Sunday, February 17, 2013

New Video Series on the System of Rice Intensification in Africa



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One of five videos in the series
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and SRI-Rice at Cornell University and have teamed up with Flooded Cellar Production, an international film, TV and video production company, to create a series of videos about how the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) spread and is practiced in several areas of Eastern and Southern Africa. The series can be access from the SRI-Rice Africa Video Feature article (http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/news/features/featured0213.html) and the IFAD SRI adoption page.

Based on experiences in IFAD-funded projects in Burundi, Madagascar and Rwanda, the series of videos is about the adoption of SRI by farmers who learned from and teach other farmers like themselves. They demonstrate how to apply the knowledge and the significant benefits it has brought them. The series of five videos is available in English, French and Malagasy languages. (Production in a fourth language, Kirundi, is forthcoming.) [more...]

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

SRI-RICE CENTER NEWS and System of Rice Intensification Updates

 SRI-Rice Center News
As of 2013, you no longer have to wait for our annual report to see what is happening with SRI-Rice projects, partners, staff and students! The SRI-Rice Center News page is now available on our main website.

SRI-Rice Website Additions 
Every month, we add a lot of material to the SRI-Rice website. Beginning today, we will provide you with a monthly update of the items we either link to or directly upload onto our website. Feel free to check out the fist of these: The January SRI-Rice Website Additions page. A few of the highlights from our January 2013 website additions include:
  • Research: links to 16 articles in academic journals (about SRI in Brazil, India, Iran, Korea and Timor Leste, as well as several general articles.)
  • Mali: an article in the Cornell Chronicle about an SRI project in Douentza, Mali, that continued to be successful throughout the war between the government and Islamic militant
  • India: articles in Indian newspapers about the State of Bihar as well as several farmers winning awards for high yields obtained with SRI
  • Afghanistan: an instructional poster for SRI designed for Farmer Field Schools in the 8 provinces in Afghanistan.  (During 2012, 950 farmers participated in 38 FFS put on by the Integrated Pest Management (PIPM) project (FAO and govt. agencies). see the SRI-Rice Afghanistan page for details.]
  • Benin: a report on the System of Rice Intensification regional training 11-13 September, 2012 - Kakanitchoé (Ouémé), Rep. of Benin (on the SRI-Rice website)
  • Cuba/India: Biksham Gujja's 50p. booklet on SRI principles adapted for sugarcane (SSI) in India has been translated into Spanish by Rena Perez for use in Cuba: SiCAS - Sistema de Caña de Azúcar Sostenible - Produciendo 'Más con Menos'.  (For more on Rena's efforts to promote SSI/SiCAS, see her PowerPoint presented to Cuba's sugarcane professionals last month.)
  • Nepal: Two PowerPoint presentations about the System of Wheat Intensification (SWI) in Nepal were sent to us: Ram Khadka's SWI work in Kailalia District (Far Western Nepal) and Debraj Adhikari's SWI efforts in the Sindhuli District of Central Nepal.
  • For the complete list of new items for January, go to the SRI-Rice Website Additions page.