SRI LANKA ACTIVITY ARCHIVES
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SRI Activity Archives (1999-2010)
1999-2001
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Early Introduction of SRI Meets with Success and Challenges
SRI efforts began here after a visit in January 2000 by Joeli Barison, at the time doing a master's degree in agronomy at Cornell University after doing a prize-winning undergraduate thesis on SRI at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. SRI ideas were taken up by Dr. Gamini Batuwitage, at the time Senior Assistant Secretary (later Additional Secretary) of Agriculture, and The Hon. Salinda Dissanayake, Deputy Minister of Agriculture (later Minister of Lands). They teamed up with H. M. Premaratna, an organic farmer who had been using SRI since 1999 after reading about it in the ILEIA magazine and getting 10-15 t/ha with these methods, to promote SRI. (see Batuwitage and Dissanayake papers in Sanya proceedings)
Because SRI was not introduced through the Ministry's Department of Agriculture, and had not been subjected to three years of testing before being 'released' to farmers, however, there was resistance from the technical staff of the Department and the government's rice research station at Batalagoda. It was promoting hybrid rice as the best solution to Sri Lanka's rice yield stagnation, so resisted SRI even though Prof. Yuan Longping, 'the father of hybrid rice,' was promoting SRI in China. The attacks on SRI made it 'controversial,' although this also gave the methods much free publicity and may be ultimately advantageous for SRI. The criticisms from rice specialists have not deterred many farmers from trying out the methods.
Other government agencies -- the Mahaweli Authority, Irrigation Management Division, Agricultural Development Authority, Agrarian Services Department, and Ceylon Electricity Board (wanting to save water for hydroelectricity generation) -- became interested in SRI and began spreading knowledge of it to farmers in different districts and irrigation systems.
Farmer innovation and leadership has been very important for SRI in Sri Lanka. An evaluation by farmers in the Namal Oya irrigation scheme reported in 2001 found that their yield with SRI methods was 8.5 t/ha, whereas that with 'modern' methods using fertilizer was 4.7 t/ha and with traditional farmer practice 2.9 t/ha. Rooting depth for the three alternatives they measured as 8, 3 and 2 inches, respectively. Costs of production were calculated at 3.00, 5.65 and 6.00 rupees/kg. This shows the kind of systematic approach to SRI evaluation many Sri Lankan farmers took.
2002
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Premaratna Trains Over 4,000 Farmers in SRI Techniques
By 2002, H. M. Premaratna had trained over 4,000 farmers in SRI methods at his own expense at the Nature Farming Center on his farm (1.4 ha) at Mellawalana. He subsequently began working with the Australian NGO Community Aid Abroad/Oxfam to train Tamil farmers living in areas until recently controlled by the LTTE secessionist movement.
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Researcher from from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development
Research Notes SRI's Multiple Benefits
In October 2002, Dr. Aldas Janaiah from the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research in Mumbai, India, and formerly on the agricultural economics staff of IRRI, visited Sri Lanka to evaluate SRI based on interviews with farmers who were practicing these methods. From data from 30 farmers, he calculated that yield had increased 88% (8.0 vs. 4.5 t/ha), with 15% higher return from the rice harvested because of quality differences (1,500 vs. 1,300 rupees/kg), and with total costs (excluding family labor) reduced by 18%. Gross returns/ha were 120,000 rupees with SRI vs. 548,500 rupees with conventional methods, and net returns were 102,000 rupees vs. 36,500 rupees. In addition, family labor earnings were higher per day of work, and water savings were 50-40%.
2003-2004
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IWMI Evaluates SRI in Sri Lanka in 2003 Study
In 2003, staff of the International Water Management Institute did an evaluation of SRI in Sri Lanka, studying the experience of SRI and non-SRI farmers chosen at random in two districts [N=60 for both samples]. They found that even though the SRI farmers were not using all of the practices and had only a 50% increase in yield over comparable non-SRI farmers, water productivity was increased by 90% with SRI methods. Cost of production (rupees/kg) was reduced by 17-27% counting all labor inputs at prevailing market wages, and by 111-209% if family labor was used and not paid for. Profitability per hectare was raised by 83-206%, depending on how the cost of labor was considered. Very important, economic risks were reduced by SRI, as non-SRI farmers experienced net economic losses in 28% of their seasons, while SRI farmers had losses in only 4% of seasons. Such considerations will make SRI ever more popular in Sri Lanka. In terms of who adopts SRI, the study found that poorer and richer households were more likely to adopt than average households, and that poorer households once they started with SRI were least likely to disadopt. These results (see summary) were reported in a paper presented to the ICID conference in Taipei in November, 2003, and have been published in as IWMI Research Report #75.
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Farmer in Northwest Sri Lanka Develops Weeders and Crop
Innovations
Mr. Ariyatne Subasinghe, from Hingurakgoda in Northwest Sri Lanka, has developed a labor-saving method for crop establishment, and has also designed and built a motorized weeder that enables him to weed 5 acres (2 ha) in one day (see details and photo).
