The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a climate-smart agricultural methodology.
SRI is a sustainable agricultural practice that provides ecological, social, and economic benefits to farmers, families, consumers, and businesses.
SRI follows four key principles that produce significantly greater crop yields, simultaneously minimising inputs and greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.
SRI is a holistic approach to sustainable rice cultivation
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) promotes collaborative synergies throughout sectors.
The SRI network of government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the private sector continues to grow in over 60 countries, with a shared goal of more efficient, equitable, and sustained development.
Effective partnerships and collaboration lie at the heart of SRI success.
"to innovate, contribute, and support the human
existence with whatever capacities we respectively have"
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a climate-smart agricultural methodology for cultivating rice based on four key principles that address plant, soil, and water management.
There are four key principles of SRI which guide how SRI is practiced. These are: the early establishment of healthy plants; low plant density; soil enrichment; and the sparing application of water.
The practices of SRI vary according to the needs, abilities, resources, and local conditions of each farmer. Each of the principles of SRI should be adapted to each farmer's context.
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), also known as “intermittent irrigation” is the process of providing water intermittently to rice paddies. AWD can dramatically reduce methane emissions.
SRI+ is the term to identify types of farm management resulting from the combination of SRI practices with other farming methods based on agroecological principles.
SRI does not require additional equipment. A handheld mechanical weeder is a cost-effective investment that can help alleviate labour requirements.
The methods of SRI can be applied to all varieties of rice and has been validated with both improved and indigenous varieties.
Although SRI can be implemented without the need to invest in costly resources, areas such as irrigation development or equipment availability could benefit from outside investment to support SRI uptake.
SRI can be used in tandem with other agroecological approaches. The principles of SRI have been applied to other crops, such as wheat, finger-millet, and sugar cane. SRI's beneficial outcomes can help countries to achieve sustainable development goals, such as those called for by the UN.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a climate-smart agricultural methodology for cultivating rice. SRI achieves greater yields from reduced inputs, while simultaneously minimising greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane.
SRI is based on a set of Four Key Principles. These principles are adapted to the needs, skills, priorities, and environment of the rice farmer. Through a variety of different management approaches, such as reducing the density of rice plants, or using alternate wetting and drying (AWD), farmers produce higher yields that are more resilient to the changing climate.
Since its synthesis in the 1908s, SRI has been guided by four principles. These are to start with young healthy plants; to optimise spacing to minimise competition between plants; to build up fertile and healthy soil; and to apply only the minimum amount of water needed by the rice plants and soil organisms.
We now need to promote a more nature-based implementation of SRI, given the current over-reliance on agrochemicals and unsustainable degradation of agricultural soils. Therefore, the fifth principle given here is provided with the aim to reduce rice cultivation’s impact on the environment , support sustainable food-systems, and align with the principles of Conservation Agriculture, as practised in India’s Zero Budget Natural Farming movement.
With this adjustment, SRI adds to its existing agro-ecological approach and the beneficial attributes of regenerative, organic, and conservation agriculture.
The practice of SRI varies according to the needs, abilities, resources, and local conditions of each farmer. Some of the practices can initially seem counter-intuitive as they depart from commonly used practices which have been in use for centuries in rice cultivation.
It is therefore important to understand the reasons behind these practices. Understanding the 'why' behind the 'what' allows the practices to be adopted with confidence and adapted to best suit local conditions.
A variety of agroecological principles and practices can be integrated with SRI. Conservation Agriculture (CA), Integrated Pest Management (IPM), water harvesting, aquaculture and horticulture, organic, or biochar rice straw management are some examples. Assessing each location and farmer's context is important to creating a holistic cultivation system that is long-lasting and sustainable.
See more on SRI + here
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), also known as “intermittent irrigation”, is the process of providing water intermittently to rice paddies.
In contrast, conventional rice farming continuously floods rice paddies. This constant flooding allows methanogens (methane producing organisms) to flourish, resulting in rice farming contributing to over a fifth of man-made methane emissions.
AWD can play a crucial role in global methane reduction. Intermittently applying water to rice paddies keeps the soil in a mostly aerobic condition, passively aerating the soil. Aerobic conditions are not tolerable by methanogens, therefore methane emissions are significantly reduced.
AWD is necessary to avoid the plant roots degenerating. Healthier root systems produce healthier plants, and in turn significantly enhance overall yields.
Additionally, AWD requires a much smaller volume of water. By practising AWD, water input can be reduced by 25-50%; a critical factor as water scarcity and climate shocks increase.
SRI can be practiced without making any additional equipment purchases. A handheld mechanical weeder, however, is a beneficial addition that can significantly reduce the labour efforts involved. Investments in simple mechanisation can usually be returned within the first season for the farmer.
Other equipment used can include: transplanters, markers, direct seeders, land markers, amongst others. Farmers are continually innovating and adapting machinery and equipment to suit their needs. Investing in equipment, logistics, and the infrastructure necessary for both small-holders and large-scale farmers would be a major asset to increasing SRI adoption.
