SRI, Seeds and Software: Converging Advocacies?

By Roberto Verzola

Coordinator, SRI-Pilipinas

Author, Towards a Political

Economy of Information

rverzola@gn.apc.org

About the speaker

• Background in engineering and information science (EE; ICT for industrial, commercial and non-profit applications)

• A social activist: has served for more than two decades as technical resource person for non-govt organizations (NGOs)

• Main interests: social impacts of technologies

System of Rice Intensification

• Focuses on management practices, not genetics• Based on the ff principles:

– Younger seedlings recover better from stress– Less competition, better root growth, better yield– Feed the soil, the soil will feed the plant– Rice is NOT an aquatic plant

• Relies more on on-farm resources (farmer’s knowledge, biomass/compost, soil biota)

• Results in less expenses, more income• Opens possibilities for diversification

Specific SRI Practices

• Early transplanting: 8-12 days, before the third leaf appears; transplant carefully

• Wider distances (25x25 cm, up to 45x45cm, or even more); one seedling per hill

• Fields should not be flooded continuously: 1) keep soil moist; or 2) alternate wetting and drying

• Use a mechanical weeder every 10-14 days for weed control and soil aeration

• Use compost, not inorganic fertilizers, for best results

Use a rake to guide transplanting

Young (8-12 days) seedlings

Wide spacing; single seedlings

No continuous flooding

Mechanical rotary weeder

Compost, for best results

SRI Devts in the Philippines

• Support within the govt bureaucracy gradually expanding, though opposition still exists in some significant quarters

• National SRI conference last Oct. 2004 sponsored by the Univ of the Phils in Los Banos, College of Ag, SRI-Pilipinas and Natl Social Action Center of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Phils

Natl SRI Conference in the Phils

• Major stakeholders represented: some govt agencies, academe, farmers’ groups/NGOs, church advocates of sustainable agriculture

• Govt presence: Philrice, Agric Training Inst (ATI-DA), local govt units, UPLB-CA

• Data from 75 trials, 48 has.: 6.16 tons/ha

• Group consensus: more field trials

Informant Name, Org/Ofc, Location Region/Prov Year AreaActual Yield

Cmputd Yield/ha

Dr. Rolando Cruz, Philrice N.Ecija 0.0885 0.398 4.50Dr. Rolando Cruz, Philrice N.Ecija 0.0885 0.319 3.60Dr.Oscar Zamora, UPLB Laguna 0.04 0.304 7.60Dr.Oscar Zamora, UPLB Laguna 0.04 0.184 4.60C.Romano, c/o B.Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.0004 0.002 5.30V.Binato, c/o Bernie.Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.1188 0.784 6.60D.Loyola c/o Bernie Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.0598 0.260 4.35Gov. Maliksi, Imus c/o B.Aragoza Cavite 0.5096 2.548 5.00Bernie Aragoza, Gov Ofc Cavite 1 7.600 7.60Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP Negros Occ. 2004 2.04 11.302 5.54Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP Negros Occ. 2003 0.05 0.385 7.70SRI Pilipinas, Provincial Summary Bohol 2.8331 16.557 5.84Sammy Gallardo, ATI-Cebu Cebu 1 6.400 6.40Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP, Carcar Cebu 0.0882 0.350 3.97Dr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 0.04 0.246 6.16Dr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 0.812 3.592 4.42Dr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 1.2 5.134 4.28Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2001 0.5 3.800 7.60Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.2 2.320 11.60Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.15 1.875 12.50Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.15 1.800 12.00Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2003 0.5 3.600 7.20Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2003 0.5 3.800 7.60Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2004 0.055 0.924 16.80Mr. Bong Salazar, NIA-SPISP Agusan dS 2003 1 8.900 8.90Mr. Bong Salazar, NIA-SPISP Agusan dS 0.33333 2.500 7.50Area (ha), Yield (tons), Avg (t/ha) NATIONAL 13.397 85.884 6.41

Known Govt/Academe SRI Trials in Various Regions of the Philippines

Govt attitude: still ambivalent

• Successful trials by govt researchers• DA Secretary Arthur Yap has publicly expressed

support for SRI (but no budgetary commitment)• Former DA usec Ernesto Ordonez very supportive• DA rice program head not supportive, and sees

