Hybrid rice - necessary?
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1 The Green Revolution: The Green Revolution: Do We Really Need it -- Again? Do We Really Need it -- Again? Debal Deb Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Barrackpore www.cintdis.org
description
The official concern for food productivity stagnation calls for a Second Green Revolution involving new hybrid rice and transgenic rice varieties. However, traditional rice landraces prove to be fine tuned to local soil and climatic conditions. Traditional farmer landraces can yield significantly greater in marginal environmental conditions than any modern hybrid variety. Traditional agoecological knowledge and farmer innovations are the best bet to address the food security issue.
Transcript of Hybrid rice - necessary?
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The Green Revolution: The Green Revolution:
Do We Really Need it -- Again?Do We Really Need it -- Again?
Debal Deb
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, Barrackporewww.cintdis.org
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The Ingredients of the Green The Ingredients of the Green RevolutionRevolution
1. Irrigation Package (Dams, Canals, Pumps)
2. Synthetic Fertilizers (and the “NPK
Mentality”)
3. Insecticides, Herbicides, Fungicides
4. Hybrid Seeds
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The ConsequencesThe Consequences
1. Erosion of Folk Crop Genetic Diversity
2. Loss of Local Food Cultures
3. Corporate control of ALL Materials of Production
4. Corporate Hijacking of Food Security
… and there has been no exception!
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Was Cereal Yield Increase Was Cereal Yield Increase
Really Due to “Miracle Seeds”?Really Due to “Miracle Seeds”?
The power function relationship of production (P) of rice and wheat with expansion of cropland area (A). P = c A2+ z where z = 1.65 for rice and 0.4 for wheat, and c = 0.0005 for rice and 0.022 for wheat.
[Data adopted from GOI 2001]
Wheat
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Rice
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Crop Area (million ha)
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Regression of Production against % Cropland Under Irrigation. Slope = 3.44 for Rice, 0.99 for Wheat
Cereal Output Growth Due to Irrigation ExtensionCereal Output Growth Due to Irrigation Extension
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Not only Cereals, but Production of Legumes Have Also Increased from Irrigation Extension
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Increase in Local Rice Varieties Also IncreasedDue to Increase in GrossCrop Area and Irrigation. Folk Varieties’ RoleIn Crop Output Is SystematicallyIgnored in Official Agronomic Literature.
Source: Agricultural Statistics At A Glance 2009. Ministry of Agriculture.
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Did You Say … Crop Yield Increase?
Hybrid RiceHybrid Rice: :
Fools' ToolFools' Tool
for Food Securityfor Food Security
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Questions of Reason & RelevanceQuestions of Reason & Relevance
Is Hybrid Rice Technology the best of all possible worlds?
Do we have enough evidence to rely on it?
Have we tried all cheaper alternatives?
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Published Country Published Country ExamplesExamplesVietnamThe PhilippinesIndiaBangladeshChina
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“There was a minimal improvement in hybrid paddy yield in the period 1992-2006 (0.1% annually), while inbred paddy yield grew at rate of 2.4% annually. Even though Vietnam experienced a high adoption rate of hybrid as compared to other Asian countries (8% recently), this change in area structure contributes much less than yield improvement.
“On average, hybrid rice brought an additional quantity of 589,800 tons of paddy annually during the period 1992 -2006, or 2.1% paddy output compared with case of no hybrids.
“Hence, hybrid rice has contributed very little to overall paddy yield improvement of Vietnam since 1992.”
Source: ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HYBRID RICE IN VIETNAM: AN ININTIAL ASSESSMENT
2007 by Tran Duc Vien and Nguyen Thi Duong NgaHanoi University of Agriculture
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According to the Department of Agriculture (2005), total budget spent for the extension program and R&D in hybrid rice production from 1993-2005 is recorded at 5.5 million USD. Some provinces spent more for their hybrid rice program. The hybrid rice development program in Vietnam has received support from the government in various forms., including high subsidies. However, hybrid rice area has not shown increased development and even the hybrid seed area has declined to 1200 ha in 2008.
Costly Import and Subsidy
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Unreliable Seed Quality
“Only 84.9% of imported seed in 2006 was quality seed, and 74.4% of imported seed was certified to meet the requirement of purity.”
Source: Hung, Le Quang. 2007. Quality of Hybrid Seeds and their Performances. Hanoi Agricultural Division Publishing House, pp 228 -232.
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Unstable Seed Supply
With almost 80% of seed imported from abroad, the country’s farmers are dependent on seed supply from outside in terms of quantity, quality, variety and price. A tightening of the supply from China or Thailand would result in excess demand in domestic market and price would go up.
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Inferior Grain Quality “China has developed super hybrid rice since 1996,
which attained yields of 12 tons/ha in the period 2001 -2005. Hybrid rice is expected to attain yields of 13 tons/ha in the country in the future.
“However, the rate of hybrid rice adoption has decreased steadily (at low pace) because of changing demand. The average Chinese’s income levels have increased, consumers demand for good quality rice has increased, while hybrid rice varieties have not been able to meet this demand.”
• In India and Bangladesh, all hybrid rice varieties are disfavored by consumers.
Source: David, Cristina C. 2006. Philippine Hybrid Rice Program: A case for Redesign and Scaling Down. Manila: Philippine Inst itute for Development studies (PIDs).
FAO 2008. Rice Production Externalities: Consumer preferences. Rome.
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Poor Adaptation to Local Environmental Conditions
“Hybrid rice is susceptible to blast disease during
the summer season, and this is especially true of
imported varieties. That is one of the reasons
hybrid rice is not preferred during the summer
season. Some of 2-line hybrids have advantages
of shorter maturation time and less susceptibility to
blast disease, but are not adaptable to a wide
range of conditions.”
