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Sustainable Smallholder Agri-Business Competitive African Rice Initiative

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Doing good business with quality irrigated dry season lowland rice Producer’s reference Nigeria

Name:

Community / Local Government Area:

Telephone number:

Name of FBS/GAP Focal Person:

Name of Agricultural Extension Agent:

GES No:

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Attendance of extension sessions

Farmers will be meeting every 2 weeks in 16 weeks for 8 sessions, see proposition below:

Topic Date of session

Approved by AEA

1 Rice cropping calendar

Choosing the good plot

Measuring

2 Land clearing, preparation and inputs needed

3 Nursery operations and

Transplanting

4 Safe use of pesticides

Weeds and fertility man-agement

5 Spraying insecticides

6 Harvesting, threshing, win-nowing & storing

7 Sales

Reimbursement of loans

8 Evaluation of the season

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Content 1. Cropping calendar .................................................................. 8

2. Know buyers and prices of rice ........................................... 12

3. Units to know ....................................................................... 13

4. Choosing the good plot of land ............................................ 14

5. Choosing the right variety .................................................... 15

6. Buy quality seed and fertilizer .............................................. 16

7. Good Soil Preparation and Nursery Management .............. 17

8. Clearing the land manually .................................................. 18

9. Safe use of pesticides .......................................................... 19

10. Cleaning the land with herbicides ........................................ 20

11. Techniques to prepare land ................................................. 21

12. Establishing bunds ............................................................... 22

13. Flooding the field .................................................................. 23

14. Preparing the seeds ............................................................. 24

15. Establishing the nursery ...................................................... 25

16. Nursery operations ............................................................... 26

17. Use of power tiller ................................................................ 27

18. Timely water management in rice fields .............................. 28

19. Leveling ................................................................................ 30

20. Fertilizing with NPK 15.15.15............................................... 31

21. Transplanting and refilling .................................................... 32

22. Direct sowing of seeds ......................................................... 33

23. Buying good insecticides and fungicides ............................. 34

24. Fighting diseases and insects .............................................. 35

25. Chemical weeding ................................................................ 37

26. First manual weeding ........................................................... 38

27. First fertilizing with urea ....................................................... 39

28. Second manual weeding ..................................................... 40

29. Second fertilizing with urea .................................................. 41

30. Chasing birds ....................................................................... 42

31. Harvesting and drying .......................................................... 43

32. Threshing ............................................................................. 44

33. Winnowing............................................................................ 45

34. Drying ................................................................................... 46

35. Storing the paddy ................................................................. 47

36. Selling the paddy ................................................................. 48

37. Managing money daily ......................................................... 49

38. Who does better business ................................................... 50

39. Saving after sales ................................................................ 50

40. Pay school fees .................................................................... 54

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Planning the key to success Good day, My name is Aminat. I am a rice farmer from Nigeria.

My objective is to have a lot of quality rice for my family and to earn a lot of money. To achieve that, I use the Good Agricultural Practices.

My husband Yakubu helps me on the rice farm.

To be sure of the market, I prepare my sales with the rice buyer before sowing.

To succeed in my production year, I plan my activities with the cropping calendar and with my knowledge of the growth cycle of my rice varie-ty.

In this booklet I share with you my secrets how to pro-duce quality rice. Follow me on the next pages to learn.

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Understand the growth of rice for proper planning For best yields I do my farming operations in line with the important periods of rice growth: 1. The Vegetative Phase “Laying the foundation”

This is the first 2 months of a 4 month variety or the first 3 months of a 5 months variety. I do most of my farm op-erations in this important phase and I do them well be-cause laying a good foundation for my rice is very im-portant for a good harvest.

2. The Reproductive Phase “Building the store”

This is when the rice plant begins to develop panicles and starts to develop flowers. This phase is about one month long.

3. The Maturity Phase “Filling the store”

This is from when the flowers are fully formed to the har-vest. This phase is about one month long.

