System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a simple and productive technology for irrigated rice

production. SRI combines innovative soil, plant, water and nutrient management practices. It does not require high-cost chemical inputs like improved seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

The whole process consists of careful uprooting of 8-12-day-old seedlings and their transplantation with wider spacing and improved soil aeration. Water logging is prevented and frequent weeding carried out. These are some of the “tricks” of trade in System of Rice Intensification. Through the use of this method, the number of tillers can be increased exponentially to over 76 on a single plant.

Yield can be increased 3-4 times without any high-cost input. Since the plant population is greatly reduced in SRI, seed costs are cut by two-thirds. Fields are not kept continuously flooded thus saving 50 per cent of water which can be used for other purposes. However, initial labour requirement might be high, particularly for careful transplanting and weeding. But labour input decreases over time as farmers gain necessary skills and confidence about SRI methods. In the end, it is less of a tax on labours as compared to the conventional rice-growing methods that have been employed in the country thus far.

System of Rice Intensification technology was first developed and tested in Madagascar in the 1980s. In Nepal, its potential was first tested by some NGOs at the local level. Later, the District Agricultural Development Office (DADO), Morang, won the “Lau Na Aba Ta Kehi Garaun” award for the same purpose. Although the technology is suitable to Nepal, its spread has been unsatisfactory for the lack of adequate water control mechanisms. Moreover, System of Rice Intensification can play a vital role in increasing rice production in hill and mountain areas with limited water supply. This will save a lot of water for water-shy households.

Intervention in small and micro-irrigation in hilly areas could turn out to be a “miracle” opportunity for a large number of poor people to secure their food supply by expanding rice farming. The work of some Non Government Organisations (NGOs) in spreading this technology has born rich fruits as is seen with increasing food security status of poor farmers. As the technology does not call for any additional input in terms of capital investment, it is all the more applicable (and necessary) in a dirt-poor country like Nepal where the majority of farmers live below the poverty line and can’t afford big investment in agriculture.

The introduction of System of Rice Intensification technology on a large scale can help increase the food security status of the poor to a considerable extent. And, considering the food scarcity in mid- and far-western hills and mountains and the country’s over dependence on import of food products, especially rice from India, the System of Rice Intensification technology can play a vital role in addressing the imbalance and making the country more reliant on its own produce.