SRI International Network and Resources Center

THAILAND SRI ARCHIVES (2001-2014)

Overview of SRI in Thailand	Reports and Articles	Videos and Audio
Progress and Activities (2015-2017)	Workshops	Slide Presentations
Activity Archives (2001-2014)	Extension Material	Photo Collection

SRI Activity Archives (2001-2014)

(See main Thailand page for more recent information)

2014

• SRI-Lower Mekong River Basin Project Holds Events in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand

  [December 24, 2014] The year-end edition of the SRI-LMB Newsletter reviews a number of SRI activities undertaken in countries of the Lower Mekong Basin. SRI-LMB action research sites in five selected provinces of Cambodia and Thailand are shown in the map at right (click to enlarge). After going through a season long intensive training in dry season 2014, the trained farmers of Cambodia and Thailand have set up 120 field experiments at 60 action research sites in 15 districts of 5 provinces in the wet season of 2014.

  In Kampong Speu province of Cambodia, 106 participants, including women and landless, actively participated in season-long Central Farmers Participatory Action Research (CFPAR) trainings that started early August 2014. A Nov. 10-13 farmer exchange visit with farmers from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand held in Surin, Thailand Nov. 10-13, was organized by the Department of Non-Formal Education, Surin in cooperation with AIT, Thailand and FAO. Finally, in Lao PDR, a mini-workshop organized by the SRI-LMB country office on October 19-20 was hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Extension and Cooperatives (DAEC). (See Dec. 2014 newsletter for details.)

• ACISAI and SRI-Rice Cosponsor International Workshop on Crop Production Equipment for SRI

  [December 2014] On November 1-3, a workshop on "Small-scale Crop Production Equipment for System of Rice Intensification" was jointly organized by SRI-Rice at Cornell University and ACISAI. The workshop, which was held at AIT in Pathumthani, brought 60 participants from 12 countries (Cambodia, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam) to discuss SRI equipment design and access issues. FAO staff and farmers from SRI-LMB project in Thailand also participated in the workshop. A field demonstration was organized by the Thailand Weekend Farmers Network in Pathumthani Province where they have been adapting SRI techniques and equipment. The presentations are available on the SRI-Rice website.

• International Events in Bangkok During October Consider the Future of SRI Around the World

  [November 5, 2014] Fifty participants from 16 countries attended the Workshop on Building Alliances around SRI and Agro-Ecology , which was held October 27-28, 2014, in Bangna, Bangkok, Thailand (see photo at right). The meeting, which was sponsored by SRI-Rice and Oxfam, provided a forum for discussing how respective and collaborative efforts can contribute to the more rapid and effective scaling-up of SRI use in participants’ countries and regions and around the world. A subsequent event, the 4th International Rice Congress (IRC), which took place October 27-31, 2014, at the BITEC, in Bangkok, also included a number of oral and poster presentations on SRI. SRI-Rice, SRI Global and Oxfam also sponsored a booth at the 4th IRC, which included numerous publications as well as a Cambodian rice dragon weeder.

• Lower Mekong River Basin SRI Project Makes Progress in Uttaradit and Surin Provinces

  Two Thai provinces where rice production is considered "insecure and vulnerable" are part of a study project working to improve crop standards of rice farmers throughout the region. The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is engaged in studying sustainable intensification of rice involving "Smart" farmers of Thailand in part of regional project. [Smart farmers are local rice farmers selected for their skills who work as managers and lecturers to provide their community with counseling, servicing, collecting of information, and reporting problems in crop production.] The project in Thailand is being implemented in six districts of the two food insecure provinces, Uttaradit and Surin. The wider project is also working in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, under one umbrella funded by the European Union (EU) as part of a global program on agricultural and research for development. The project is led by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Oxfam, SRI-Rice of Cornell University, the University of Queensland together with the local ministries, and NGOs.

• The food security challenges of rainfed smallholder farmers in Thailand were reviewed during a regional inception and planning workshop at AIT in Pathumthani in April 2013. Two season-long training projects - the Central Farmer's Participatory Action Research (CFPAR) - were staged from March, one in Surin and one in Uttaradit provinces. In Surin, the three districts Srikhoraphum, Chumphon Buri and Tha Tum were selected and in Uttaradit, the districts of Tron, Pichai and Ban Khok. Thirty farmers - ten Smart farmers from each district - studied rice cultivation. The activities included collection, compilation, analyses and interpretation of the data. In a recently conducted CFPAR meeting, the Smart farmers harvested the crop and final analysis was carried out involving local ministries which overwhelmingly showed that SRI principles could save 20 per cent in cost of production and input, and yet provide a higher yield up to 30 per cent, compared to conventional rice cultivation. [See article in The Nation for details.]

