%

India: Pest incidence in main field (TNAU)

Figures in parentheses are transformed values ** significant difference (P<0.001)

5. OFTEN SHORTER CROP CYCLE (by 1-3 weeks)

1. Reduces water requirements

2. Reduces crops’ exposure to adverse

climate risks and to pests and diseases

3. Increases opportunities for growing other crops

Reduced Time to Maturitywhen Using Younger Seedlings

51 Nepali SRI farmers planted the same 145-day variety (Bansdhan) in

monsoon season, 2005 Age of N of Days to Reduction seedling farmers harvest (in days) >14 d 9 138.5 6.510-14 d 37 130.6 14.4 8-9 d 5 123.6 21.4

SRI doubled average yield: 3.1 → 6.3 t/ha

Crop duration from seed to seed for different rice varieties using SRI vs.

conventional methods, Morang district, Nepal, 2008 season

VarietiesConventional

duration (days)

SRI duration(days)

Difference (days)

Mansuli 155 136 (126-146) 19 (9-29)

Swarna 155 139 (126-150) 16 (5-29)

Radha 12 155 138 (125-144) 17 (11-30)

Bansdhan/Kanchhi

145 127 (117-144) 18 (11-28)

Barse 2014 135 127 (116-125) 8 (10-19)

Barse 3017 135 118 17

Sugandha 120 106 (98-112) 14 (8-22)

Hardinath 1 120 107 (98-112) 13 (8-22)Data from Morang district, Nepal, 2008 main season

6. GREATER PLANTWATER-USE EFFICIENCY

AN ASSESSMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) COMPARED

WITH RECOMMENDED RICE CULTIVATION PRACTICES IN INDIAA.K. THAKUR, N. UPHOFF, E. ANTONY

Water Technology Centre for Eastern Region, Bhubaneswar-751023, Orissa, India,

Ratio of photosynthesis to transpiration reflects water-use

efficiencyLoss of 1 millimol of water

(transpiration)SRI: 3.6 millimols of CO2 fixed

RMP: 1.6 millimols of CO2 fixed

Parameters Cultivation method

SRI RMP LSD.05

Total chlorophyll (mg g-1FW) 3.37 (0.17) 2.58 (0.21) 0.11

Chlorophyll a/b ratio 2.32 (0.28) 1.90 (0.37) 0.29

Transpiration (m mol m-2 s-1) 6.41 (0.43) 7.59 (0.33) 0.27

Net photosynthetic rate

(μ mol m-2 s-1)

23.15

(3.17)

12.23

(2.02)

1.64

Stomatal conductance

(m mol m-2 s-1)

422.73

(34.35)

493.93

(35.93)

30.12

Internal CO2 concentration

(ppm)

292.6

(16.64)

347.0

(19.74)

11.1

Comparison of chlorophyll content, transpiration rate, net photosynthetic rate, stomatal

conductance, and internal CO2 concentration in SRI and RMP

Standard deviations are given in parentheses (n = 15).

7. POSSIBLE REDUCTION IN GREENHOUSE GASES

Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Paddy Rice Fields in Indonesia

Comparison of SRI and surrounding conventional fields -

SRI Experiment Plots + Farmers Fields

Tabo-TaboJampue

Langunga

PenarunganSungsang

Dr. KIMURA Sonoko DorotheaTokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Methods Closed-chamber method

Features: 30cm×30cm×60cm dimensions, equipped with thermometer, pressure bag, and gas sampling tube (foldable)

Measurements taken at 0, 10- and 20-minute intervals → 10ml vacuum vial

Each field: 2-3 replications

N2O ＆ CH4 → measured by GC-ECD ＆ GC-FID

Parameters: soil temperature, stem number, days after planting, plant height, variety etc.

Dates: 2008 / 3 / 20-23

0

50

100

150

200

250

300C

onv

SR

I

Con

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I 1

SR

I 2

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I

SRI Lombok Tabo-Tabo Jampue Langunga Penarungan

Sungsang

Methane FluxC

H4 F

lux

(m

g C

m-2 h

-1)

Error bar stands for standard deviation

Nitrous Oxide FluxN

2O F

lux

(μ

g N

m-2 h

-1)

-300

-200

-100

0

100

200

300C

onv

SR

I

Con

v

SR

I 1

SR

I 2

Con

v

SR

I

Con

v

SR

I

Con

v

SR

I

Con

v

SR

I

Con

v

SR

I

SRI Lombok Tabo-Tabo Jampue Langunga Penarungan

Sungsang

Error bar stands for standard deviation

CH4 FluxWater status at the time of sampling had a greater influence on CH4 flux than did the difference between SRI and conventional methods. However, since SRI fields tend to be drained, CH4 flux tended to be higher in conventional fields. Highest CH4 emission was found during early growing stages with conventional methods.

N2O FluxHigh variability. Unexpected negative flux in some fields. SRI fields tended to emit more N2O than conventional fields -- but the SRI values are in the range found for conventional paddy fields (see F.M. Honmachi, 2007 -- total emission 0-0.2 kg N ha-1).

Conclusion

Highlights of S.R.I. Research in Indonesia

Iswandi Anas, D. K. Kalsim, Budi I. Setiawan, Yanuar, and Sam Herodian, Bogor Agricultural

University (IPB)

Presented at workshop on S.R.I at Ministry of Agriculture,

Jakarta, June 13, 2008

Waktu Pengamatan

METHANE EMISSION

N2O EMISSION

Yan, X., H. Akiyama, K. Yagi and H. Akomoto. Global estimations of the inventory and

mitigation potential of methane emissions from rice cultivation conducted using the 2006

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Guidelines. Global Biochemical Cycles, (2009)

“We estimated that if all of the continuously flooded rice fields were drained at least once during the growing season, the CH4

emissions would be reduced by 4.1 Tg a-1 . Furthermore, we estimated that applying rice straw off-season wherever and

whenever possible would result in a further reduction in emissions of 4.1 Tg a-1 globally. … if both of these mitigation options were

adopted, the global CH4 emission from rice paddies could be reduced by 7.6 Tg a-1. Although draining continuously flooded

rice fields may lead to an increase in nitrous oxide (N2O) emission, the global warming potential resulting from this increase is negligible when compared to the reduction in global warming potential that would result from the CH4

reduction associated with draining the fields.”

CONCLUSIONS ON:

CLIMATE-PROOFING AGRICULTURE

Strategy for Post-Modern Agriculture with Climate

Change1. Grow roots, and shoots/plants will

follow2. Promote the life in the soil – special

focus on achieving below-ground biodiversity!

3. Improve soil structure and functioning

4. Focus on ‘green water’ > ‘blue water’5. Increase SOC as priority because this is

a ‘two-fer,’ also reduces atmospheric CO2

6. Reduce chemical-dependence in agriculture

Estimated marginal value product of nitrogen fertilizer (Kshs/kg N) conditional on plot soil carbon

content(Marenya and Barrett, AJAE, 2009)

Plot content (%) of soil organic carbon (SOC)

In Western Kenya, applying N fertilizer to soil with < 3-4% SOC does not repay farmers’

expenditure

THANK YOU

• Web page: http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/

• Email: ciifad@cornell.edu or ntu1@cornell.edu