System of Rice Intensification
[3] SRI has been proposed as a prime example of how agroecological approaches to farming can address what The Economist newspaper describes as the impending global crisis in rice.
[6] Over the 1990s, a political scientist named Norman Uphoff from Cornell University in the United States learned about SRI and began promoting its adoption in other parts of the world.
[2] Uphoff and his colleagues worked with farmers in countries such as China, India, and Indonesia to refine and adapt the SRI approach to local conditions.
The four primarily agreed-upon principles of SRI are:[7] All of these features are adjustable depending on the circumstances of farmers, but together they have a significant cumulative effect on rice production and environmental sustainability.
[16] Mechanisation remains an ongoing process, with challenges such as the limited availability of seeders capable of planting days-old rice seedlings without causing damage to their root systems.
Groups like the FAO have found that the cost to farmers decreases due to fewer seeds, pesticides, fertilisers and water being used, a fact attested to in other studies.
[28] An examination published in the journal Agronomy analysed the impact of multiple rice cultivation practises on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
[30] SRI's non-flooding practices, along with organic soil management, can reduce methane emissions by up to 50% compared to conventional methods, which significantly offsets the environmental impact of rice farming.
This can provide habitat for beneficial insects, pollinators, and birds, which can help to improve ecosystem health and biodiversity, while hardening rice production against environmental changes that monoculture agriculture can be vulnerable to.
[34] The spread of SRI has been driven by a range of factors, including its potential to increase yields, reduce input costs, and improve sustainability, which has motivated farmer uptake.
One of the key drivers of the spread of SRI has been the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international development agencies, who have played a significant role in promoting and disseminating the approach.
[43] In many cases, farmers who have adopted SRI have been able to achieve significant increases in yields and reductions in input costs, which has led to widespread interest in the approach.
[45] Despite its rapid spread, SRI still faces significant challenges in terms of adoption and scalability, particularly in areas with limited access to resources, training, and support.
[57] Then there is the potential problem that it is too knowledge-intensive as SRI requires a higher level of technical knowledge and skill than traditional methods of rice cultivation, which can be a barrier for some farmers.
[61] While many of criticisms of SRI are valid to some degree, there is also evidence to suggest that many of these challenges can be addressed with appropriate training, support, and adaptation of the approach to local conditions, which numerous international and national agencies are engaged in.
[62] Several criticisms such as a lack of evidence to prove claims that SRI could improve rice yields or reduce GHG emissions were addressed in a 2024 special issue of Agronomy.
