BANGLADESH
Overview
The first information on SRI was brought to Bangladesh in 1999, a CARE/Bangladesh employee, by Sylvie Dessilles, 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. A National SRI Experience-Sharing workshop was held at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute on April 28, 2010.
Progress and Activities (2006-2010)
2010 UPDATES
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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.
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National SRI Workshop Held
at BRRI
A National Experience Sharing workshop was held at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) on April 28, 2010. The participants were from BRRI, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a number of national and international NGOs and others entities. The Agriculture Minster, Begum Motia Chowdhury, wished success for SRI and asked all stakeholders (government extension, research and NGOs) to strive for higher rice production to ensure food security. The presentations from BRRI were favorable toward SRI promotion in Bangladesh.
2008 ACTIVITIES
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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.
2006-2007
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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.
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SRI Results In from River Basin Project, Boro Season,
2005-2006
The SRI National Steering Committee has forwarded a section from a report to Oxfam-Great Britain on the final results obtained from SRI trials in the preceding boro season under its River Basin Project. The farmers in the three districts covered by the project are particularly constrained by poor soil conditions and by water management problems, but even so, with SRI methods they registered a 78% increase in net income per hectare from their rice production.
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ActionAid/Bangladesh Conducts SRI Trials in 2005-2006
Out of 300 farmers participating in the trials in 2006, the results of 85 were monitored, documenting an average yield increase of 36%, and a large increase in gross margin/ha, from 15,750 taka/ha with regular methods to 38,650 taka/ha with SRI. More details including agronomic parameters are given in the Action Aid report.
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SRI National Network of Bangladesh (NNB) Formed
On April 12, 2006, a meeting of the Bangladesh SRI National Steering Committee was hosted in Dhaka by ActionAid, a new member. Participants decided to establish a SRI National Network Bangladesh, in which the Bangladesh Rice Foundation would serve as the Network's secretariat and Prof. Muazzam Husain would be National Coordinator. At the meeting, a SRI training video produced by ADRA in West Timor (Indonesia) in 2003, was 'premiered' with a Bangla soundtrack. This is another good example of South-South collaboration in the dissemination of SRI. Mr. Luther Das, consultant, took the initiative in dubbing the video with the assistance of Prof. Muazzam Husain and Mr. Gopal Chowhan. Mr. Robert Patton, a consultant for ADRA, contributed the cost of the dubbing, which was much approved by those attending the meeting from ActionAid, Bangladesh Rice Foundation, Department of Agricultural Extension, IRRI/Bangladesh, Oxfam GB, SAFE, and Syngenta Bangladesh Ltd.
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SRI National Network for Bangladesh (NBB) Gets Involved with NGO and
Government Projects
In 2006, the Network was involved in conducting SRI trials by Oxfam GB/Bangladesh in the remote sandy 'char' areas under its River Basin Project for resource-poor farmers. The trials found SRI to produce significant benefits under these adverse agroecological conditions as farmers received 25% higher yields and achieved profitability 78% higher than under farmers' current practice.Seed requirement was significantly less; effective tillering was 38% more; and average grains per panicle were 168 against 125 under farmers' practice. However, farmers reported various problems including cold injury to seedlings, difficulty in irrigation management, and inadequate experience.
During 2006, the NBB was funded by the Asian Development Bank, to undertake SRI trials in different regions of the country.
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NBB Convenes 2006 National Workshop
National workshop on October 11, 2006, was convened by the SRI National Network for Bangladesh (NNB) with cosponsorship and support from Oxfam GB Bangladesh. It was hosted by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) of the Ministry of Agriculture in Dhaka. The proceedings have been prepared and released by the NNB.
Over 50 persons attended, including executive director of the Bangladesh Rice Foundation (host to the NNB), director of research for the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), director and staff of Oxfam GB Bangladesh, directors and/of staff of other NGOs working with SRI (BRAC, SAFE, POSD, Padakhep, POPI, SKS), professor of agronomy at Bangladesh Agricultural University at Mymensingh, chairman of the Bangladesh Economics Association (who said that the BEA would include a special panel on SRI at its next national meeting), product development manager of Syngenta BD Ltd., many directors and staff of DAE, and farmer-representatives. One controversial statement came from a BRRI agronomy head, that SRI will not help to meet the country's goal of increasing production to 27 million tons; only hybrid rice will accomplish this. This neglected the fact that SRI methods can add 1-3 tons/ha to the yield of hybrid rice using conventional methods.
Note: Shuichi Sato (Nippon Koei, Indonesia) recently reported that 24 farmers cultivating 42 ha of hybrid rice with SRI methods in Bali in the 2006 season had an average yield of 13.3 t/ha. This is 58% higher than the 8.4 t/ha yield obtained with hybrids conventionally grown. Thus, if SRI methods are used with hybrid varieties (or any others), the national target rice production can be achieved more quickly and economically.
For 1999-2005 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
- 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 Banglsdesh 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)
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)
