Focus on Environment

<strong>Focus</strong> Environ (2016)
Sustainable Agriculture through Organic Farming
friendly.
The focus of this study is on the
management practice in sustainable
agriculture and organic farming by paying
attention on the environment. The
management of sustainable agricultural
practice in Malaysia paddy farming is still in
its preliminary stage (Othman and
Muhammad, 2011; Othman et. al, 2016).
Currently, a popular system in organic
farming in Asia is the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI) (Uphoff, 2006), which
has been practiced in Malaysia since 2009
by starting at Bandar Baru Tunjong,
Kelantan, and Sik, Kedah. In the context of
SRI management, the Sri Lovely Farm at
Sik (which is one of the two cases in this
study) was one of the few certified organic
farms in Malaysia in 2013. The knowledge
in implementing the SRI in paddy
cultivation is still limited and, therefore,
more studies are necessary to establish it.
This study is undertaken to understand the
SRI as a sustainable paddy farming practice
by selecting two farms from different states
of West Malaysia. It explores the two
experienced farmers’ practices in managing
their paddy farms by employing the SRI. As
the main objective of the research was to to
understand and identify the sustainable
agricultural practices in organic paddy
farming in Malaysia.
SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION
SRI is a method to manage organic farming.
It was developed in Madagascar in 1983 as a
revolutionary paddy cultivation method to
achieve very high yields with reduced
resources such as irrigation water, fertilizers
and chemicals. The SRI is implemented in a
number of rice-growing countries, including
in China, India, and Myanmar. It is found
that the existing rice varieties have more
genetic potential than that of the previously
Othman and Hasan
thought which can be tapped by altering the
management practices. So far, the SRI
planting tests have been carried out in a total
of 48 countries including in Asia, Africa and
Latin America. Many SRI users reported
benefits such as a reduction in pests,
diseases, grain shattering, unfilled grains
and lodging. Additional environmental
benefits stem from the reduction of
agricultural chemicals, water use and
methane emissions that contribute to global
warming. SRI is also suitable for highland
paddy farming, and its application has
already been expanded to other types of
crops such as sugar cane.
According to Uphoff (2006), paddy
farming application using the SRI is based
on six main principles as follows: (1) When
(if) transplanting, to start with young
seedlings (two-leaf stage); (2) Plants to be
set out carefully and gently in a square
pattern of the size 25x25cm or wider if the
soil condition is very good, but this size can
be even wider if the soil is fertile enough, or
once it becomes more fertile after the SRI
practices; (3) Seedlings are to be
transplanted singly; (4) Rice paddies are to
be irrigated intermittently by keeping
minimum of water rather than continuously
flooded; (5) Weeding is to be carried out for
at least twice though the best result can be
obtained from multiple weeding with a
‘rotating hoe’ that actively aerates the soil at
the same time churning weeds back into the
soil to decompose, thereby conserving their
nutrients; and (6) Basic organic fertilizers,
compost or any decomposed biomass are to
be used.
CURRENT ISSUES IN RICE
PRODUCTION
Global warming, environmental crisis, plant
diseases and pests are the main causes in
disrupting the food production in many
ISBN: 978-967-14475-0-5; eISBN: 978-967-14475-1-2 39