I have also understood that for all rice varieties in the world, it is only the vegetative phase that is variable. The last two phases (reproductive and maturity) are invaria-ble but fixed at about one month each. Only bird scaring and last day’s water drainage from plots just before harvesting will be the only activities. So I do everything possible to do all activities well within the first two month. (Remember this example of a two month “foundation laying phase” is for a 4 months variety)

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Knowing more about rice growth Why is it likened to “laying the foundation”? This is be-cause to have high yields the rice plant needs to have many tillers which will in turn give many panicles and grains. The plant also needs to be fully green (a sign that the plant has enough food to be used later to fill the grains). All farm activ-ities during this phase e.g. producing good seedlings, good soil preparation, early transplanting, early weeding, NPK and N fertilizer application, etc. are all meant to positively influence the number of tillers, the greenness (the food to be used later) and to achieve maximum plant growth. What does “building the store” represent? The rice grains found on the panicles are actually the end product of rice farming efforts. The more the panicles the more the grains. The grains represent the store and the larger the store the more space that can be filled. In fact the farm activities at about this period such as second weeding, second applica-tion of nitrogen fertilizer and proper water management are aimed at helping the plant maximize the formation of large panicles, plenty and large stores in which the rice plant can store its product. What does “store filling” represent? At this phase, the rice plant fills the grains from what is produced in the plant leaves. As soon as the flowers appear, the food already produced in the leaves and stored in the plant begins to be mobilized into filling the grain. If the foundation was well laid and the stores were well built, then the store will be well filled, meaning there will be many panicles with full grains and harvest shall be plenty. It is important to carry out the activities at the optimum time.

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W0 W11 W12 W15 W16 W20

Week 0 to Week 11 Week 12 to Week 15 Week 16 to Week 20 Foundation of store Building store Filling store

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1. Cropping calendar

Timeline/

Weeks

Growth

Stages

Activities

-W3

-W2

-W1

W0

W1

W2

W3

9

Timeline/

Weeks

Growth

Stages

Activities

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

W11

W12

W13

W14

10

Timeline/

Weeks

Growth

Stages

Activities

W15

W16

to

W19

W20

W21

W22

W22

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I plan all my farming activities using the activity and the rice growth calendar (see an example of a time-line calendar laid out in weeks below)

Cropping Week Month Price of

paddy Cropping

Week Month

Price of

paddy W1

December Low price

Re

ad

y f

or

sale

s

W19

May W2 W20

W3 W21

W4 W22

W5 W1

January

Medium

price

Re

ad

y f

or

sale

s

June Good

price

W6 W2

W7 W3

W8 W4

W9 W5

July W10 W6

February

W11 W7

W12 W8

W13 W9

W14 W10

March

August

W15 W11

W16 W12

W17 W13

W18 W14

April

W19 W15

Sep-

tember W20 W16

W21 W17

W22 W18

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2. Know buyers and prices of rice

Rice needs a lot of work and inputs. For this reason, I study who buys rice at a good price, when and where.

Paddy prices are high in June and July

Paddy prices are low from October to December

Good quality rice is needed all year round.

I get organized in a group of rice farmers. Like this, we can sell the paddy at a good price.

At the beginning of the season, my farmer’s group does a contract with buyers of rice. We make sure we keep the con-tract at the end of the season.

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3. Units to know

I have measured my plot because this helps me to buy the quantity of seed, pesticides and fertilizer needed and to plan work.

My plot measures one hectare. One hectare is 100mx100m

To know the size of your plot of land: You measure For plot size you mul-

tiply Length with Width

Length of your plot in meters

Width of your plot in meters

m2

You divide the size in m² by 10,000 to know the size in hectare. Register here the size of your rice field

hectare

Attention: All quantities of seed, fertilizer and pesti-cides, which I give you, are for 1 hectare

If your plot size is Multiply quantities by 500 m2 0.05

1,000 m2 0.10 2,000 m2 0.20 3,000 m2 0.30 4,000 m2 0.40 5,000 m2 0.50 6,000 m2 0.60 7,000 m2 0.70 8,000 m2 0.80 9,000 m2 0.90

Weight: 10 bags of 100 kg of paddy are one metric ton of paddy (1 ton).

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4. Choosing the good plot of land

1 month before the rains stop, I choose the field where I want to grow rice. If I am using the previous field I cultivated during the first season, I make sure my crop is out latest end of October.

I choose a fertile land with good drainage and high water reten-tion capacity such as clayey and loamy soils because my rice needs a lot of water to grow well. I do not use sandy soils.

