System of Rice Intensification

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Progress and Activities

First SRI Results Reported in Rwanda
Claus Reiner, country program manager in IFAD’s Eastern and Southern Africa Division, reports that SRI methods have proved to be productive in the PAPSTA project (Support Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture), supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

A supervision team visiting Rwanda in September 2008 found that in two project-supported marshland areas (Kibaza and Rwabutazi), the wide application of SRI has increased rice yields from 4 t/ha to 6 t/ha in Kibaza and to 7 t/ha in Rwabutazi, respectively. The total number of rice farmers in both marshlands together was 2,000 by the end of 2008. Reiner notes that further increases appear possible because the SRI methods are not yet being fully utilized. (see Bavugamenshi presentation at the Jan. 2009 IFAD meeting). Problems in growing rice in the marshlands include access to seed, marketing and equitable distribution of irrigation water.

Malagasy Experts Train Rice Producers in Rwanda
Knowledge of SRI was brought to farmers in these areas by the president and secretary of Association Tefy Saina, Sebastien Rafaralahy and Justin Rabenandrasana, whom the IFAD project brought to Rwanda from Madagascar in 2006. Fifty rice producers and Rwandan technicians were trained in SRI methods by the two Malagasy experts.

Mundingu, Joseph. 2009. Upcountry insight: Rice farmers target increased production by 2009. The New Times (Rwanda), March 12. [reference to SRI is in 12th sentence]
IFAD. 2009. Making Rice a Cash Cow in Rwanda. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). System of Rice Intensification website. Janaury. (3p., 1.39MB pdf)

Bavugamenshi, Jonas. 2009. System of Rice Intensification in Rwanda. PowerPoint presented by Katono Ouma (on behalf of Jonas Bavugamenshi) at an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) meeting to discuss the pros and cons of SRI. Rome, Italy. Jan. 23.

THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) IN RWANDA

2012 (January 19). SRI in East and Southern Africa. 8:09 min. FloodedCellar channel, YouTube. [Video on SRI knowledge spreading from Madagascar into Rwanda and Burundi.]