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

CHAPTER 6
Surijit Behera
Expanding Pro-poor Livelihoods through SRI:
PRADAN’s Experiences in Orissa
Professional Assistance for Development Action popularly
known as PRADAN 19 is a Delhi based Non-Government
Organisation (NGO), working in seven states of India. It
was founded in 1983 inspired by the belief that capable
and caring individuals are more critical than the material
resources for removal of mass poverty. PRADAN’s strategies,
programs, activities and methodologies have evolved
over the past decades; the abiding features have been
to put such individuals to work directly with poor rural
people, build people’s capabilities, develop and introduce
new ideas to expand livelihood opportunities for poor
people and to collaborate with all significant players in
development. PRADAN personnel promote livelihoods on
an ever-expanding scale in diverse sub-sectors, ranging
from agriculture and natural resource management to
farm enterprises.
PRADAN’s work in Orissa began in 1993 and works in the
four districts of Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and
Kandhamal. The topography is undulating and hilly with
medium to high rainfall, and a sub-humid climate. The
districts have a high concentration of Scheduled Tribes,
lower level of landlessness and a preponderance of small
and marginal farmers. Agriculture is the primary livelihood
of which paddy accounts for 85-90% of gross cropped area
with an average yield of 2-3 t/ha. The region’s production
of cereals, pulses, vegetables and other food articles are
insufficient making this a food insecure region. The issues
that PRADAN seeks to address in the region relates to
reducing the uncertainties and setbacks in locally available
livelihood opportunities and migration of people and
increasing the food security, availability of basic seeds as
well as proper technical support and market linkages.
Agricultural Practices in the Region
PRADAN’s interventions in the region is through projects
on sustainable livelihood options through NRM (Natural
Resource Management) for forest dependent communities,
capacity building of local communities and improvement
of local environment through better water resource
development, biomass production, green manuring,
plantation, System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method
of paddy cultivation etc. The project beneficiaries are the
tribal and marginal farmers, who are practicing subsistence
agriculture with limited inputs and low yields. Strategies
for intervention include promotion of women’s Self Help
Groups (SHGs), Livelihood enhancement of SHG members,
improving the husbandry of natural resources etc. 20
Agriculture is largely rain fed and irrigation where exists
is dependent on few non perennial streams (locally called
nala). Paddy is grown in Kharif and vegetable are grown in
Rabi. The soil is clayey with a pH of 5.5. Direct broadcasting
is widely prevalent. Transplantation is a relatively recent
phenomenon and has spread since 1998. Transplanting is
done on plain lands with 4 to 8 plants per hill and varies
between 21 - 45 days. The average yield of paddy is less
than 2t/ha. All households have each type of land (upper
reach, middle and valley), though the poorer households
may have most of their land in the upper reaches, with
very little valley land.
Introduction of SRI in Orissa
PRADAN’s vast SRI experience in Purulia district of West
Bengal provided a learning platform for SRI in Orissa 21 .
19
http://www.pradan.net
20
One of the major innovations practiced by PRADAN in Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) has now become popular as the Jaldhar model for
in-site rain water conservation also referred to as the 5% method.
21
Shekhar Kumar Sinha & Jayesh Talati (2007). Productivity impacts of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): A case study in West Bengal, India. Agricultural
Water Management. 87: 5 5–6 0.
Expanding Pro-poor Livelihoods through SRI: PRADAN’s Experiences in Orissa 43