Management of rice production systems to increase productivity

kg/ha NPK, not much above the present national recommendation, yields
could be tripled even under drought conditions. Application of a relatively
higher fertilizer rate than the initially recommended low‐input rate is an
insurance against crop loss to drought and termites, because of more intensive
crop growth with higher fertilizer application rates.
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The government of The Gambia and other West African nations need to
invest on seed multiplication and dissemination of WARDA’s low‐input
varieties also known an NERICA (New Rice for Africa). Rice productivity in
the uplands could be tripled with the introduction of such varieties. With a
tripling in yield farmers in the upland will find it more profitable to increase
area under cultivation without fear of high risk factors presently associated
with upland rice production.
Governments in the Sub-Saharan Africa have in the past invested in
rice irrigation schemes to increase production, but output has so far not
satisfied demand, and currently there are efforts to increase the area under
production. Unfortunately, in the semi-arid Sahel and in most countries in
Asia, increase in the area under rice cultivation is presently constrained by the
amount of water available to support production. Conflicts over access to
irrigation water between the republics of Senegal and Mauritania in the Sahel
are still unresolved. Globally, there is a high demand for irrigation water, and
in some cases, the rivers and distributaries are already failing to suffice for
existing irrigation schemes. Therefore, finding ways to economize on water
requirements is an immediate necessity for sustainable agriculture.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) management practices are
capable of producing higher rice yields than conventional management
practices with lower water requirements. Yields with this set of management