BANGLADESH
Overview
The first information on SRI was brought to Bangladesh in 1999 by a CARE/Bangladesh employee who circulated a paper by N. Uphoff within NGO and government circles after she attended a conference in Bellagio, Italy. During 1999-2001, CARE/Bangladesh and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) introduced SRI to farmers with whom they were working in Kishorganj District (first boro season average of 6.5-7.5 t/ha), the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) documented a 1 t/ha yield increase and Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) initiated its own trials. In January 2002, a meeting hosted by BRAC brought together public sector, NGO and private sector institutions and resulted in the formation of a national SRI working group and steering committee which gave rise to national SRI workshops in 2002 and 2003. The steering committee was composed of BRRI, DAE, BRAC, CARE, and Syngenta/Bangladesh, which had also tried SRI methods for two years and found them beneficial, particularly for seed multiplication. Other 2003-2004 evaluations were undertaken by BRAC (2003), SAFE Group (2003), and PETRRA (2004).
During 2006, a meeting of the Bangladesh SRI National Steering Committee hosted in Dhaka by ActionAid resulted in the establishment of a SRI National Network Bangladesh (NBB) which subsequently was funded by the Asian Development Bank to undertake SRI trials in different regions of the country. A national workshop on October 11, 2006, was convened by the SRI NNB with cosponsorship and support from Oxfam GB Bangladesh. ActionAid/Bangladesh 2006 reports from several districts showed positive results with SRI. According to 2006 and 2007 reports, various partner NGOs of Oxfam GB Bangladesh (SSUS, ZIBIKA, SKS, GUK, RSDA, Padakhep and POPI) implemented SRI with resource-poor farmers in the northern Char region and the northeastern Haor region with good results. A national SRI workshop was held in 2008 was chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture. The most recent national SRI workshop, which was jointly organized by SRI National Network Bangladesh (SRI NNB) and BRRI, was held at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute on April 28, 2010. Future plans inlcuded an integrated and coordinated program approach by government (research and extension) and NGOs (national and international) for promotion of SRI in Bangladesh. (Revised proceedings were made available in 2012).
Progress and Activities (2006-2010)
2010 UPDATES
National SRI Workshop Held
at BRRI
The Fifth SRI National Workshop was hosted by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) at Gazipur, Bangladesh, on April 28, 2010. The workshop was jointly organized by SRI National Network Bangladesh (SRI NNB) and BRRI, and was cosponsored by Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra (Centre for Sustained Human Development). Policy makers, researchers, practitioners including field workers, and senior scientists from BRRI, BARC, IRRI, and Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) participated along with representatives from Padakhep, a partner organization of Oxfam GB, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Krishibid Samity, Bangladesh Rice Foundation (BRF), and SAFE Development Group, IFDC, FAO, ADRA Bangladesh, CRWRC, and other members of SRI-NNB.
Workshop recommendations stressed an integrated and coordinated program approach by government (research and extension) and NGOs (national and international) for promotion of SRI in a planned manner. The DAE would support extension/promotion of SRI as a regular programme, and BRRI should conduct research on overcoming various constraints that the farmers face in specific areas. Action research by practitioners on identified impediments related to water management, transplantation of young seedlings during winter cold waves, labour and weeding may be given priority. Studies on identifying areas most suitable for SRI should recommended to be one of the research activities, including finding out better combination of SRI practices appropriate for different agroecological zones in Bangladesh. Social, environmental and ecological studies were also recommended to better reflect the benefits of SRI. Additionally, studies were suggested to elucidate how SRI can better address a number of negative ecological impacts that affect the environment, biodiversity and climate change. SRI NNB would play a coordinating role in carrying out the above recommendations. (Full workshop proceedings were revised in 2012 [3.38MB]; a shorter version is also available) .
- BRAC Prepares to Initiate Demonstration Plots for Sharecropper
Development Project
The Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) has agreed to set up ten SRI demonstration plots in different districts during the upcoming boro season. Muazzam Husain, coordinator of the SRI National Network Bangladesh, conducted a training/orientation session with 25 Agricultural Development Officers employed under BRAC's sharecropper development project to organize and help sharecroppers in 158 Upazila (sub-districts) to improve their production by using better technology. Support and monitoring of the demonstrations will be provided as well as technical and credit support for the farmers.