• Lower Mekong River Basin SRI Project Fine-Tuned for Uttaradit and Surin Provinces

  [February 1, 2014] A National Inception and Planning Workshop took place in Thailand on January 29-30, 2014, regarding the Asian Institute of Technology's (AIT) project on "Sustaining and Enhancing the Momentum for Innovation and Learning around the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the Lower Mekong River Basin." The main objective of the project is to contribute to enhance resilience of rainfed small-scale farmers of Lower Mekong region confronting climate change. The workshop involved government organizations, NGOs, relevant ministries, farmers, students, academicians, FAO and think tank to ensure national consultation on the objectives and activities of the project prior to implementation of action in two selected provinces of Thailand, Uttaradit and Surin. Read more about the 60 month project, which involves Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, on the SRI-LMB website.

2013

• Asian Centre of Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Intensification Launched with EU Grant for SRI

  The Asian Institute of Technology's (AIT) recent US$ 4.37 million grant from the European Union for SRI innovation in the Lower Mekong River Basin enabled the launch on April 9, 2013, of the Asian Centre of Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture Intensification (ACISAI). The project "Sustaining and Enhancing the Momentum for Innovation and Learning around the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the Lower Mekong River Basin" aims to support the intensification of small-scale agriculture as a performing model that could ultimately provide jobs to millions of landless farmers and enhance food security.(.. more on the project.)

  The ACISAI was officially inaugurated at a brief ceremony by Prof. Jayant K. Routray, Chairman of the AIT Academic Senate, along with Prof. Norman T. Uphoff, Cornell University; Dr. Rosa S. Rolle, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific; and Prof. Amir Kassam, University of Reading (see photo at right and SRI-LMB Newsletter).

2012

• Asian Institute of Technology Receives Grant to Help Small Farmers Confront Climate Change in the Lower Mekong River Basin through SRI

  The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, has been awarded a grant by the European Union (EU) for the implementation of a project on "Sustaining and Enhancing the Momentum for Innovation and Learning around the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in the Lower Mekong River Basin." The contract between AIT and the European Union, which was signed on November 12, 2012, indicates that the project will last 60 months with a total cost of approximately 3.4 million Euros, 85% of which will be provided by the EU. The main objective of the project is to contribute to enhance resilience of rainfed small-scale farmers of the Lower Mekong Region confronting climate change.

  The project will be implemented in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The main applicant for this project is AIT along with its partners - FAO Regional IPM Programme in South and Southeast Asia, Oxfam America, and Institute of Development Studies University of Sussex in UK. The Associate partners for the project are the SRI-Rice Center at the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) in at Cornell University, and the University of Queensland in Australia. For more information, contact: Abha Mishra, project manager. (See press release for more information.)

• Abha Mishra gets Best Paper Award for Paper on SRI Roots and Water Management

  Asian Institute of Technology's (AIT) Dr. Abha Mishra has been conferred the SAWADA Prize for the best paper published in the journal Paddy and Water Environment Engineering for the year 2012. The award was granted during the International Society of Paddy and Water Environment Engineering (PAWEES) 2012 Conference titled "Challenges of Environment and Water Management in Monsoon Asia" held November 27-29, 2012, at the Royal Irrigation Department, Pakkred, Thailand.

  The award, which consists of a plaque, certificate and a cash award of Japanese Yen 100,000.00, is granted to authors for publishing an original article of extraordinary significance in the journal Paddy and Water Environment during a twelve-month period. The paper, Rice root growth and physiological responses to SRI water management and implications for crop productivity, is coauthored with Prof. Vilas M Salokhe. It reports on research findings on rice root responses while applying SRI water management principles under semi-field and field conditions, along with variations in plant density and microbial density in the soil. The article considers the relevance of exploiting roots' potential for plasticity to enhance crop productivity, in the context of impending water constraints and effects of climate change. (See AIT news article and research paper).

