Scaling up the System of Rice Intensification (SRI ) in Liberia
• Presentation to Food Security
Cluster (FSC) Jan. 28,2015 @
MOA Conference Room
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”

BRIEF HISTORY
CHAP is a national NGO specialized in focused on in urban and rural communities since 2008 . 4 main component:
1. Agriculture/ Livelihoods
2. Health and Hygiene Promotion
3. Enhancing Capacity Building
4. Advocacy
CHAP is specialized in rice and crop production and served as the focal organization for the System of Rice Intensification(SRI) in Liberia and is implementing a pilot project in Grand Gedeh and River Gee under MOA with funding from WAAPP Liberia.
Currently we now have SRI programs active in Nimba,
Montserrado, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Gedeh, River Gee and will be extending to Bassa, Grand Kru, Maryland, Gbarpolu and
Cape Mount next month
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Objectives:
• Introduce SRI to rice farmers across Liberia (they will get to know SRI practices, methodology and principles)
• Increase yield, change their planting methods, and adapt SRI as way of cultivating rice for higher yield and increase their income per season
• Train farmers and technicians on SRI practices, benefits etc.
• Conduct trials, collect data on SRI yields and benefits, and monitor SRI activities across the country
• Introduce SRI as climate-change-smart solution for rice and crop production
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• Held 1 SRI Champion TOT workshop
• Held 5 trainings with farmers across the county
• Developed Liberia SRI directory awaiting publication (300 persons and organizations)
• 50 farmer trials awaiting harvest this dry season in River Gee and Grand Gedeh, Nimba, and
Montserrado. CHAP served as reference for the region in terms of scaling up
• Held two farmer-exchange visits in country
(Oxfam GB farmers and CHAP SRI farmers)
• Organization/institutions that trying SRI : CARI,
BRAC, FUN, Ajayfarm, Arise&Shine, ASRP/IFAD,
WAS, Community College in Grand Gedeh
• Participated 4 international trainings in Vietnam
,Japan, Togo and Benin in the last 7 months
• Radio program on UNMIL radio, ELBC, MOA ,
SRI/Westafrica, Smile FM
• Most farmers now planting rice this dry season
• Increase in yield at farmers’ fields and main site
• Over 100 requests in the last 2 years from CBOs,
Cooperatives, NGOs, private sector
• 7 main presentations o SRI to WAAPP/ World
Bank, Grand Gedeh County Authority, CDA,
LRRRC, ACC, PMU Project Officers, WHH/GAA
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• The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an agro-ecological and climate-smart methodology
– For increasing the productivity of rice and other crops
– By changing the management of plants, soil, water and nutrients, while reducing external inputs
• SRI provides principles, guidelines and ideas – to be adapted to local environment
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1.
Healthy early crop establishment
– Seed selection & treatment, raised bed nursery, transplanting at young age 8-15days old
30-60DAYS
8 DAYS
1.
Reduced competition between plants
–
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Increased spacing to 25cmx25cm
1 plant / hill
2. Healthy soils, rich in organic matter
– Add manure, compost, green manure, crop residues
3. Aerobic soil management
– Reduced water applications (alternate wetting and drying irrigation management)
– Mechanical weeder use
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Physiological and morphological changes of SRI plants
1.
Tillers are thicker (+38%)
2. Greater canopy angle
3. Plants are higher (+24%)
4. More tillers/hill (+100%)
5. Similar/more # tillers/m 2;
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Roots are deeper, longer, double the volume, and greater weight/ hill
Non SRI - flooded SRI – AWD conditions
Thiyagarajan et al. (2009) Principles and Practices of SRI in Tamil Nadu
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First SRI plot in Liberia, Dec 2012 by Community of Hope Agriculture
Project (CHAP) Paynesville, Monrovia
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1. Single plant /hill
2. Transplant young seedlings (@ 2-leaf stage)
3. Adopt wide spacing planted in a grid pattern
4. Minimum water application during vegetative growth
5. Use mechanical and manual weeder
6. Use organic amendments as base fertilization
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”

• SRI methodology can improve rice productivity for any variety (traditional and improved) and with locally available resources
• SRI is farmer-driven and knowledge-based approach
– SRI was introduced to Liberia through CHAP
– SRI can be directly applied with farmers
– Immediate learning with and from farmers creates fast and relevant results!
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”

High quality seed production by farmers
Cambodia
• 1 plant/hill eliminates danger of mixing varieties (length 1.4m/4’7”
• Purification of seeds /reconstruction of varieties
• Best plants selected by farmers for seeds
• Only 7 kg/ha of seeds required for 1 ha
• Multiplication factor for seed production:
SRI x 1000 (6 kg seeds – 6 t/ha yield)
Example: 1 kg seed, in Year 3: 167,000 ha
Traditional x 100 (30 kg/ha seeds - 3 t/ha yield), Example: 1 kg seed, in Year 3: 333 ha
Cambodia
Non SRI SRI G.Gedeh
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Creating aerobic soil conditions
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• Yield Increase: often >50%
• Water savings: 30-50%
• Seed reduction: > 90%
• Chemical fertilizer reduction:
20-40% (up to 100% = organic SRI)
• Improved tolerance towards pests and diseases
• Not variety-specific
– Pesticide reduction
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• Shorter crop cycle (1-2 weeks)
• Improved drought tolerance
• Improve resistance to strong winds
• Costs/ha (reduction by
30%)
• Income increase/ha:
+30-100%
• Promote group farming
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 Marker
 Nursery tray
 Cutlass
 Canoe weeder
 Garden weeder
 Rope
 Shovel
 Dega meter
 Stick
 Hand
 Power tiller
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“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace”

“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”

The System of Rice Intensification
(SRI) is an answer to prayer for growing rice in changing climate by creating a triple- win situation for agriculture, climate security and, food security because it:
1.
Sustainably increases rice production and income of farmers (greater crop productivity )
2.
Strengthens crops’ resilience to climate change and variability
(facilitates adaptation)
3.
Reduces rice’s production of greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change (helps promote mitigation)
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”

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SRI Cost-Benefit
A farmer in Zwedru by the name
Edward Sohn planted less than 1 kg of S-8 on 1 plot (18 m x 20 m) and harvested 9 bags of 50 kg rice after drying and weighing by our team. He have now decided to only grow SRI and have extended his field to 1ha this season.
His photo was sent and posted on SRI booth in Bangkok during the 4 th
International Rice Congress , which brought visibility to our work and our nation.
SRI Seed Rice @CHAP office
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• Funding support to scale up SRI across the country and integrate it into the
Cash Transfer Projects
• Support the fencing and laying out of SRI main field in Zubah Town,
Monrovia; establish 5 main SRI rice fields in 5 counties on 5 ha
• Financial support to air
SRI via radio, develop
Liberia SRI video, and SRI
Farmers Field School picture book
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PLANT LESS AND GET MORE WITH
SRI TODAY !!!!!!!
“Fighting Hunger For Sustainable Peace ”