Project title: System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Pro-poor option for household food security and resource conservation

Project leader: Dr. B. C. Barah

Project Team: Dr. S. Selvaraj, TNAU, Prof. V. Ratna Reddy, CESS, Hyderabad

Background:

Low and uncertain productivity of rice in India has adversely affected the farm families, which is a major concern to policy makers and researchers. System of rice intensification (SRI) is one of the important options to increase production, reduce yield gap and ensure household food security. SRI potentially increases production of rice to meet the food demand (especially of the rural households) and conserves precious natural resources.

Objectives:

1.    To evaluate the economic and ecological advantages of SRI and compare its merits and demerits in relation to conventional practices

2.    To assess the impact of input savings due to SRI (land, water and seed saving) on household food and income security.

3.    To examine the usefulness of SRI practices for small farmers possessing unviable size of land.

4.    To examine the intensity and efficiency of factor use in agriculture (land, water, fertilizer and labour).

5.    To identify the factors influencing adoption of SRI and the conditions of success.

6.    To derive policy imperatives in SRI to alleviate rural poverty and hunger and the strategy for its wider scaling up.

Study Area:

Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu

Methodology:

Input-output analysis based on Primary survey

Key findings:

1.    Farmers use 5 to 8 kg/ha seed in SRI as compared to 40 to 50 kg under conventional practices, which saves cost substantially.

2.    SRI yield is uniformly higher across various farm size categories ranging  from about 5 to 7.5 ton/ha.

3.    SRI provides opportunity for more employment of family labour in the rabi season. 

4.    The average water saving varies from 16-49% in Andhra  and 22 – 38% in TN

5.    The incidence of pest and diseases is less in SRI

6.    31% increase in net return in TN and 40% in Andhra over the conventional method.

7.    The average unit cost of cultivation (over paid out cost) worked out to Rs.269 per quintal of SRI rice as compared to Rs. 365 for normal rice.

Funding agency: NCAP