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Promotional Policies for SRI. Ravindra, A, WASSAN, Hyderabad www.wassan.org. “SRI builds on the biological potential of rice plant by harnessing the complementarities of soil biological processes” SRI is a systems–approach, and it is also Knowledge-based. Unfortunately….
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Promotional Policies for SRI Ravindra, A, WASSAN, Hyderabad www.wassan.org
“SRI builds on the biological potential of rice plant by harnessing the complementarities of soil biological processes” • SRI is a systems–approach, and it is also • Knowledge-based
Unfortunately…. • The Green Revolution has only taught us input-centered extension methods • Component-based research and extension has little capacity to do ‘systems’ research • Weakening of the agriculture extension machinery systems (except for a few states) • Weakening of community/administration’s ability to streamline systems of (natural) resource management.
WHY IS GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE NEEDED? SRI is Nobody's ‘Business’!! • SRI reduces external inputs • With no new ‘inputs’ to promote or sell, therefore there are no private interests • Transfer of knowledge/skills can be difficult and take time • There are no vested interests to benefit 2ways to view the up-scaling of SRI
1 SRI should spread from farmer-to-farmer • This gives a slow (?) organic growth, but it might be stable • May remain in a small niche of ‘alternative’ development, like ‘organic farming’, however, while mainstream agriculture remains in a different paradigm Government’s role • Spend for more training and farmer-to-farmer exchange • More communication material prepared • Soft-push strategies like facilitating easy access to credit/custom hiring of equipment, etc. Greater role for civil society initiative
2 SRI should become a dominant paradigm • Positioning it to have wider influence in view of the present: • Stagnation in agriculture production • Crisis of farming: Debt cycle, pressures • Make public investments as drivers of change & expanded scale
Make a Paradigm Shift & Become Mainstream? • Reformulate extension towards: • Spreading knowledge more than things • Farmer-centered approach, promote farmer innovations • Put together systems solutions • Reformulate research towards: • Systems improvements • Move from on-station research to on-farm activity with researcher alliances with farmers & civil society • Reformulate government support: • Shift from short-term production centered approach to farming systems improvement • Ease constraints, both material and mental
Constraints • SRI requires increased management intensity (due to need for timely operations) • Perception of increased human labour • Need system for easy availability of implements • Water supply (irrigation/drainage) is not in the control of farmers • Added elements of risk / uncertainty affect farmers’ decision-making
Areas of Action • Systems corrections – biomass/ manure, water, pest-management, operations, learning, etc. • Local, community-centered, • External supply of inputs vs. systems improvement (soil fertility, pest management, etc.) • Easing constraints • Give incentives for adoption • Underwrite mechanisms to protect against risks in adoption
Areas of Action • Easing constraints: • Management support to farmers, e.g., SRI-knowledge workers / group-based solutions • Facilitate custom hiring of implements • Central nurseries, e.g., mat nurseries • Invest in infrastructure -- drainage, land leveling, establishing biomass, etc. • Promote SRI labour groups to work on contractual basis with a priori agreements • Stronger experiential evidence still needs to emerge
Areas of Action.. • Incentivise adoption: • Price Incentives –segregation of produce may be an issue • Labour wage incentives • Topping-up wages • Subsidise critical operations (like transplanting / weeding) • Extend subsidies • Input subsidies & additional subsidies as in A.P. (traditional) • Subsidies for promotion vs subsidies for constraints / continuance • Direct cash subsidy (easy to conceive, but issues in administering) • Provision of water/ electricity
Situation-Specific Strategies • Typologies of rice systems across the country to be worked out • Mapping of typology-specific constraints and opportunities • Evolving typology-specific policy options and ‘drivers’ for up-scaling SRI use • Identifying and supporting typology-specific investment options
The Missing Actor • So far, SRI has been mostly in the realm of: • Farmers • NGOs, and • Researchers Time for Administrators to join the other actors, to complete the chain of action, e.g., in Tripura
SRI needs a Critical Minimum Scale for concrete solutions to emerge and for take-offState support is needed up till that point at least