The scientific case for system of rice intensification and its relevance for sustainable crop intensification

Over the past decade, considerable empirical evidence regarding the relevance of the system of rice intensification (SRI) to pro-poor development has become available. However, concrete leads into the potential of SRI and its scientific foundations have not been adequately pursued. Instead, a few individuals, with very limited funding, have taken on the task to validate and provide a scientific basis for SRI, an approach that has been spreading at an increasing pace, particularly among smallholder farmers in India. This paper reviews the information currently available that provides the scientific, agronomic and plant physiological foundations of SRI and explores its significance for the wider future orientations of agricultural research and development in general.