I only use land with access to irrigation systems such as a dam, river, or tube well. If I can, I use fields on which I have planted rice, groundnut, cowpea or soy beans the year before because this is very good for the soil fertility.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5

X

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5. Choosing the right variety

I only use improved varieties and certified seeds that are recommended by the extension staff and Agricultural Devel-opment Programme (ADP). Here you see what yields can be made with quality seed of improved varieties and if you apply all Good Agricultural Practices:

Variety Possible Yield kg/ha

Days until harvest Other strengths

FARO 44

(SIPI)

6,000 115 to 125

Medium maturing

Long grain

FARO 57 6,000 110 to 120

Medium maturing

Long grain

FARO 60

(Nerica L19)

6,000 120 to 130

Late maturing

Long grain

Moderately tolerant to iron toxicity

FARO 61

(Nerica L34)

6,000 120 to 130

Late maturing

Long grain

FARO 52

(WITA 4)

6,000 125 to 135

Late maturing

Tolerant to iron toxicity and drought

Long grain

Remember: 6,000 kg of paddy are 6 tons.

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6. Buy quality seed and fertilizer

I buy quality seed and fertilizer from authorized dealers, from Agricultural Development Programmes (ADP), National Agric. Seed Council or multipliers of certified seed at least 2 weeks before sowing. For 1 hectare of land, I need 30 kg of seeds.

I also buy mineral fertilizer because it helps my rice plants to grow and tiller well and to produce big, well-filled panicles. This is the fertilizer I need for 1 season and 1 hectare:

200 kg NPK 15.15.15 (4 bags)

100 kg urea (2 bags)

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5

X

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7. Good Soil Preparation and Nursery Manage-ment

I always have my focus on the date I intend to transplant. I start my soil preparation six weeks before transplanting and my nursery activities 3 weeks to transplanting date. These are the advantages of starting soil preparations well in time:

a) Organic matter decomposes well

b) Weeds are reduced

c) Harmful insects die.

2 to 3 days before first plough, I flood my field. I then leave the field fully flooded for 2 to 3 weeks before the second soil preparation.

I have enough time to raise my nursery 3 weeks to when I want to transplant and also get all my farm inputs ready.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3

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8. Clearing the land manually

My neighbours clean their field with hoe and cutlass

2 weeks before preparing the main plot and

Shortly before I sow onto the nursery. This is when the rains have stopped.

After cleaning, they put the residues at the side of the field on heaps to dry. They told me that the nutrients are not getting lost by doing so. When the vegetation was infected, they burn the residues.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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9. Safe use of pesticides

For safe use of pesticides I respect and make my workers respect these rules:

1. I only use pesticides approved by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria.

2. Cautious storage, use of pesticides and recycling of used packing material out of children’s reach

3. I read the label of the pesticides to know the correct dosage and utilization or I contact my extension officer for assistance

4. I wear protective clothes and mask

5. I maintain my sprayer well to ensure that the sprayed quanti-ty is correct. This saves money and work time.

6. During spraying, I do not eat, drink or smoke.

7. Spraying is work for adult professionals. Children do not touch pesticides and stay away from spraying!

8. I wash the training materials thoroughly and store them

9. I bury or burn empty containers in a metallic barrel far from houses when there is no wind.

10. After spraying, I wash myself and change clothes.

Attention!

Always wear

protection cloths and equipment when spraying

pesticides!

My advantages:

My plants are in good health and give good harvest.

My workers and me do not poison ourselves dur-ing and after the spraying

There will be no danger for my family, particularly my children.

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10. Cleaning the land with herbicides

My husband Yakubu cleans my field 2 weeks before preparing the main plot and shortly before I sow onto the nursery. This is done when the rains have stopped.

We use the following herbicide because it makes work faster and easier:

Ingredient Example of product

Dosage per 15l sprayer

Dosage per ha

Ltrs of Water/Ha

15 litre Knapsack loads/ha

Glyphosate

Veesate, Roundup, Wuta-Wuta, Touchdown etc.

157 ml (1 peak milk tin) 4 litres

400 26

Yakubu sprays the field on a sunny and not windy day. He re-spects the safety rules in chapter 9.

After spraying, I wait 10 days before preparing the land.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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11. Techniques to prepare land

My neighbour prepares her land manually well between 20 and 25 cm depth and harrows it to get a good seed bed.

