Rainfed rice - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

RAINFED RICE A SOURCEBOOK OF BEST PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES IN EASTERN INDIA
viii
The principal objective of the project was to develop ecologically sustainable
and economically viable rice and rice-related systems production
technologies through research and technology verification in farmers’ fields
to increase the income and improve the socio-economic conditions and
quality of life of rice farm families in the rainfed ecosystems.
The project developed a cadre of scientists trained on methods for
ecosystems and farming systems analysis and on-farm farmer participatory
research (OFR). It addressed farmers’ needs, technology development and
synthesis; and sustainability issues. Methodologies were refined and adapted
to enhance farmers’ participation in OFR by incorporating the
considerations of gender, farm and household size, resource base (labour,
cash and material availability and use) and the value of enterprises in terms
of food, fodder, fuel and cash. Agroecological analysis to characterise
biophysical and socio-economic environmental factors was conducted at the
micro level in all project sites (about 90 villages or village clusters). Based on
the characterisation and delineation and crop production technology
requirements, promising technologies including rice genotypes have been
identified. Improved crop management practices and new varieties of crops
are continuously being tested and jointly selected by researchers and farmers
for specific situations throughout the eastern region; crops include rice,
wheat, gram, mustard, lentil, pea, jute, sesame, lathyrus and fish.
Economically profitable farming systems have been identified for all the test
sites. In the drought-prone rainfed lowlands, efforts are being made to
extrapolate rainwater management technologies for stabilising yields and
increasing cropping intensity and resource productivity.
This publication features some of the exemplary practices drawn from on-
farm research undertaken as part of this project. A workshop was organised
by IRRI with the assistance of the International Institute of Rural
Reconstruction (IIRR). The workshop, which was held at the Central Soil
and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute (CSWCRTI),
Dehradun, India, 5-18 April 1999, brought all the participating scientists
together primarily for the purpose of documenting the best practices and
strategies. Artists, editors and desktop publishing staff provided support
during the workshop. Papers were intensively reviewed and critiqued by
participants representing a wide range of disciplines. Often, scientific
assumptions were challenged. The practical relevance of the topics was
continuously emphasized. Papers were revised and small teams were set up
to further deliberate and improve the papers. At the end of two weeks, a
near final draft was prepared for review and finalisation. The result is this
publication, a user-friendly compilation of findings and practices of
relevance to governments, NGOs, universities, district administrators,
authors and researchers within the region and in other countries with
similar ecologies.