AIT’s project titled “Preparedness for Climate Change and Increased
Water-use Efficiency for Rice Cultivation via System of Rice
Intensification (SRI)” has been highlighted as a “Showcase Programme.”
Elaborating on the project, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Senior Research
Specialist at AIT’s School of Environment, Resources and Development
(SERD), stated that the project helped rice farmers in becoming
partners for climate-change mitigation and adaptation practices.
“Improved production systems, such as SRI are needed to combat climate
change,” he added. Rice is the most important crop in Thailand covering
55 per cent of the cropped area and providing 42 per cent of the daily
calorie intake. Rice crop cultivation is closely related to issues like
emission of large amounts of Green House Gases (GHGs) including methane
and nitrous oxide. Crop production also suffers from low water-use
efficiency.
Dr. Abha Mishra, Senior Research Specialist, SERD, stated that the
project helped in preparing for and coping with climate change by
employing strategies such as intermittent irrigation. The project
involved an active involvement of farmers and experts, apart from the
creation of a knowledge base leading to greater awareness and
information dissemination, she added.
Run jointly by Dr. Abha Mishra and Dr. Prabhat Kumar of AIT, with
Department of Agriculture Extension (DoAE), Royal Thai Government (RTG)
and local agricultural departments in Ratchaburi Province in Central
Thailand. APFED lists the program as being relevant to the issues of
Climate Change, Reduce Reuse and Recycle (3R), biodiversity and
ecosystem, water and capacity development. AIT’s project titled
“Preparedness for Climate Change and Increased Water-use Efficiency for
Rice Cultivation via System of Rice Intensification (SRI)” has been
earlier selected and funded as a part of APFED’s “Showcase Programme.”
The Showcase Program of APFED is designed to enable stakeholders to
experiment with innovative activities for promoting sustainable
development. The Asia-Pacific Forum for Environment and Development,
Phase II (APFED II) for 2005–2010 was supported by both the Ministry of
the Environment, Japan and 25 leading APFED environment–sustainable
development experts from Asia and the Pacific.
The APFED report can be read at this link. The
summary report can be accessed at this
link at Cornell University.
AIT’s project “Preparedness for Climate
Change and Increased Water-use Efficiency for Rice Cultivation via
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)” underway at Ratchaburi Province
in Central Thailand.
