Rice is life. Over 65% of the globe’s population consumes rice daily, and 70% of the
world’s poorest one billion people depend on rice farming for their livelihoods.
Recent food crises, increasing agricultural input costs and growing water scarcity
underscore the need for environmentally sound rice production methods. The System
of Rice Intensification (SRI) is championed as a high-yielding and water-saving rice
management strategy. Promoted in 47 countries, SRI is backed by groups ranging
from the World Bank to non-governmental organizations. SRI’s popularity, however,
is matched by fierce controversy. While some researchers praise SRI as
environmentally beneficial, others contend its advantages are grossly overstated. In
response, this research evaluates SRI in the Senegal River Valley. The first chapter
introduces SRI and the study environment. The second details a five-season
experiment comparing SRI to Recommended Management Practices (RMP). SRI
saved 16–48% the water used for continual flooding in RMP, without significant
yield differences. Additive yield benefits occurred in SRI when straw incorporation
was combined with inorganic fertilizer additions, though only after three seasons of
application. In chapter three, we compared SRI to RMP by growing seven rice
PREVIEW
cultivars under weed-free conditions, and in competition with weeds, for two seasons,
and at two locations. Weed-free yields differed little between systems. SRI used less
irrigation and increased water productivity 23–79%. But in competition with weeds,
SRI yielded significantly less than RMP in three of four experiments. Two promising
weed-competitive cultivars were identified for use in SRI. In the final chapter, we
compared RMP to SRI and Farmers’ Practices in a multi-location, farmer-managed
experiment. In response to farmer-identified labor and production constraints, we also
worked with farmers to develop a fourth crop management treatment. The resulting
system proved to be high yielding, risk reducing and profitable. SRI’s benefits
include high yields, reduced irrigation requirement and improved water productivity,
though in the Sahelian environment, farmers may experience difficulties
implementing SRI, especially where weed pressure is high, or where farmers face
labor and input constraints. Instead, the most promising results come from
encouraging farmers to innovate and adapt systems to turn constraints into
advantages
Rice is life. Over 65% of the globe’s population consumes rice daily, and 70% of the
world’s poorest one billion people depend on rice farming for their livelihoods.
Recent food crises, increasing agricultural input costs and growing water scarcity
underscore the need for environmentally sound rice production methods. The System
of Rice Intensification (SRI) is championed as a high-yielding and water-saving rice
management strategy. Promoted in 47 countries, SRI is backed by groups ranging
from the World Bank to non-governmental organizations. SRI’s popularity, however,
is matched by fierce controversy. While some researchers praise SRI as
environmentally beneficial, others contend its advantages are grossly overstated. In
response, this research evaluates SRI in the Senegal River Valley. The first chapter
introduces SRI and the study environment. The second details a five-season
experiment comparing SRI to Recommended Management Practices (RMP). SRI
saved 16–48% the water used for continual flooding in RMP, without significant
yield differences. Additive yield benefits occurred in SRI when straw incorporation
was combined with inorganic fertilizer additions, though only after three seasons of
application. In chapter three, we compared SRI to RMP by growing seven rice
PREVIEW
cultivars under weed-free conditions, and in competition with weeds, for two seasons,
and at two locations. Weed-free yields differed little between systems. SRI used less
irrigation and increased water productivity 23–79%. But in competition with weeds,
SRI yielded significantly less than RMP in three of four experiments. Two promising
weed-competitive cultivars were identified for use in SRI. In the final chapter, we
compared RMP to SRI and Farmers’ Practices in a multi-location, farmer-managed
experiment. In response to farmer-identified labor and production constraints, we also
worked with farmers to develop a fourth crop management treatment. The resulting
system proved to be high yielding, risk reducing and profitable. SRI’s benefits
include high yields, reduced irrigation requirement and improved water productivity,
though in the Sahelian environment, farmers may experience difficulties
implementing SRI, especially where weed pressure is high, or where farmers face
labor and input constraints. Instead, the most promising results come from
encouraging farmers to innovate and adapt systems to turn constraints into
advantages
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