Several of our neighbours plough and harrow their field well between 20 and 25 cm depth. They do not plough deeper because that will push the food for the rice too far into the ground.

I hire Tractor to plough and harrow my field during land preparation as it saves me lot of work and time. I also level the field with a rake or flat wooden bar.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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12. Establishing bunds

After preparing the land, I build bunds.

I divide the field into basins (5m x 5m or 10m x 5m), I level each basin properly well and build bunds around the basins to control the water in the basin.

I plant maize around the field. This will stop stem borers from attacking my rice.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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13. Flooding the field

After establishing the bunds, I let water into the basins just so that the field is covered with water.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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14. Preparing the seeds

3 days before sowing to the nursery, I treat the seeds to pro-tect them against pests and diseases and to make them grow well:

I put the seeds into water for 24 hours.

I remove the bad, floating seeds and other impurities.

I put the seeds into a jute bag

I put the bag into a warm and shady environment for 48 hours so that they sprout.

I also do a viability test. I put 2 to 3 sets of 100 seeds each in wet medium (like sand, soil or tissue) upon a sau-cer for 4 days. Then I count the germinated seed from each set of 100 seeds to know the germination percent-age of my seeds.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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15. Establishing the nursery

I raise my seeds in nursery beds to get strong seedlings and to save seed.

I choose a field close to the main paddy that is sunny, fertile, well drained and which I can water well. I do not choose a field which is at the risk of being flooded.

For 1 hectare of paddy, I need 10 nursery beds.

I prepare my nursery beds 1 day before I sow.

Each nursery is 10m long, 1m broad and 4 to 6 cm above the ground level so that the seeds are not taken away by the water.

I build bunds around the nursery to control the water.

I let water in the nursery, labour and level the nursery beds.

After levelling, I remove the excess water.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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16. Nursery operations

I sow onto the nursery when the rains have stopped.

I broadcast the sprouted seeds on the wet nursery bed.

I cover the seeds slightly with soil (not more than half a cm) and a 1cm layer of mulch.

For 1 nursery bed, I use a maximum 2 kg of seeds (weight before germination). For 10 to 13 nurseries I need a maxi-mum of 25 kg seeds before germination.

7 days after sowing, I flood the nursery to a depth of 2 to 3 cm. I slowly increase the depth to 5 cm until the day of trans-planting.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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17. Use of power tiller

I till my main field to break the soil when the rains have stopped. Before ploughing and harrowing I flood my field for 2 to 3 days so that the soil becomes softer.

After flooding my field, I use a power tiller to puddle the soil. This goes very fast and saves me a lot of hard work and time.

After labouring, I flood my field at 10 cm depth so that the weeds rot and insects on the field die.

After 2 weeks I remove the water from the field and again I use the power tiller to plough the field at 10 cm depth, harrow and puddle to kill the germinated weed seeds. -W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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18. Timely water management

I have five important periods during which I bring in water or drain water from the rice plots:

1. Before transplanting I drain water from the plot. I leave only 2 to 3 cm of water on the field.

2. 2 to 3 days after transplanting I bring in water to 3 to 5 cm level.

3. 2 days before the first weeding or application of herbicide, I drain water from the plot so that the herbicide and first Urea fertilizer application are successful. 3 to 4 days later, I flood the plot to 10-15 cm depth.

4. Again, 2 to 3 days before the second urea application or second weeding I drain water from the plot to a level be-tween 5 to 10 cm. I do this to make sure that the urea is not lost in too much water. 3 to 4 days after, I flood the plot again to 15 cm depth.

5. 1 week before the start of the harvest, I drain the water from the field so that the rice grains can dry well.

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W2 W6 W9 W18

X X X X

Adapted from Africa Rice publication (Defoer et al. 2009)

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19. Leveling

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

My husband together with our neighbour lev-els the field well. Levelling helps all my plants to get water, be-come strong, grow at the same rate and it keeps the weeds little.

If you do not have oxen, you can do the levelling manually using hoe.

... or a flat wooden bar.

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20. Fertilizing with NPK 15.15.15

After levelling, I remove the excess water from the field.

