Technical Session - II

Transcription

1 Technica Session - II Experiences in SRI Promotion/Adoption Chairman : Dr.M.P.Pandey, CRRI Co-Chairman : Dr.G.Bheemaiah, ANGRAU Rapporteurs : Dr.V. Shashi Bhushan, ANGRAU Dr. P.Punna Rao,ANGRAU Four speakers presented their experiences in SRI promotion. Dr. M. C. Diwakar, Director, Rice Deveopment Centre gave an overa scenario of rice area, productivity from 1 st Pan to 9 th Pan and stressed the need for increasing productivity from average 1959 kg/ha. He cassified the different rice-growing states and districts into four categories, viz., high productivity, medium productivity, ow productivity, and very ow productivity. He aso informed on the status of SRI adoption in Tami Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in a districts whie in other states, viz., Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Bihar in some seected districts for enhancing production. He stressed the need for creating awareness among the farmers; training and demonstrations are being organized at the farmers' fieds under the macro management mode of agricuture. The house fet that the arge-scae popuarisation of SRI is needed, and that Government of India shoud take measures and give direction to a states. Dr. B. C. Barah, Principa Scientist, Nationa Centre for Agricutura Economics and Poicy Research (NCAP) gave information and feedback on various categories of farmers and his experiences with them. Concerns regarding the chaenges in agricuture and enhancement of productivity are the main aspects. Sustainabiity for aternate cutivation aspects are important. SRI can ead to organic farming, increased production and quaity, more abour empoyment, and food security for the poor. Research, deveopment and extension are the need of the hour for SRI promotion. He aso pointed out that the resource conservation shoud be integrated into productivityenhancing technoogy, as the farmers prefer such property of technoogy. 11

2 Dr. P. Punna Rao, Deputy Director (Extension), ANGRAU reported on the overa scenario of SRI adoption in Andhra Pradesh from 2003 to 2006 and highighted the six principes of SRI. The various programmes taken up by the university for popuarising SRI, incuding Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs), on-farm demonstrations (OFDs), trainings, eectronic and print media, and interaction meetings were highighted, as part of WWF Diaogue project support. He aso emphasized that there were some negative resuts aso from SRI in certain ocations. He pointed out that SRI has the advantage of cost-effectiveness and increased yieds per unit area when compared to conventiona transpanting. However, there were some dark areas, which need to be addressed by strong research findings for up-scaing SRI in the state. Dr. B. Majumdar, Senior Agronomist, State Agricuture Research Station, Tripura gave a detaied picture of SRI activities taken up in Tripura State from nursery preparation to water management and the concentrated efforts of the State Government in increasing the area under SRI to 52,000 users in Boro season in This is done keeping in view the food grain requirements of the state by The method of SRI became popuar with rice farmers of the state due to high yieds obtained by them under this method of rice cutivation. The co-chairman, Dr. G. Bheemaiah, appreciated the overa picture given by the speakers and the poicies, issues invoved in the impementation of SRI. The gender, socio-economic factors, coective approaches, and the need for a stakehoders to show more interest were stressed. The chairman, Dr. M.P. Pandey, desired a agencies to show more coective efforts for popuarising SRI in order to enhance the productivity of the rice. 12

