IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v36y2011i6p749-755.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Science, practice and the System of Rice Intensification in Indian agriculture

Author

Listed:
  • Glover, Dominic

Abstract

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is claimed to be a novel approach to rice cultivation that is both more productive and more sustainable than conventional methods. Such claims have been challenged or dismissed by many rice scientists, however. Despite the lack of clear and unequivocal endorsement by science, SRI seems to have spread widely and rather quickly to many rice-growing regions, including various areas of India. This paper discusses how and considers why SRI seems to have attracted the support of diverse stakeholders in Indian rice farming. As such, the SRI phenomenon should be taken seriously. Nevertheless, many scientific questions remain to be answered, concerning the biophysical mechanisms involved in SRI and their effects on plant performance and crop yields, the true spread of SRI practices among farmers and the system’s impacts on farm livelihoods, rice production and resource use. Indian enthusiasm for SRI implies a level of dissatisfaction with conventional approaches to rice intensification and a demand for new methods that can address the perceived problems and challenges of agriculture in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Glover, Dominic, 2011. "Science, practice and the System of Rice Intensification in Indian agriculture," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 749-755.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:6:p:749-755
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.07.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919211000959
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.07.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Norman Uphoff, 2007. "Agroecological alternatives: Capitalising on existing genetic potentials," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 218-236.
    2. Senthilkumar, K. & Bindraban, P.S. & de Boer, W. & de Ridder, N. & Thiyagarajan, T.M. & Giller, K.E., 2009. "Characterising rice-based farming systems to identify opportunities for adopting water efficient cultivation methods in Tamil Nadu, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(12), pages 1851-1860, December.
    3. Senthilkumar, K. & Bindraban, P.S. & Thiyagarajan, T.M. & de Ridder, N. & Giller, K.E., 2008. "Modified rice cultivation in Tamil Nadu, India: Yield gains and farmers' (lack of) acceptance," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 82-94, September.
    4. Stoop, Willem A. & Uphoff, Norman & Kassam, Amir, 2002. "A review of agricultural research issues raised by the system of rice intensification (SRI) from Madagascar: opportunities for improving farming systems for resource-poor farmers," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 249-274, March.
    5. C. Shambu Prasad, 2006. "System of Rice Intensification in India: Innovation History and Institutional Challenges," Working Papers id:723, eSocialSciences.
    6. Dobermann, A., 2004. "A critical assessment of the system of rice intensification (SRI)," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 79(3), pages 261-281, March.
    7. Sinha, Shekhar Kumar & Talati, Jayesh, 2007. "Productivity impacts of the system of rice intensification (SRI): A case study in West Bengal, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 55-60, January.
    8. Christopher Surridge, 2004. "Feast or famine?," Nature, Nature, vol. 428(6981), pages 360-361, March.
    9. A. Satyanarayana, 2004. "Rice, research and real life in the field," Nature, Nature, vol. 429(6994), pages 803-803, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hochman, Zvi & Horan, Heidi & Reddy, D. Raji & Sreenivas, Gade & Tallapragada, Chiranjeevi & Adusumilli, Ravindra & Gaydon, Don & Singh, Kamalesh K. & Roth, Christian H., 2017. "Smallholder farmers managing climate risk in India: 1. Adapting to a variable climate," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 54-66.
    2. Hermans, Frans & Roep, Dirk & Klerkx, Laurens, 2016. "Scale dynamics of grassroots innovations through parallel pathways of transformative change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 285-295.
    3. Noltze, Martin & Schwarze, Stefan & Qaim, Matin, 2013. "Impacts of natural resource management technologies on agricultural yield and household income: The system of rice intensification in Timor Leste," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 59-68.
    4. Vikas Kumar, 2020. "Social Innovation for Agricultural Development: A Study of System of Rice Intensification in Bihar, India," Millennial Asia, , vol. 11(1), pages 99-118, April.
    5. Yonas Alem & Håkan Eggert & Remidius Ruhinduka, 2015. "Improving Welfare Through Climate-Friendly Agriculture: The Case of the System of Rice Intensification," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 62(2), pages 243-263, October.
