There are now five regional and global editions of the AgriCultures Network's magazines that have their March issues focused on the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The latest two of this group of publications that are dedicated to low external input sustainable agriculture are Baobab, an Africa-based magazine, and LEISA China, which is published in Chinese. (The March issues of the previous three, Farming Matters,
LEISA India, and the Spanish language Latin American edition, LEISA Revista de Agroecología, have been reviewed in previous posts to our blog.)
Issue 66 of Baobab magazine captures the progressive adoption of the System of Rice
Intensification (SRI) outside Madagascar, focusing on its introduction,
adoption and effectiveness in East Africa. As the quest for technologies
that enable more efficient and environmentally friendly agricultural
practices has intensified, SRI, which was defined in Madagascar little more than a decade ago, has emerged as a good option. Although efforts to introduce SRI have met with some initial resistance of both
farmers and the scientific community, the methods still spread from farmer to
farmer at an amazing rate and the methods are now well-supported by
research. Also covered in this issue is the application of SRI methods to a number of other crops.
水稻强化栽培体 (SRI) 的推广-
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This March issue of LEISA China (vol. 7, no. 1) looks at the current use of and debates around
System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as it moved from Madagascar to more than 50
countries and from rice to other crops. With the impressive dissemination of SRI, this is a fascinating case study of innovation from
below, involving local authorities, "champions", extension agents and
millions farmers
