More From Less

SRI statistics are amazing: 90% less seed, 50% less water, less or no chemical inputs, leading to 50-100% or more increased yields. When we first heard them, we wondered, "Is it really possible to grow more food using less resources?" The answer is "Yes," and is backed by a large and growing body of scientific research.

SRI Requires:

Less Seed: Conventional rice cultivation in developing countries requires 60-70 kilos of seeds per hectare (a hectare is about 2.5 acres), SRI just 5 kilos. That's 80-90% fewer seeds – a huge savings of rice to eat or sell.

Less Water: Conventional irrigated paddy rice production requires 3,000- 5,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of rice or the equivalent of four months of one person's daily water requirement (according to per capita minimum water requirements designated by the World Bank). With SRI, water use can be halved, freeing up water for household and ecosystem use. Reducing the amount of water in paddies also decreases methane emissions into the atmosphere, which contribute to global warming. Cultivation of rice in non-flooded fields improves men's and women's health and reduces populations of water- borne disease vectors like malarial mosquitoes.

Less Chemicals: Farmers do not need to purchase expensive fertilizer and pesticides. In fact, organic materials (compost, manure or any decomposed vegetation) improve soil structure and boost yields. Farmers report that when SRI methods are used correctly, rice plants are better able to resist damage from pests and diseases, reducing or eliminating the need for chemical protection. This reduces the amount of poisonous chemicals stored near houses, seeping into wells and waterways, and absorbed in soils. Reduced chemical use for health reasons has been a big driver of SRI adoption.

Less Cost: Since farmers do not need to buy seeds or high-yielding varieties – they can use saved seed of their locally evolved rices – and little or no agrichemicals, production costs are lower. And with 50-100% increase in productivity, this means no debt and no dependence on traders or moneylenders.

Less Land: By raising staple-crop yields, land and water resources are freed up for production of a more diverse diet of fish, fruits and vegetables. Producing more food from the same amount of land also takes pressure off uncultivated ecosystems, thereby protecting important centers of biodiversity and endangered plants and animals.

Less Labor: As communities learn how to use SRI, more labor can be required for careful transplanting and weeding, or to improve infrastructure for water drainage. However, as farmers gain skill and confidence in SRI methods, it can be labor saving. Working with smaller seedlings in puddled rather than flooded fields reduces drudgery.

SRI Leads to MORE:

• More food
• More water
• More income
• More savings
• More health
• More community empowerment
• More biomass
• More biodiversity

Resources

• Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture, and Development (CIIFAD)
• The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
• Watershed Support Services And Activities Network (W A S S A N)
• SRI India