2008 Activities
-
2008 National Workshop Consolidates Support for SRI
Dr. Muazzam Husain, chair of the SRI National Network Bangladesh, reports on a day-long National SRI workshop held in Dhaka February 13, 2008. It was chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. M. Abdul Aziz, with Dr. C. S. Karim, Adviser (Acting Minister) for the Ministries of Agriculture and of Water Resources, attending as Chief Guest. According to Husain, almost all of the contributions to the workshop, which the Network organized in collaboration with Oxfam GB/Bangladesh, were quite positive about SRI, based upon expanding experience with its methods in Bangladesh.
In the workshop's concluding session, the Secretary called upon the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and upon Department of Agricultural Extension, respectively, to carry on research on SRI and to proceed with SRI demonstrations across the country. He also requested government agencies and NGOs to collaborate in promoting SRI as an alternative method to increase rice yields and improve food security. He has followed up with letters requesting BRRI to undertake more research on SRI and for DAE to plan a training-of-trainers program for its staff. The SRI National Network Bangladesh will assist in this planning and in training, drawing on experience working with a number of NGOs already launching SRI programs in Bangladesh.
2007
- Crop-cutting and Farmers' Field Day Session in Gaibandha
District
A crop-cutting and farmers' field day session was held in the village of Dhumaidhari, in Sundergonj Upazila of Gaibandha district on May 12, 2007, to share learning from SRI trials in the boro (winter rice) season 2006-07. Various partner NGOs of Oxfam GB Bangladesh (SSUS, ZIBIKA, SKS, GUK, RSDA, Padakhep and POPI) have been implementing SRI with resource-poor farmers in the northern Char region and the northeastern Haor region. Fifty farmers from the northern region and 30 farmers from the NE region participated this season in SRI trials. Officials from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) including local field staff, representatives from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), the IRRI Representative for Bangladesh, Oxfam and its partner NGOs, the SRI National Network Bangladesh (SRI-NNB), journalists from print and electronic media, and farmers attended the session. A five-member video team from Bangladesh Television (BTV) covered the crop-cutting event.
For 1999-2006 SRI activities, see SRI Bangladesh Archives
Workshops
- National Experience Sharing workshop
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute
April 28, 2010 - National SRI Workshop
Dhaka, Bangladesh
(organized the SRI National Network Bangladesh and Oxfam GB/Bangladesh)
February, 13, 2008 - Farmers' Field Day Session in Gaibandha
District
Village of Dhumaidhari, in Sundergonj Upazila of Gaibandha District
(organized by DAE officials, OXFAM partners NGOs and SRI NNB)
May 12, 2007 - SRI Experience-Sharing National
Workshop
Khamarbari, Dhaka, Bangladesh
October 11, 2006 - National SRI Workshop
IDB Bhaban, Dhaka, Agargaon, Bangladesh
(organized by IRRI/PETRRA sub-projects of Bangladesh)
December 24, 2003 - SRI National Workshop
Mymensingh, Bangladesh
(organized by CARE)
September 27, 2002
Reports and Articles
Newspaper articles
- কুষ্টিয়ায় এরাইজ গোল্ড ধানের সফল গবেষণা. [Bengali language: Golden rice research with SRI successful in Kushtia]
February 21, 2013. Bangla Mail and Unmochan (Kushtia, Bangladesh) -
সমন্বিত ধান চাষ পদ্ধতিতে মনোযোগ দেওয়ার আহ্বান. [Bengali language: Call for attention for coordinated paddy cultivation with SRI]
November 05, 2012. Shokaler Khabor (Bangladesh) - জনতা ব্যাংকের সহায়তায় ধান চাষে রেকর্ড. [Bengali language: Janata bank facilitates record production with HYV paddy in Kushtia]
November 05, 2012. Shokaler Khabor, Bangladesh) -
খাদ্য নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিতে সমন্বিত ধান চাষে মনোযোগ দিতে হবে. [Bengali language: Integrated rice cropping to address food security]
October 18, 2012. BD Today.(Bangladesh) -
খাদ্য নিরাপত্তার চ্যালেঞ্জ মোকাবিলা: এসআরআই পদ্ধতির দিকে মনোযোগ দিতে হবে. [Bengali language: Food security challenges: Attention must be given to SRI methods]
October 15, 2012. Dainik Destiny (Bangladesh) -
বোরোতেই বাড়তি ৫০ লাখ টন চাল উৎপাদন সম্ভব. [Bengali language: Additional 5 million tonnes of rice production possible with SRI]
