Nepalese Rice Sector
In Nepal, Rice accounts for about 44% of the total food grain production and holds about 20% share in national GDP. Rice is grown on about 1.42 million ha, producing 4.8 million tons with an average productivity of 3.38 ton/ha. Of the total rice area, more than 70% is grown under the rainfed condition, 9% under upland and 21% under partially or fully irrigated conditions.
One-fourth of the population in Nepal lives below the poverty line and is food insecure. There is vast regional variation in agriculture production and food balance. The Terai has food surplus while hill and mountain regions are in a severe food deficit situation. Out of Nepal’s 75 districts, 38 suffer from food deficiency. Nepal imported 47323 mt-milled rice from India in fiscal year 2014/15.
Nepal was once a grain exporting country.
Slow agricultural development, land shortages and population growth have been pushing more and more families into a vulnerable situation regarding food security. Land and water resources will become scarce for rice production in Asia in the next 30 years or so, mainly because of urbanization, industrialization, and increased population. Nepal is no exception. Rice yield in Nepal was reduced by about 5% in 2015 than of 2014 at national basis due to drought.
Irrigated rice production is the largest consumer of water in the agricultural sector, and its sustainability is threatened by increasing water shortages. Such water scarcity necessitates the development of alternative systems of irrigation that require less water than traditional flooded rice.
Additional rice will have to be produced on less land with less water, less labor and fewer chemicals. Promising technologies generated by research can play a pivotal role in increasing productivity and thus Nepal’s food security. The system of rice intensification (SRI) can be a suitable methodology in this regard.
System of Rice Intensification
French Jesuit Fr Henri de Laulanie in Madagascar invented SRI in 1983 after 30 years of research. It is based on some new insights into how rice can be grown best, translated into certain principles and practices.
Today it is used in 30 countries including China, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia, where research has shown yield increases of 30-50% using half the amount of water. China, in particular, is leading the way, using SRI in conjunction with hybrid seeds. India has adopted SRI as one of the components of its food security program and is promoting the method in 39 districts and is planning to convert 5 million hectares of land into SRI plots in the next five years.
In Nepal, SRI was pioneered by Rajendra Uprety when he was District Agriculture Extension Officer in Morang. He read about it in an agriculture journal and decided to give it a try. Today there are SRI tests and demonstrations being carried out in 35 districts across the country.
Morang district farmers repeatedly reported two things. First, their SRI crops, in addition to giving often doubled yield, are maturing 2, 3, even 4 weeks sooner than when the same variety is grown with ‘normal’ methods. This saves water, reduces the risks of crop loss, and makes land available for other crop production.
Second, once farmers have acquired experience and skill with SRI methods, the new system of crop management is labor-saving rather than labor-intensive. Saving labor as well as seeds, water and costs of production makes SRI increasingly attractive to farmers.
World Neighbors and SRI
World Neighbors works in Mahadevsthan Village, Kavre with small landholders, most of whom are women. The experience to date is farmers using SRI are experiencing an average yield 30% higher than farmers using standard practices. Yield increases have been as high as 62%.
Based on this success, WN is also now working to introduce SRI to farmers in Udaypur.
