India has the world’s largest area under Paddy cultivation and this in turn has led to water crisis. Against this background, the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) provides for an effective strategy to reduce water consumption, increase yields, and thus ensure food security.
ABOUT SRI: The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a set of practices for increasing the productivity of irrigated rice. It is a low-water and labor-intensive method that makes use of younger seedlings. The SRI method was initially developed in the 1980s in Madagascar and later adopted in number of countries, including India.
SRI practices and concepts have also been successfully adapted to upland rice and to other crops such as wheat, finger millet, and sugarcane.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SRI AND CONVENTIONAL METHODS
As can be seen below, SRI method has number of advantages over Conventional Rice management methods:
| Conventional Rice Management | SRI Method | |
| Seeds required | 50-60 kg/ha | 5 kg/ha |
| Transplanting | Transplant older seedlings | Transplant young seedlings to preserve growth potential |
| Water Management | Flood Irrigation | Keep only the soil moist but not flooded |
| Fertilizer Management | Use Chemical fertilizers | Use organic matter as much as possible |
| Pest and Disease Incidence | Higher | Lower |
| Availability of Organic Matter | Less | More |
BENEFITS OF SRI
- Decrease water consumption by almost 40%
- Increase yields by over 30%
- Potential to double income level of farmers by enhancing input use efficiency and higher productivity
- Can easily be adopted by Small and Marginal farmers who account for 83% of farmers
- Greater tolerance to abiotic (drought, heat waves) and biotic (pest and diseases) stresses
- Promote environment friendly practices such as Organic farming, reduce emission of methane, improvement in soil fertility etc.
- Potential to apply this method for other crops such as Sugarcane, wheat, millet etc.
Although the benefits of SRI have been demonstrated globally, the potential remains untapped. The report "More Rice with Less Water" recommends that India should convert at least 25% of current rice cultivation to SRI. This would not only dramatically reduce the use of water but also improve global food security.