Reports of Gains Bring Attention to Rice-Growing Method (2/2)

He says it usually doubles productivity. But during that time in Madagascar, it produced an average of eight tons per hectare. That was four times the usual average. In the late nineteen nineties, Professor Uphoff began trying to spread the word about S.R.I.

Supporters say there have been reports from many areas of large increases in productivity and profits. But not everyone is persuaded.Kenneth Cassman is an agricultural expert at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. In his words, "There is no strong evidence that the S.R.I. is more effective than the best of conventional rice-growing methods."

Kenneth Cassman notes that productivity in irrigated rice fields has been slowing, or stagnating, for years. He says there should be more research into the problems and how to solve them.
But Norman Uphoff says he looks forward to more field trials next year which he believes will confirm the effectiveness of S.R.I.

The World Bank says farmers using the system in India's Tamil Nadu State are harvesting forty to eighty percent more rice than before. They report using eighty-five percent less seed and saving thirty-two percent on water usage.