SRI more as a threat to hybrid rice program• Philrice head supports SRI as a viable option

(among many) for farmers• Philrice head of SRI research remains doubtful• An increasing number of LGUs are interested

Farmer-bred seeds

• PABINHI: a farmers’ network promoting sustainable agriculture led by farmers who are also rice breeders

• Seeds freely exchanged among farmers• Preference for open-pollinated varieties• Selection criteria determined by farmers• Moral rights, not intellectual property rights

ICT for farmers

• Cell phones for feedback

• Video players for audio-visual information

• Micro-power radio stations for local information exchange

• Free information exchange, to enable farmers to generate, expand and freely share their own knowledge

Convergence?

• SRI: freely available knowledge, no copyrights or patents

• Seeds: freely available seeds, not bound through technical (hybrid/”terminator” technology) or legal (PVPs, patents) means

• ICTs: open science, creative commons, free/open software

SRI Results in 12 Countries

177%7.22.6Madagascar

102%8.54.2Nepal

100%8.04.0India

See: Uphoff, Norman, Intl Year of Rice Conf, FAO, Rome, Feb 2004

14%12.410.9China

29%6.34.9Bangladesh

37%7.45.0Indonesia

58%9.86.2Cuba

78%4.8 2.7Cambodia

112%5.32.5Sierra Leone

116%7.83.6Sri Lanka

169%5.42.0Myanmar

209%7.12.3 tons/hectareGambia

% increaseSRIConventionalCountries

Known SRI Trials in Various Regions of the Philippines

Informant Name, Org/Ofc, Location Region/Prov Year AreaActual Yield

Cmputd Yield/ha

IlocosCity Agriculturist Office, Alaminos Pangasinan 2004

CARSatur Blaza, Bangued Social Actn Ctr Abra 2004 0.5427 2.205 4.06

Cagayan V.Jun Lactao Cagayan 2004Luz Sabas Cagayan 2004Jun Ortiz, NVSU N.Vizcaya 2004

C.LuzonMike Acena, Samal c/o PRRM Bataan 2002 1 6.000 6.00Mike Acena, Samal c/o PRRM Bataan 2003 1 7.500 7.50Mike Acena, Samal c/o PRRM Bataan 2004 1 6.700 6.70Outreach Phils Inc. N.Ecija 0.126 0.567 4.50Dr. Rolando Cruz, Philrice N.Ecija 0.0885 0.398 4.50Dr. Rolando Cruz, Philrice N.Ecija 0.0885 0.319 3.60Manny Lahoz, Ecotech Masipag Zambales 2002 0.5 2.250 4.50Manny Lahoz, Ecotech Masipag Zambales 2003 0.25 1.300 5.20

Manny Lahoz, Ecotech Masipag Zambales 2004 0.01 0.055 5.50

c/o Jimmy Tadeo, NRFC Bulacan 2004

c/o Jimmy Tadeo, NRFC Pampanga 2004

S.LuzonDr.Oscar Zamora, UPLB Laguna 0.04 0.304 7.60Dr.Oscar Zamora, UPLB Laguna 0.04 0.184 4.60

C.Romano, c/o B.Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.000402 0.002 5.30V.Binato, c/o Bernie.Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.1188 0.784 6.60D.Loyola c/o Bernie Aragoza, GovOfc Cavite 0.0598 0.260 4.35Gov. Maliksi, Imus c/o B.Aragoza Cavite 0.5096 2.548 5.00Bernie Aragoza, Gov Ofc Cavite 1 7.600 7.60Fausto Mercado, Sn Juan Batangas 2004 1 5.000 5.00Rene Cerilla, Lopez Quezon 2003c/o Wigberto Tanada, Gumaca Quezon 2004

MindoroBicol

Mely Cervantes, CCSAC, Pili Cam. Sur 2004W.Visayas

Dionito Enano, Hubon c/o R.Jaranilla Guimaras 2002 0.58 2.378 4.10Dionito Enano, Hubon c/o R.Jaranilla Guimaras 2003 0.58 5.040 8.69Rene Jaranilla, Hubon Guimaras 2003 1 3.600 3.60Nicholas Cordero c/o C.Tionko, PDRCI Iloilo 2003 0.7

