Intensification and Diversification in Highland upland Rice Systems

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Intensification and Diversification in Highland
(upland) Rice Systems
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Irrigated 73.2 56.1 5.3 Rainfed 60.0 43.9
Lowland 46.2 34.5 2.5
Upland 10.1 7.6 1.2 Flood
Prone 3.7 2.8 1.6 Total 133.2 3.9
The relative importance of different rice
ecosystems in Asia
Area share Average rice (M ha) to total
yield (t/ha)
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Features of highland (upland) systems

• High incidence of poverty and food insecurity

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Poverty ratio in selected northern districts of
Laos
Source Poverty Assessment Report, ADB (2001)
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Data source Primary survey, Uplands Vietnam
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Features of highland (upland) systems

• Environmental degradation

• Poor access to markets

• Ethnic minorities

• Upland rice in shifting/rotational systems

• Limited paddies (lowland)

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Spandey 03Jan
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Income growth with food security.
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Spandey 03Jan
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Why do farmers grow upland rice?

• Upland resource base

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Share of upland rice in total rice area and
production in Laos, 1999
Share
Production
Area
41
58
Northern Region
56
73
Phongsaly
40
57
Luang Namtha
56
72
Oudomxay
21
35
Bokeo
57
73
Luang Prabang
32
50
Houaphanh
35
21
Sayabouly
All Laos
21
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Data source Lao-IRRI Report
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Why do farmers grow upland rice?

• Low opportunity cost of land and labor

• Price risk

• Spreading the labor use

• Hungry months

• Traditional culture of ethnic minority
• High quality

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Food security at the national level does not
imply food security at the household level.
Mountain farmers have to grow their own rice as
it is too expensive to transport the lowland
rice . Dr Bong (Vice-Minister, MARD, Vietnam,
Sept 2002)
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Yunnan study tour and workshopSept 13-16, 2003
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Spandey 03Jan
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Major ingredients for success

• Input-responsive upland rice varieties
• Terraces
• Markets
• Local champions
• Support of local authorities

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Major ingredients for success

• Input-responsive upland rice varieties
• Terraces
• Markets
• Local champions
• Support of local authorities

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Major ingredients for success

• Input-responsive upland rice varieties
• Terraces
• Markets
• Local champions
• Support of local authorities

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Major ingredients for success

• Input-responsive upland rice varieties
• Terraces
• Markets
• Local champions
• Support of local authorities

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Outcome of changes in Yunnan

• Higher-yielding upland rice systems
• Food secure households
• Diversified systems with cash components
• Less-intensive use of fragile sloping lands

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Relevance of the Yunnan model

• May be applicable in some favorable parts or
  pockets

• Not all ingredients are needed everywhere
• contour hedgerows instead of terraces,
• fallow enrichment instead of reliance on
  chemical fertilizers,
• modified tools and handweeding instead of
  herbicides
• mulching and direct seeding

• Different components of production systems

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CURE Working Group on Highland Rice Systems
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Research Thrusts
1. Understanding and creating enabling
conditions for impact through socio-economic and
policy research.
2. Managing shortened fallow periods and
improving upland rice productivity within
shifting/rotational rice-based system.
3. Alternatives to slash-and-burn for permanent
cultivation.
4. Increasing lowland rice productivity in
highland systems to relieve intensification
pressure on fragile sloping lands.
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Research thrust 1 Socio-economic, policy and
institutional research

• Understand farmers perceptions, attitudes,
  indigenous knowledge and livelihood strategies to
  provide the basis for designing improved
  interventions.

• Assess crop diversification opportunities through
  market analysis.

• Conduct socio-economic evaluation of prospective
  technologies and diagnose constraints to adoption.

• Assess the impact of national and local policies,
  institutions and improved technologies on
  poverty, food security and resource conservation,
  and diagnose more effective interventions.

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Research thrust 2 Improving the productivity of
upland rice in shifting cultivation system

• Develop improved fallow management (fallow
  enrichment) technologies that will generate
  economic returns to farmers, improve soil
  fertility and reduce soil-borne pest infestation.

• Assess the potential for mixed-cropping systems
  consisting of rice interplanted with other crops,
  rice-non rice rotations, and mulch/green manure
  for fertility enhancement and pest management.

• Develop/identify varieties suitable to low
  productivity soils and high weed pressure

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Rice pigeon pea rotation

• A promising system for sustainably improving the
  livelihoods of Lao upland rice farmers

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Findings

• A rice-pigeon pea rotation can improve soil
  fertility while at the same time providing much
  needed income.
• Farmers are interested in this system and are
  trying it on their own out for the first time in
  2003.
• This was possible due to extensive research
  efforts to identify promising technologies and an
  available market which allowed for adoption.

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Yields (t/ha) of varieties compared to local
checksdata average of 5 years(1998-2002) and 30
locations
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Research thrust 3 Developing alternatives to
slash and burn

• Develop strategies to maintain/improve soil
  fertility, reduce soil erosion and break pest
  cycle.

• Identify cash and food crops (Jobs tear, fruit
  trees, maize, upland rice, pasture crops,
  sugarcane, tea, medicinal and aromatic plants
  etc) that can be integrated economically in the
  overall system.

• Identify the role of upland rice in these systems
  and develop suitable varieties/crop management
  practices.

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Research thrust 4 Improving the productivity of
paddies (lowlands)

• Identify conditions (resource endowments) under
  which lowland-based strategy can be successful in
  improving the food security of farmers. Who are
  likely to be the major beneficiaries of this
  strategy?

• Identify farm and village level constraints to
  production and expansion of lowland rice.

• Analyze pest/disease interactions, resource flows
  (water, nutrients) and labor deployment
  strategies across the toposequence and identify
  farm, community and watershed level adaptations
  needed.

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Intensification of highland paddies (wet season)

• Main issues and research areas
• Opportunities for expansion of area
• Opportunities for increasing productivity
• Pests (gall midge, rodents)
• Nutrient management

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Intensification of highland paddies (dry season)

• Dry season water available (plenty)
• Lowland rice production
• Issues
• Cold weather during germination and seedbed
• Pests (rodents, birds, insects)
• Nutrient management

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Intensification of highland paddies (dry season)

• Limited water during dry season
• Rice production not possible
• Introduction of other crops (ie soybean)

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• Research approach
• Stabilization (diversity, crop rotation,
  lowland-upland)

• Research guided by a greater understanding of
  farmers livelihood strategies

• Location-specificity (value of
  partnership)

• Systems perspective (inter-disciplinarity and
  integration)

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