Community-based assessment of SRI in 12 villages with 60 farmers

in Goundam and Dire, Timbuktu

Implementation approach• 12 villages were enlisted to cooperate in the

evaluation based upon interest

• 5 farmers were selected by each village community to participate = 60 in total

• Community gave assurances of support – e.g., labor, adjusting irrigation schedules

• No gifts! Our ‘gift’ was the technical support– 4 field technicians for the 12 villages

• Good data collection to be done

• Control plot started the same day as SRI

6 Principles of SRI• Transplant single seedlings• At their 2-leaf stage, only

8-12 days old• Spacing is 25 cm x 25 cm

or wider; planted in square• Use mechanical hand

weeder for soil aeration• Minimum water application

during vegetative growth• Application of organic

matter (manure, compost) instead of fertilizer

Land preparation of SRI plots

1. Application of manure (10-15 t/ha)

4. Leveling

3. Breaking up large soil chunks

2. Tilling by hand or by tractor

SRI Nursery

• Mix soil, clay, sand and manure (loose soil)

• Soaking of seeds before planting in nursery (24h)

• Watering, not flooding• Transplantation after 8-12

days

Quantity of seeds used with SRI

6.15 kg/ha

Results

Quantity utilized traditionally

40-60 kg/ha

Reduction of

85-90%

2 leaves - 8-12 days old

Transplanting of Rice Seedlings

Transplanting SRI Seedlings

1st Day after Transplanting

Fields of Asseydou Alhassane, Hara-Hara

30 days after nursery establishment

SRI

Control plot

Multiple effects of cono-weeder application

Section not weeded

• Incorporating weeds as green manure

• Soil aeration• Stimulation of root growth• Redistribution of water across

the plot, with leveling effect• Making nutrients of manure

more available to plants

SRI

Control

Plant development

Plant developmentHigher tiller number per plant in SRI

SRI

Control

SRI

SRI

SRI Témoin

Témoin

Témoin

Plant developmentMore growth with shorter crop cycle

0

2000

4000

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0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14Villages

kg/ha

SRI Control Traditional Linear (SRI) Linear (Control) Linear (Traditional)

--- June | ------------------- July ---------------------| ----------------- August -------------| September ----

Transplanting time of SRI

0

50

100

150

200

250

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

SRI yield increase (%)

SRI yield increase over control Linear (SRI yield increase over control)

Transplanting time of SRI

--- June | ----------------- July -------------------| ---------------- August -------------| September ----

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Number of farmers

Control (n=53)

Conventional (n=60)

SRI (n=53)

. .

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70Farmer Numbers

kg/ha

SRI (n=53)

Control (n=53)

Traditional (n=60)

Rice grain yields (kg/ha)

>50% plots < 5.4t/ha

32% plots SRI >10 t/ha

5.4 t/ha