Source: Tran Duc Vien and Nguyen Thi Duong Nga 2007. ECONOMIC IMPACT OF HYBRID RICE IN VIETNAM: AN ININTIAL ASSESSMENT. Hanoi University of Agriculture.
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The Technophilia ParadigmThe Technophilia ParadigmNo modern rice (including Hybrid ) cultivar has
ever been produced in any country that can withdtand
1. Drought 2. Flood/ Submergence 3. Soil salinity 4. Pest attack 5. Pathogen outbreak All these properties are found in folk rice varieties.
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AMAZING FARMER INNOVATIONSJugal: The Double-Grain Rice
Debal Deb
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AMAZING FARMER INNOVATIONSSateen: The Three-Grain Rice
Debal Deb
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The Myth of Exceptional High Yield
“Actual field experience with farmer developed varieties in the Philippines show that yields of up to 7 mt/ha are achievable using organic farming practices. This compares favorably to the less than 6 mt/ha average yield for hybrid rice. Rice farmers who employed the system of rice intensification managed to obtain yields reaching as high as 9 mt/ha.
Moreover, the small rice farmers have been reporting 70 to 75% milling recovery rates which is much higher than around 60%, as registered by hybrid rice.”
Source: Omi Royandoyan and Jimmy Tadeo 2009. Rice Hybridization is NOT the Solution. Centro Saka & National Rice Farmers Council. Manila.
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The Myth of “Low-Yielding” The Myth of “Low-Yielding” Traditional Rice VarietiesTraditional Rice Varieties
At Basudha, in situ demonstration for the past 12 years show that at least 16 farmer landraces can outyield any HYV in marginal farm conditions (deep water/ dryland/ saline farms). Another 7 varieties (Bahurupi, Bou rani, Haijam, Kerala sundari, Panchali, Panjab-sal, Srabanti-sal) can yield as high as 8.3 t/ ha with ZERO agrochemical inputs – higher than the hybrid rice varieties so far introduced.
Source: Deb, D. 2005. Seeds of Tradition, Seeds of Future. RFSTE. New Delhi.
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Our Heirloom Rice LandracesOur Heirloom Rice Landraces
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Food Security Needs Food Security Needs
the Hardware the Hardware (Seeds of Diversity)(Seeds of Diversity)
and and
the Software the Software (Knowledge and (Knowledge and
Techniques of Bio-diverse, Techniques of Bio-diverse,
Ecological Agriculture)Ecological Agriculture)Debal Deb
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Farmer Innovation – Inconsequential?Farmer Innovation – Inconsequential?
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Alley cropping, Inter-cropping and Rotational cropping can boost farm productivity several-fold.
Up to 220 plant species are grown in Home Gardens of Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and south Bengal.
Debal Deb
Multiple Cropping Systems: Multiple Cropping Systems: A Sure Way to Outlive DisastersA Sure Way to Outlive Disasters
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Transplant rice plants between 7-15 days after sowing
Single plants to be transplanted
25 cm X 25 cm gaps between hills
Soil moisture is crucial
Debal Deb
SRI: A Method of Enhancing Rice Yield SRI: A Method of Enhancing Rice Yield Without Any Chemical InputsWithout Any Chemical Inputs
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Combination of crops in ponds, farm field and surrounding tree stands.
Examples:
• Paddy, Fish & Duck culture
• Trees, & bean crops on pond margins, deep-water rice in pond
• Fodder crops, bamboos & medicinals
• Multi-tier, multi-species agroforestry
Debal Deb
Complex Ecosystems of Aqua-Agro-forestryComplex Ecosystems of Aqua-Agro-forestry
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Do we really NEED TO INCREASE rice production?
A Final Question
34Govt. of India (2010), Agricultural Statistics At A Glance 2009
Total Available Food Grain in India: from Production Data
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The central pool has a stock of 25.2 million tonnes of wheat and a rice stock of 22.9 million tonnes as of 1 December 2009. With an estimated procurement of 26 million tonnes of rice in kharif marketing season 2009-10 and the present level of stocks, the requirement of targeted public distribution at current level of allocations will be comfortably met, the FCI release said.”
http://www.domain-b.com/economy/general/20091226_food_corporation_2.html
In 2009-10, Rice production : 89.27 million tonsWheat production : 80.98 million tons
In 2009-10, Rice in stock : 21.6 million tons2009-10, Wheat in stock : 30.3 million tons
Per capita availability of Rice alone : 0.13 tonPer capita availability of Rice+Wheat : 0.29 ton
http://indiacurrentaffairs.org/agriculture-production-in-2009-2010/
Consider the Other Food FactsConsider the Other Food Facts
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• “Agricultural overproduction is coupled with the paradox of hunger and malnutrition, because the poor remain deprived of entitlement.” (WRI 2009)• India has produced 0.9 MT of rice per capita in 2009-10• In 2002 MPs of India were discussing dumping of 32,000 tons of rotten cereal grains into the sea - while starvation deaths continued in 4 States.• The amount of cereal grains rotten and wasted in government storehouses exceed the amount needed to end hunger in Kalahandi, Shivpuri or Belpahari.
Where do the EXCESS GRAINS end up?
NOT IN HUMAN STOMACHS !
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We need a We need a new rational new rational approachapproach to problem to problem solving more urgently than solving more urgently than novel genesnovel genes for crop for crop hybridization.hybridization.
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For further information, contact:For further information, contact:
Dr. Debal DebDr. Debal Deb
Centre for Interdisciplinary Centre for Interdisciplinary StudiesStudies
9 Old Calcutta Road,9 Old Calcutta Road,Barrackpore, Kolkata 700 123Barrackpore, Kolkata 700 123
Email: Email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Website: Website: http://www.cintdis.orghttp://www.cintdis.org
