Special focus on SRI/SCI experiences of NCS in India by B C Barah , NCS India

1. Upscaling Strategy for Agro-
Ecological Innovations for Food Security
(special focus on SRI/SCI experiences of
NCS in India)
B C Barah
NCS India
19-11-2018
[1]

2. 1.34%
In1990s
1.83%
In1990s
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
4.00
Growth of Productivity of rice & wheat 1980s to 2000s
Yield 1980s Yield 1990s Yield 2000s
(A Scenario: Growth of Cereals
1980s to 2000s)
The response to existing technology is not satisfactory- yield growth rapidly decelerated.
Need easily acceptable alternative practice??
SWI in IARI
SRI at Farmer field

3. Focus on Small Holders <2ha
• Rice is an important food consumed by nearly 90%
population, grown in approx 45 million ha. More than
60% area rainfed
• Indian agri is structurally a small holder agriculture (100
million S&M Farmers, 85% ) whose household food
security is critical – Innovative Strategies required to deal
with it
• Capacity strengthening and knowledge delivery
mechanism
19-11-2018 3

4. Drivers of Food & Livelihood Security:
Multi-pronged approach
1) Production increase:
Area growth, Yield growth, crop diversification, reduce post harvest losses
2) Resource Conservation:
Water: conjunctive uses, water use efficiency and water saving tech
3) Cost Reduction Possibilities:
Smart Nutrient Mgt (Imbalance NPK ratio & Micro nutrient deficiency, + ve impact of SHC,
Low Input Agri (High & rising input costs, biofertilisers, Paramparagat Kheti Saardhak
Yojana), Farming systems approach (Enterprises run in isolation & biomass wastage, FS
approach combining silvi/horticulture)
4) Professionalization & Diversification:
Diversifying Agril, Skilling in Agriculture, skilling for NFS, Vocational courses School
syllabus –electives + practical training and linking farmers to markets
1) Focus on Rainfed Areas:
1) Strategies: Bridge yield gaps, Adoption of Appropriate Technology, Watershed approach –
Farm Ponds + microirrigation, Integrate Livestock & Non-Farm income/employment, Crop
& asset insurance
2) Source: doubling farm income, NABARD 2016
19-11-2018 4

5. National Consortium of SRI/SCI (NCS), India:
Mission & Funding
Date of Formation: In existence since 2006, which coincides with holding
of the 1st National Conference on SRI and the World Rice Congress
(in the presence of participants of nine countries: Dr. Norman
Uphoff move the idea (NCS)
Consortium partnrs/Membership: Informal coalition of Practitioners,
Research Scientists, Policy Makers, Resource Institutions and Social
Workers across pan India. Members have voluntarily come
together to advance the Science, Practice and Policy measures of
SRI
Mission Statement: Ensuring Sustainable Income and Food Security for
Farmers, especially the Vulnerable Sections through Accelerated
Adoption of Science-led System of Crop Intensification while
Achieving Increased Productivity and Resource Conservation
Financial Support: SDTT, NABARD, WWF, WU, HIVOS, ICCO,
OXFAM and RRAN

6. Making significant difference in smallholder farming for
sustainable household food & Livelihood security
–
Science of SRI
: Identify factors enablingfor full expression of the genetic
potential of the rice plant
: Conservation of natural resources
: Reduction in cost of cultivation
: Soil health and nutrient mining
Practices of SRI
: Quantified Tangible benefits of SRI
: Adoption and adaptation of SRI practices
: Efficiency and efficacy of input use and resource saving
(seed, water, fertilizer, labour & organic supplementation
Policy on SRI
: Upscaling SRI and household food security
: Input-output delivery system and knowledge
empowerment
: Innovation in Institutional Architecture for wider impact
and sustainability
: Agricultural diversification, income generation for
livelihood security
 Low external inputs (seed,
fertilizers, water, labor) to
making it within reach of
resource poor families. Thus SRI
is a cost-effective CROP
ECONOMY
 HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY:
SRI enhance availability of
home-grown food grains to
small and marginal farmers
 An inclusive system and
Sustainable method
(Conserving precious soil, water
and environment carrying
capacity for future generations)
To Address issues of FOOD INSECURITY
through appropriate Technologies:
SRI-as an inclusive socio-economic entity
SRI leads Heralding a Change:
19-11-2018 6

