Innovations, technologies, and management practices for sustainable rice production

Abstract

One of the major barriers to improving the rice value chain in Asian countries is farmers' lack of knowledge and their limited access to good and scale-appropriate technologies and practices. This chapter reviews the main features, benefits, and potential barriers of technologies and practices developed and promoted under the CORIGAP project. These include One-Must-Do, Five-Reductions (1M5R); ecologically-based pest management; laser land leveling; mechanized crop establishment; and sustainable postharvest management practices. 1M5R (1M = certified Seed, 5R = reductions of seed rate, fertilizer, pesticides, water use, and postharvest losses) was introduced in Vietnam in 2004 and adopted on about 150,000 ha of rice production in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) of Vietnam. Ecologically based pest management is important for the sustainable production of rice. We provide an overview of CORIGAP research on eco-engineering for the management of insect pests and the continued development of ecologically-based rodent management. Laser land leveling and mechanized crop establishment help to significantly increase agronomic use efficiency. Applying LLL, combined with best management practices in rice production in Thailand (CROP), has improved farmers' net income, increased nitrogen use efficiency, and reduced pesticide usage. Best postharvest management practices play an important role in upgrading the rice value chain tailored to sustainability. The chapter also includes lessons learned from case studies conducted in Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand.