System of Rice Intensification

Rice is the most important crop of Asia being staple food for more than 90% of the population. Several innovations have been made in rice production technology systems in order to increase the yield and better meet the world food demands. The indiscriminate use of agrochemicals has resulted in soil and environmental degradation with declining yield trends. Rice has been cultivated under flooded conditions for centuries with the mindset that rice performs better under submerged conditions. SRI represents an integrated and agroecologically responsive, interdisciplinary approach to rice cultivation. At its core are a set of basic principles, there is evidence that some of these principles are relevant for other major annual food crops such as pearl millet and sorghum. A major implication of SRI is that apparently there still exists substantial potential to raise rice yields through relatively simple but profound adjustments in agronomic management practices.