Indonesia is one of the biggest consumers of rice in Asia, making the availability of affordable rice of prime importance to the well being of the nation’s 235 million people. In a bid to avoid a recurrence of the rice crisis that took place in the country in 2008, the Indonesian government initiated a national program to increase annual rice production by 5%.
In March 2008, the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) led a project to raise rice productivity in South and Southeast Sulawesi. However, as Donna Casimero, an International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientist based in South Sulawesi, discovered, farmers in the area were using technology with limited information on how to use it correctly. For example, rice farmers in Southeast Sulawesi were not aware that one type of herbicide does not work for all species of weeds.
“They were spraying their fields with herbicide for broad-leaf weeds when the fields were actually infested with grassy weeds,” she said.
As a result, the farmers lost 20–30% of their yield to weeds, while continuing to use the wrong herbicide.
Introducing GAPs
Dr. Casimero introduced the farmers to GAPs (good agricultural practices), which promote the importance of integrated crop management and worker welfare. GAPs also address environmental, economic, and social sustainability for on-farm practices. She taught farmers how best to manage water, weeds, nutrients, and pests in four selected villages in the area.
Before the intervention, farmers were also more likely to apply too much fertilizer at the early stage of their crops – yet another expensive and wasteful practice resulting from insufficient knowledge. Through site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) in adaptive trials in farmers’ fields, Dr. Casimero was able to show proof that a more diligent application of fertilizer could result in higher yields.
Farmers were also introduced to alternate wetting and drying technology, a practice that reduces water use and pumping costs by allowing plots to dry for several days. Adopting farmers enjoyed yield increases of 0.2–0.6 ton per hectare. They were also able to reduce the number of irrigation periods by 10–30%. Having seen the benefits of these practices, farmers are now testing two or more of these technologies together in their fields. “We are happy,” claims one farmer. “We got 3 tons per hectare in 2008 and 5 tons in 2010.”
Driven by the enthusiasm of the farmers and Indonesian partners, IRRI will continue to provide technical assistance to spread best practices to more districts. The adoption of GAPs will also enable farmers to develop opportunities for higher quality rice and help fill the gap between small-scale rice farmers and wealthier farmers.
Photo credit: Donna Casimero, IRRI. “Simple water tubes help farmers check the water level in a rice field as part of a water-saving practice: alternate wetting and drying.”