• Uppsala Thesis on Thai Rice Cropping Systems Finds SRI More Beneficial and Efficient than Conventional Systems

  Supisra Arayaphong has recently completed a thesis about SRI for the Master Programme in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University in Sweden. Cost-Benefit Analysis of Different Rice Cropping Systems in Thailand quantifies and compares costs and benefits of SRI and the conventional system of rice cultivation in Thailand to find the best system for a farmer, the environment and a society. The study finds that SRI saves production inputs and increases yield gain significantly. The most impressive results are a reduction in water consumption and number of seeds. Also, the environmental damage caused by this system is lower due to less amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticide applications as well as a low rate of methane gas emission. Sensitivity analysis shows that SRI has better performance under best and worst case scenarios for both types of soil (clay soil and sandy loam). However, the system contains the highest risk for farmer's profit. The author suggests that while SRI is more beneficial and efficient than conventional system, risk aspects should be considered in decision making. Further studies on combination between SRI and between SRI and conventional system were suggested.

• Cambodian NGO Shares SRI Expertise with Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

  Mr. Vann Saran, a staff member of the Cambodian NGO CEDAC, was posted in Thailand for a 10 months assignment with the FK (Fredskorpset Norway) exchange program. His tasks were to share knowledge and experiences from CEDAC as well as to learn from the host organization techniques. Saran conducted SRI demonstrations at Bana Isan village, Sanam Chaiket district, Chachoengsao province (right), Thailand. Twelve farmers from Hin Rae cooperative and Banna Isan group followed the demonstrations, which took place from August 23 to December 14, 2011, on a plot of 15m x 25m. While the yield of 2,340 kg/ha seems low, it is actually high when compared to the 300 kg/ha average yield with the traditional methods. The farmers appreciated the field practice of the SRI techniques because by using less rice seed and fewer resources and transplanting only one seedling, they could get around 11 tillers per clump on average and a higher yield than usual. (For details, see CEDAC report).
  
  

• Article on the Potential of SRI and the FFS Approach in NE Thailand for Increasing Sustainability in a Climate Change Context

  A January 2012 article by Abha Mishra et al published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability describes the facilitated learning process of farmers, its results and implications in addressing the low productivity of Jasmine rice in northeast Thailand. The SRI-Farmer Field School (SRI-FFS) approach was used in a collaborative action research involving numerous stakeholders and a thorough analysis of the current management practices and innovative agronomic crop management (IACM) practices was conducted. The results confirmed the potential of IACM in enhancing crop and water productivity along with soil fertility with relatively low input-use (seed, water and fertilizers) and higher net farm-income compared to existing crop management practices. The study found that factors such as the age of the farmers and off-farm employment opportunity are key drivers that affect the crop management decision-making process. Recommendations included exploration of value-added production alternatives and favorable policies to sustain IACM practices that can benefit farmers, consumers and the environment. The participation of policy-makers at the action research continuum was deemed to be essential for effective follow up, scaling up and sustainability of such environmentally sound practices. (see full article for details; if subscription prevents access, contact the authors).

2011

• Five-Year AIT Project on SRI in the Lower Mekong River Basin Funded by the European Community

  A regional project on Sustaining and Enhancing the Momentum for Innovation and Learning around the SRI in the Lower Mekong River Basin proposed by the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok to the European Community (EC) for financing was approved during September 2011. The five-year 2.88 million euro project will be implemented in rainfed areas of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

  The project goal is to enhance the resilience of rainfed smallholder farmers and their farming communities as they deal with climate change and other challenges in the four countries. The main project partners are the FAO Regional IPM Programme, Oxfam America, and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, UK. Project associates include the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIIFAD) in USA and the University of Queensland in Australia. Project partners will stimulate and support local innovation through farmers’ participatory action research (FPAR) and collaboration among agricultural sector professionals and organizations for enhancing food security.

• Asian Institute for Technology (AIT) APFED Showcase Project on SRI Concludes

  The summary report of the 2009-2011 AIT project on Community preparedness for climate change and increased water use efficiency for rice cultivation using principles of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in central Thailand is now available. The project was part of Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Showcase 2008 Programme and was intended to build capacity of rice farmers, researchers and extension personnel and other stakeholders to raise the rice production while reducing its requirement for water but also mitigating adverse climate change that results from greenhouse gas emission. It helped farmers to become partners for climate-change mitigation and adaptation, preparing for and coping with, strategies through adapting and adopting improved crop and water management practices towards such as intermittent irrigation, which is well- known and scientifically established way for reduction in methane emission. (See article on 2010 field day with 180 farmers).