2007-2008
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Sri Lanka Network Formed
In March 2008, a SRI Network in Sri Lanka (SRIN) was formed with institutional members including two government agencies and seven NGOS, national or international. Dr. W. G. Somaratne is serving as the network's coordinator, with Dr. Gamini Batuwitage, who got SRI collaboration started in Sri Lanka, helping network organization. The NGO Oxfam/Australia is providing an organizational base for the network, having supported SRI extension in various parts of the country. The network had its first national meeting on March 17 in Colombo, while Norman Uphoff was making a visit to Sri Lanka hosted by Oxfam/Australia (see Uphoff trip report)
At an April 8, 2008, SRI Network (SRIN) meeting, members agreed to establish district-wise SRI networks by inviting government organizations, INGOs, NGOs and CBOs, operating in each of six districts to promote SRI and share the knowledge and resources among the members in the district (see minutes). Plans to develop instructional material, facilitate SRI research and undertake weeder improvements were also discussed.
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Oxfam/Australia Releases Three Studies on SRI in Sri Lanka
Three publications have been received from the Oxfam/Australia office in Colombo:
- Farmer-Based Research on the Productivity of the System of Rice Intensification
- Farmers' Perception of the Factors that Influence the Uptake of SRI Practices in Sri Lanka
- Analysis of the Marketing Potential of SRI Rice in Kegalle District
On-farm research with farmers in four districts, comparing broadcasting method of crop establishment with conventional transplanting and with SRI showed average yield of 3.96 t/ha with the first method, 4.7 t/ha with the second, and 5.7 t/ha with SRI. The seed multiplication advantage of SRI compared to other methods was 18 times. The studies also consider what needs to be done to make SRI methods more attractive or feasible for Sri Lankan farmers.
2009
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SRI Brochure Distributed in Sri Lanka
Oxfam Australia in Sri Lanka has developed an SRI brochure to distribute among farmer, government officials, the media and other interested groups. The brochure, which has instructional and general information, is also being widely distributed by the SRI Network of Sri Lanka.
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Mercy Corps Report on SRI Result on Blog Page
The NGO Mercy Corps has reported on results in Yahangala East subdivision where 15 farmers tried SRI methods this past season. Their yield was more than doubled by the new practices, and the higher grain quality enabled them to sell it at a higher price as seed paddy. A February 14 Mercy Corps blog report notes that 160 farmers have enlisted to use SRI methods in the coming season. SRI's lower water requirements are permitting rice to be grown successfully in an upland area that has not been cultivated before with rice.
2010 Activities
SRI Exhibit at National "Deyata Kirula" Exhibition Visited by
Thousands
The Parabowa Farmer Association based in Lunuwila had a prominent SRI display at the Deyata Kirula national exhibition held in Kandy, which opened on National Independence Day, February 4, and ran through February 10. The president of the Association, M. A. Rasika Pemasiri, reports that as many as 750,000 farmers and students, of the nearly 3 million visitors to the exhibition, came through the exhibition.
Parabowa Association members responded to questions and distributed 50,000 SRI leaflets describing the SRI methodology (in Sinhalese, English and Tamil). This publication was supported by Oxfam Australia, Mercy Corps, and the Gemidiya Foundation, the national poverty reduction program. Also, members of the SRI Network (SRIN) for Sri Lanka offered to help farmers with training for nursery preparation, transplanting, use of markers and weeders, and getting access to paddy seed of traditional varieties. The display was prepared with assistance from Hon. Salinda Dissanayake, Minister for Nation Building, and Dr. Gamini Batuwitage, Chief Executive Officer of Gemidiriya's community development and livelihood improvement program. Both helped to publicize the stall and get dignitaries and farmers to visit it, to learn about SRI opportunities in Sri Lanka.
- Gemidiriya SRI Program Expands
The Gemidiriya Foundation reports approval for a 2nd phase of its Village Upliftment (Gama Neguma) program for poverty reduction. The $75 million in additional funding will expand activities within and beyond the more than 1,000 villages across the country which are engaged in Gama Neguma initiatives. World Bank reviewers selected the program's community-driven development approach as ‘best practice’ in supervision and implementation. Gemidiriya's executive director Dr. Gamini Batuwitage says that SRI promotion will be expanded in this next phase, with SRI demonstration farms in villages that are managed entirely by the communities themselves.
The Sri Lankan government is holding a national exhibition February 4-9, 2010, with Hon. Salinda Dissanayake, a Minister for Nation Building, himself one of the first SRI farmers in Sri Lanka, organizing an SRI plot at the exhibition site. 50,000 pamphlets on SRI are being printed for distribution among interested visitors, and the Gemidiriya stall will feature pictures of SRI results. Information on SRI will be provided to Gemidiya villages through the program's portal -- www.itshed.net -- including continuous postings on the web of information from farmers who are using SRI methods.