I broadcast the fertilizer NPK 15.15.15 on the field. This ferti-lizer helps the plants to grow, to be healthy and to produce a lot of tillers. I work the fertilizer well by feet into the wet soil.

For 1 hectare, I need 4 bags of 50 kg each of NPK 15.15.15.

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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21. Transplanting and refilling

I transplant my seedlings 3 and not later than 4 weeks after sowing. This is when they are strong enough and not in dan-ger of tearing or over flown with water.

I wet the nursery just before uprooting to soften the ground. I uproot the seedlings carefully and plant them quickly into the rice paddy.

Planting rice in lines makes work easier. I put pegs on two parallel borders of the field. I place a cord between two pegs. I build hills along the cord with a distance of 20 cm between each hole. I put 3 plants per hill. I leave 20 cm between lines.

I plant the seedlings such that the green part of the plant remains above the ground surface. This is at about 3 cm depth. Like this, the plant will develop many tillers.

7 days after transplanting I refill the gaps in which plants have not settled down with leftover seedlings from the nurse-ry. -W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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22. Direct sowing of seeds

Only if my field is wet throughout the year, I can plant the seed directly into my paddy. Sowing rice in lines makes all other work easier. I put pegs on 2 parallel borders of the field. I place a cord between the 2 pegs. I dig seed holes along the cord with a distance of 20 cm between each hole. I leave 20 cm between lines. I put 2 to 3 seeds per seed hole at 3 to 4 cm depth. By doing so, I have 250,000 seed holes on one hectare. Attention: If my field is not wet throughout the year, I do not seed directly because my plants cannot grow well. Seed quantity for direct sowing is 50kg/ha

-W3 -W2 -W1 W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6

X

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23. Buying good insecticides and fungicides

Only when I see attacks, I buy approved and recommend-ed insecticides and fungicides. I do not buy them in the open market. I buy only from authorized sellers

Every season I inform myself well because the recommenda-tions change. These are the fungicides and insecticides I need for my rice:

Type Ingredient Example of

product Dosage for 1 ha

Fungicide Mancozeb Dithane M-45, Z-Force

2 kg/ha

Insecticide Cypermethrin Lambdacylothrin Deltamethrin

Cymbush Cyper-1 Karate Deltaforce

1 Litre/ha

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

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24. Fighting diseases and insects

I look out for signs of diseases or insects every time I work in my rice field. I do this until the harvest seasons. If I see signs of diseases (rice blast, brown spot or grain discoloration) or insects, my husband sprays my field with insecticides or fun-gicides.

Before he sprays, we remove excess water. He sprays only in the morning or evening on a clear and not windy day. He follows the safety instructions in chapter 9.

Recommended fungicides and insecticides are on the next page.

1 day after spraying I increase the water level to the same level as before the spraying.

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

36

These are recommended fungicides and insecticides and their dosage:

Ingredient Against Example of product

Dosage/15ltr Sprayer

Dosage/ha Litres of Water/ha

Knapsack Loads/Ha

Mancozeb Fungal diseases

Z-Force

Dithane-M45

75gm or I level full peak milk tin

2kg 400 26

Isazofos Gall midge

Miral 28gm or 1 level full smallest to-mato tin

0.75kg 400 26

Cypermethrin

Deltamethrin

Lambda-cyhalothrin

Rice bugs, Gall midge

Cymbush

Cyper1

Cyperforce

50ml or

1 and ½ cyperme-

thrin capful

1 litre 300 - 400 20 - 26

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25. Chemical weeding

If I do chemical weeding, my husband Yakubu sprays my field 2 to 3 weeks after transplanting. Chemical weeding reduces the weeds during the season and saves me a lot of time.

My husband does chemical weeding only on a clear and not windy day and respects the safety regulations in chapter 9. Before my husband sprays my field with herbicides, I remove the water from the field.

My husband uses one of these herbicides:

Ingredient Example of prod-uct

Dosage for 15 litre sprayer

Dos-age per ha

Litres of Wa-ter/Ha

15 litre Knapsack loads/ha

2.4 Amine salt + Pro-panil 360

Rycestar, Orizoplus

157ml (1 peak milk tin)

4 Li-tres

400 26

Bentazone Basagran 157 ml (1 peak milk tin

2,5 Litres

240 16

1 week after chemical weeding I let the water back into the paddy field at 10 cm depth. W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

38

26. First manual weeding

If I do manual weeding, I weed for the first time 2 to 3 weeks after transplanting. I do this because weeds steal the water and the food which the soil gives to my rice and because weeds attract insects.

