MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/EA4356D4/Abstract54.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" A participatory Farmers Field School on ‘SRI’

A participatory Farmers Field School on ‘SRI’

 

K.Mahandra Kumar, R.Durai Singh, P.Chandramani and K.R.Srinivasan

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Agricultural College &Research Institute (TNAU), Madurai – 625 10= 4

 

 

         &= nbsp;  Farmer Field School Programme on Rice was conducted by   KVK, Madurai in four  villages namely Thindiyur Mettuneerathan, Mayandipatti and Kulamangalam of Madurai district. <= span style=3D'font-family:Garamond'>Participatory rural appr= aisal were carried out in these villages just before the cropping season <= span class=3DSpellE>i.e during June – July.  Particularly transect walk was con= ducted by incorporating all stake holders such as farmers, extension officials, in= put dealers, agricultural scientists, NGOs and seed certification agencies.  It was expressed by the farmers th= at the cost of production of rice is high and the productivity is low.  Among the various measures discuss= ed in the focal group discussion to reduce the cost of production and to increase= the productivity led to the introduction of ‘SRI’ by the scientists= .

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After realizing the need among the farmers, technical deliberation on SRI was made through SRI modules and LCD projection through on and off campus training programmes. A special seminar on SRI was organized in which the subject matter specialist drawn from various pioneering institutes such as TRRI, Adudurai and AC&RI, Killiculam participated and clarifie= d the doubts of the farmers. In addition to the technical knowledge, to give confidence and conviction the successful farmers who had already taken up <= st1:stockticker w:st=3D"on">SRI narrated their experiences.

        

Subsequently as scheduled, mat nursery was raised in the farmers field in which only 7.5= Kg of seed per ha was used compared to 75 Kg / ha followed by the farmers. The critical input like certified seeds and biofertilisers= are supplied to the individual farmers and cono= weeders are given to the groups to encourage them in = SRI practices.

 

 &nb= sp;           Farmers were advised to go for line planting with the interval of 25 x 25 cm by using ropes. However they expre= ssed that the planting of young single seedlings is a laborious act involving mo= re labour than normal planting and sought technical guid= ance from the scientists to reduce the labour cost involved in the line sowing. In this regard a rolling marker developed by t= he KVK, Madu= rai for line sowing was taken up to the farmers fiel= d. Similarly farmers are also finding difficulties in operating cono weeder. Now the step= s are being taken up to over come the constraints. The cost benefit analysis of <= st1:stockticker w:st=3D"on">SRI is also being worked out. Further to popularise this concept mass media programmes are being organized at periodical intervals.

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