1. Introduction
Despite several controlled studies, farmer surveys, and
theoretical arguments by proponents and opponents alike,
disagreement over the merits of the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI), continues apace in the agricultural
research and development community (e.g. Sheehy et al.,
2005; Stoop and Kassam, 2005). The larger context for this
debate is the perception that rice (Oryza sativa L.) yields are
stagnating and that new solutions are required to keep ahead
of the caloric demands of a growing world (Surridge, 2004).