Laser land leveling introduced to Indonesia’s tidal swamp areas to boost rice productivity

by Reianne Quilloy 
Reposted from Rice Today online 

SOUTH SUMATRA, Indonesia—“Now, I and my fellow students who came here can better help our parents in running our farms,” exclaimed Dulhamid, a high school student at a specialized agricultural school in nearby Tanjung Lago. He was enthusiastically talking about his recent attendance at a demonstration of a laser land-leveling system that could improve the productivity of rice farms in the tidal swamp areas in Palembang and other parts of Indonesia.

Farmers, extension workers, and students in Palembang learn firsthand the basic of laser land leveling. (Photo by R. Quilloy)

Twenty-four farmers, extension agents, and local students attended the demonstration, held 28-29 September. It clearly showed how the technology could become a vital tool for increasing agricultural production while reducing the cost of growing rice and thus encourage its adoption.

One of the challenges that limit farmers’ rice production in Mulya Sari and neighboring villages in Banyuasin District is their unleveled fields. Unleveled rice fields consume three times more water than leveled fields. They also suffer a 5-10% yield reduction due to uneven crop maturation and higher weed infestation. However, traditional land leveling using draft animals or two-wheeled tractors are quite laborious that still leave the field inadequately leveled.

Land leveling using the laser system is faster and more effective in ensuring an even surface. In laser-leveled fields, irrigation water reaches every part of the field thus reducing waste from waterlogging and runoff. Evenly distributed water in rice fields can also control weeds so farmers can reduce their use of herbicides.

The event was organized by Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprints (CORIGAP) project in collaboration with the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technologies (AIAT).

“Our goal at AIAT is to assess technologies being introduced and make recommendations for the government’s extension arm,” said Budi Raharjo, AIAT researcher and postharvest specialist. “This is part of our efforts to reach our national rice sufficiency goals and an initial step to introduce the laser-leveling technology in the country. It is also gaining a lot of interest in other provinces.”

Caling Balingbing, a scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), conducted the demonstration and provided training on topographic field surveying and operating and maintaining a tractor.

“We want to know more about this technology and the experience of farmers in other countries, said Pak Ruwanto, a farmer from Banyuasin. “We also hope that other farmers in Indonesia can see and use this technology so we can all benefit.”

“We learned how to do the pace method as part of the topographic surveying and I was able to operate a tractor,” added Dulhamid.

During the demonstration, IRRI and AIAT introduced the concept of the Learning Alliance. This is an interactive and participatory activity that brings together different stakeholders to assess and develop ways to optimize the use of new technologies so smallholder farmers can truly benefit from them. The CORIGAP project has been using the Learning Alliance as a platform where different stakeholders with common interests can share and learn from each other’s experiences.

CORIGAP is a 4-year project implemented by IRRI and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Smallholder farmers develop business models for postharvest services

Reposted from: IRRI News

MAUBIN TOWNSHIP, Myanmar –Farmers from rice-based villages have developed business plans for the sustainable use of postharvest equipment and generating income by providing postharvest services to other farmers.

Eleven farmers, representing three farmer groups from Maubin and Daik-U Townships, created practical business frameworks for threshing, drying, and storage technologies developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The plans were formed with assistance from the Department of Agriculture and IRRI's postharvest group.

Through the Learning Alliance (LA), IRRI will lend threshers, solar dryers, and hermetic storage technologies to the farmer groups that will provide postproduction-related services to other rice farmers. The LA is a platform supported by the project, Diversification and intensification of rice-based cropping systems in lower Myanmar (MyRice), and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. The farmer groups will then use the earnings to pay for the equipment through MyRice.

 “If we can prove that the plans we developed are profitable for these farmers, we can use this model to help other smallholder farmers in other regions of Myanmar,” said Martin Gummert, IRRI’s postharvest expert. “MyRice has demonstrated effective postharvest technologies. This is an opportunity to sustain the use of technology that is already tested and found technically feasible. At the same time, this will help other farmers increase the value of their rice by providing access to the technologies.”

Using this approach, which is similar to leasing, IRRI can demonstrate the viability of the business model without the need for an upfront investment. Such an investment is an unrealistic requirement for farmers who have to take considerable risks when trying a new technology.

The farmer groups, which are also LA members, and Dr. Myo Aung Kyaw from the Pioneer Postharvest Development Group, discussed mechanisms to manage the equipment.This Group is one of IRRI’s key partners in Myanmar. They also formed groups to assign roles and responsibilities to ensure proper maintenance of the equipment as well as a practical business plan that provides services to potential clients.

The farmer groups will validate and fine tune the initial business model developed during the April 2016 harvesting season.

Through the LA, MyRice will provide the technical assistance and advice on managerial issues that might occur during the piloting.

“If we can fully develop a business model for at least for one technology, we can use the data as a benchmark to develop more business models for other postharvest technologies that will cater to other interested farmers or farmer groups in Myanmar,” Gummert said.

Myanmar Learning Alliance: A year of lessons and progress

T wo village-level Learning Alliances  (LA), facilitated by IRRI in Myanmar, discussed progress at its current learning cycle, and revisited previous cycles to track how the Alliance has learned and  changed.

Varieties, quality improvement, and markets: Maubin Learning Alliance

The Maubin LA started in December 2013 initially to learn about improving quality and new  varieties linked with the project’s participatory varietal selection (PVS). One year after, at its 4th LA meeting held in Maubin township, the Alliance saw changes in the topics being shared and the activities implemented.

Learning Alliance members tested the IRRI lightweight thresher to speed up
postharvest operation and deter postharvest losses.

In previous learning cycles, the Alliance explored which varieties and quality would be acceptable in markets that provide premium price for quality (see RIPPLE Vol. 9, Number 1, January-June 2014 issue). They also explored possible seed sources. As a result, some farmers bought seeds at the Hmawbi Seed Farm. They chose one variety from the PVS (Sin Htwe Latt), and another variety that has a good selling price in Yangon wholesale markets. The varieties were grown over the monsoon season, where rice postharvest operations could be delayed because farmers need to establish pulses for summer crop. For this meeting, participants assessed Sin Htwe Latt based on management, yield, and marketability. The farmers who planted it also noted its short-duration trait, hence, allowing them to plant pulses on time. Farmers also had ample time for rice postharvest operations. Linking this with improved rice quality and higher price, some farmers were interested to see whether good quality sold at the right time would indeed provide better profits. To support this interest, a 1-ton capacity mobile mechanical dryer was set-up in Nga Gyi Gayat village. At the time of the meeting, one farmer had tried the dryer. He will also try to store and sell when the price is higher. Another option to improve quality was the use of a portable lightweight thresher. This can allow farmers to thresh immediately in the field after harvest rather than piling the cut crop in the field for weeks  before threshing. Postharvest specialists Christopher Cabardo, Yan Lin Aung, and Myo Aung Kyaw demonstrated how this can help reduce postharvest losses. LA members also provided feedback on how to improve the equipment.

Dryers, quality rice, and markets:Bogale Learning Alliance

In December 2013, Learning Alliance members in Bogale wanted to learn more about paddy drying. To support this, a dryer was established in Kyee Chaung village for farmers in eight neighboring villages, including Kyee Chaung. In its 5th LA meeting in Bogale Township, LA members revisited the area to see the progress made in the past year and from the current learning cycle. Members previously shared that the market visit raised awareness on rice paddy quality sold in export and wholesale markets, and the different trading links that operate in their area.

Members visited wholesale and export markets in Yangon to learn about
rice prices depending on quality

They also learned about the market performance of Bogale-produced rice in terms of purity and eating quality. They also realized how paddy quality affects milled rice quality. Taking off from these, some farmers tried mechanical drying using the IRRI flatbed dryer,then storing hermetically at the Professionnels du developpement solidaire (GRET) communal storage for 3 months. After which, they sell in bulk, at US$17/ton, in Bogale and Moulamyinegyun, and realized the benefits of selling good quality paddy in bulk. GRET is a NGO partner. In the next harvest season, some farmer members want to use a lightweight thresher, dry mechanically, store in the communal storage, and sell to a Yangon wholesale trader. They also discussed other payment schemes to support the use of dryers by farmers who may not have cash available for drying fees at harvest time. They would also like to raise more awareness about drying and encourage more farmers to sell in bulk. Expanding the learning agenda “The Learning Alliance concept applied at the village level is a powerful tool to connect different value chain actors and empower farmers by linking them to alternative markets. It (village-level LAs) can serve as a model for other villages in Myanmar,” says Martin Gummert, IRRI scientist of the Postharvest Unit and lead facilitator of the Learning Alliance. The topics identified by members for the next learning cycle include: a message design workshop on best practices in  ostharvest, documented comparisons on costs and effectiveness of the practices from drying to selling, better integration with activities of NGO partners (e.g., credit schemes), other drying options (e.g., solar bubble dryer), and technologies that will help the minority of farmers who do not fit the ecological conditions common in their village.

LA members conduct small group learning trials based on their topic of interest. The lessons are shared with others, with the idea of expanding the reach of the projects by exploring relevant topics through participatory activities that involve different stakeholders.

IRRI News: Vietnam: CORIGAP team conducts workshop on environ...

IRRI News: Vietnam: CORIGAP team conducts workshop on environ...: The Closing rice yield gaps in Asia with reduced environmental footprints ( CORIGAP ) project conducted  a workshop to discuss issues aro...

IRRI News: Thailand: CORIGAP team conducts workshop on the en...

IRRI News: Thailand: CORIGAP team conducts workshop on the en...: The Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint (CORIGAP) project conducted a Participatory Impact Pathway Analy...

CORIGAP News: Learning cycles continue in Myanmar

CORIGAP News: Learning cycles continue in Myanmar: By Reianne Quilloy, Martin Gummert, and Rica Joy Flor Iterative learning cycles involving different stakeholders target learning not only ...

CORIGAP News: Postharvest activities to reduce losses ramp up in...

CORIGAP News: Postharvest activities to reduce losses ramp up in...: By Reianne Quilloy, Christopher Cabardo, and Rica Joy Flor Demonstrating a technology such as the solar bubble dryer requires a hands-on ...

LA Story: Echo seminar from Mariphil Foundation

Ms Grace Cabaguing of Mariphil Foundation shared the latest activity, an "Echo Seminar on Postharvest" conducted last March 3, 2011. The seminar included demonstration on the use of Superbags. She also intends to assess the performance of the stored palay in the coop’s rice mill building using the IRRI Moisture Meter. Ms. Grace Cabaguing is one of the LA members who were trained on postharvest technologies.