EXPERIENCE OF PROMOTING SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) TECHNOLOGY WITH SMALL AND

MARGINAL FARMERS IN ASSAM

Parag Boruah

For the SRI Partners’ Meet, Bodh Gaya

January 23-25, 2012

AREA UNDER PROMOTION OF SRI

FEATURES OF THE PROJECT AREAComes under Lower Brahmaputra Valley

Zone(LBVZ)Characterized by-

endemic poverty, high concentration of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled

Castes and Other Backward Classes Mixed community and intra community tension Agriculture is the main livelihoods characterised by

low productivity due to low adaptation of technologies High rain-fall and vulnerability to risk due to climate

change and other natural calamities like floodPoor irrigation facility and infrastructure Majority of farmers are small and marginal Average productivity of paddy is 1.6 T/H

Outreach of SRIYear No. of

DistrictsFamilies

Area(Ha)

2009-10

3 706 113.3

2010-11

2 602 107.05

2011-12 (upto Oct 2011)

5 1447 198

Analysis of SRI-2010-11(Kharif)Type of Villages No.

of Villages

Numbers of farmers

New

Old Total

Old Village with no new addition of farmers

10 0 44 44

Old villages with new addition of farmers

11 31 50 81

New villages 33 93 0 93

Total 53 124 94 208

Review of SRI 2011-12(Kharif)

Particulars Plan (July’11 –June’12)

Achievement(Kharif’11)

Number of Districts 5 5

Villages 280 143

NGOs involved 5 5

Families 5298 1447

Coverage(Ha) 690 198.7

Average area per family

0.13 0.13

Analysis of SRI-Kharif 2011

Could reached to 62% targeted families(of 2300)

Reason behind the low coverage are-Monsoon irregularities in kharif seasonLow coverage of two partner NGOs- ASC and

GVM

Analysis of Productivity(Kharif’11)

Productivity Range(T/Ha) No. of families % of Families

>8 0 0

5-8 11 4

3.5-5 214 78

Up to 3.5 50 18

Total 275 100

Awareness Generation on SRI

Awareness training at field level by film shows

Awareness Generation with different stakeholders by organising workshop

Field Level Support

SRI-Farmers with his paddy crop

Comparing SRI with Traditional paddy