    6. Ibrahim L. Kadigi & Khamaldin D. Mutabazi & Damas Philip & James W. Richardson & Jean-Claude Bizimana & Winfred Mbungu & Henry F. Mahoo & Stefan Sieber, 2020. "An Economic Comparison between Alternative Rice Farming Systems in Tanzania Using a Monte Carlo Simulation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-22, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Berkhout, Ezra & Glover, Dominic & Kuyvenhoven, Arie, 2015. "On-farm impact of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Evidence and knowledge gaps," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 157-166.
    2. Noltze, Martin & Schwarze, Stefan & Qaim, Matin, 2013. "Impacts of natural resource management technologies on agricultural yield and household income: The system of rice intensification in Timor Leste," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 59-68.
    3. James Sumberg & John Thompson & Philip Woodhouse, 2013. "Why agronomy in the developing world has become contentious," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 30(1), pages 71-83, March.
    4. Ly, Proyuth & Jensen, Lars Stoumann & Bruun, Thilde Bech & Rutz, Dominik & de Neergaard, Andreas, 2012. "The System of Rice Intensification: Adapted practices, reported outcomes and their relevance in Cambodia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 16-27.
    5. Sinha, Shekhar Kumar & Talati, Jayesh, 2007. "Productivity impacts of the system of rice intensification (SRI): A case study in West Bengal, India," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 55-60, January.
    6. Senthilkumar, K. & Bindraban, P.S. & Thiyagarajan, T.M. & de Ridder, N. & Giller, K.E., 2008. "Modified rice cultivation in Tamil Nadu, India: Yield gains and farmers' (lack of) acceptance," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 98(2), pages 82-94, September.
    7. Gathorne-Hardy, Alfred & Reddy, D. Narasimha & Venkatanarayana, M. & Harriss-White, Barbara, 2016. "System of Rice Intensification provides environmental and economic gains but at the expense of social sustainability — A multidisciplinary analysis in India," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 159-168.
    8. Graf, Sarah Lena & Oya, Carlos, 2021. "Is the system of rice intensification (SRI) pro poor? Labour, class and technological change in West Africa," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    9. Noltze, Martin & Schwarze, Stefan & Qaim, Matin, 2012. "Understanding the adoption of system technologies in smallholder agriculture: The system of rice intensification (SRI) in Timor Leste," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 64-73.
    10. Vikas Kumar, 2020. "Social Innovation for Agricultural Development: A Study of System of Rice Intensification in Bihar, India," Millennial Asia, , vol. 11(1), pages 99-118, April.
    11. Pugazhenthi Davidson Rokins & Nellaiappan Olaganathan Gopal & Rangasamy Anandham & Ramasamy Saraswathi, 2022. "The Impact of Different Planting Systems on the Bacterial Diversity of Rice Cultivated in Saline Soil Based on 16S rRNA Gene-Based Metagenomic Insights," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, October.
    12. Ndiiri, J.A. & Mati, B.M. & Home, P.G. & Odongo, B. & Uphoff, N., 2013. "Adoption, constraints and economic returns of paddy rice under the system of rice intensification in Mwea, Kenya," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 44-55.
    13. Stoop, Willem A. & Adam, Abdoulaye & Kassam, Amir, 2009. "Comparing rice production systems: A challenge for agronomic research and for the dissemination of knowledge-intensive farming practices," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 1491-1501, November.
    14. Krupnik, Timothy J. & Rodenburg, Jonne & Haden, Van Ryan & Mbaye, Doudou & Shennan, Carol, 2012. "Genotypic trade-offs between water productivity and weed competition under the System of Rice Intensification in the Sahel," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 156-166.
    15. Pant, Laxmi Prasad, 2016. "Paradox of mainstreaming agroecology for regional and rural food security in developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 305-316.
    16. Tsujimoto, Yasuhiro & Horie, Takeshi & Randriamihary, Hamon & Shiraiwa, Tatsuhiko & Homma, Koki, 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, Elsevier, vol. 100(1-3), pages 61-71, April.
    17. Abbie Turiansky, "undated". "Collective Action in Games as in Life: Experimental Evidence from Canal Cleaning in Haiti," Mathematica Policy Research Reports b4f3a3ef599b43c6a875d9380, Mathematica Policy Research.
    18. Islam, Asadul & Ushchev, Philip & Zenou, Yves & Zhang, Xin, 2019. "The Value of Information in Technology Adoption," IZA Discussion Papers 12672, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Christopher B. Barrett & Asad Islam & Abdul Mohammad Malek & Debayan Pakrashi & Ummul Ruthbah, 2022. "Experimental Evidence on Adoption and Impact of the System of Rice Intensification," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 104(1), pages 4-32, January.
    20. Sarr, Mare & Bezabih Ayele, Mintewab & Kimani, Mumbi E. & Ruhinduka, Remidius, 2021. "Who benefits from climate-friendly agriculture? The marginal returns to a rainfed system of rice intensification in Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:36:y:2011:i:6:p:749-755. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.