3 Technica Session - III Farmers Experiences on SRI Method of Cutivation Chairman : Dr. A. Satyanarayana, Nuziveedu Seeds Co-Chairman : Dr. D. Jagannadha Raju, ANGRAU Rapporteurs : Dr.B. Vijayabhinandana, ANGRAU Dr. M. Venkata Ramana, ANGRAU Dr. A. Satyanarayana, the chairman of the session, gave a brief introduction about SRI and its strengths and weaknesses, and he appeaed to the farmers to give their experiences on SRI vis-à-vis norma practice. The co-chairman, Dr. D. Jagannadha Raju aso requested farmers to express their free and frank views on SRI and difficuties in arge-scae adoption of SRI. Six farmers from different states participated in the deiberations and presented their experiences on SRI. In addition, Dr. S.P. Das, ICAR scientist from Tripura aso spoke. Sri Gurudaya Singh, Joint Director of Agricuture from Punjab, aso suppemented information given by farmers from Punjab. Sri K.V. Rao, a progressive farmer from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, narrated how he got interested in SRI, being a member of various water management committees. He made visits to Japan, Phiippines, Sri Lanka and Thaiand and enriched himsef on various aspects of SRI cutivation. He shared his views on water management. Initiay he adopted SRI method with green manure, farmyard manure, and chemicas aone, foowing a the principes of SRI. He reaped maximum yieds (40 bags/ac) with green manure compared to that of FYM (36 bags/ac) and chemicas aone (32 bags/ac). Whie sharing his experiences on weeding, he stated that the Japanese weeder was itte heavy, and farmers shoud reduce its weight for better use. He aso mentioned that the cono-weeder is not suitabe in the Deta region because of higher cay content. Keeping this in mind, he modified his cono-weeder to suit the oca conditions, and it became popuar among the farming community. The major concusions from his presentation were that SRI can be practiced with ess water, and it gives maximum benefits with the use of green manures. Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) did not odge which cutivated under SRI method. Traditiona knowedge from Vedas can aso be incorporated into SRI for better yieds. Having gained expertise in SRI, he is sharing his views with his feow farmers and training other farmers and agricutura officers on various aspects on SRI. Sri Thangamuthu, a farmer from Tami Nadu, aso practiced SRI with certain modifications and obtained 2 t/ha additiona grain yieds over norma cutivation. He aso stated that there is no need to appy fertiizers as top dressing. Ony basa appication can meet the crop requirements. Farmers from Punjab (Sri Harpa Singh and Sri Kapi Beha) aso opined that System of Rice Intensification coud be a better option for Punjab under the situations of very fast depetion of underground water and soi-reated probems. They aso indicated that Basmati coud be grown under SRI method for getting good yieds. They further fet that the effect of SRI on quaity improvement might need to be probed. 13

4 Dr. Amrika Singh, Joint Director of Agricuture from Gurudaspur district of Punjab presented the resuts of on-farm demonstrations on SRI and highighted the water saving to an extent of 50% under SRI. Whie intervening, the Chairman emphasized the need for weeding between 10 to 12 days after transpanting of the crop for effective weed management. In order to save more water, Dr. Norman Uphoff advised that if we aow the crop to produce more root growth during vegetative period by foowing standardized practices, there is no need to maintain thin fim of water after panice initiation stage. Sri. Jacob from Chattisgarh working with triba farmers expressed that indigenous rice varieties can be grown under SRI to get higher yieds and aso to maintain genetic diversity. Sri Sivananda Yadav from Bastar area of Chattisgarh State aso emphasized that SRI is a usefu technoogy for enhancement of rice production and quaity seed production. Sri. D. Narayana from Orissa stated that SRI cutivation was started in a sma area initiay but now he is extending the area under SRI with purey organic fertiization. He reported that he harvested 90 bags/ha under SRI compared to 60 bags under norma cutivation and sees ot of potentia in SRI method. Dr. S.P. Das, an ICAR scientist working in Tripura State, aso shared his views and experiences. He mentioned that there was a reduction of duration to an extent of 10 days with BPT 5204 under SRI. During the deiberations, the entire house fet that the case studies of farmers shoud be documented and circuated among the farming community across the country. Dr. Shuka, ADG (FFC), ICAR, suggested that scientists shoud conduct research on the effect of SRI on shortening of crop duration when compared to norma cutivation. The chairman concuded with the remarks: (1) farmers are positive and convinced about SRI even though there are some minor probems that need to be addressed by scientists through conducting systematic experiments and showing documented evidence, and (2) documentation of farmers' experiences is very necessary. Dr. L.V. Subba Rao, Senior Scientist from DRR, proposed the Vote of Thanks. 14

