SRI International Network and Resources Center

JAPAN

Progress and Activities

 

• Recent and Upcoming Meetings of J-SRI (now with 250+ members!)

  J-SRI Meeting, 2023 December 18, 2023; from 19:30-21:00 Online zoom meeting ID: 972 1279 5759ID: 972 1279 5759 Passcode: 351328

  J-SRI, 2023 April 24, 2023; from 19:30-21:00 Venue: online (University of Tokyo --Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo), Japan

• (See previous regular J-SRI meetings)

• Yamaji Eiji Represents J-SRI at SRI Asia Networks Workshop in Malaysia, and the 5th International Rice Congress in Singapore

  [October 20, 2018] Eiji Yamaji represented J-SRI and made a presentation at the Workshop to Enhance Cooperation and Sharing among SRI National Networks in Asia, held October 18-19, 2018, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (See photo at right). His talk coveredprogress of both J-SRI and Taiwan's Society of Conservation Agriculture-System of Rice Intensification (CA-SRI) and considered how the two groups might contribute to and benefit from an Asia-wide SRI Network. The workshop, which was attended by 50 participants from 17 countries, was organized by the Malaysian Agroecology Society (SRI-Mas), the ACISAI Center at the Asian Institute of Technology, and SRI-Rice at Cornell University, allowed SRI network representatives and other stakeholders to share experiences and to investigate opportunities to collaborate on scaling-up, multi-country research, value chain improvements, accessing resources, and capacity building for SRI networks. The event also mapped out the possibilities for forming an Asia Regional SRI Network from the ten Asian SRI networks that operating the region. [Workshop presentations by other participants are also available.]

  Dr. Eiji also joined the global SRI community at the 5th International Rice Congress that was held in Singapore (IRC) on October 15-17, 2018. During the IRC, he joined the SRI Research side event and helped man the SRI-Rice/Oxfam System of Rice Intensification booth. He is shown at left with other members of the global SRI Community who took part in the event.

• Natural Agriculture Rice Paddy School Looking for Participants for SRI Trials in Tsuchiura

  [March 11, 2017] The Natural Agriculture Rice Field school, located in Tsuchiura, Japan, is a group engaged in natural, no-till rice production that has recently taken up SRI principles. Beginning in April, trial combinations of natural agriculture and SRI will be include nine varieties of rice. People seeking self-sufficiency who feel motivated to build connections and trust rather than economic affluence and also have an interest in natural farming are invited to join. April 22, 2017, is the opening ceremony and sowing. Work days are once every two months thereafter. For more information e-mail to yokappe_tuchuula@vmail.plala.or.jp. (See article)

• J-SRI's July 2016 Meeting Reviews Progress on SRI Efforts in Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam

  [July 25, 2016] The J-SRI Study Group's bimonthly study group met on July 20, 2016, at University of Tokyo. Nguyen Khoi Nghia, Lecturer, at Cantho University, Vietnam, spoke on Utilization of organic fertilizer to increase paddy growth and productivity using System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method under green house conditions; Yamaji Eiji gave a review of Taiwan's newly formed Society of Conservation Agriculture - System of Rice Intensification; and Shuici Sato presented the J-SRI Study Group's version of "What is SRI farming." Other topics included progress with Cambodia rain-fed rice farmers and SRI projects in Japan (see photo at right of project near Tsukuba as well as item below). J-SRI members meet every other month at the University of Tokyo. For more information see the J-SRI website or write j-sri-hq [at] iai.ga.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp.

• SRI Trials in Japan in Second Year near Tsukuba

  [May 5, 2016] While field activities of the J-SRI Network is most numerous in SE Asia, SRI trials in Japan are now in their second year at Shishizuka Field, near Tsukuba. Ten-day-old seedlings were transplanted into heavily-mulched fields on May 1, 2016 (right). Excellent photos of the entire process are available on the Natural farming rice field school (自然農田んぼ塾) blog.