7. NCS – Significant Achievements
1) Formation of state wide networks
Banglar SRI, AP SRI Consortium, Orissa
learning alliance
2) On station scientific validation of SWI
helped in mainstreaming R&D system
3) Inclusion of SCI in National & State level
programs
4) National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
5) National & State Rural Livelihood Missions
6) Policy Dialogue:: A special group for 12th Five
Year Plan in India, GoI to suggest Innovation
Institutional Architecture for Up scaling SRI,
7) Research
i. Evaluating Performance of indigenous
paddy varieties
ii. Quantification of disadoption of SRI
iii. Understanding State Led SRI Scale up
processes

8. Activities of NCS
(Policy dialogue)
 Policy dialogues - Involved in various
policy consultations, to update the
stakeholders on the activities
• A National Conference on Policy Consultation
on SRI in India involving the, Ministry of
Agriculture, Govt. of India, ICAR, NAC, Govt. of
India, NAAS and civil Society organizations for
developing Upscaling strategy for SRI/SCI.
 The RRA network’s (Revitalizing
Rainfed Agriculture) help NCS
strengthening effort to connect the
stakeholders and expand the
consortium
 Policy Conferences
19-11-2018 8

9. Conference, workshop, consultations
19-11-2018 9
Policy Dialogues

10. Activities ….cont.
8. Issues of Governance and Upscaling of SRI: Understanding
the State led SRI Scaleup processes – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odihsa,
Chhattisgarh and Tripura.
9. Compare performance of indigenous paddy varieties under
SRI and Traditional practice (in 6 states in India, namely Chhattisgarh,
Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu)
10. Study disadoption of SRI and identify the cause and effect
relationship.
a) Assess performance of SRI in rainfed area and its Impact on household food
security;
b) Understanding analyze the perceptions and preference of the practice and
c) derive policy imperatives
19-11-2018 10

11. Innovative Governance structure (Human Capital Dev.)
Capacity Building for Rural Development
Preparing Village Resource Persons (A critical and basic requirement )
 Motivational and Capacity
Building Training
 Technical Skills development
 Learning by doing
 Repeated Engagement and
long-term partnerships
Villagers/women CIGs/VO for
training in 3-4 phases including
19-11-2018 11

12. Governance for SRI Reaching out
Exploiting full
genetic potential
Intensive
Care of plant, soil
Knowledge
delivery
•Synergistic effect: young
seedling, transplanting single
seedling, wide space, AWD,
weeding
•Understanding root system,
Microbiology
•Climate resilience
•Inter culture operation
•Better crop management
•Use of local resource
• Capacity Development
• Institutional alliance
Benefitsharingmechanism
12

13. NCS: Activities (Policy, Up scaling) over the Years
Year Activities
2006
-
2008
National SRI Symposium
• Hyderabad (November, 2006)
• Agartala (October, 2007)
• Coimbatore (December, 2008)
2009 • Meeting at ICRISAT
• Consultations with Planning
Commission
• Dialogue with NFSM
2010 • SRI expert review team’s presentation to
NABARD
• SRI meetings in West Bengal, Odisha,
Chhattisgarh
• Visit to Madagascar
• Policy dialogue: Inclusion of SRI under
NFSM
• NRMC holds national conference on SRI
• National SRI & SWI workshops
• AP SRI Consortium formed
2011-13 • SCI workshop in Bihar
• Round Table on SRI at IARI
• Participation in different Planning
Commission Working Groups
• SWI trials at IARI
• National consultation on SRI (NCS-
NAAS collaboration)
• Publications – Journals, Articles &
Papers
2014-17 • Inclusion of SRI in Livelihood Missions
• Policy consultations with MoA & ICAR
• International Conference on SRI as a
socio-technical movement in India”
• Synthesizing experiences from different
states
• Piloting of SCI in rainfed regions
2018-20 • Scientific validation of SCI in other
crops
• Review of SRI component in ongoing
government programs
• National Workshops

14. Books(5), pocket handbook (4), AEC materials, Multilingual farms’ Manual, Handbook on SRI
and MNERGA, Research Papers (600), Policy Papers (4), Conference proc.
19-11-2018 14

15. A meta Analysis: Research Publications:
Overall > 38 % of all
Journal articles from
India
China and India
contribute over 63%
of all papers
China early lead
until 2006
No journal articles
from India until 2004
India dominates
since 2007 (30 -60%
overall)
2 1
3 3
19
24
22
28
20
26
41 41
56
64
84
0 0 0 0 0
2 3
5 6
14
24 25
16
32
41
0 1 2 2
18 18
12 13
7
4
8
5 6 5
7
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
SRI RESEARCH JOURNAL ARTICLES 2000-13
Journal Articles World Journal Articles India
Journal Articles China
19-11-2018 15

16. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
TotalPublications
Year
SRI Publications: India, China and World
India
China
World
NCS, India – Furthering SRI Research
Enabling Leadership in SRI/SCI in the world

17. SRI- substantial coverage
SRI map draft Aug 2010
ICRISAT
SRI Adopted by
approx. three
million farmers in
about a million
hectares partially
or fully in India
19-11-2018 17

18. SRI practices spreading in Other Crops:
Innovation spillover
WHEAT RAJMA SUGAR CANE
MAIZE FINGER MILLET SOY BEAN
19-11-2018 18

19. Monitoring/
Feedback Loop
Capacity building
support roleState level Resource Org
(SRO; knowledge body)
Master Trainers
Grassroot Farmer Groups/FFS/SHG
FARMERS
CSO/ NGOsDOA/KVK CBOs
Streams 1&2: Ministry (DAC, RD), NARS (KVK & SAU)
Stream 3: Autonomous agencies SERP, BRLPS etc.
Stream 4: NABARD through NGOs
Stream 5: Corporate, NGOs (through donors) …
Village Resource Persons
National
Consortium on
SRI
Dept of Ag (MoA),
R&D Org.,
Universities,
donors, innovation
brokers, farmers etc
Institutional Architecture for upscaling innovation
(suggested for SRI)
Policy
formulation FUND
19-11-2018 19

20. Appropriate Policy
• Scientific Validation of SRI protocol
• To include Recommendation (PoP) in
agricultural plan
• More experimentation in the NARS
Production
Technology
• Capacity development
• Institutional architecture
• Mobilization of Local knowledge &
Resources
• Linking Mainstream R&D with policy
Knowledge
Delivery
• Participatory Institution & Farmer Alliance
• Benefit sharing
• Farmers in decision making & planning
Farmer Mobilization
SWI perform
20

21. Challenges for upscaling policy
• Re‐orienting farmers towards management and knowledge on rice
agro‐ecology
• Enhance investments for developing land and water resources in large scale
• Establishing decentralised manufacturing of SRI implements and
appropriate distribution system
• Build up cadres of SRI Resource Farmers
• Mobilise organic matter and resources for improving soil productivity
• Establish research back‐up and support
• Mainstream R&D, Policy regimes and Practicing Farmer Collaboration: eg.
SWI farmers from Rajasthan, Uttarkhand and Bihar participated at On-
station experiment
19-11-2018 21

22. Asiawide Alliance of National Networks (AANN)
Synergize Experiences, Expertise and Resources for
Improving Food and Livelihood Security
Benefits of AANN
• Quality knowledge of agro-
ecological innovations for climate
smart sustainable production
system
• Vibrant MIS and Data base
• Strengthen Research Capability and
Capacity Building
• Influence Policy makers
• Facilitate Fund raising
• Understanding of extension
mechanism (moving from existing
to innovative system)
• Partnership and Peer Interaction
Role of NCS, India
• Knowledge transfer especially
with respect to application of SRI
on other crops
• Facilitate Policy dialogue in other
Asian countries
• Design and Support Research
studies for improving practices
and evaluate inputs
• Quality monitoring and evaluation
of ongoing programs
• A strong HRD program among
stakeholders
19-11-2018 22

23. Proposed International Conference on the Agroecological Principles of
System of Rice Intensification
Spill over to Other Crops for Sustainable Food Production
• Likely Collaboration: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed University), NCS, RRAN, NABARD,
ICAR, Government departments, Universities, CSOs, International agencies
• Objectives:
 Assess the Research Experiences on the practice and knowledge of SRI/SCI
 Impact of SRI/SCI on social and economic benefits
 Global Initiatives on the spread of SRI/SCI and challenge faced in Large scale Adoption
 Ecological and climate change
 Future directions and road map for SRI/SCI on the adoption, research and scaling up
• Participants: SCI Farmers, Researchers, Funding agencies, Policy makers, students and farmers
• Venue: SRM Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed University), Kattankulathur 603-103 (near
Chennai, India) – visit www.srmuniv.ac.in
• Tentative Date: June/July 2019
AnAnnouncement
19-11-2018 23
Discussion points Bangkok meeting
(1) Meeting possible funders for coverage of rainfed areas In India, promoting SCI
through integrated farming systems approach
(2) Support funding from OXFAM and others for proposed Int. conference
(3) Discuss objective and activities of Asian SRI Alliance (with Abha and Lucy)

24. 19-11-2018 24