2010

• Northern Thailand SRI Network Holds Meets in Februray, 2010

  Thirty participants from 13 organizations in Northern Thailand came together February 23, 2010, to develop a Northern Thailand SRI Network, share experiences, and initiate SRI activities. Network members agreed to meet yearly to continue exchanging experiences and learning about SRI. The event, which was organized by the ECHO Regional Office and facilitated by Green Net, attracted organizations from Phrae, Nan, Phayao, and Chiang Mai. (See reports in Thai and English.)

• Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science Article Contributes to Better Understanding of SRI

  The findings from research recently published in the Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science can contribute to a better understanding of why SRI methods can produce the higher yields reported. An article on 'The Effects of Planting Pattern and Water Regime on Root Morphology, Physiology and Grain Yield of Rice' by Abha Mishra and V. M. Salokhe at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok reports on field experiments that were conducted over two growing seasons to investigate the effects of variations in water regime and planting pattern on the growth of rice plant roots and shoots and on yield. The research did not evaluate the full set of SRI practices as a set but rather examined the effects and interactions of two key parameters affecting plant growth and performance which SRI recommendations address.

  Among other results, the study showed a synergistic effect on grain yield from reduced intra-hill competition and intermittent flooding during the vegetative growth stage. Wider spacing improved the performance of individual hills when grown under intermittent water regimes (although tiller number per unit area remained a dominant determinant of yield.) The yield reduction for wider spacings with continuous flooding indicated that in more hypoxic flooded soils, denser plant populations can produce more than sparser ones, whereas wider spacing benefits plants under more aerobic soil conditions. According to the authors, the effects of interaction between planting pattern and water regime shows the need to establish empirically the optimum values for these parameters according to varietal, soil and climatic characteristics for the greatest yield response.

2009

• SE Asia Regional Knowledge Exchange on SRI Held in Bangkok

  A two-day Southeast Asia regional learning event on SRI involving MRB countries (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand) was organized at Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, June 22-23, 2009, in collaboration with World Bank Institute, Washington DC, followed by a field-visit on 24 June in NE Thailand. The workshop was attended by about 50 persons representing government organizations and ministries, non-government organizations, development organizations, academicians, journalists from print and audio-visual media, farmers, students and a United Nations agency. The current situation of SRI adaptation and adoption in the region and challenges, especially in context of climate change and water productivity, were presented and deliberated. Emerging issues were captured for in-depth discussions. (See report and PowerPoint presentations).

2007-2008

• Asian Institute for Technology (AIT) SRI Project Selected for APFED Showcase 2008 Programme

  The AIT project proposal on Community preparedness for climate change and increased water use efficiency for rice cultivation using principles of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in central Thailand was selected for the Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development (APFED) Showcase 2008 Programme. The project intends to build capacity of rice farmers, researchers and extension personnel and other stakeholders to raise the rice production while reducing its requirement for water but also mitigating adverse climate change that results from greenhouse gas emission.

  This proposal logically builds upon the three successive proposals (two completed, Asia Rice Foundation USA award 2005 and Challenge Programme for Food and Water 2006) and one ongoing (CSO-CGIAR pilot project 2007) and a Ph.D. thesis research with the involvement of Professor V. M. Salokhe, Professor S. Rakshit, Dr. Prabhat Kumar and Dr. Abha Mishra along with farmers in Thailand and Cambodia, FAO colleagues, Cornell university colleagues, International Water Management Institute and partners from government and non-government organization. Drs. Prabhat Kumar and Abha Mishra coordinate the project, which was one of 353 project proposals received this year. (See final report completed during May 2011).

• Interest in SRI Growing in Universities and Government in Thailand

  In a report from a visit to Bangkok, July 18-20, 2007, Norman Uphoff describes interest from faculty and administration at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Khon Kaen University as well as from the director of the government' Rice Department. This interest is undergirded by results from the SRI demonstrations and evaluation of AIT faculty, staff and students in Roi-et Province under a grant from the Challenge Program for Water and Food.

