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Laos
2009 UPDATES: According to a July 29, 2009, article in the Vientiane Times, farmers in the northern provinces of Laos are increasingly turning to the "single seedling technique," which is also known as rice intensification system (or elsewhere as SRI). The article reports that the System of Rice Intensification Extension Project last year joined provincial and district authorities in Luang Prabang province to encourage farmers to take up the technique. A senior official of the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department, Ms. Soudalath Bouaraphahe, said the project initially targeted farmers growing about 200 hectares of rice in Nambak, Ngoy and Luang Prabang districts. She added that the provincial authorities plan to encourage the farmers to plant 500 hectares of rice using the technique, which can provide six tons per hectare. Mr. Souvanny Chouangthavy, head of the provincial agriculture section said that Xayaboury province authorities encouraged farmers to plant about 1,700 square metres of rice using the technique in Paklai district in 2006 and this area has increased to over 400 hectares in all 10 districts of the province. The benefits of the technique are attracting the interest of more and more farmers every year. Mr. Souvanny noted that the method is best suited for use in flat areas with irrigation channels and is considered beneficial because growth times are reduced, with seedlings ready for transplanting in 13-15 days (30cm by 30cm spacing), compared to about 30 days using traditional methods. Farmers who use SRI reportedly can save money because they spend less buying seedlings; the method also raises productivity in the use of land, labor and water. The Vientiane time article also notes that the "single seedling technique" is being promoted around the capital and in Huaphan, Xieng Khuang, Luang Prabang, Xayaboury and Vientiane provinces. • SRI Project Steering Committee Formed Project activities cover three areas: Regarding this instruction, the daily newspaper LAO PHATTANA reported (September 26, 2008) that:
It is estimated that in this dry season (2008-09) the total SRI area will reach more than 1,200 ha with 4,000 households in five northern provinces of Lao PDR under the Northern Community-Managed Irrigation Sector Project financed by ADB and implemented under the DOI/MAFF as well as PAFOs. The first Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting was chaired by the Deputy Director General of DOI/ MAF, Mr. Thanousay, and was participated in by a total of more than 40 persons, including Mr. Yusaku Toya, the representative of Pro-net 21 from Tokyo; 5 PSC members; representatives of the government staff; extension staff; model farmers of the three irrigation projects of the Project; representatives In the meeting, SRI experiences were presented by Pro-net 21, provincial staff, and participating model farmers, as well as by JVC, CUSO and ADRA reporting on their respective SRI experiences. Staff of Oxfam Australia could not attend the meeting, but a SRI farmer from Nawan village in Feuang district, Vientiane province, who worked with the Oxfam program presented his SRI experience. Oxfam Australia began introducing SRI in Laos in 2001 (see 2007 Oxfam Australia report). In the meeting, there was considerable agreement among the presenters on their positive experiences with SRI, though there were some difficulties reported like burden of weeding and attacks by golden ails during the young-seedling stage. The reports confirmed attractive incentives (advantages) with SRI such as: i) saving seeds, ii) reducing amount of inputs such as fertilizers, and iii) increase of yield. All affirmed that they will continue SRI practice in the next crop season. On the other hand, government staff who have not had experience with SRI themselves, who participated as observers, raised some questions and comments: i) high labor requirement, particularly for weeding, and ii) definition of SRI or authorization of SRI. For the first concern: two participants gave the following response: (i) The project is focusing on small holders in poor regions and is not trying to expand SRI to all areas in the country but rather to suitable areas where the methods are acceptable by the farmers. (ii) Generally, SRI would be applied to relatively small areas. There may be some counter-measures to deal with the high labor requirement of weeding by i) labor exchange or labor cooperation among farmer groups, and ii) employing more labor for weeding if this is economical compared with the expected yield. On the second concern, Shimazaki referred to the paper by Norman Uphoff, "What is SRI? Some Considerations" presented to the 3rd National SRI Symposium held at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, in India, Dec. 1-3, 2008 (see PowerPoint presentation). This addressed the issue, noting that nobody can say with any authority "What is SRI" and "What is not SRI." SRI is better understood as a matter of degree, than of kind, and it is a work in progress, not yet finished. Its concepts and methods present a goal to work toward, rather than a thing that is accomplished or not. (see "SRI- More a Matter of Degree than of Kind" which can be found on page 8 of the SRI Newsletter no. 4 Shimazaki concluded his report on the PSC meeting noting that it is expected that SRI extension activities will be increased as components of various projects in Lao PDR from now on. Whatever SRI extension activities are implemented, the sustainability of the methods will be determined by the farmers themselves. Working with the Department of Irrigation/MAF, Pro-net 21 will try to extend SRI practice in irrigation project areas focusing on irrigated forms of SRI. Possibly other organizations and programs in Laos will work on 'rainfed SRI' which has been successful in neighboring countries of Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. 2008 UPDATES • SRI Can Double Yield According to Director of Irrigation 2007 UPDATES
• OXFAM/Australia Reports on SRI Experience 2002-2007 • An October 10, 2007, article in the Vientiane Times reported on SRI results stemming from training efforts five years ago by Oxfam Australia (CAA) that are now starting to spread. According to the article, Lao farmers using SRI are now getting more than doubled yield with less inputs with no additional labor requirements. This effort will be further supported by a program being launched now by Oxfam America to spread SRI opportunities within the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia. 2004 UPDATES • In March 2004, an evaluation of SRI in Laos was conducted by Dr. John Schiller as part of a review for FAO of SRI in Southeast Asia, carried out with Dr. Max Whitten. Dr Schiller (JS) was visiting Laos for another purpose and took advantage of his presence in Laos to investigate SRI-related activities and to assess the potential of SRI for rice production in Laos. Discussions were held with Lao and international scientists associated with the Swiss funded Lao-IRRI Project and the National Rice Research Program of Laos, also with Lao and international technical advisors in the National Agriculture and Forestry Extension Service on 22-23 March. A site-visit was also made thereafter to an Oxfam-CAA (Community Aid Abroad) farmer-participatory SRI site in Feung district of Vientiane province, where discussions were held with farmers participating in the SRI activities, together with officials of the Fueng District Agriculture and Forestry Services Office (see report) 2002 Updates • In April 2002, the IRRI program in Laos sponsored a national workshop on SRI with the National Agricultural Research Center, to initiate evaluation of these methods, given the government's urgent request to raise rice yields but not in a chemical-dependent way, given financial constraints and environmental concerns. The first season's results were mixed: three sets of trials gave SRI yields lower than standard methods; one trial showed no difference; and two showed improvements with SRI, in the 6-7 t/ha range, compared with average yields of 3 t/ha. Evaluations are continuing in Laos.
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