Improving Food Production for Health
in a Water-Constrained World:
Opportunities from Agroecological
Knowledge and Experience (SRI)
Norman Uphoff
SRI International Network and Resources
Center (SRI-Rice), Cornell University
Water for Health Lecture Series,
Nebraska Water Center, February 24, 2016

CHALLENGE: To support larger and
healthier populations, we will need to
increase our global food production by
>50% in the decades ahead
This ambitious TARGET must be achieved with;
•Diminishing arable LAND per capita -- so
land-extensive strategies become less tenable
•Supplies of WATER in large areas of the world are
becoming both reduced and less reliable
•We must conserve our NATURAL RESOURCES
with growing concern for environmental quality
•All this must be accomplished under conditions of
CLIMATE CHANGE – which will affect the
agriculture sector most adversely

THE GREEN REVOLUTION
PARADIGM although reasonably successful
in the 20th
century is unlikely to serve us
as well in the 21st
century
• This technology is a ‘thirsty’ technology which
has relied mainly on genetic improvements and
inorganic/agrochemical inputs to raise yields
• In recent decades, its gains have been decelerating,
and it has encountered diminishing returns
• It ignored two basic factors that contribute to
crop productivity and agricultural sustainability:
root systems and beneficial soil biota
• Alternatives should at least be considered.

Diminishing returns to fertilizer inputs
are very evident in Chinese experience
At the start of China’s Green Revolution, farmers’
agronomic N-use efficiency was 15-20 kg rice/kg N
•By 1981-83, this had fallen to 9.1 kg rice/kg N
(Lin, 1991)
• By 2001, it was 6.4 kg rice/kg N in Zhejiang
province (Wang et al., 2001)
• By 2006, this ratio was 5-10 kg rice/kg N
(Peng et al., 2006) – and it is still declining
S.B. Peng et al., “Improving N fertilization in rice… “
Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 30 (2010), 649-656.

This has adverse environmental consequences
as nitrate (NO3) levels in China’s groundwater
supplies have been rising rapidly, due to the
overuse of N fertilizer – based on the belief
that if some is good, more is better?
Already >10 years ago, in many parts of China,
the level of NO3 in groundwater was >300 ppm
-- in the US, EPA allowance is only 50 ppm
J.L. Hatfield, “Nitrogen over-use, under-use and efficiency.”
Paper presented to 4th International Crop Science Congress,
Brisbane, Australia, September, 2004
This kind of agricultural practice has
unacceptable consequences and a bleak future

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
developed in Madagascar 30+ years ago is
well-suited for the conditions of our 21st
century agricultureHigher yields per hectare -- with fewer inputs needed
and with more resilience to biotic and abiotic
stresses
•SRI is not a technology but methodology for crop
management = new ideas and insights, thinking outside
our current ‘boxes’
•SRI does not depend on using new or improved varieties
or on the purchase and use of inorganic fertilizers and
agrochemicals
•SRI reduces crop water requirements and is drought-
tolerant
•SRI crops are more resistant to pests & diseases – less

Fr. Henri de Laulaniè on a field visit in Madagascar

SRI rice field in Madagascar with a traditional variety;
reported yield was 17 t/ha – could have been less

Good example of
different phenotypic
expression of crop
genetic potential
The stump of a rice
plant (modern
variety) with 223 tillers
and massive roots
grown from a single
seed using SRI
methods in
Indonesia
--
Panda’an, E. Java,
2009

Two plants of the same variety (VN 2084) and same age (52
DAS)

Comparison trials at Al-Mishkhab Rice Research Station, Najaf, Iraq

0
50
100
150
200
250
300
I H H FH MR WR YR
Graindryweight(g/hill)
Stage
SRI
I H H FH MR WR YR
CK Yellow leaf
and sheath
Panicle
Leaf
Sheath
Stem
47.9% 34.7%
Non-Flooding Rice Farming Technology in Irrigated Paddy Field
Dr. Tao Longxing, China National Rice Research Institute, 2004

