Saving Water and Increasing Productivity of Rice Farming with SRI: Experiences with Farmer Organizations in Chhatisgarh, India

Dr. C. M. Wijayaratna (Wijay) has a Master’s degree in extension education from Leeds University in England and a PhD in agricultural economics from Cornell University. While working with the Agrarian Research and Training Institute in Colombo, he collaborated with Cornell faculty on the Gal Oya irrigation improvement project of USAID, 1979-1985. After getting his PhD, Wijay worked with the International Water Management Institute for 10 years and and subsequently consulted the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, FAO, UNDP and other organizations.

Wijay will report on his work in India as team leader and participatory irrigation management specialist for an ADB-supported irrigation project Chhattisgarh state 2006 to 2012. System of Rice Intensification (SRI) methods more than doubled yields, saved water, and enabled farmers to increase yields and double income from other dry season crops. He will talk about the roles of water user associations and farmer companies in this socio-technical-economic transition.