The methods of SRI can be applied to all varieties of rice.
SRI enables rice plants to more fully express their genetic potential and has shown increased productivity in both improved and indigenous varieties.
Growing indigenous varieties using SRI practices has shown increased yields of 5-10 tons per hectare, while simultaneously lowering production costs.
Indigenous varieties are often preferred by consumers and hold greater market value, so are usually more profitable than newer varieties. SRI can be an attractive option for farmers to help preserve the genetic biodiversity of rice.
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A major advantage of SRI is that it can be implemented without purchasing any new resources or equipment.
Unlike many new agricultural technologies, SRI is readily accessible to poor and resource-limited households. SRI capitalises upon strengthening and enhancing the existing biological processes and potentials in rice plants and soil systems. SRI therefore does not require additional inputs; instead the focus is on changing land and crop management practices.
As SRI has no major upfront costs, yet significantly increases yields and profits, SRI can have a direct, positive impact on reducing hunger and poverty, as well as climate change mitigation.
Access to a soil-aerating mechanical weeder is a cost-effective addition which can significantly reduce the labour required. It is not, however, a requirement in practising SRI. This investment can be shared by a number of farmers in a community, thereby dividing the costs.
Many barriers that affect SRI are also barriers impacting conventional rice cultivation. Two main barriers that may restrain SRI adoption are the access and control of water, and labour supply.
Investments to enhance a community’s capabilities are required for SRI practice to reach its full potential. The following are areas that would benefit greatly from investments.
Investing in irrigation management systems is an option to improve water use efficiency and a farmer's control of water. This is particularly important in areas with erratic rainfall. Irrigation systems that require farmers to pay for the fuel or volume of water used can work as an incentive to use SRI due to AWD methods being cheaper than conventional flooding practices.
This style of water management system, however, is not necessarily recommended to be introduced if it is not already in place as it may deter SRI uptake. Working with the local farmers and their community to understand and develop local participatory irrigation systems is an essential step to inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development.
Investment in mechanical weeders requires capacity building through combined training and financial support in the necessary tools and equipment to manufacture rotary weeders.
Investments to enhance equipment supplies are necessary for faster scaled adoption for medium and large-scale farmers, and for those restricted by labour constraints.
Farmers may be concerned about receiving lower yields due to the initially counterintuitive nature of SRI practices. Agricultural insurance could help to alleviate this initial barrier and concern.
Access to biomass of any source needs improvement. SRI education strategies should include training on sourcing and producing local biomass options.
Investments in community capacity-building in the form of well-trained extension workers and lead farmers, who can demonstrate practices and support other farmer learning, are required to upscale SRI adoption. Extension work should reach both landowners and hired workers. Farmer Field Schools have been shown to be effective in spreading awareness and understanding of SRI practices.
Establishment of dissemination centres facilitates the creation of sustainable SRI networks, allowing farmers to receive support from extension officers and lead farmers.
Investing in policy activism unites public, private, and civil sectors together to adopt SRI and achieve collective benefits. There is a lot of activity currently on the ground spreading awareness of SRI. But, in order to achieve potential levels of SRI production, policy-makers need to support and promote SRI practices.
Further context-specific research on adaptations of SRI can help find solutions to the contextual barriers to adoption. Monitoring and evaluation of projects is the most effective way of ensuring sustainability of SRI upscaling. Research demonstrating quantified benefits of combining SRI with other agroecological methodologies can help to foster a shift towards sustainable agricultural practices.
SRI+ is the term to identify types of farm management resulting from the combination of SRI practices with other farming methods based on agroecological principles. The synergies resulting from the integration of different agroecological methods underpin the provision of ecosystem services which in turn enhance soil, plants and human health.
One of the four core principles of SRI is the enrichment of soil with organic matter and an important outcome of SRI implementation is the reduced need for synthetic inputs due to the higher resistance of SRI-rice plants to external stresses and the improved soil quality. The shift toward an organic type of management is therefore embedded in a long term implementation of SRI practices. SRI methods are already implemented without the use of any synthetic amendment by most rice farmers in the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and in much of India. The Nagrak Organic SRI Center in Indonesia gives training in and promotes organic SRI. Organic certifications are needed for receiving premium prices, but this can entail extra time and costs.
CA and SRI are both resource-conserving and sustainable farming methods meaning synergies arise from the combination of their practices. SRI enhances plants' phenotype from any given rice genotype while reducing water usage and building fertile soil. CA increases the sustainability of the whole agricultural system by improving soil structure and boosting biological activities. Integrating their practices leads to and enables sustainable intensification of rice farming.