After weeding, I bury the weeds in the corner of a field so that they do not attract insects and can decompose.

2 to 3 days after weeding I let the water back into the paddy field at 10 cm depth.

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

39

27. First fertilizing with urea

I fertilize my rice field with urea three weeks after transplant-ing. I do this at this stage so that my rice plants develop many tillers.

For 1 hectare I use 50 kg of urea for this first application. This is 1 bag.

I drain excess water to a level of 3 to 5 cm on my paddy field and broadcast urea. 1 day after fertilizing, I let water into the field to a level of 10-15 cm depth and this water depth will also help to suppress weeds

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

40

28. Second manual weeding

If I weed manually, I weed again 5 to 6 weeks after trans-planting when my rice starts developing panicles.

Before weeding, I remove the excess water from the field. I do not let it back on the field after weeding because I will use urea right after.

I bury the weeds in the corner of a field.

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

41

29. Second fertilizing with urea

I apply urea for a second time right after the second manual weeding. This is 7 to 10 weeks after transplanting. I do this so that my rice plants develop many panicles.

For 1 hectare I use 50 kg of urea for this second application. This is 1 bag.

1 day after fertilizing, I let water into the field to a level of 10 cm depth.

W0 W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9

X

42

30. Chasing birds

When the grains start developing, I have to protect my field from birds because they like to eat the rice grains. I protect my field with a net.

I gradually remove the water from the field so that the paddy field is dry when the rice plants have matured.

I leave the field dry till the harvest.

W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21

X X X X

43

31. Harvesting and drying

My rice field is ready for harvest when two thirds of the panicle are yellow or brown. This is 4 to 6 weeks after flowering and about 13 to 16 weeks after transplanting. I cut the rice stems with a sickle or a cutlass 10 to 15 cm above the ground. I bundle the rice stems and put them together to piles such that the panicles are at the top. I make sure the panicles do not touch the ground. I dry the rice 5 to 10 days after harvesting.

W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21

X X

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32. Threshing

I thresh the well-dried rice bundles carefully so that I do not dehusk the grains.

I beat the rice against a barrel or a wood log which are placed on a mat or tarpaulin. I do this so that my paddy doesn’t break and does not get dirty.

I can also use a mechanical device or a whacking frame. This makes work faster and less tiring

W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21

X X X

45

33. Winnowing

I separate the empty or immature grains and the residues from the well-filled grains.

By doing so, my paddy has a good quality and I will get a good price.

I use a winnowing fan or a bowl for the winnowing. I make use of the wind.

I can also use a mechanic device for winnowing. This makes work faster and less tiring.

W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21

X X X

46

34. Drying

I dry the paddy well to reduce the breakage during milling.

I spread my paddy on a mat or tarpaulin with a thin layer of 3 to 4 cm.

I do not dry the rice on the bare floor so that dirt and stones does not enter the paddy.

Every hour I turn the rice over. I dry my rice for 2 to 3 days until the moisture content is 12 to 13 %.

After drying, I put the paddy into Polypropylene bags. Again, I make sure no dirt enters the paddy.

W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21

X X X

47

35. Storing the paddy

I store my paddy in an airy, cool and well-protected space on a palette where it is protected against insects and animals. The store is far from where I keep my livestock.

I clean the space well before putting the rice inside.

I use dried chilli pepper to keep pests away.

And I can also store my grains with activated silica gel pow-der to dehydrate insects in the bulk.

W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 W26

X X X X X

48

36. Selling the paddy

With the improved rice variety, fertilization and the good maintenance, I harvest approximately 4.0 tons of rice (this is 4,000 kg) from 1 hectare of rice farm.

I organize the transport to my buyer together with my farmer’s group.

Because I organize the selling with my farmer group, I get a good price for my rice.

See here how paddy prices change through-out the year

Jan Feb MarchApril May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Medium price Good

price Medium

price Low price

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37. Managing money daily

I always record in my workbook for my rice farm:

All Man-days spent on this plot Money spent each time I hire labour. The quantities of each input used and the money spent

for these inputs The quantity of rice produced, the price and the total

money received (Money-in).

