October 20, 2010

 

New Philippine agriculture technology boosts output amid bad weather

The proven conservation agriculture (CA) technologies could raise agricultural production at lower costs amid adverse impacts of climate changes, said the Philippines' International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) scientists Sunday (Oct 17).

 

IRRI, at the same, lauded scientists of Cereal System Initiatives for South Asia (CSISA) for successfully disseminating the CA technologies among the farmers of northwestern Bangladesh and for increasing agricultural.production and ensuring food security.

Field level successes by popularising the CA technologies have been making crop farming more profitable side by side improving soil health, environment and ecology under the adverse climate change impacts, IRRI said.

 

The IRRI scientists issued statements at the field day jointly organised by Lahirirhat Farmers' Group and Dinajpur Hub of CSISA with the assistance of IRRI and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

 

The field day was organised to drum up harvest of short duration and anti-monga variety BRRI dhan 33 and BINA dhan seven variety paddies in various village in Northwestern Bangladesh.

 

According to IRRI, a large number of farmers and agriculture experts in Bangladesh tool part in elaborating experiences on CA-based technology dissemination activities being conducted in seven northwestern districts, as well as the successes they have archived.

 

The scientists also talked on delivered CA technologies including adoption of innovative crop rotation in which crops are planted in minimum, no-till or reduced tillage with some crop residue retention on soil surfaces to reduce unproductive losses of water.

 

The scientists likewise discussed large-scale introduction of short duration paddy farming, cropping patterns like rice-wheat-mugbean/jute, rice-potato-relay/corn, rice-vegetables-wheat and rice-sugarcane with intercrops like garlic, onion/vegetables, among other crops.

 

The farmers said they savored of the benefits of CA technologies such as water savings, pair-row-sugarcane farming with mugbean/chilly intercropping, better nutrient, fertiliser and pesticide managements, drought escaping, cost-saving by reducing labor cost, fuel and crop durations.

 

The technologies had increased yields at reduced costs, save water, facilitate crop intensification, quality seeds, quality planting machine prototypes and availability of the spares, quality inputs and remunerative markets for the produce, the scientists said.

 

The IRRI scientists said field day provided more trainings to the farmers on pesticide, herbicide and fertiliser managements, proper usages of machineries and quicker delivery of the CA technologies involving all partners from the GO-NGOs and private service providers.

 

After harvesting their BRRI dhan 33 and BINA dhan seven variety short duration (100 to 118 days) variety paddies, the farmers got yield rates in between four to five tonnes per hectare, IRRI said.