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Farm-level opportunities forincreasing productivity and incomein the High Barind Tract: a synthesisA. Orr, C. Riches, M. Mortimer, D. Harris, and M.A. MazidThis paper synthesizes recent research by two projects to develop new technologyfor the High Barind Tract in Bangladesh. Farmers in this complex droughtproneecosystem usually grow a single crop of transplanted aman rice. Theresearch strategy was to expand the area that could be planted to rabi cropsusing residual soil moisture by introducing new technology that advanced theharvest of rice and improved yields of chickpea. Direct-seeded rice (DSR) withlong-duration variety Swarna and introduced varieties of short-duration rice(SDR) gave earlier harvesting without reducing rice yields. Higher-quality seed,seed priming, and improved crop management also improved the profitabilityof chickpea. Because the farming system is complex, SDR and DSR shouldnot be seen as prescriptive recommendations but as choices that allow timelyrice establishment with variable monsoon rainfall. Dissemination of these technologiesrequires local partnerships to build a reliable supply chain to deliverknowledge and inputs to farmers.A systems approach is a prerequisite for effective research in unfavorable rice ecosystems,where new technology must be carefully designed to fit a combination ofclimatic, physical, and socioeconomic constraints. In drought-prone environments,farmers have developed systems that prioritize stability over productivity. The bottomline is to ensure survival in bad years rather than to maximize income in good years.The research challenge is to design technology that can somehow squeeze higherproductivity and income from these systems without compromising household foodsecurity.The workshop brought together two projects funded by the Department forInternational Development (DFID) working on different components of the samesystem. One project, funded by the Crop Protection Programme, worked on directseededrice (DSR) and weed management. A second project, funded by the PlantSciences Programme, worked on rabi cropping with chickpea and on short-durationrice (SDR). Although they shared results and collaborated in on-farm demonstrations,the two projects operated independently. A joint workshop was held at the endof these projects to see what new technology was available for the system as a whole
and, with representatives from the extension service that had been a partner in muchof the original research, to explore how this technology could be promoted and disseminatedto farmers.The theme of the workshop was “Improving agricultural productivity andincome in the Barind Tract.” The aim of this paper is to combine different perspectives—agronomy,plant breeding, and economics—on this theme. The paper doesnot try to achieve a consensus. There is still disagreement about the performance andpotential of various technology options, as well as about the role of farmers in ricebreeding. Rather, the objective has been to present a synthesis, or an interpretativeoverview, of what we have learned over the past five years of field research, and whatmust happen now to give farmers the opportunity to fine-tune this technology for usein their own fields.The analysis is structured around four key themes that emerged during the workshop.We start with the system itself, before moving to discuss the various technicaloptions, and how farmers might use these options to cope with rainfall variability. Weend by discussing promotion. The conclusions outline some key lessons.System complexityComplexity is a defining characteristic of the High Barind Tract (HBT), an area of0.7 million ha where two-thirds of the cultivated area grows only a single crop oftransplanted rice (TPR). This complexity arises because of a unique set of interactionsbetween the rice ecosystem and the agrarian structure. These interactions createa farming system that is designed for survival rather than for maximizing incomeand where land tenure acts as a “built-in depressor” that discourages risk-taking andinnovation. As a consequence, in their attempts to maximize income, farmers areconfronted with a series of problems (Table 1) arising from the key components inthis system. These problems follow.Unpredictable rainfallDrought can either delay or damage TPR. The optimum time for transplanting ismid-July, but, once every two years, erratic rainfall delays transplanting until aftermid-July, and twice every 10 years transplanting is delayed until after mid-August.Moreover, a two-week period without rain during the grain-filling stage occurs onceevery two years (Saleh et al 2000).ToposequenceThe HBT has a distinctive topography with pronounced differences in land height.Higher land holds water for less time and dries out more quickly, making it more riskyfor rice and less suitable for rabi crops that rely on residual soil moisture. Mediumland is more favorable for both rice and rabi. Rice planted on low-lying land may besubmerged by rainwater and rabi sowing may be delayed if the soil remains too wetafter the rice harvest.10 Orr et al
Page 2: Improving AgriculturalProductivity
Page 5: Bangladeshi experiences with a drum
Page 8: AcknowledgmentsIRRI is most gratefu
Page 12 and 13: The High Barind Tract: a challengin
Page 14 and 15: irrigation across the entire Barind
Page 16: Workshop synthesis
Page 21 and 22: Subsistence pressureLand pressure,
Page 23 and 24: HerbicidesEarlier efforts to introd
Page 25 and 26: volume). PVS is an effective way to
Page 27 and 28: Farmers may use wet-seeded DSR as a
Page 29 and 30: process and distributing HNPV to fa
Page 31 and 32: an NGO, have successfully collabora
Page 34 and 35: Workshop discussionParticipants dis
Page 36 and 37: How can we identify a short-duratio
Page 38 and 39: to fixed tenancy. The implication i
Page 40: Opportunities for improving ricepro
Page 43 and 44: that the reliability and productivi
Page 45 and 46: Table 1. Planting dates, direct-see
Page 47 and 48: Table 2. (A) Mean effect of fertili
Page 49 and 50: Table 5. On-farm trials of a drum s
Page 51 and 52: Upper toposequenceYield (t ha -1 )7
Page 53 and 54: and perennial grasses (e.g., Ischae
Page 56 and 57: Direct-seeded rice in the HighBarin
Page 58: Table 1. Sample selection for costs
Page 61 and 62: Table 4. Variations in weed managem
Page 63 and 64: Table 7. Labor requirements (days h
Page 65 and 66: Table 10. Farmer perceptions of dis
