Ecological intensification: A futuristic view of rice production

IRRI Seminar

By James Quilty
Postdoctoral fellow (soil science)
Crop and Environmental Sciences Division
International Rice Research Institute

1315-1415 H, Thursday, 27 September 2012
Havener Auditorium, IRRI


Abstract:

The looming problem of diminishing resource availability and increasing demand for food necessitates the development of new technologies that will sustain increased agricultural productivity with less water, less labor, and less land.

The installation of two overhead center pivot irrigation systems in the upland farm has provided the physical platform for the Ecological Intensification project at IRRI. As a component of GRiSP Theme 3, the EI aims to produce innovative, resilient, and futuristic rice farming technologies with increased resource-use efficiency and diversification and intensification of cropping schedules.

With the support of the Consortium for Ecological Intensification of Rice Systems, the EI is now into its second full year of crop production. Today, a diverse group of researchers from IRRI are working together under the center pivots in this high-yielding aerobic rice production system to help meet the goals of GRiSP.

While there are still many lessons to be learnt, the EI platform is already proving to be a platform for innovation and technological change in rice production.

In this seminar, James will describe the agronomics of the current mechanized, diversified, high-yielding aerobic rice production system that is the EI. He will present research findings from the past two years and offer some ideas on both currently available and futuristic solutions that may help solve the problem of diminishing resource availability for rice farmers.