Rice cultivation less vulnerable and more adapted to climate change

Rice cultivation in LAC requires technological innovations, especially in family farming, in order to increase productivity, improve resource utilization and reduce the impact of climate change.

Context of the story

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world's population. In LAC, per capita consumption is 30 kg/year and demand exceeds production; the deficit, of almost one million tons per year, is covered with imports. The low productivity and low incomes of producers, particularly in family farming, respond to climatic and technological factors. IICA analyzed the productive efficiency, use of resources and the emission of GHG from rice cultivation in the Dominican Republic and Colombia, and validated the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as a technological innovation adaptable to different conditions.

Collaboration to innovate rice cultivation

The Implemented Initiative

The objective was to improve the resilience of rice cropping and its adaptation to the biophysical and economic effects of climate change through a new technology aimed at raising productivity, income generation and efficiency in the use of resources such as seeds, water and labor. Collaborators were FONTAGRO, IICA, the Dominican Council of Agricultural and Forestry Research (CONIAF), Dominican Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research (IDIAF) and the National Federation of Rice Growers (FEDEARROZ) of Colombia.

"SRI has so many advantages in productivity and seed savings that make one fall in love with rice cultivation"

— Farmer Raúl Guzmán, Colombia

Loading map...

Type of project

Agronomic Practices

Climate change

Strategy 1. Resilient farms

Adaptative

Technological-Organizational-Institutional

Crops, Natural resources

Family agriculture

Rural Extension

Climate smart agriculture

Productive systems

Results

It was shown that SRI saves costs and is more productive and profitable than the traditional systems. In response to a greater number of spikes, panicles, tillers and root length and weight, higher yields (up to 25%) were achieved along with savings in the use of seeds (up to 96%) and water (up to 45%). The lower investment in fertilizers and seeds with SRI caused an average cost savings of 10%, resulting in higher profits of 43% in the Dominican Republic and 68% in Colombia. The mechanization (filling of trays, transplantation and weeding) of the crop was evaluated. This innovation contributed with 36% savings in total costs in Colombia and 10% in the Dominican Republic. Several countries in the region are beginning the scaling-up of SRI.

Relevant data