Bringing together the different stakeholders—facilitating agencies, practitioners, scientists and senior government officials—on a common platform, the workshop discussed several aspects, including the achievements, concerns and ways ahead, of SRI in India.
Bringing together the different stakeholders—facilitating agencies, practitioners, scientists and senior government officials—on a common platform, the workshop discussed several aspects, including the achievements, concerns and ways ahead, of SRI in India.
T he National Resource Centre for Rural Livelihoods (NRCRL), hosted in PRADAN, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Foundation and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, held a one-day experience sharing workshop on 23 December 2009 at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. The workshop succeeded in bringing together different stakeholders involved in promoting SRI. Presentations were made by facilitating agencies, practitioners, scientists and senior government officials. Discussions were held to evaluate the role and importance of SRI in ensuring food security in rainfed areas, as well as to identify the scope for affirmative action within the prevailing policy framework.
Over the last 50 years, 23 million hectares have been added to our Net Sown Area (NSA). Most of such landholdings fall in the ridge portions of rainfed areas and have been brought under rice cultivation. The fact that such holdings are located in the poorer parts of India makes SRI all the more relevant—precisely for the cost and yield advantages it offers on the one hand and its resilience to the water scarce conditions that characterize rainfed areas on the other. To validate the importance of SRI in this respect, a number of NGOs presented their experiences. PRADAN said that, despite delayed monsoons, households have reported enhanced yields of 4 to 7 tonnes per hectare in kharif. Likewise, the Peoples’ Science Institute (PSI), Dehradun, informed the participants of the increased grain yields under SRI to the extent of 67% (2006), 89% (2007) and 53% (2008) when compared to yields obtained through conventional methods.