October 15, 2012. Naya Diganta (Dhaka, Bangladesh) -
কৃষি উৎপাদন বাড়াবে এসআরআই পদ্ধতি. [Bengali language: Agricultural production can increase with SRI]
October 15, 2012. Kaler Kantho (Dhaka, Bangladesh) -
নওগাঁয় এসআরআই মাঠ দিবস পালিত. [Bengali language: March day celebrated for head start in to SRI]
May 06, 2012. NBN24 (Raj Shahi, Bangladesh)
Website articles, blog posts and reports
- Desh Premik. 2012. কৃষি উন্নয়নে প্রযুক্তি ব্যবহারে ২০ শতাংশ উৎপাদন বাড়ানো সম্ভব. Somewhere in.. blog. April 30. [Bengali language: Rice production can be increased by 20- 40% by using SRI technologies, Bangladesh]
- 2012.গবেষণা তথ্য : কৃষি প্রযুক্তি ব্যবহারে উত্পাদন বাড়ানো সম্ভব. Aamar Desh website. April 23. [Bengali language: Research Information: Agricultural technology can increase production, Bangladesh]
- SRI National Network Bangladesh. 2010 (revised 2012). System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - Proceedings of the Experience-Sharing National Workshop: Fifth National SRI Workshop. System of Rice Intensification website. (74p., 3.38MB pdf) (see also shorter version: 11p., 68 KB pdf) [Proceedings of the Fifth SRI National Workshop, which was hosted by Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) at Gazipur on April 28, 2010, and jointly organized by SRI National Network Bangladesh (SRI NNB) and BRRI, and was cosponsored by Padakhep Manabik Unnayan Kendra (Centre for Sustained Human Development).]
- Chouhan, Gopal. 2007. Farmers' field day session in Gaibandha district, Bangladesh. System of Rice Intensification website. (2p., 98KB pdf) [Report of May 12 event in the Village of Dhumaidhari, in Sundergonj Upazila of Gaibandha District, Bangladesh]
- Chouhan, Gopal. 2006. Proceedings of the SRI Experience-sharing National Workshop, October 11, in Khamarbari, Dhaka, Bangladesh. (12p., 352KB pdf)
- Uphoff, Norman T. 2005. Report on a visit to India and Bangladesh regarding SRI progress. Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development. System of Rice Intensification website. (34p., 394KB pdf) [Trip report of February 17-26, 2005 visit to South Asia for CIIFAD].
- 2003. Proceedings of a National SRI Workshop,
December 24, in IDB Bhaban, Dhaka, Agargaon, Bangladesh.
- Uphoff, N.T. 2002. Trip report on SRI activities in Bangladesh. Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development. System of Rice Intensification website. [Trip report of September 2002 visit to Bangladesh for CIIFAD].
- Husain, A.A.M. 2002. Experience with SRI methods in Bangladesh. Paper presented at the international conference on Assessments of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), April 1-4, in Sanya, China. (pdf)
Research and Evaluations
- Rahman, M and I. B. Roy. 2006. Effect of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) on rice yield in Bangladesh, boro season, 2005-2006. ActionAid Bangladesh. System of Rice Intensification website. (11p., 359KB pdf) [Evaluation of the FoSHoL Project of ActionAid Bangladesh]
- Husain, A.A.M. et al. 2004. Report on System of Rice Intensification (SP 36 02). Presentation at the PETRRA Technology Workshop, May 23-24, at BRRI, Gazipur, Bangladesh.
- Husain, A.A.M. 2004. Final evaluation report on verification and refinement of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in selected areas of Bangladesh (SP 36 02). System of Rice Intensification website. (84p. 595KB pdf). [Report submitted to PETRRA, IRRI, Dhaka, Bangladesh.]
- Das, Luthur. 2003. Trial Monitoring Report for SP 36 02. System of Rice Intensification website. September. [Report for the SAFE Development Group, Bangladesh]
- Husain, A.A.M, et al. 2003. SRI Survey Trial Monitoring Report for SP 36 02. BRAC University. System of Rice Intensification website. December. (24p., 211KB pdf)
Presentations
- Husain, A. M. Muazzam. 2007.
Some Agro-ecological and Institutional Aspects of the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI): The Bangladesh Case. 14 slides. (PowerPoint embedded
below requires Flash 9 or higher; or view directly
on slideshare.net)
(note "full view" button at bottom of presentation)
- Husain, A. M. Muazzam. 2004.
Evaluation of SRI in Bangladesh. BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Presentation given at the WRRC, Tokyo-Tsukuba, Japan November 4-7, 2004. 29
slides.
(PowerPoint embedded below requires Flash 9 or higher; or view directly on slideshare.net) (note "full view" button at bottom of presentation)
