1053 sri 3 years of experience from mali. introducing sri to haiti

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) -3 years of experience from Mali

Introducing SRI to Haiti

Erika Styger SRI International Network and Resources Center (SRI-Rice)

6 Principles of SRI

1. Transplant single seedlings2. Transplanting at young age:

2 leaf stage (8-12 days old) 3. Wide spacing: 25cm x 25cm

or wider, planted in line4. Minimum water application

during vegetative growth5. Use mechanical hand

weeder 6. Application of organic

matter as base fertilization

SRI-Rice, Cornell University

Timbuktu region

Climate: Sahelo-Saharien/Saharien

• 150-200 mm rain/yr• Annual mean temp:

29.1°C (13°- 43°C)Food insecurity:

>70% communes are among most vulnerable in Mali

Irrigated rice in the Timbuktu region

Village Irrigation Perimeter

30-35 ha - 1 motor pump

Shared among 100 farmers

0.33 ha / farmer

SRI in 2007 - Exploratory test

• NGO Africare has worked for 12 years on food security in the Timbuktu region

• 1 volunteer farmer tried SRI• Farmers from surrounding

villages participated in a field visit

• Farmers’ recommendation: To evaluate SRI at larger scale in 2008

• Yield: SRI 9 t/ha, Control 6.7 t/ha

Objectives for SRI in 2008

• Adapted the SRI principals to agro-ecological conditions of Goundam and Dire, Timbuktu region

• Comparison of SRI practices with farmer practices


Africare and Ministry of Agriculture

Year 2: Methodology

• 5 volunteer farmers per village x 12 villages = 60 farmers

• 2 treatments: i) SRI ii) control plot with farmers’ best practices

• SRI and control plot: side by side

• Started rice nursery on the same day with the same seeds (variety)

• Farmers had free choice of rice variety to plant

• Technical follow-up and data collection by solid technical team

• Exchange visits


Soil preparation of SRI plots1. Application of manure (10-15 t/ha)

4. Land leveling

3. Breaking up chunks of soil

2. Soil tilling by hand or tractor

SRI nursery• Mixed clay, sand and manure• Sowing after soaking seeds for 24h • Seedlings appeared after 2 days • Transplanting young seedlings after 8 to

12 days (at 2 leaf-stage)

Transplanting


SRI Irrigation

During vegetative period, followed practice of

Alternate Wetting and Drying

• Introduced 1-2 cm of water

• Let the plot dry until cracks became visible, then

• Introduced another thin layer a water, with this cycle repeating

Cono-weeding

• First weeding at 20 days after transplanting, then repeat every 7 to 10 days

• This incorporates weeds into soil– Also aerates the soil– Stimulates root growth, and– Redistributes water across plot

Weeding with Sri Lankan Cono-Weeder


Fields of Asseydou Alhassane, Hara-Hara30 days after nursery establishment

SRI

Control plot

Plant development IHigher tiller number per plant with SRI

SRI

Control

Faster growth and shorter crop cycle

ControlSRI

Plant development II

SRI

SRI Control

Control

Results: Timbuktu, 2008 (N = 60)

• Yield increased from 5.5 t/ha to 9.1 t/ha (+66%) • Less seed was required: by 85% to 90%

Quantity used for SRI: 6.1 kg/ha compared to

Quantity used in usual farmer practice: 40-60 kg/ha

• Reduced fertilizer use by 30%• Reduced irrigation water use by 10%-30%• Reduced production costs / kg paddy: 30%• Increased revenue per hectare: more than double


Scaling up SRI (2009) - 5 regions in Mali

• TimbuktuNEW: 17 villages, 92 farmers

OLD: 21 villages, 250 farmers

• Gao– 8 villages, 39 farmers

• Mopti– 6 villages, 44 farmers

• Segou– 2 villages, 37 farmers

• Sikasso– 3 villages, 10 farmers

57 villages, 472 farmers

Africare, IICEM (USAID), Syngenta Development Foundation, IER (National Research Institute), Ministry of Agriculture

Scaling up SRI practices: Year 3

• Communities and farmers take full responsibility for scaling up!

