Mechanized seeding helps Odisha farmer do away with fallows and increase the productivity of his rice-based cropping system

Bikram Keshari Parida volunteered to conduct mechanized seeding using various high-yielding crop varieties and hybrids and improved agronomy in his fields. Many farmers from different parts of Odisha visited his fields to learn about the innovative technologies he adopted. (Photo: IRRI India)

Bikram Keshari Parida volunteered to conduct mechanized seeding using various high-yielding crop varieties and hybrids and improved agronomy in his fields. Many farmers from different parts of Odisha visit his farm to learn about the innovative technologies he adopted.

The rice-based lowland rainfed agroecologies of Odisha are plagued with several crop production problems. Rice farmers in the state, who are mostly small and marginal holders and resource-poor, face increasing production costs, lower productivity, labor scarcity, low mechanization, drudgery, water shortage, and field fallows during the rabi season after the kharif rice crop, among others.

Because farmers and other stakeholders need innovations to address the said issues,  the Government of Odisha launched Precision direct-seeded rice-based diversification systems for transforming labour requirement, yields, and profitability of smallholder farmers in Odisha (DSR-Odisha) in 2021.

The DSR-Odisha Project, led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),  is currently being implemented in the districts of Bargarh, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, and Puri, in collaboration with various partners.

In Puri District, about 60% of farmers practice transplanting and the rest use the broadcasting method of sowing rice.