5 Technica Session - IV Institutiona and Poicy Issues Chairman : Dr.B.N.Singh, BAU, Ranchi Co-Chairman : Dr.B.C.Barah,NCAP,New Dehi Rapporteurs : Dr.M.Maikarjun Reddy, ANGRAU Dr.B.Sreedevi, DRR In his opening remarks, the chairman introduced topic of the session. The co-chairman stated that we had good deiberations in the morning session, and this session may be the most important session earmarked for discussing the institutiona issues as we as poicy issues regarding SRI. In the present-day context of decining rice productivity endangering food security, SRI is very much reevant. Dr. A. Satyanarayana, former Director of Extension, ANGRAU, whie speaking on the topic "System of Rice Intensification: Innovative method for sustainabe rice production" shared his experience of how he was impressed with SRI during his study tour visit to Sri Lanka. He discussed various principes invoved in SRI at ength and highighted the initiative taken by ANGRAU in popuarising and impementing SRI. He emphasized the advantages of SRI over conventiona method for getting higher yieds such as arge root system, profuse and sturdy tiers, non-odging nature, big panices with more number of fied grains/ panice, higher grain weight, increased microbia activity, etc. Whie answering questions from Dr. Karim, Bangadesh, about spread of SRI and simpifying the technoogy, Dr. Satyanarayana stressed the need of conducting more demonstrations, with the support of Govt. & NGOs and aso suitabe modification to suit different ocations. Whie presenting his tak on institutiona and poicy issues, Sri A. Ravindra from a NGO Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN) working in Andhra Pradesh discussed three issues, viz., research, extension, and poicy support for popuarising the SRI. He stressed the need for poicy support for subsidies on inputs such as raising nurseries on community basis, and for abour, controed irrigation system, and impements. He pointed out ack of any supporting systems in existence for SRI, as a private payers from seed, fertiizer and pesticide industry, which are very active in conventiona rice cutivation, are excuded in case of SRI. He suggested exporing beyond the conventiona approaches in the areas of research, extension and poicy support to harness the potentia of the promise of SRI. In this context, the chairman requested Project Director, DRR, to submit a project under NAIP covering on issues ike technoogy deveopment, refinement and adoption. In repy, Project Director, DRR stated that DRR has aready submitted 3 or 4 projects to NAIP on reated issues. Intervening in the discussions, Dr. Padma Raju suggested that NGOs coud submit projects on SRI to NAIP under iveihood support systems component. 15

6 Dr. Ramanjaneyuu from Centre for Sustainabe Agricuture (CSA), Andhra Pradesh aso presented a tak on institutiona and poicy issues. He fet poicies in India invariaby either reguated certain things or provided incentives. He put forth poicy options for SRI such as technoogy deveopment and extension support, which are however dominated by poitica paradigms. Agricuture that is organic, sma farms based and community managed is another emerging paradigm, which is not recognised adequatey by the dominant paradigm of chemica intensive, highy mechanised, hybrids and Geneticay Modified crops oriented. In this context, repication and scaing up of oca innovations from the civi society, which are generay ocation-specific, has aways been a chaenge due to the ack of appropriate systems needed for them. He regretted non-appreciation of data from the farmers' fieds beitting it as unscientific by the scientific community. He caed for change of attitudes and acceptance of this knowedge aso. He concuded his presentation with a sogan "Save water, Save farmer". Mr. Ashok Kumar from PRADAN gave detais about the activities of their organization which is spread over terrain-agro-cimatic zone VII covering seven states with 110,000 farmers, of whom > 70% are triba. In this zone the peope have food security for 4-8 months ony. Impressed by a tak given by Prof. Uphoff in 2002 to the state government, PRADAN took up the issue of popuarising SRI among farmers. Initiay in 2003, ony 4 farm famiies adopted SRI; this has increased to 6,200 in He stated that yied increase in rice due to adoption of SRI is neary doube. This is achieved under rainfed conditions, without irrigation faciities. Buiding on the principes of SRI, they have deveoped a 'System of Madua Intensification' (SMI) for finger miet. He emphasized the need for support to mechanization, for constructing in situ moisture conservation structures, and generation of knowedge and toos to disseminate SRI. He aso showed pictures of dry bed nursery adopted by farmers instead of wet bed nursery for SRI cutivation. 16

7 In this session, Dr. J. S. Bentur, presented a summary of the posters dispayed on 2nd day of symposium. Of the 30 posters expected to be dispayed, ony 20 were presented, and two more additiona posters were presented in the session, in which Andhra Pradesh dominated with 12 posters. He highighted some of the foowing saient findings of the posters presented : 12-day seedings with wider spacing of 40 x 40 cm produced more yied and better quaity seeds. Fied trias at Mandya showed 14% increased yied with SRI over conventiona method. SRI methods buid up usefu soi micro-fora. Stem borer and eaf mite damage is more, but no difference in BPH and GLH incidence in SRI. SRI has no effect on seed quaity. A power-operated hand-hed weeder has been deveoped for use in SRI. An interactive mutimedia modue on SRI was deveoped. Whie concuding the deiberations, the co-chairman expressed his gratitude to a speakers. He expressed doubt whether eaving a drainage channe as suggested by Dr. A. Satyanarayana is reay practicabe by sma and margina farmers. He agreed with the suggestions given by Mr. Ravindra that research on SRI shoud be fexibe, and investment on research and deveopment shoud be increased. He appreciated the commendabe job done by PRADAN in spreading SRI method from 4 famiies in 2003 to 6200 famiies in The session concuded with a vote of thanks by Dr. P. Punna Rao, Deputy Director of Extension, ANGRAU. 17