10. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The Expert Consultation recognized that rice is the staple food of most people in Asia and hence security in rice production means food security. Rice is closely linked with the social harmony and political stability of many countries. However, recent trends of declining farmers’ productivity and profitability are discouraging many farmers from pursuing rice farming. It is therefore recommended that the governments should take appropriate action to improve rice farmers’ productivity and income while ensuring national food security.

Of the various strategies to achieve the minimum required production growth to raise and sustain the level of sufficiency in rice, consolidation of already gained genetic yield is widely recognized as the most practical short-term strategy. This requires precise assessment of the yield gap, identification of key technological, institutional, socio-economic and policy level constraints, and determination of appropriate remedies.

Yield gaps in rice ecosystems

The Expert Consultation recognized the existence of sizeable yield gap between attainable and farm level yields across ecologies, regions within ecologies, and crop seasons in all rice growing countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The practical yield gap that can be addressed is the difference between the optimum attainable yield and the farm level yield as defined below:

a) Optimum attainable yield: is the rice yield of experimental/on-farm plots with no physical, biological and economic constraints and with the best-known management practices at a given time and ecology.
b) Farm level yield: is the average farmers’ yield in a given target area at a given time and ecology.

The Consultation observed that the yield gap ranges from 10 to 60% between attainable and economically exploitable yields depending on the ecosystem and country. The more adverse environments (rainfed and flood-prone) have the highest yield gaps.
The Consultation discussed the various factors currently contributing to the yield gap in different countries. These include biophysical, technical/managerial, socioeconomic, institutional/policy, technology transfer and adoption/linkage problems.
It was also recognized that only a part of the yield gap can be remedied by currently available technologies. Policy environment and interventions were considered a very vital component of the strategy to bridge the yield gap. Likewise, technology transfer to farmers and research-extension-farmer linkages play an equally important role.
The Consultation recognized that developing new varieties with higher yield potential and stability is complementary to bridging the yield gap.
The Expert Consultation felt that the goodwill and cooperation of governments is essential to initiate an effective yield gap-narrowing regional program.

Factors contributing to the yield gap

The Consultation identified the following key constraints contributing to the yield gap:

a) Biophysical: managerial-weather, soil, water, pest pressure, weeds.
b) Technical/management: tillage, variety/seed selection, water, nutrients, weeds, pests and post-harvest management.
c) Socioeconomic: social/economic status, farmers’ traditions and knowledge, family size, household income/expenses/investment.
d) Institutional/Policy: government policy, rice price, credit, input supply, land tenure, market, Research, Development and Extension (RD&E).
e) Technology transfer and linkages: competence and resources of extension staff, RD & E integration, farmers’ cognitive blocks, knowledge and skills, linkage among public, private and NGO extension staff.

The specific constraints affecting rice productivity in different ecosystems of selected Asian countries were identified and are listed below:

Irrigated Rice Ecosystem
(*priority concerns)

* - Declining soil productivity and inappropriate/imbalanced nutrient use
* - Increasing severity of pest and disease pressure
* - Poor water management resulting in low Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and soil salinity/alkalinity problems
- Varietal appropriateness, availability, adoption problems
- Planting time and plant density problems
- Timely availability and quality of inputs (seed, fertilizer, pesticide)
- Post harvest losses
* - Declining profit
* - Inadequate research and extension support to farmers

Rainfed Lowland Ecosystem
(*priority concerns)

* - Low soil fertility and fertilizer use
- Problem soils (salinity, acidity, alkalinity, iron toxicity)
- Drought/flood problems
- Inadequate research (lack of location-specific varieties and production technologies)
* - Poor weed management
- Timely availability and quality of inputs (seed, fertilizer, pesticide)
- Post harvest losses
* - Low profit
* - Inadequate/ineffective extension support to farmers and slow adoption of recommended technologies
- Poor rural infrastructure

Upland Rice
(*priority concerns)

* - Drought
- Very low soil fertility and fertilizer use
* - Weed infestation
- Lack of location-specific varieties (blast resistant and drought tolerant) and production technologies
* - Inadequate research and extension support service
* - Low profit

The Expert Consultation recommends the development of a uniform system on a continuous basis for precisely assessing the levels of yield gaps and apportioning relative contribution of various factors to the yield gaps and productivity growth.

Mechanisms to reduce yield gaps

The different countries presented common and unique activities, programs, and strategies to reduce the yield gap. The Expert Consultation recognized that the narrowing of the yield gap of rice requires concerted efforts of all concerned parties, both national and international (GO, NGO, PO, IARC, UN agencies). Sensitization of policy and decision makers is an important activity in bridging the yield gap.

The Consultation agreed on the deployment of a holistic and participatory approach to address the yield gap problems. Key points of this strategy are as follows:

Development of location specific varieties and technologies, i.e. integrated crop management approach like “Rice Check System” used in Australia (“Tropical rice check” for targeted areas).
Incorporation of yield stabilizing traits through conventional and innovative approaches (resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses).
Development and adoption of technologies with higher yield potential such as hybrid rice, new plant type, etc.
Intensified technology transfer activities using successful models such as contiguous area demonstrations to promote yield enhancing technologies, i.e., land preparation, improved variety and seed, pest management, nutrient management/balanced use of fertilizers, water management, and post harvest management.
Improve working relationship and interaction of research, development and extension services.
Policy intervention to provide incentives to high production, i.e. pricing, credit, input supplies, marketing, etc.

Regional project to bridge yield gap

The Consultation agreed to the development of a regional project that will focus on priority technical and management constraints and improvement of technology transfer and linkages. The specific institutional and policy interventions required to complement the effective implementation of the regional project will be forwarded to the respective governments for consideration and favorable action.