Study: Growing More Rice With Less Water

[RestoreGore]

http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/23588

The rice intensification method saves water, increases food production, and does not emit methane. These are the types of solutions we need to look for in this year to avoid a major global water crisis. And again, it will take a moral will on the part of people globally to use water more wisely in tune with more effective agricultural and irrigation methods to meet population demands. India, Asia, and Indonesia are the rice producers of the world experiencing the greatest effects of water scarcity which have also put their mainstay food source at tremendous risk. This is indeed a way to then offer hope and a balance to save lives.

Excerpt:

Published January 1, 2008 01:01 AM
Study: Growing more rice with less water

Tripura, India — A new method to grow rice could save hundreds of billions of cubic metres of water while increasing food security, according to a study by WWF published today.

With a focus on India — a country which faces a major water crisis, yet has the world’s largest rice cultivated area — the study found that the system of rice intensification (SRI) method has helped increase yields by over 30% — four to five tonnes per hectare instead of three tonnes per hectare, while using 40% less water than conventional methods.

The system is based on eight principles which are different to conventional rice cultivation. They include developing nutrient-rich and un-flooded nurseries instead of flooded ones; ensuring wider spacing between rice seedlings; preferring composts or manure to synthetic fertilizers; and managing water carefully to avoid that the plants’ roots are not saturated.

The method was initially developed in the 1980s in Madagascar and has been demonstrated to be effective in 28 countries.

“Although the system of rice intensification has shown its advantages, the scale of its use leaves much to be desired,”� said Dr Biksham Gujja, Senior Policy Adviser at WWF International.

"It is time to start large-scale programmes to support a method that could make a lasting global impact with far-reaching benefits to people and nature.”�

The report suggests that major rice-producing countries — such as India, China and Indonesia — convert at least 25% of their current rice cultivation to the new system by 2025. This would not only massively reduce the use of water but also help ensure food security. In addition, this will reduce significant amount of methane emissions. SRI fields do not emit methane as is the case with the more conventional system of growing rice.

For example, if the SRI method was applied to 20 million hectares of land under rice cultivation in India, the country could meet its food grain objectives of 220 million tonnes of grain by 2012 instead of 2050.

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