Knowledge Travels –From India to Kenya

South-South Knowledge Sharing on SRI

Dr. V.K. Ravichandran, Tamil Nadu Agriculture Univ.

Dr. Mei Xie, WBI

Feb. 9, 2010, GDLN Discussion linking Mali, Madagascar and India

SRI Plants

• Captures existing genetic potentials in plant and soil

• An innovation, set of good practice that relies less on external input –water, seeds, fertilizer

Shown more resilience to climate variability

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SRI LANKA: Same soil, variety, irrigation system, drought conditions - three weeks after water was stopped

Conventional

SRI

Vietman: Farmer from Dông Trù village - After a typhoon

SRI Conventional

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SRI in 1999

Practiced only in Madagascar

Ref. http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/5

SRI application /trials 10 years later

1999-2000 China, Indonesia

2000-2001 Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cuba, India, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Philippines, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Thailand

2002-2003 Benin, Guinea, Mozambique, Peru

2004-2005 Senegal, Mali, Pakistan, Vietnam

2006-2007 Burkina Faso, Bhutan, Iran, Iraq, Zambia, Afghanistan,

2008 Brazil, Egypt, Rwanda, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Timor Leste

2009-2010 Ghana , Kenya

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WBI south-south knowledge exchange

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- Droughts in Kenya- VC links Kenya with India, Madagascar, Rwanda – 9/2009

Pilot SRI Farmer from Mwea Irrigation District – largest in Kenya

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Aug. 2009

His SRI paddy field

His conventional paddy field

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Pilot SRI Farmer from Mwea Irrigation District – largest in Kenya

Harvested in Dec. 2009, reported yield increase 37% comparing to his conventional field Oct. 2009

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Pilot SRI Farmer from Mwea Irrigation District – largest in Kenya

Harvested in Dec. 2009, reported yield increase 100% comparing to his conventional field

Oct. 2009

Field training – Dr. Ravi with Kenyan farmers after a knowledge-sharing session

Per Request from Kenyan Stakeholder, WBI organized further South-South learning

- Jan. 2010: visit by Dr. Ravi from TNAU India --- Central & Western Kenya-Workshops & field demonstr.- Farmers, govt. extension staff, researchers, NGO, private sector

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Interested farmers from central & western Kenya regions viewing WBI SRI Toolkit Video in farmer schools

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Farmers practice how to prepare SRI nursery - a 40m2 nursery area of 8 blocks of 5m2 is prepared to hold 3 kg of seed - enough to transplant in a 1-acre SRI field

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After the seed is sown in nursery, mulching is applied to conserve moisture -- removed after 5 days

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Showing Kenyan farmers how to make a marked string for transplanting

Use two nylon strings

of different colours to

make a marked string.

The markers are placed

25cm apart.

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Farmers use the marked string for square transplanting

How SRI seedlings look in

the field after doing square

transplanting (2 days after)

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Kenya’s pilot SRI farmer helps explain use of conoweeder in local language

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Farmers practice rotary weederafter field demonstration

More practice on use of weederin a rice field

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Conclusion

• Remember the key elements in SRI• Apply them with local suitable, adaptable practices• Scaling up – farmers need support from government, research agencies, donors, as well as involvement of private sector, NGOs

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