• They decide on the number of farmers and on training of new farmers

• Go from 60 to 250 farmers (2008 to 2009), from 12 to 27 villages

• Technical support reduced


SRI yields, Mali 2009

SRI Farmer plot SRI yield over

(t/ha) (t/ha) farmer plots

Africare farmers

240 farmers Timbuktu 7.7 4.5 . +72%

IICEM farmers38 farmers Gao 7.8 5.6 . +40%28 farmers Mopti 7.8 4.8 . +64%36 farmers Timbuktu (other areas) 7 4.2 . +68%

342 farmers 3 regions 7.6 4.8 . +58%


SRI for rainfed and lowland systems in Southern Mali

Four rice systems are found in Sikasso region• Upland rice• Lowland rice - high zone• Lowland rice - medium zone• Lowland rice - low zone

Checking the SRI principles

• 1 plant: yes (by direct seeding of 2-3 seeds, then thinning to 1 plant)

• Young transplant: Direct seeding has same effect

• Wide spacing: yes• Water control: not possible• Mechanical weeder: to be

tested• Organic matter: yes

SRI plot

Traditional plot

Results from adapted SRI

Yields (t/ha) from rainfed/lowland systems:

• SRI : 4.2 t/ha• Control: 3.0 t/ha = 40% increase

Non-SRI SRI

IICEM project, IER (research center) and Ministry of Agriculture

SRI for Wheat

SWI Traditional

System of Wheat Intensification (SWI)Africare, Ministry of Agriculture, IER, and CAFON (private sector)

SRI with African Rice Varieties

Tested Oryza glaberrima - Africa riceRaised yield from 2 t/ha to 4.5 t/ha


SRI Potential for West Africa?

64%

32%

3% 1%West Africa

Eastern Africa

Central Africa

Southern Africa

Each dot represents 20,000 tons Data: FAO

Rice production, 2006

Production of rice in Sub-Saharan Africa

Ref: Warda (2008) Africa rice trends 2007

1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006

Rice production and consumption in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961-2006

Production

Consumption 40% imported

SRI In West Africa since 2001• Benin 2001: 1 plot managed by govt. technician with

former ECHO intern: SRI gave 7.5 t/ha - no follow up?• The Gambia 2002-2005: Research trials and some

on-farm work: SRI yields 5.4-8.3 t/ha• Guinea 2003: hybrid varieties introduced by China Natl.

Hybrid Rice Research & Dev Center with SRI: 9 t/ha• Senegal 2003-2009: Peace Corps Volunteer on-farm

trials, reported by Rodale Institute; dissertation research under WARDA auspices

• Sierra Leone 2004: World Vision in-village evaluation: 5.3 t/ha vs 2.5 t/ha

• Burkina 2006: 6 farmers in Bobo: SRI 7 t/ha vs 3.5 t/ha• Ghana: 2007-2009 private farmer initiative: 4.18t/ha• Mali: 2007-2010 : 3 projects, 5 regions, 450 farmers

http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/index.html

Rice systems in West Africa• African rice domesticated 3500 years ago

in Niger Inner Delta (Oryza glaberrima)

• Rice systems are diverse and complex:– Upland rice / Riz pluviale– Rainfed lowland rice / Riz de bas-fond– Mangrove swamp rice / Riz de mangrove– Deep-water rice / Riz flottant– Recession agriculture rice / Riz décrue– Irrigated lowland rice / Riz irrigué


SRI West Africa Network ? !!• Solid and convincing experience in Mali

– 50-70 trained technicians, 450 farmers (2009)

• Isolated but promising trials across W. Africa

• Cornell’s SRI-Rice would like to support a SRI West Africa Network

– Connect initiatives and people

– Provide technical information and backstopping– Knowing who is doing what


Introduction of SRI in Haiti 2010

Cornell SRI-Rice Initiative with funding from the Better U Foundation:

1. SRI training started in June 2010– 3 locations: Ferrier (north), Artibonite (Hait’s

‘rice basket’) and Les Cayes (south)– 123 farmers and technicians– Cooperation with USAID project (WINNER)

1. Follow-up of field trials in August-Sept.

2. Evaluation & programming (January 2011)

Introducing SRI in Haiti(since June 2010)

Partners and Implementers: International Organization for Migration (IOM); World Hunger Relief; WINNER project (USAID); Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); Oxfam Intermon; Church of the Brethren; Farmer Training Center at Leveques

Thank you!

SRI farmers from Donghoi village, Timbuktu


Resources in French and English

SRI in Africa and across the world : http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/countries/index.html

Practical Manuals on SRI: http://ciifad.cornell.edu/sri/manuals.html

More rice for people, more water for the planet http://www.sri-india.net/documents/More_Water_For_The_Planet.pdf

SRI-Rice Website Cornell University

http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/index.html

Contact: Erika Styger, [email protected]


1053 sri 3 years of experience from mali. introducing sri to haiti

Documents

sri farmers

maliintroducing sri

sri principals

rice nursery

farmers best practices

maliirrigated rice

sri lankan conoweedersri

farmer practicessririce