SRI Promotion in North Bihar

Flood Problem in North Bihar

Context of North Bihar

• Poorest districts of Bihar• Very Low productivity of food grains• High Migration• High percentage of poor people• Flood driven Poverty (facing Flood every year

during kharif)• Food problem• Safe drinking water

Context

• Average holding of poor community 0.5-2 acres• High water table• Better soil quality(mostly alluvial)• Paddy as summer crops in north Bihar• Lack of programmes in summer seasons

What is SRI?• SRI stands for System of Root Intensification

method of crop cultivation.• Transplanting of young age seedlings/sprouted

seeds• Priming of seeds along with treatment• Surface sowing/transplanting• Wider spacing• Intercultivation with weeders• Proper Water management• Integrated Nutrient Management

Demonstrations on SRI

• SRI-Paddy• SRI-Wheat• SRI-Rapeseed• SRI-Vegetables• SRI-Pulses• SRI-Sugarcane• SRI-other crops• ZBNF

SRI in North Bihar

With technical support from PRADAN, Meghpyne Abhiyan alongwith its partners in 5 districts piloted System of Root Intensification method of Paddy cultivation.

Megh Pyne Abhiyan partners are

• Water Action in West Champaran• KSS in Saharsa• Gramsheel in Supaul• Samata in Khagariya• GPSVS in Madhubani

MPA partners with PRADAN08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12

No of farmers

Area in acres

No of farmers

Area in acres

No of farmers

Area in acres

No of farmers

Area in acres

MPA partners

41 5.82 139 21.4 886 135.24 594 205.53

Saharsa, Khagariya, Supaul, Madhubani and west champaran.The average productivity of these districts are very low i.e 15-20 quintals per hectare where as the average yield of Pre Flood SRI /SRI was 70-80 quintals.These have given food security to people who suffer blow of flood every year.

No of farmers and area over years

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012

Area(Acres)

No of Farmers

Broad strategies of MPA partners • Awareness building in communities• Used audiovisuals and flex extension materials• Campaigning in villages through experienced SRI

farmers of last year using Fur and manuals extensively in April and May.

• Big meetings by staffs in villages to create awareness and motivation

• Associating govt extension officers and KVKs at all levels.

• Participating in workshop of various stakeholders .• Participating in kisan melas organised by govt depts.

Strategies of scaling up SRI

Technical Resource Team

SEW SEW SEW

Farmers Gp backed byGp of VRPs

Farmers gp VO backed by Gp of VRPs

Farmers Group backed by Gp of VRPs

SHG families/Marginal farmers

SHG families/Marginal farmers

SHG families/Marginal farmers

Indoor and Field Training Sessions(participant families)

People to People extensionVillage women explaining the methodology Moving from village to village

Strategies to mitigate Flood/other climatic variations(Collective Nurseries/Mobile Nurseries)

SRI Vidhi -dry-Weeder(Useful for SRI method of crop cultivation in rabi and summer seasons)

SRI-KSS,Saharsa

SRI-Gramsheel-Supaul

Gramyasheel,Supaul

Water Action ,West Champaran

Samata,Khagariya

Major stakeholders behind the move • BRLPS,patna• SDTT, Mumbai• NABARD• Department of Agriculture• Agriculture Technology Management Agency(ATMA)• KVKs• District Administration• Landless share croppers/Marginal farmers• DRD, Patna• Project workers and other partner NGOs(Megh Pyne

Abhiyan(MPA) partners)• Village Resource Persons

Recommendations• Like Kharif and Rabi mahotsav we should also

have summer mahotsav and facilitate Pre flood SRI in north Bihar so that people have food security to fight flood crisis.In rabi SRI-rapeseed should also be promoted alongwith wheat.

• Traditionally a Sugarcane growing area with sugar mills, SRI-Sugarcane should get streamlined in north Bihar as productivity of the existing traditional method is very low around 50 t/hec.SRI has potential to go much high as in SRI-Paddy.

Thanks