Bangladesh: Farmers field day held on short-duration rice variety

A Farmers’ Field Day on BRRI dhan56, an early-maturing and short-duration variety, was held at Rajarhat in Kurigram District on 26 September 2012.

Seventy-three farmers came and exchanged practical tips and shared experiences with one another. It is noteworthy that no other rice variety matured in September in the area.

BRRI dhan56 posted a yield of 4.4 tons per hectare. The farmers were thrilled to get this much yield from a short-duration variety. BRRI dhan56 matures in 109 days.

The early harvest of rice provides a longer window for the subsequent non-rice crops, such as mustard and mungbean. Farmers previously harvested only two crops a year; with BRRI dhan, they now have the option of a third one, and an opportunity to increase their farm income.

The field day was organized by the Rangpur Hub of the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia in Bangladesh.



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Nepal: Training on rice-based farming systems held in Kathmandu

Twenty IRRI staff attended Rice-based farming systems, a 5-day (10-14 September 2012) training program held in Kathmandu. The program sought to familiarize participants with rice-based farming under different ecosystems in Nepal and Bangladesh. Rice, the staple food of the Nepalese people, is grown in various physiographic conditions, from the terai (plains) to areas of about 3,000 feet above sea level.

Resource persons presented papers on the characterization and analysis of past and current farming in different ecosystems (terai or plains, low hills, mid-hills, and high hills).

Topics presented also included production management, mechanization, and postharvest technologies in rice-maize, rice-wheat, rice-vegetables, rice-livestock, rice-poultry, and rice-fish systems. Problems, constraints, and opportunities in each of these systems were elaborated. Cross-cutting issues on rice-based farming systems between the two countries were hot topics in the discussions.

The participants were also taken on a tour of the research stations of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council in Kathmandu that showcased technologies as applied in rice, maize, vegetable, and pulse, particularly in the mid-hills. They also learned about trout-farming at Kakni, in Nuwakot District.

The training was organized by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia and IRRI-Nepal. 


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Bangladesh: Farmers use too much fertilizer, research says

A farmers’ participatory research in Bangladesh on site-specific nutrient management found that farmers use more fertilizer than necessary, resulting in added costs but not necessarily better production.

It established that farmers use more fertilizer than recommended by the BRRI and soil tests. The excess fertilizer costs an extra BDT 5025 per hectare, but is not resulting in more profit.

The findings were based on crop seasons aman 2011 and boro 2012. Also based on these two seasons, the farmers drew 'fertility maps' on which they determined optimum fertilizer use for various soil fertility gradients in each village. The farmers will also use the results of the next aman and boro seasons to further evaluate the practice.

The results of the participatory research, conducted in 65 farmers’ plots at 11 villages in the Jessore Sadar, Monirampur, Jhenaidah Sadar, and Kaligonj upazilas, was consolidated in two workshops held recently.

The study was conducted under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia project in Bangladesh (CSISA-BD), funded by USAID. It aimed to motivate farmers to use optimum fertilizer in rice production.

M.A. Mannan, additional director for the Jessore Region, commented on the approach being a good way to reduce fertilizer cost and requested its dissemination to other farmers and extension workers via the CSISA-Bangladesh project.

The workshops were held on 23 and 26 July in Jhenaidah and Jessore districts, respectively, with 69 farmer-researchers attending.

These were facilitated by A.K.M. Ferdous, cropping systems specialist; Ireen Sultana, agriculture development officer; and Md. Zahirul Islam and Md. Mozaharul Islam of the CSISA-Bangladesh project.


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Bangladesh: Farmers choose BRRI dhan48 as best aus rice variety

Farmers from Stkhira District in Bangladesh say aye for BRRI dhan48,
a new variety recommended for cultivation in the aus rice season. 

Ninety farmers from six villages in the Stkhira District of Bangladesh chose BRRI dhan48 as the best aus rice variety after going on a motivational tour and participatory evaluation of aus rice varieties on 18 July 2012.

BRRI dhan48 matures about 10-15 days earlier than Jamaibabu, a variety of Indian origin, and BR26—varieties that farmers currently use because it allows them timely planting of the succeeding aman rice crop. BRRI dhan48 also has longer panicles with more filled grain and could potentially produce higher yields. The farmers also noted that its plant is strong and stout and, unlike Jamaibabu, is not susceptible to disease.

It was also observed that BRRI dhan48 seems to produce more straw, which also has value to farmers as cattle feed. The participants indicated their interest for securing BRRI dhan48 seeds for cultivating in their respective areas in 2013.

The tour was organized by TMSS, a partner of the Cereal System Initiatives for South Asia project in Bangladesh (CSISA-BD).
 
Md. Harunur Rashid, cropping system specialist, and Debabrata Mohaldar, agriculture development officer of CSISA-BD's Khulna Hub, facilitated the event.

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Bangladesh: IRRI holds rice production course in Barisal

A one-day training session on rice production for local service providers or LSPs was held at the Barisal regional station of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute on 18 July 2012.

LSPs are local folk who own or operate an agricultural support service such as a power tiller, water pump, fertilizer and pesticides dealership, or seed trade. Eighteen of them from Barguna, Barisal, Patuakhali, and Jhalokathi districts attended as participants.

Common and area-specific problems were identified and the corresponding information gaps determined during the training. Problems or concerns identified were: newly developed salt- and submergence-tolerant rice varieties, new season-specific high-yielding varieties for favorable ecosystems, quality seeds and suppliers, seedbed preparation and maintenance, quality seedling production, water management technologies, water pumps, area- and variety-specific fertilizer doses and applicators, pests, and pest management.

The role of LSPs and how they were to support local farmers were also discussed.

IRRI organized the event under the project Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) in Bangladesh. Md. Shahidul Islam of CSISA-IRRI in Barisal and Md. Harunur Rashid of CSISA-IRRI in Khulna were among the facilitators of the participatory training program.

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Bangladesh: CSISA holds training workshop on rice technology adoption

A training workshop on rice-based cropping systems and adoption of rice production technology was held in Khulna for rice-related service providers.

The workshop was organized by the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia in Bangladesh (CSISA-BD), with the assistance of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE), and was held on the CSISA-IRRI Khulna Hub premises on 19 July 2012.

Eighteen local service providers from remote areas in 6 upazilas in Khulna, Satkhira, and Bagerhat districts attended as participants. The service they provide include supplying seeds of new high-yielding, salt-tolerant, and other rice varieties, and of other crops; fertilizers; pest and disease management; irrigation; and crop management.

Participants learned to identify information needs of farmers against the type of information provided by them and the technological packages recommended by the NARES and CSISA-BD project for the area. They determined the gap between what is available and what is sought, and discussed ways to overcome this gap.

M.A. Aziz, DAE deputy director in Khulna District, encouraged the participants to provide services appropriate to a community and emphasized the judicious application of fertilizer and other farm inputs.

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