The political ecology of rice intensification in south India: Putting SRI in its places

Abstract

The system of rice intensification (SRI) has been promoted across Asia as a means to improve rice yields while decreasing water use and external inputs. It is argued to be a generalisable means by which to revalidate smallholder livelihoods and improve food security across the region. Current debates about SRI, however, remain predominantly technical in scope, focusing on field-level outcomes. To more adequately understand the potential of SRI for smallholder farmers, we argue that it is necessary to situate SRI within a political ecology framework that addresses how the adoption and practice of SRI is shaped by uneven access to key assets including labour, water, and extension net- works. Fieldwork conducted in Mahabubnagar district inTelangana, south India-where SRI had been widely disadopted despite the achievement of higher yields-is used to illustrate why agronomic analysis must engage directly with the complex social contexts in which farmers operate. KEYWORDSclimate-smart agriculture, India, political ecology, risk, system of rice intensification

The ties that bind? Agroecology and the agrarian question in the twenty-first century

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