SRI Farming in Cambodia

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an organic method of increasing the yield of rice. The method was developed in the 1980s by Henri de Laulanie in Madagascar.

The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) was set up in August 1997 to develop sustainable agriculture and rural development in Cambodia.

CEDAC introduced SRI in 1999, and director Dr. Yang Saing Koma experimented with the method on his own farm in 2000. Later that year, 28 farmers volunteered to test SRI.

There are now more than 100,000 farmers using the SRI system.

For more information about SRI farming in Cambodia and the work of CEDAC, please visit http://www.cedac.org.kh

In the first part of this series, you will learn about preparing the rice seeds for planting using the SRI method.

In the second part of this series, you will learn about making organic fertiliser and preparing the seed bed for planting using the SRI method.

In the third part of this series, you will learn about preparing the rice paddy, transplanting seedlings, and weeding, using the SRI method.

Producing More with Less: The Triumph of SRI in Cambodia

Yang Saing Koma, 2012 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
President and Founder
Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC – Centre d’Etude et de Développement Agricole Cambodgien ) Cambodia
Presented at the 2012 Magsaysay Awardees’ Lecture Series, Magsaysay Center, Manila, 29 August

Click here to download the lecture (PDF)

Bangladesh Cooking Fuel From Rice Hulls: An Integrated Food-Energy

In 2009, CTI sponsored a facility that uses rice hulls, a waste product from rice processing, to produce solid fuel sticks. The facility has been in operation for over 18 months and is now self sustainable. Rice hulls are obtained from local mills and are processed into the fuel sticks using specialized equipment. The fuel sticks are easily stored and transported to supply a network of retail outlets.

Agri-Waste Fuel Sticks

In a facility built in Bangladesh with support from CTI, rice hulls (an inedible by-product of rice production) are converted into low-cost fuel sticks. Using a fairly simple process of heat and compression, Bangladeshis convert rice hulls into four-foot long fuel sticks. The sticks burn clearer than firewood and dung patties, they provide employment, and don’t threaten an essential resource. In addition to providing an eco-friendly alternative to firewood, the enterprise supports 6 employees and 4 vendors. Several women have opened small retail shops where they sell the fuel sticks at a price comparable to firewood. After one year, the program reached complete sustainability, and requires no outside funding. Read More

AG-WASTE FUEL STICKS COMBAT DEFORESTATION AND SPAWN ENTERPRISE IN BANGLADESH

A little over a year ago, CTI opened a production facility in Bangladesh that creates fuel sticks made from rice hulls. The microenterprise is located in a major rice growing region that also produces tons of non-edible biomass in the form of rice straw, rice husks and rice hulls. Using a fairly simple process of heat and compression, Bangladeshi workers convert rice hulls into four-foot long fuel sticks. The fuel sticks are sold in local stores at the same price of firewood, but they burn cleaner, provide employment, and don’t threaten an essential resource. Read More