Discover SRI, System of Intensive Rice Cultivation: the agronomic discovery of the century

Talk to a farmer about sending his kids to school when he needs them in the fields! Even the children will send you out to graze. Continuous education can only really be suggested when food replaces anguish...

So, productive agriculture is one of the strategic pieces of the educational equation. Most developed countries have long since forgotten this reality...

Today, the System of Intensive Rice Cultivation or "SRI" valorizes rice cultivation at a minimum of 300%. This natural approach challenges conventional agronomy.

• Thirty nations are already adopting it.
• In Madagascar, it produces up to 23 t/ha, compared with the national average of 2 t/ha.
• Tefy Saina (literally "the forge of the mind") is the association that continues the work of Henri de Laulanié, the father of SRI. Tefy Saina is a program to create wealth in rural areas.

Come and join us on this vast project!

The technique

The method is flexible and can be adapted to different environments. Basically, all you need to do is :

• transplant the rice at a younger age (from 8 days),
• transplant more widely apart,
• control the water supply (rice is not an aquatic plant) and
• rotate crops (e.g. 3 months beans, 3 months potatoes and 6 months rice).

In addition to increasing yields

• SRI drastically reduces seed consumption;
• limits water consumption and
• limits greenhouse gas emissions.

It also requires no chemical fertilizers or GMOs... in short: nothing but happiness.

SRI is used in over 30 countries worldwide. The "lid" was placed on this method 20 years ago, and has been lifted over the past 3 years, thanks in particular to the Internet.

We're talking about something huge, which can affect the short- and long-term future of millions of people.

Download the Intensive Rice Farming System manual, in .pdf format ( 20 pages, 229 k in French)

Send your questions to : Nicolas Duriez: [email protected]

SRI-related questions from the English-speaking world can be directed to Professor Norman Uphoff: [email protected]

Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD), Cornell University