Introduction of rainfed SRI

This video shows how the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) can be successfully adapted to upland rainfed rice cultivation, where weeds can be the major challenge because there is no irrigated flooding. In rainfed conditions, where rice is grown by broadcasting of seeds, there is no other way of clearing out weeds except manual weeding. Generally, 25-30 laborers are needed to hand-weed an acre of rainfed rice, which makes this the major cost of rice production. In 2010, Metta Development Foundation introduced a modification of SRI for the rainfed areas of Shan State in Myanmar. The method includes a rake to make furrows in perfectly aligned rows, and a drum seeder to drop seeds in the furrows at regular intervals. A special rotary weeder was designed for rainfed conditions, appropriate for removing weeds. This set of implements is giving farmers nearly 100% increase in yield over that with their traditional methods, while reducing their production costs to a large extent, thereby greatly enhancing their net household incomes.