This helps me to know whether I make a loss or a profit.

I plan with my husband the expenditure for the household, the farm and the school education of our children.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Ap

r

May

Ju

ne

Ju

ly

Au

g

Sep

t

Oct

No

v

Dec

X X X X X X X X X X X X

50

38. Who does better business That’s me with my rice harvest. My rice farm measures 1 hectare. I use certified seed of improved rice variety and mineral fertilizer. I maintain my field well. For the first season, I buy inputs and services which includes a water pump for 177,750 NGN, Note that I will not buy another water pump in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th seasons. The labour I use is worth 74,400 NGN. I sell 4,000 kg rice. My profit is 79,850 NGN for the first season.

Aminat’s field Unit Quan-tity

Price NGN

Total NGN

1. Money-out Inputs and services

Seeds kg 30 x 250 = 12,500 Insecticide Liter 1 x 1000 = 1,000 Herbicide Liter 7 x 1,250= 8,750 Fertilizer: NPK 15:15:15 50kg bag 4 x 5,500 = 22,000 Fertilizer: Urea 50kg bag 2 x 6,000 = 12,000 Bags Bag 40 x 100 = 4,000 Tractor service lumpsum 1 x 22,500 = 22,500 Water pump & Hose 1 Unit 1 x 65,000 = 65,000 Fuel Liter 240 x 100 = 24,000 Servicing of pump monthly 4 x 1,500 = 6,000 Cost of inputs & services NGN 177,750

Labor Levelling & preparing patches

MD 12 x 800 = 9,600

Nursery operations & transplanting

MD 10 x 800 = 8,000

Fertilizing (NPK & urea) MD 4 x 800 = 3,200 Gap filling MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Weeding (chemical) MD 1 x 800 = 800 Spraying pesticides MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Chasing birds MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Harvesting & heaping MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Threshing & winnowing MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Storage MD 2 x 800 = 1,600

Labour needs & cost MD 93 x 800 = 74,400

Total cost (money-out) NGN

240,150

2. Money-in

Production X sales price kg 4,000x 80 = 320,000

3. Loss or Profit

Money-in minus Money-out NGN

79,850

51

My profit in the second season, if everything being equal, will be 132,850 NGN. Reason is that I will not buy another water pump.

Aminat’s field Unit Quan-tity

Price NGN

Total NGN

1. Money-out Inputs and services

Seeds kg 30 x 250 = 12,500 Insecticide Liter 1 x 1000 = 1,000 Herbicide Liter 7 x 1,250 8,750 Fertilizer: NPK 15:15:15 50kg bag 4 x 5,500 = 22,000 Fertilizer: Urea 50kg bag 2 x 6,000 = 12,000 Bags Bag 40 x 100 = 4,000 Tractor service lumpsum 1 x 22,500 = 22,500 Fuel Liter 240 x 100 = 24,000 Servicing of pump monthly 4 x 1,500 = 6,000

Cost of inputs & services NGN

112,750

Labor Levelling & preparing patches

MD 12 x 800 = 9,600

Nursery operations & transplanting

MD 10 x 800 = 8,000

Fertilizing (NPK & urea) MD 4 x 800 = 3,200 Gap filling MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Weeding (chemical) MD 1 x 800 = 800 Spraying pesticides MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Chasing birds MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Harvesting & heaping MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Threshing & winnowing MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Storage MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Labour needs & cost MD 93 x 800 = 74,400

Total cost (money-out) NGN

187,150

2. Money-in Production X sales price kg 4,000 x 80 = 320,000

3. Loss or Profit

Money-in minus Money-out NGN

132,850

52

Here is my neighbour Memunat with her rice har-vest. Her rice farm also measures 1 hectare. She does not use improved varieties, fertilizer or pesti-cides. She doesn’t sow in lines and doesn’t main-tain her farm well. Memunat buys inputs for 40,400 NGN. The labour she uses is worth 71,200 NGN. Memunat sells 1,500 kg rice. Her profit is 8,400

NGN.

