Brief
Problem: Traditionally, rice cultivation is practiced through hand transplanting in a puddled field. It takes 3000-4000 litres of water to produce 1 kg of rice. This is an expensive method in terms of time, labour costs, water usage, and fuel energy. This has led to excessive pumping of groundwater – to meet the water needs of transplanted paddy – leading to decline of groundwater resulting in a scarcity and higher cost of pumping water.
Solution: Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) technique, an established alternative technology eliminates the entire cost for raising nursery and transplanting and can produce similar grain yields as the traditional practice with higher net profits. DSR is the practice of establishing a rice crop from seeds sown directly in the main field instead of transplanting seedlings from the nursery to the main field.
Roots Foundation has been at the forefront of promoting climate smart agricultural practices PAN India (more than 10 states) by training farmers in the Direct Seeded Rice technique.