Page 67 and 68:
Farmers (no.)1412108DSRWet-seededDr
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able commercially. Other OFT farmer
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Box 1. Farmers’ comments on DSRPo
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NotesAuthors’ addresses: M.A. Jab
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This paper explores the role of som
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(Olsen method, atomic absorption),
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Mean biomass (g m −2 )1,000.000Fi
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Fig. 3. Log rank abundance of weed
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attested by Fig. 2). Diversity in t
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Bangladeshi experiences with a drum
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Table 1. Grain yield and crop durat
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Table 5. Grain yield and growth dur
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ACEy = 0.0001x + 0.7089Yield (t ha
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Table 11. Partial budget analysis f
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ConclusionsDirect wet-seeded rice u
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A 178% increase in rice production
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Table 1. Components of yield gaps d
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Table 3. Weed management in Comilla
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Table 5. Weed management practices
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Table 7. Significance (P H o ) of t
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Since 2000, there has been an incre
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Identifying varieties for the High
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Table 1. Rice varieties bred by cli
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Table 2. Grain yield advantage of J
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Table 3. Plant height and crop dura
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Table 6. Summary of adoption and sp
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Freeman GH, Perkins J.M. 1971. Envi
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Opportunities for improving rabi cr
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Grain yield (t ha -1 )2.0npp1.5LSD
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In each of the plots, numbers of He
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Table 2. Effect of IPM components o
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Unit plot size was 10 10 m and the
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Yield (t ha -1 )5Straw4321GrainP (g
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Nodulation score3AControl Soil Mo P
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even at low levels of production. B
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Integration of chickpea and other r
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Grain yield (t ha -1 )3.02.51989-99
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Improved Improved Rainfed rainfed C
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Table 1. Preharvest and postharvest
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Greater resistance to Helicoverpa p
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wheat varieties). There is also sco
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Developing seed systems fordissemin
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This paper describes attempts to em
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seed needed to attain the recommend
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introduced to permit sale beyond th
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pesticides, inoculation with benefi
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for the rabi crop in 2001. Hence, b
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where farmers decided not to relay-
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Table 2. Mean dates of T. aman harv
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Table 4. Subsistence pressure and r
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Table 7. Subsistence pressure and r
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cite the absence of rent as a facto
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abi cropping in the HBT through ear
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Formulation and dissemination ofimp
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in India, for which shorter-duratio
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Applied researchOFTsAdaptive resear
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Table 1. Recommended package of pra
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Table 2. Grain yields (kg ha -1 ) o
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Table 4. Grain yields (t ha -1 ) of
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Table 6. Mean grain yields (t ha -1
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constraints present. This in itself
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Extending rabi cropping in rice fal
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Table 1. Estimates of rice area dur
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Yield (kg ha -1 )1,2001,00080060040
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Future disseminationThrough dialogu
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Direct seeding of rice andopportuni
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Table 1. Time of establishment and
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Table 3. Weed density and biomass a
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than in Central Java and many farme
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Proportion abundance (log scale)Ran
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CAN FIELD BE DRAINED?YesCAN FIELD B
Page 222 and 223:
Johnson DE, Mortimer AM. 2005. Issu
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Zhao DL, Atlin GN, Bastiaans L, Spi
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