Memunat’s field Unit Quan-tity

Price NGN

Total NGN

1. Money-out

Inputs and services

Seeds kg 80 x 55 = 4,400

Insecticide Liter 0 x 2,500 = 0 Herbicide lumpsum 0 x 4,500 = 0 Fertilizer: NPK 15.15.15 50kg bag 0 x 4,500 = 0 Fertilizer: Urea 50kg bag 0 x 4,500 = 0 Bags Bag 15 x 100 = 6,000 Tractor service lumpsum 0 x 12,500 = 0 Fuel Liters 240 x 100 = 24,000 Servicing of pump monthly 4 x 1,500 = 6,000 Cost of inputs & services NGN 40,400

Labour

Land preparation, levelling & preparing of patches

MD 30 x 800 = 24,000

Nursery operations & transplanting

MD 10 x 800 = 8,000

Fertilizing (NPK & urea) MD 0 x 800 = 0

Gap filling MD 2 x 800 = 1,600 Weeding (manual) MD 10 x 800 = 8,000 Spraying pesticides MD 0 x 800 = 0 Chasing birds MD 20 x 800 = 16,000 Harvesting & heaping MD 8 x 800 = 6,400 Threshing & winnowing MD 8 x 800 = 6,400

Storage MD 1 x 800 = 800 Labour needs & cost MD 89 x 800 = 71,200

Total cost (money-out) NGN 111,600

2. Money-in

Production X sales price kg 1,500 x 80 = 120,000

3. Loss or Profit

Money-in minus Money-out NGN 8,400

53

39. Saving after sales

I put the major part of the money I received from the sales on my saving account. By doing so, I have money for the household expenses, the expenditure for production and the school fees during the next months.

I return home just with the money required for immediate ex-penditure.

If I have taken a credit I pay it back to avoid the penalties.

W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 W26 W27 W28 W29 W30

X X X X X X X X X X

54

40. Pay school fees

My children do not do hard or harmful work on the rice farm. I also do not use children of other people for hard and dangerous work.

As a good rice farmer I send my children to school. I save money and pay their school fees and school material in time.

When my children come home after school, they do their homework to get good results.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Ap

r

May

Ju

ne

Ju

ly

Au

g

Sep

Oct

No

v

Dec

X X X

55

Good luck and good bye

Dear friends, Now, you know all my secrets on doing good business with the production of quality rice. Do it like me, do good business with the production of quality rice. I wish you good luck and a lot of success, Goodbye, your friend Aminat.

56

Editorial work

Merit Buama, Annemarie Matthess, Abd Wahid Ogundiran GIZ Sustainable Smallholder Agri-Business (SSAB)

Stefan Kachelriess, Yusuf Fouad Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI)

With contributions from Phillip Idinoba, AfricaRice; Kudu Ndayako & Isah Kolo, NCRI; Husseini Iliyasu, AGAN; Idris Usman Gbogan, NAMDA; David Achimugu & Abdulrahman Ibrahim, Vancol Cropcare; Amoo Abiodun & Aliyu Samaila, USAID MARKET II; Godfrey Ajayi Sunday, NSRIC; Ayeleke Dauda, RVC/FMARD,; Ahmed Ibrahim, NAERLS; Hiroshi Kodama, JICA; Ben Odoemena, IFAD,

Sources of information WARDA n.y. Growing lowland rice: a production handbook, Cotonou. Defoer, T., M.C.S. Wopereis, P. Idinoba, K.L. Kadisha, S. Diack and M. Gaye,

2009. Curriculum for Participatory Learning and Action Research (PLAR) for Integrated Rice Management (IRM) in Inland Valleys of Sub-Saharan Africa: Facilitator’s Manual. Cotonou, Benin: Africa Rice Center

INRAB.2005. Mieux produire le riz pluvial et de bas-fond. NAERLS. 2005. Recommended practices for rice production USAID MARKET II. 2010. Improved package of practices for rice production NCRI. 2009. Recommended practices for lowland rice production in Nigeria GTZ. 2010. Best practice rice production and processing JICA. Collection of various materials on production and post-harvest technolo-

gies

Images J. Abato, Ghana; P. Ebode, Cameroon; K. Ogunwale, Nigeria

Financing

Published by Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Sustainable Smallholder Agri-Business Competitive African Rice Initiative

Contact Annemarie.Matthess@giz.de Stefan.Kachelriess@giz.de

As at December 2014

GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication