SRI Timbuktu Blog
60 Farmers Evaluate the System of Rice Intensification in Timbuktu 2008/2009
Record Tillering with Indigenous Rice Varieties
October 31, 2008
SRI farmer Alkalifa Ag Insaye in the village of Horogoungou found a rice plant with 161 tillers
The Women of Findoukaina
October, 2008
Women do not cultivate rice in the north of Mali. They do not work in the irrigated perimeters
Rice develops faster in SRI Fields
Rice panicles appeared earlier in SRI plots than in the control plots. This occurred across all
Flooded Irrigation Perimeters
October 23, 2008
Three of the 12 irrigation perimeters where SRI was tested suffer from flooding every year, when
Farmer Exchange Visits and SRI Field Performance
October, 2008
During the month of October, Africare held several field visits for interested partners: other
Impact of Weeding
September 7, 2008
Timely and multiple weedings using the cono-weeder have a major impact on both SRI and control
Tillering
Early September 2008
80 days after nursery establishment, both SRI and control plots in the village of Hara Hara have
Yellowing of Fields
Mid August to early September, 2008
Despite applying 10-15 metric tons of manure per hectare, SRI rice plants start to turn yellow 6
First Weeding using the Cono-Weeder
July 14, 2008
We received a model of a Sri Lankan “Cono-Weeder” (or conical weeder) from Tim Krupnik, a SRI
Field Comparison 30 Days after Establishing the Nursery
July 13, 2008
Africare technican Diaty points out the control plot associated with the SRI field of Asseydou
The Day after Transplanting
End of June, early July 2008
In the SRI fields, we bring a very shallow layer of water into the plot after planting, just
Transplanting
June 26, 2008
Under SRI, rice seedlings are transplanted when they have two leaves, at 8 to 9 days after sowing
Rice Seedling Nursery
Mid to Late June, 2008
Rice plants develop faster and more uniformly in the SRI nursery as compared to the traditional
Field Leveling
June 24, 2008
Neither advanced land leveling nor soil puddling (breaking down the soil structure while submerged
Fertilization
Early to Mid- June, 2008
Use well decomposed manure or compost ideally at 10-15 metric tons per hectare. With this, there
Plot and Soil Preparation
Early to Mid-June, 2008
Each village assembly selected 5 farmers to participate in the evaluation. Villagers and Africare
Following a successful small-scale test last year, 60 farmers in 12 villages in the Goundam and Dire Circles near Timbuktu are evaluating SRI and comparing it to their conventional practices. Seven Africare technicians provide careful technical assistance to ensure that the technical specifics of SRI are well understood, put into practice, and adapted to the local farming system.
This is the first large-scale test of SRI in Mali and specifically for the Timbuktu region, which lies in the Sahelo-Saharan climate zone. The varied experience of these 60 farmers will inform us on performance and potential of SRI and serve as the basis for the next step: to design a sound strategy to expand SRI in the Timbuktu region.
This work is funded by a grant from the Better U Foundation, located in Los Angeles, California, USA.
This Blog will take you chronologically through the rice-growing season from June 2008 to January 2009 and bring you updates from the farmer based SRI evaluation in Timbuktu. If you would like to start from the beginning, go to the oldest entries on the bottom of the blog.
June 26 2008. Farmers and technicians, proud and tired after the planting the first SRI field of the season (background) with field owner Daouda Aboubacrine (front middle) in the village of Hara-Hara,