3.5715.10

Nicholas Cordero c/o C.Tionko, PDRCI Iloilo 2003 1 4.116 4.12

Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP Negros Occ. 2004 2.04 11.302 5.54

Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP Negros Occ. 2003 0.05 0.385 7.70

Boni Sanchez, BIND, BacolodNegros Occ. 1999-

2003 5.76 23.104 4.01Boni Sanchez, BIND, Bacolod Negros Occ. 2003 1.5 4.950 3.30ABRAMS, Magallon Negros Occ. 2002 0.4 2.256 5.64ABRAMS, Magallon Negros Occ. 2003 7 51.744 7.39George Calataro Negros Occ. 2004 0.5 1.584 3.17Roberto Centino Negros Occ. 2004 0.4 1.800 4.50

Alfredo Buenafe Negros Occ. 2004 0.5 2.495 4.99Rolly Urbano Negros Occ. 2004 0.35 1.918 5.48Armando Dollente Negros Occ. 2004 0.5 3.070 6.14Jonathan dela Cruz Negros Occ. 2004 0.35 1.890 5.40Winston Cordova Negros Occ. 2004 0.35 1.995 5.70

C.VisayasSRI Pilipinas, Provincial Summary Bohol 2.8331 16.557 5.84Sammy Gallardo, ATI-Cebu Cebu 1 6.400 6.40Dr. Roger Lazaro, NIA-SPISP, Carcar Cebu 0.0882 0.350 3.97

E.VisayasDr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 0.04 0.246 6.16Dr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 0.812 3.592 4.42Dr. Zosimo dela Rosa, Leyte State U. Leyte 2004 1.2 5.134 4.28

W.MindanaoPagadian Social Action Center Zambo dN

N.MindanaoVic Tagupa, XUCA-SAC, Cag.de Oro Misamis Or.

S.MindanaoAlex Rendon, TACDRUP, Davao Cty

C.MindanaoNoe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2001 0.5 3.800 7.60Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.2 2.320 11.60Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.15 1.875 12.50Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2002 0.15 1.800 12.00Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2003 0.5 3.600 7.20Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2003 0.5 3.800 7.60

Noe Ysulat, ATI-DA, Kabacan Cotabato 2004 0.055 0.924 16.80Joel Platon, M'lang Cotabato 2004 0.46 3.710 8.07David Cortedo, M'lang Cotabato 2004 1 9.891 9.89Bonifacio Cortedo, M'lang Cotabato 2004 0.6 5.567 9.28CONSERVE Cotabato 1999 0.05 0.175 3.50Nerissa Tuvera, Bagumbayan S.Kudarat 2004 1 7.371 7.37Vicvic Castor, Bagumbayan S.Kudarat 2004 0.0325 0.252 7.75Eddie Santos, Bagumbayan S.Kudarat 2004 0.0385 0.465 12.08Ernesto Dondiego, Bagumbayan S.Kudarat 2004 1 8.300 8.30Domingo Superal Jr, Bgy. Kapinkong, Lambayong

S.Kudarat 2003 2.519.250

7.70

Domingo Superal Jr, Bgy. Kapinkong, Lambayong

S.Kudarat 2004 0.756.030

8.04

CaragaMr. Bong Salazar, NIA-SPISP Agusan dS 2003 1 8.900 8.90Mr. Bong Salazar, NIA-SPISP Agusan dS 0.333333 2.500 7.50Felix Baguanga, Butuan Surigao dN 2004 0.0156 0.041 2.63Felix Baguanga, Butuan Surigao dN 2004 0.0178 0.041 2.32

ARMMMaguindanaoLanao dS

Area (ha), Yield (tons), Avg (t/ha) NATIONAL 47.7603 294.065 6.16

*Note: Data from SRI Conference, UPLB, Oct. 28-30, and from SRI Primer, May 2004. For comparison,

national average is around 3.3 tons per hectare.