by Sharif Ahmed, Abdullah Miajy, and Humnath Bhandari
DSR technology can potentially reduce irrigation and labor needs while boosting productivity for rice farmers.
On September 25, 2024, IRRI, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), organized a field day and farmers' perception meeting on mechanized dry-seeded Aman rice (DSR) in Kishorgonj, Nilphamari, Bangladesh. The event showcased the benefits of DSR, an innovative rice crop establishment method that reduces production costs by saving labor and water and lowering methane emissions. Local farmers witnessed firsthand the results of a 20-acre DSR demonstration under the SI-MFS and ScaleDirect projects, focusing on using the short-duration rice variety BRRI dhan75.
The event was attended by over 100 farmers from the surrounding villages and representatives from the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the World Bank, and CIMMYT. The objective was to discuss and evaluate the performance of DSR in the local context and gather feedback from farmers who traditionally cultivate transplanted Aman rice. Farmers successfully established Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) Aman using the short-duration variety BRRI dhan75 for the first time, and they are thrilled with its performance due to significant savings in labor and water.
“As farmers in this village, we had never experienced DSR before. With IRRI’s support this year, we established DSR using BRRI dhan75 and saved at least 50% of irrigation water. We are eager to expand this method next year,” said Asaduzzaman Raju, a local lead farmer.
Another farmer, Abu Musa, shared, "We saw rice sowing with a machine for the first time. The Power Tiller Operated Seeder (PTOS) machine has performed excellently. We hope to get more of these machines for wider adoption next year."
In this area, farmers usually cultivate transplanted aman rice, but due to the sandy loam-type soil, they need to apply irrigation several times to produce aman rice. Potato-Maize-T. Aman is the primary cropping pattern here; however, many farmers now leave their land fallow during the Aman season after potato and before maize due to frequent irrigation requirements for the aman establishment using the puddled method.
Mechanized DSR offers a solution to Bangladesh’s challenge of establishing Aman rice during wet seasons. As labor supply is low and irrigation costs are high, DSR presents a viable alternative to the traditional puddled rice method.
DSR is an innovative method for growing rice that reduces production costs by saving labor and water. It also helps lower methane emissions, making it more environmentally friendly. Mechanized DSR can help farmers establish crops within recommended planting dates by reducing time requirements for crop establishment. Using machines and seed drills for DSR can also create jobs by providing services to other farmers. Although DSR is becoming popular in many Asian countries, adoption in Bangladesh has remained limited.
In Bangladesh, the risk of seedling emergence and damage due to cold is a major hindrance to DSR establishment in the boro season. In the aman season, crop establishment through DSR is at high risk of seed mortality due to certain excessive rain and flooding. Soils may also be too wet or flooded to permit mechanical seeding in the aman season. The aus season is comparatively suitable for DSR; however, aus is cultivated on only around 8% of land in Bangladesh.
During the field day, participants learned about the DSR process using seed drills and saw how it can help farmers establish crops more efficiently.
Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim from BRRI stated, “I am so pleased to see the short-duration variety BRRI dhan75 performance under this DSR condition. I have seen many fields left fallow in these areas. If farmers cultivate BRRI dhan75 under DSR conditions, all farmers can utilize their land, and they can easily go potato in their desired time”.
Dr. Humnath Bhandari, country representative of IBO and the coordinator of SI-MFS, Bangladesh, said, “I thought there were fewer opportunities for aman DSR in Bangladesh, but I found an excellent opportunity in this area. Since the soil of this area is sandy, farmers need to apply organic fertilizer compost/vermicompost, and if they do, the performance of the crops will be much better.
Farmers and agricultural officials discussed plans for expanding DSR next year. Dr. SM Abu Bakar Saiful Islam, Deputy Director of Nilphamari District, emphasized forming farmer groups to facilitate this. The DAE plans to work with IRRI and BRRI to ensure more farmers adopt DSR, particularly with BRRI dhan75, which has shown strong performance under DSR conditions in sandy loam soils.
BRRI’s Director General, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the importance of adapting to climate change and rising labor costs by promoting technologies like DSR. He committed to providing seeds and training to support the large-scale expansion of DSR in 2025.
The CGIAR Sustainable Intensification of Mixed Farming Systems (SI-MFS) initiative focuses on improving farmers' livelihoods in mixed farming systems through sustainable intensification practices tailored to specific agroecological zones and socio-economic conditions.
Watch the news on YouTube from 6:29:
###
Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).
No comments:
Post a Comment