A successful example of the integration of SRI and CA is ongoing in Pakistan under the name of PQNK or “Paradoxical Agriculture” in Urdu. Under PQNK, fully organic SRI is combined with CA through the adoption of permanent raised beds and water is applied in furrows alongside the beds, making flooding above the field’s surface unnecessary. Appropriate equipment has been developed for mechanising the raised-bed making with compost application, the transplanting of single young seedlings and the precision weeding. The average yield of 12.84 t/ha obtained in 2009 represented more than three times the usual yield in the area and it was achieved with a 70% reduction in irrigation water application and a 30% reduction of labour.
In China, Dr. Lv Shihua in the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences has worked with Sichuan farmers to develop a CA version of SRI with raised beds and furrow irrigation where the plants are transplanted through a thin plastic sheet that is laid down along the length of the beds from rolls. This plastic cover suppresses weeds and conserves water (little evaporation) while also making the soil warmer with good results. The rice crop is rotated with a mustard (canola) crop in the off-season. That crop's residue is put on the raised bed to keep the soil covered until the rice planting is done.
In India, the NGO PRADAN promoted the adoption of SRI methods in combination with water harvesting techniques while working with rainfed farmers subjected to persistent droughts that limit their farming capacity . The reduced water requirements under SRI methods allows proper irrigation during the summer cropping season with water collected in reserves. With what PRADAN has named ‘the 5% solution,’ farmers set aside the lowest-lying 5% of their field area to convert into a catchment pond to collect rainfall during the first part of the season, to be used for supplementary irrigation later in the season, to ensure a reasonably good yield and harvest. This innovation is ideally suited to accompany the introduction of SRI, and it can support other crops; if the water is sufficient, it can support some further cropping during the dry season.
This diversification of cropping systems, built upon the greater rice productivity of SRI, has been developed by SRI farmers in Cambodia, and rigorously evaluated in India. With SRI methods doubling Khmer farmers’ rice production (or more), farmers with holdings about half a hectare can take about 40% of their rice-growing area to construct a catchment pond and canals (15%) and have 25% available for raising vegetables, fruits, and small livestock (goats, rabbits). The pond would be stocked with fish, frogs and eels so that it became a source of income as well as water. The costs of the pond and reconstruction of the farm for this multi-purpose farming amounted to about $300, investable in increments over several years so no borrowing was required, with an annual cash income when finished of $600, more than triple the $190 income previously earned from the same land area. One advantage of this diversification was to have a continuous income flow throughout the year instead of relying on the results of two rice crops a year.
This system was subsequently rigorously evaluated by the ICAR-Indian Institute for Water Management through the replication of alternative treatments in a two years period. Comparison was made in terms of water productivity and farmers' profitability. The average net income generated from rainfed SRI rice methods with supplementary pond irrigation plus horticulture on the bund area (13% of the area) was almost 60 times greater than conventional rainfed rice production methods.
There are a number of examples where SRI rice rotated with other crops generated positive synergies. In the Sichuan province of China, SRI rice cultivated in the summer was alternated with mushrooms during winter. SRI allowed the cultivation of rice without agrochemicals making the soil more hospitable for the mushrooms; in turn, the mushroom material in the soil made it richer for growing SRI rice. This system allowed for a no-till type of management because the rice could be easily transplanted into the soil without any need for ploughing.
In Vietnam, an alternation between SRI rice in the summer and potato-cropping in the winter is gaining popularity because of the complementary and productivity of the two crops.
Potatoes have been found to be a good rotational crop for SRI rice also in Madagascar and China.
Two of the limitations for SRI uptake have been weed infestation and the labour requirements for weeding. A set of trials done in Kashmir, intercropping beans with SRI rice to take advantage of the wide spacing between rice plants for the first part of the season, showed that this addition to SRI management addressed weed infestation and the consequent labour requirements very well. The research showed that a combination of rice and beans reduced weeds in the field by 65%, with a 40% reduction in water requirements. Rice yield was enhanced by 33%, presumably because of the nitrogen-fixing capability of the beans, and farmers’ net income was increased by 57%. Other crops than beans can be used for intercropping according to different circumstances.
SRI has been implemented in combination with other agroecological practices which also assist towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Integrating SRI with agroforestry has been shown to improve yields and enhance carbon sequestration and also provides a source of organic matter.
SRI has been successfully incorporated into conservation agriculture (CA) in zero-till raised-bed rice production. Positive results have been demonstrated in China and Pakistan.
SRI is now included in multiple countries' National Climate Plans, both as an adaptation and mitigation technique.
SRI has also been included in disaster-preparedness programs to help vulnerable communities recover from the effects of natural disasters. Indonesia, for example, used SRI after the 2004 tsunami to help recover food production systems.
To halt the climate crisis and reverse warming trends, many practices that societies have followed for centuries call for change. The integration of climate-smart agricultural practices can assist moving rice cultivation into a sustainable system, necessary to mitigate global warming. Continual development and evaluation of agroecological approaches is necessary. Supporting the convergence of SRI, agroforestry, conservation agriculture, and other practices can help support farmers in producing climate-resilient crops, and play a crucial role in contributing to the achievement of multiple global sustainable development goals.
