SRI – based livelihood Initiative in the Mekong

Hai Duong, 11 July 2007

Le Nguyet Minhleminh@oxfamamerica.org

Presentation overview

1. Opportunities & Impact potentials: Grow local, influence regional and global

2. Cambodia’s lessons: CEDAC self-reliance and its leading role

3. Oxfam work: Demonstration & facilitation

1. Opportunities

• Population growth and finite resources, esp. water, will sustain high demand for rice

• Tremendous advocacy opportunity to form an organized support structure at community, national and international levels

• Increasing trend towards sustainable agriculture: less dependence on artificial inputs, environmental friendly

• Community-based approach, addressing poverty at scale

1. Impact potentials

• Changes in lives of millions of rice farmers, regardless of landholding size

• Influence global rice sector, and food security• Potential of scalability • Increased support to small farmer agriculture • Improved social resilience

– Strengthened income security through higher land productivity– Coherent social network– Boosting farmer confidence

2. Cambodian experience

2. Cambodian experience

• CEDAC learned about SRI in 1999 through LEISA magazine, first contact with Normal Uphoff (CIIFAD) in 2000

• In 2000, 28 SRI farmer-led field experimentation conducted • In 2006, around 60,000 farmers apply SRI at various levels• Consistent positive field results shows that SRI is appropriate to

address problems related to food insecurity, poverty alleviation & strategic entry point in rural development

• 5 years for Ministry of Agriculture to formally endorse SRI technology

• SRI is now widely supported & promoted by 24 provincial departments of agriculture & 47 NGOs

• SRI national working group: secretariat hosted by MAFF, membership of NGOs, bilateral donors

2. Number of SRI farmers in Cambodia

28 500 300010000

17000

40000

60000

90,000

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Source: CEDAC

Areas of SRI application (ha)

1.6 28.7900

4700 4788

11200

16400

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Source: CEDAC, SRI secretariat

Number of villages, provinces

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Number of villages

18 122 350 815 1,397 2,500 2,685

Number of provinces

4/24 7/24 11/24 14/24 17/24 20/24 24/24

Source: SRI secretariat

Innovative ways to promote SRI

• Informal and formal farmer to farmer extension• Combined informal and formal channels

– NGOs network– Local governments, department of agriculture– Politicians– School teachers

• Adaptive extension and learning materials (radio broadcast, video, upcoming television shows)

• Prize of best SRI farmers• Market premium for chemical-free SRI rice

Benefits from SRI

• Yield increases 50 - 150%, from average 1.5-1.8 tons/ha to 2.5-3.5 tons/ha with traditional/local varieties

• Few SRI farmers yield over 6 tons/ha• Reduced inputs:

– Seed by 70-80%– Fertilizers by 50 % (150 kg/ha down to 75 kg/ha)

• Most SRI farmers have given up pesticide • Net income per ha increases app. $US 58 - 172

(almost 200 % more).• Under CEDAC’s marketing support, increasing

number of SRI farmers sell their rice as chemical-free and receive 15 % premium

Change of income

(n=120 farmers, in riel)

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

900000

before SRI 2001 2002 2003

Variable Cost

Net Income

Fertilizer cost

Spin-off benefits of SRI

• Increased self-confidence and self-reliance as they can get higher production by using only their existing resources

• Growing interest among farmers in other technical and social innovations (e.g. saving for self-reliance, collective marketing & purchase)

• SRI to SID (System of intensification & diversification) to diversity farm portfolio: feed animals with rice surplus, converting part of rice fields to other products (vegetables, fish, husbandry and trees planting)

Twinning SRI & Saving for Change

• Oxfam reinforces Self-help farmer groups as foundation

• Twining approach: SRI & Saving for Change: to mobilize own resource, smooth incomes & enhance social trust, cohesion

• Rolls out nation-wide0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

SRI and Saving for Change in Cambodia

Savers

SRI farmers

• On-going support to Cambodia since 2003• Pilot in Vietnam: Community-based SRI

application with PPD and Ha Tay PPSD 78 - 90 % seed saving 30% water saving 8 - 15 % yield increase More $ 120 - 140 / ha / crop

• Developing new partnership in Vietnam (PPD, SRD, OQ) & a regional SRI livelihood program

• Improving knowledge base with series of studies• Facilitating a SRI learning network in Mekong

3. What is Oxfam doing?