SRI in Orissa - Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture ...

Acknowledgements
This volume of experiences on SRI by fifteen different organisations and farmers was put together in a very short time. The
invitation to the contributors was sent in late July and we were extremely encouraged by the wholesome participation by
the contributors many of whom were recounting or writing their experiences for the first time. The book and the emerging
learning alliance would not have been possible but for the cooperation of all the contributors who shared their latest
information, agreed to answer and rework the parts that needed elaboration and giving us enough time to do the minimal
editing and contribute an overview chapter and managing the printing—all of this in two months.
We would like to specifically thank the Director of Agriculture and Food Production, Dr. Arvind Kumar Padhee, who has been
extremely supportive in involving the state government and the agriculture department in SRI activities. The cooperation
of the agriculture department officials in building a database on SRI is commendable and we look forward to the continued
support and encouragement in future cropping seasons as well. The idea of a learning alliance was first mooted at the
first State Dialogue Workshop on SRI on June 23, 2007 and we are thankful to all the partners of the Learning Alliance
– the Directorate of Agriculture and Food Production, Government of Orissa, Oxfam Eastern Region, World Wide Fund
for Nature (WWF), Dialogue Project on Water, Food and Environment, the Orissa Resource Centre of the Centre for World
Solidarity (CWS) and the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB). I would like to make a special mention of
Prof. Radhamohan, the State Information Commissioner, who has been guiding and continues to be an important member
of the SRI fraternity in Orissa and who helped us plan the State Dialogue. This volume is an unexpected though healthy
outcome of the goodwill created for SRI through the workshop.
In putting this volume together I have been ably supported by Koen Beumer, a research student from the University of
Maastricht, Netherlands and Debasis Mohanty, a project associate at XIMB. Koen came to India to pursue some ideas on SRI
given his interest in innovation and science studies and most willingly took on quite a major editorial responsibility along
with Debasis. As a team they have been patient, persistent and meticulous in bringing this volume following all possible
leads in collecting and collating information and insights. I would like to thank our Director, Fr E. Abraham for providing
us all the support here at XIMB for undertaking research on agriculture in a business school and thereby demonstrating
both the need and relevance of non specialised academic institutes in furthering knowledge dialogues among multiple
stakeholders. Vinod Goud and Biksham Gujja of WWF have been extremely supportive of the initiative and we were able
to carry on many an idea on SRI with the comfortable feeling that WWF would back the initiative. I thank the team of
New Concept for bringing out the book at very short notice and providing excellent communication support.
A learning alliance has all the features of an open system. We hope that we would have more and varied partners in our
continuing journey of SRI in Orissa and India and would welcome any comments and suggestions on this book.
Shambu Prasad
September 2007
Acknowledgements
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