The system of rice intensification (SRI) originated in Madagascar and was first
synthesized in 1983 by Father Henri de Laulanı´e, a French Jesuit priest. Under the
drought conditions of that year, he experimented serendipitously with transplanting
very young seedlings of only 15 days old. To everyone’s surprise, the yields surpassed
all expectations and in subsequent years reliable yields, ranging from 7 to 15
t/ha, were obtained by small farmers cultivating soils with low inherent fertility,
using much reduced irrigation rates, and no mineral fertilizers or other agricultural
chemicals. The average national yields remained about 2 t/ha. In the last 2 years
some development-oriented organizations have successfully repeated this method in
half a dozen Asian countries.