Other Benefits from Changes in Practices
1. Water saving – major concern in many places, also
now have ‘rainfed’ version with similar results
2. Greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses –
less damage from pests and diseases, drought,
typhoons, flooding, cold spells [discuss tomorrow]
3. Shorter crop cycle – same varieties are harvested
by 1-3 weeks sooner, save water, less crop risk
4. High milling output – by about 15%, due to fewer
unfilled grains (less chaff) and fewer broken grains
5. Reductions in labor requirements – widely reported
incentive for changing practices in India and China;
also, mechanization is being introduced many places
6. Reductions in costs of production – greater farmer
income and profitability, also health benefits
Drought-resistance in Sri Lanka: Rice fields 3 weeks after their irrigation
was stopped because of drought -- conventionally-grown field is on left,
and SRI field is on right-- same variety, same soil, same climate

Storm resistance
in Vietnam:
Adjacent fields
after being hit by
a tropical storm
in Dông Trù village,
Hanoi province
On left: SRI field
and rice plant; on
right, conventional
field and plant
Same variety was
used in both fields
-- on right, we see
serious lodging;
on left, no lodging

Resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses in East Java,
Indonesia: both fields were hit by brown planthopper
(BPH) and tropical storm – field on left grown with standard
practices; field on right is organic SRI
Modern
improved
variety
(Ciherang)
– no yield
Traditional
aromatic
variety
(Sintanur)
- 8 t/ha

SRI practices are now being used beyond rice
with
the broader System of Crop Intensification
(SCI)
Farmer-led innovations with civil society help
improve:
•Wheat (SWI) -- India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Mali
•Sugarcane (SSI) -- India, Cuba, Tanzania
•Finger millet (SFMI) -- India, Ethiopia
•Mustard (rapeseed/canola) -- India
•Sorghum – Ethiopia
•Tef -- Ethiopia
Also: maize, soya bean, black gram, green gram, red
gram, tomatoes, chilies, eggplant, sesame, green
leafy vegetables, turmeric, cumin, coriander, etc. --

SWI wheat crop in Bihar state of India, Chandrapura
village, Khagarla district – wheat fields are same age,
same variety

Mature tef crop with full heads of grain under STI
management in Ethiopia – in 2014/15, >2.2 million farmers
using ‘STI-lite’ DS methods

Spread/Adoption/Adaptation of SRI since 2000
More than 10 million farmers are benefiting from the use of SRI methods
and ideas in >50 countries (end of 2015) on 3.5 to 4.0 million hectares
SRI-Rice (2014)

SRI is recommended practice for
‘save and grow’ cultivation of
rice (FAO, 2016)
Websites for information:
World Bank:
http://info. worldbank.org/etools
IFAD:
http://www.ifad.org/ english/sri/
IRRI:
http://irri.org/news/hot-topics/sy
Cornell University:
http://sri.cals.cornell.edu

Evidence on water saving and productivity:
A meta-analysis of 29 published studies (2006-2013), with
results from 251 comparison trials across 8 countries
Water use: SRI mgmt 12.03 million liters
ha-1
Standard 15.33 million liters ha-1
SRI reduction in total water use = 22%
SRI reduction in irrigation water use = 35%
with 11% more yield: SRI 5.9 tons ha-1
vs. 5.1 tons ha-1
(usually SRI yield increase is much greater than this)
Total WUE 0.6 vs. 0.39 grams/liter (52% more)
Irrigation WUE 1.23 vs. 0.69 grams/liter (78%more)
P. Jagannath, H. Pullabhotla and N. Uphoff, “Evaluation of water use,
water saving and water use efficiency in irrigated rice production with
SRI vs. traditional management,” Taiwan Water Conservancy (2013)

Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Total
SRI area (ha) 1,133 7,267 57,400 117,267 204,467 252,467 301,067 941,068
SRI yield (kg/ha) 9,105 9,435 8,805 9,075 9,300 9,495 9,555 9,252
Non-SRI yield (kg/ha) 7,740 7,650 7,005 7,395 7,575 7,710 7,740 7,545
SRI increment (t/ha)* 1,365 1,785 1,800# 1,680 1,725 1,785 1,815# 1,708
SRI % increase in yield* 17.6% 23.3% 25.7% 22.7% 22.8% 23.2% 23.5% 22.7%
Increased grain
(tons ）
1,547 12,971 103,320 197,008 352,705 450,653 546,436 1,664,640
Added net income due
to SRI (million RMB)*
1.28 11.64 106.51 205.10 450.85 571.69 704.27
2,051
($300 m)
* Comparison for SRI paddy yield and profitability is with Sichuan provincial average
#
In drought years, SRI yields were relatively higher than with conventional methods
Source: Data are from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Agriculture.
CHINA: SRI in Sichuan -- evidence of drought resistance

More productive phenotypes give higher
water-use efficiency within plants as measured
by the ratio of photosynthesis : transpiration
For each 1 millimol of water lost by transpiration,
3.6 micromols of CO2 are fixed in SRI plants vs.
1.6 micromols of CO2 fixed in RMP plants
This becomes more important with climate change
and as water becomes a scarcer factor of production
“An assessment of physiological effects of the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI) compared with recommended rice cultivation
practices in India,” A.K. Thakur, N. Uphoff and E. Antony
Experimental Agriculture, 46(1), 77-98 (2010)

Results of trials conducted by the China National
Rice Research Institute over two years, 2004-2005,
using 2 super-hybrid varieties, with the aim of
breaking the ‘yield plateau’ now limiting hybrids
Standard Rice Mgmt
• 30-day seedlings
• 20x20 cm spacing
• Continuous flooding
• Fertilization:
– 100% chemical
New Rice Mgmt (~ 75% SRI)
• 20-day seedlings
• 30x30 cm spacing
• Alt. wetting/drying (AWD)
• Fertilization:
– 50/50 chemical/organic
X.Q. Lin, D.F. Zhu, H.Z. Chen, S.H. Cheng and N. Uphoff (2009). “Effect of
plant density and nitrogen fertilizer rates on grain yield and nitrogen
uptake of hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.)” Journal of Agricultural
Biotechnology and Sustainable Development, 1(2): 44-53

Yields (kg/ha) with ‘new rice management’
vs. standard rice management
at different plant densities/ha
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
150,000 180,000 210,000
NRM
SRM
Plant population per hectare
SRI practices yield more productive phenotypes -- Chinese
farmers are WASTING seeds and water and N fertilizer

Environmental Benefits with SRI:
1. Reduced water requirements – higher crop water-use
efficiency -- puts less pressure on ecosystems in
competition with agriculture for water supplies
2. Higher land productivity – reducing pressures for the
expansion of arable area to feed growing populations
3. Less use of inorganic fertilizer – reactive N is “the
third major threat to our planet after biodiversity loss
and climate change” (John Lawton, former chief
executive, UK National Environmental Research
Council)
4. Less reliance on agrochemicals for crop protection -
which enhances the quality of both soil and water
5. Buffering against the effects of climate change –
drought, storms (resist lodging), cold temperatures
6. Net reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) – CH4 can be

WATER for FOOD for HEALTH
• Farmers in developing countries, for whom and by whom SRI
and SCI have been evolved, should be able with their
currently available resources to meet their own households’
and other’ food needs more satisfactorily than they can at
present.
• The water requirements for this can be lowered by enhancing
crop root growth and the abundance and diversity of the soil
biota. These two fundamental factors for agricultural
productivity were largely ignored -- and indeed were often
impeded -- in the Green Revolution.
• An open question is the extent to which U.S. scientists and
farmers can and will learn from this overseas experience,
taking these ideas seriously and scaling-up agroecological
modes of production -- SRI ideas + conservation agriculture?

THANK YOU
Web page: http://sri.cals.cornell.edu/
Email: ntu1@cornell.edu [NTU-one]