An app tailor-made for India`s rice farmers
Tuesday, 2017/11/14 | 08:04:06
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Preeti Bharti, Priyanka Anand, Amit Mishra, and Sheetal Sharma
IRRI – Rice Today November 8 2017
Figure: Mr. Malik, a farmer from Puri District, credits the timely application of fertilizers with the excellent growth of his rice crops (Photo: CSISA)
In Odisha, rice is synonymous with food. Out of the total arable land area of 5.8 million hectares (ha), rice is grown on 4.5 million ha (around 77%) of both rainfed and irrigated areas. However, average productivity is only 1.8 tons/ha, which is below the national average of 2.4 t/ha. The major constraints in rice production in the state are flood, drought, and salinity, along with poor crop management practices.
Further, because of the lack of awareness of better crop management practices, farmers continue to use traditional farming practices passed on from generation to generation. This has resulted in improper use of fertilizers and pesticides that, in turn, increased the cost of cultivation but with low productivity and degradation of soil fertility.
In the 1990s, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in collaboration with partners across Asia, developed the site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) approach. SSNM gives rice farmers guidelines for applying the right amount of essential nutrients for their crops at the right time. Compared with existing fertilizer practices, SSNM-based fertilizer recommendations for rice have been proven to increase yield and net income of farmers as well as provide positive impacts on the environment. The way forwardRCM is a work in progress and is continuously undergoing refinements and upgrading to make it even more farmer-friendly. IRRI is working with weather forecasting agencies to include weather-based advisories to help farmers receive real-time information on crop and nutrient management based on local weather conditions. The effects of this intervention are expected to occur in the next few cropping seasons.
Considering the wide variability of farms across India, the “one size fits all” approach is not an appropriate strategy for change. By providing farmers with personalized recommendations, this could help them make better decisions that, in turn, will lead to improved fertilizer use, balanced nutrient application, and higher agronomic efficiency.
See more: http://ricetoday.irri.org/an-app-tailor-made-for-indias-rice-farmers/ |
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