• J-SRI's Guideline on SRI Practice for Tropical Countries Now Available Online

  A 16-page practical manual, System of Rice Intensification: Guideline on SRI Practice for Tropical Countries, was produced by the Japan Association of the System of Rice Intensification during March 2012. The publication, shown at left, is now available online on the System of Rice Intensification website.

   

• J-SRI Produces New Book on SRI

  稲作革命ＳＲＩ
  - 飢餓・貧困・水不足から世界を救う
  A book about SRI, Rice Cultivation Revolution: SRI -- Saving the World from Famine, Poverty and Water Scarcity, was published during September 2011. Edited by J-SRI, the 351-page Japanese language publication (shown at right) contains 15 chapters of experiences of practitioners and researchers from around the world. Contact J-SRI for more information. Copies can also be purchased from Amazon.com.

• TDLC-sponsored Global SRI video conference held October 28, 2008

  The Tokyo Development Learning Center (TDLC), in collaboration with the NGO Zutto Sustainable and i-i-network, held the online "Workshop for International System for rice Intensification" on October 28, 2008. Participants included farmers and thematic specialists from governments, academic institutes, and non-governmental organizations supporting SRI programs and/or conducting research on SRI in the region. Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan and the United States were connected via the World Bank's Global Development Learning Network, and this workshop provided a platform for information sharing and discussions for farmers, NGO officials and researchers in the region to share local experiences, knowledge and practices on SRI. A 200 minute video of the workshop is also available.

• Japan Association for System of Rice Intensification (J-SRI) Established (2007)

  In April 2007, a Japan Association for System of Rice Intensification, referred to as J-SRI, was established, with a secretariat at the University of Tokyo in the Department of Global Agricultural Sciences, with membership from other Japanese institutions and abroad, and with its own website. In July, 2007, J-SRI invited Norman Uphoff from Cornell to visit Japan and give a public lecture at the University of Tokyo and make presentations also to other institutions (see trip report). J-SRI has conducted regular meetings from 2007 to the present. (See schedule).

