Helping the farmers to cultivate rice through the System of Rice (SRI)
A brief about SRI: System of Rice Intensification
Rice is the staple food of over half of the world’s population. Nearly 90% of rice is produced and consumed in Asia. The global estimations depict that about 25%-30% of the world’s fresh-water resources are utilized for rice irrigation worldwide. India is the world’s largest cultivator of rice and water conservation became a necessity. To mitigate the water scarcity issue, the SRI technique was introduced for rice cultivation.
The SRI technique is a set of principles and practices that are formulated to increase the yields from the rice plantations by incorporating modern cultivation techniques. The SRI finds its effective implementation in the nutrient-rich and un-flooded lands rather than water-logged fields. SRI cultivation involves many modern planting techniques like; maintenance of ample spaces between rice seedlings during planting, using organic fertilizers, applying natural manures, and discreet usage of water to avoid root level saturation. The SRI technique is a sustainable method of cultivation that boosts soil fertility and improves plant growth. The SRI technique also nurtures the soil microbes and increases the fertility of the soil.
HCCB and SRI
HCCB under Farmer’s Participatory Action Research Program (FPARP) assisted the few local farmers to demonstrate the SRI method of cultivation on a pilot basis. The project was taken up in about eight rice growing fields in the villages of Vadodara, Dahod and Kheda districts of Gujarat. The results turned out to be encouraging and the yields under SRI performed better when compared with traditional farming practices. The results galvanized our efforts, and the opportunity was used to create awareness across the area to practice this amazing cultivation technique.
The awareness drive by HCCB encouraged many other rice farmers to change from traditional farming to SRI cultivation. HCCB under its corporate social responsibility helped the farmers with SRI techniques to reap better yields in rice cultivation. The technique also reduced the emission of methane which is a greenhouse gas and core pollutant for climate change.
Due to this transformation, the farmers were able to decipher better yields and their lives were changed forever. The successful collaboration has converted the marginal farmers of the local area into progressive farmers and enabled them to have better earnings.
HCCB continues its efforts in supporting and educating the farmers and empower them to have a better living.