• Green Manure Intercropping with SRI Methods Proves Promising in N.E. Thailand

  A project of the Asian Institute of Technology and Thai Education Foundation, funded under the Challenge Program for Water and Food of the CGIAR system (Small Grant Project No. 564) has issued a second report on its participatory action research, for the period July 1-December 30, 2006, which documents results from farmer field school evaluations of SRI methods in Roi-et Province. The evaluations, managed by farmers and monitored by AIT/TEF staff, showed that 14-day seedlings outperformed 30-day seedlings under both just-moist and flooded conditions, by 25.1 and 16.5%, respectively. The just-moist conditions required only 1/3 as much water as conventional flooding

  The study also evaluated the interplanting of mung bean, cowpea or jackbean with SRI rice production. The first gave the highest yield of rice (5305 t/ha, KD6 variety). SRI rice yield was 13.6% higher with mung bean than when grown without the leguminous crop. Water requirements with intercropping were similarly 2/3 less than with farmers' practice. Rice yield in general with SRI was almost double that from farmers' practice. The AIT/TEF team planned to continue with this work for a second year through September 2007.

• Living Labs Mekong River Basin Video Produced

  A five minute video about SRI and rice production in Northeast Thailand (Living Labs Mekong River Basin) is available on YouTube. It was produced by TVE Asia for CGIAR Challenge Program for Water and Food, which sponsored the project featured in the video.

2004-2006

• Abha Mishra Brings in Two Grants for SRI Research

  Abha Mishra, a PhD student in Agriculture Systems and Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, together with her team, won two competitive grants to study SRI in Thailand. She received a Travel and Study Grant Award from the Asia Rice Foundation USA, and was subsequently successful in the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CWFP) Small Grants Competition for support of participatory-action research with farmer field school groups evaluating SRI. Her Asia Rice Foundation award financed experimental work to illuminate the possible effects of soil biological factors and alternate wetting and drying in SRI. Part of her findings are published in a 2008 article in Experimental Agriculture (44:365-383).

  The CPWF project was undertaken by a team from the AIT introducing SRI through action-research with villages in northeast Thailand, for which Dr. V. M. Salonkhe is the principal investigator. Their successful proposal (out of 126) to the CGIAR's CPWF Small Grants Competition was for a project on Increasing water use efficiency by using mulch under SRI (System of Rice Intensification) management practices in Northeast Thailand. The project, which began in January 2006, was intended to help farmers to innovate and localize the agronomic practice suitable to increase water use efficiency, i.e. flooded rice to AWD rice with SRI management practices using Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. This was further integrated with local innovations like use of green manure crops as intercrops, use of rice straw so that suitable mulching could be achieved within the framework of existing production practices. The broader aim of the project was to establish whether alternative water use methods, which not only increases the rice yield but also adds to the overall sustainability, are feasible without bringing any major technological input from outside (see April-June '06 and July-Dec. '06 project reports and related video).

  A paper that Mishra prepared with three colleagues working in FAO's Integrated Pest Management programme in South and Southeast Asia prepared for the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food Forum held in Vientiane, Laos, November 12-16, 2006 (see report on CPWF Forum).

• SRI Network Meetings and Workshops Held in Northeast Thailand

  A meeting of the SRI Network in Thailand was held on February 15, 2005, at the Multiple Cropping Center (MCC) at Chiang Mai University. SRI progress was reviewed for network members, which consists of four government groups and nine non-governmental organizations and projects. Subsequent SRI Network coordination was turned over to the Thailand Alternative Agriculture Network (AAN) which organized a workshop in June 2005 on practices and experiences about SRI in Thailand. The workshop was co-hosted by the Surin Farmers’ Support Project (SFS) and was held near the provincial capital of Surin in the southern section of northeast Thailand -- see translation of relevant sections on green manures and cover crops (GMCCs) of the extension manual “Natural Paddy Cultivation” which was used at the workshop.

2001-2003

• Early Work by MCC Followed by National SRI Network Formation

  Initial trials of SRI methods in Thailand undertaken by the Multiple Cropping Center (MCC) at Chiangmai University during 2001 were not successful. MCC continued working on SRI, however, and together with the McKean Rehabilitation Center (see MRC trials) in Chiangmai and other organizations in Thailand, a national SRI network has been formed, which was formalized at a national SRI workshop held in Chiangmai in May 2003.

  In Thailand, 'the SRI effect' has not been seen as often or as dramatically as in other countries, the Thai experience being more like that in Laos than in Cambodia or Myanmar or even more so in Indonesia and the Philippines. These differences make it even more likely that soil biological factors are involved in the positive effects of SRI. It appears that when rice paddies are not kept flooded in Laos and Thailand, that nematode problems become more severe. Such a constraint does not appear (yet) to be common elsewhere in Southeast Asia.