Reports and Articles

• Gardiner, Oliver. 2019. Japan’s Ministry of Ag acknowledges role of regenerative farming in climate solution. Regenreative International website. July 29. [RI’s international director Andre Leu gave a keynote presentation on SRI at Agriculture Is the Solution to Climate Change” conference in Otsu, Japan, May 13-15, 2019.]
• Chapagain, Tejendra. 2017. The System of Rice Intensification and Conventional Rice Farming: Responding to Crop Growth, Yield and Water Productivity. Nova Science Publishers (online). (US$73.80)
• 2017. Natural Agriculture Rice Paddy School is looking for participants 自然農田んぼ塾参加者募集 . allevents.in website. [The Natural Agriculture Rice Field School in Tsuchiura, Japan, is looking for participants for their season-long SRI trials with nine varieties. Opening session is April 22, 2017 [accessed March 1, 2017]
• Rewari, Gulshan. 2017. Reduction of greenhouse gases emission from paddy fields. RiceOutlook website. Feburary. 16.
• Mariogani, Alvin. 2017. インドネシアにおけるSRI普及要因の研究 : 中央ジャワバニュマス県の事例 Research on the factors of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) dissemination in Indonesia - Case Study in Banyumas Regency, Central Java. University of Tokyo Repository. [accessed Feburary 3, 2017]
• 2016. SRI栽培イネの田植え (Rice planting of SRI cultivated rice). 自然農田んぼ塾 (Natural Farming Rice Field School) blog. May 2. [A project in Shishizuka Field, near Tsukuba, in Japan to try out SRI.]
• Noborio, K., Y. Kudo, T. Kato, and N. Shimoozono. 2012. Effects of water management practices on paddy rice yield and emission of greenhouse gases. Paper presented at the International Conference of Agricultural Engineering: CIGR-Ageng 2012, Valencia, Spain, July 8-12.
• JSRI. 2012. System of Rice Intensification: Guideline on SRI Practice for Tropical Countries. System of Rice Intensification website. March 2012. (16p., 1.8MB pdf) [Manual produced by the Japan Association of the System of Rice Intensification]
• 稲作革命ＳＲＩ
  - 飢餓・貧困・水不足から世界を救う [Rice Cultivation Revolution: SRI -- Saving the world from famine, poverty and water scarcity]
  - Edited by J-SRI (Japan Association for the System of Rice Intensification) [Available on Amazon.com (see listing)]
• Chapagain, T., A. Riseman, and E. Yamaji. 2011. Achieving more with less water: Alternate wet and dry irrigation (AWDI) as an alternative to the conventional water management practices in rice farming. Journal of Agricultural Science 3(3):3-13. doi:10.5539/jas.v3n3p3
• Chapagain, T., A. Riseman, and E. Yamaji. 2011. Assessment of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and conventional practices under organic and inorganic managements in Japan. Rice Science 18(4): 311-320. doi:10.1016/S1672-6308(12)60010-9
• Toriyama, K., and H. Ando. 2011. Towards an understanding of the high productivity of rice with System of Rice Intensification (SRI) management from the perspectives of soil and plant physiological processes. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition 57(5): 636-649. doi: 10.1080/00380768.2011.602627
• Manzano, Virgilio Julius P., Masaru Mizoguchi, Shoichi Mitsuishi and Tetso Ito. 2010. IT field monitoring in a Japanese system of rice intensification (J-SRI). Paddy and Water Environment (SpringerLink Online First, 8 October). DOI: 10.1007/s10333-010-0226-2
• Latif, MD. Abdul. 2010. A Study on Effectiveness of Field Water Tube as a Practical Indicator to Irrigate SRI Rice Field in Alternate Wetting and Drying Irrigation Management Practice. Master's thesis. University of Tokyo. (139 p.)
• Chapagain, T. and E. Yamaji. 2009. The effects of irrigation method, age of seedling and spacing on crop performance, productivity and water-wise rice production in Japan. Paddy and Water Environment. Published online Oct. 27, 2009, by Springer. doi:10.1007/s10333-009-0187-5
• Uphoff, Norman T. 2007. Trip Report on a visit to Japan, July 1-5, 2007, concerning the System of Rice Intensification, July 1-5. Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development. System of Rice Intensification website. (8p., 161KB pdf)
• Tsujimoto Y. et al. 2009. Soil management: The key factors for higher productivity in the fields utilizing the system of rice intensification (SRI) in the central highland of Madagascar. Agricultural Systems 100(1-3):61-71. doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2009.01.001
• See also publications in Japanese on the J-SRI website:
  
  

  日経エコロミー
  「資源節約型の水稲栽培法をインドネシアで実践・日本工営(09/01/26)」

  現代農業　【探訪　世界の小力農業】
  2009年１月号　「アジアに広がる驚異の稲作増収技術SRI（上）」　佐藤周一
  2009年２月号　「アジアに広がる驚異の稲作増収技術SRI（下）」　佐藤周一

  農業技術体系　作物編　第１巻イネ　追録30号（農文協，2008年）
  「世界の稲作　マダガスカルの稲作－集約的水稲栽培法SRI」

  朝日新聞 2008年7月21日 朝刊３面
  「環境元年 第４部 食糧ウォーズ２ アジア水争い」のなかで，「「第２の緑の革命」へ節水農法」という小見出しで，SRI が紹介されました．
  J-SRI 研究会の溝口事務局長が取材に協力しました．

  「東方インドネシアにおけるSRI 稲作の経験と課題」
  　佐藤周一　 　根の研究15(2):　 55-61 (2006)

PowerPoint Presentations

• 2010. SRI Research Group
  PowerPoint presentation by Yamaji Eiji (shown at right), University of Tokyo, at the International Conference to Exchange Experience in Adoption and Adaptation of the System of Rice Intensification (Pre-Congress "SRI Day" at the 3rd International Rice Congress) 3rd International Rice Congress, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, November 8. 27 slides.