Eugenia Saini is currently FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary. FONTAGRO is the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology. She leads the investment fund and a portfolio of 70 international operations related to science, technology, and innovation for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. She is from Argentina and is an agronomist by training. She holds a doctorate in agricultural sciences, specializing in total factor productivity analysis. One of her seminal works in this field was the estimation of 120 years of TFP for the agricultural sector in Argentina. She is also a National Public Accountant and holds an MS in Food and Agribusiness and an MS in Applied Economics, both from Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has worked in the private and public sectors, both nationally and internationally, especially in multilateral banks. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at Cornell University and, more recently, with the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) Scholarship at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
Traditional rice farming techniques in India are becoming environmentally unsustainable. Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is an alternative resource-efficient technology that minimizes the environmental impact of rice farming while improving farmer livelihoods.
Corteva Agriscience’s integrated rice farming program helps farmers better understand and realize the benefits of DSR.
Rice farming in Asia
Rice is the staple food for more than half the world’s population. About 90 percent of all rice is grown in Asia, with more than 200 million rice farms. Consumption in most countries exceeds 100kg per person per year.
Total rice consumption in India is estimated at 102 million tons. Rice feeds over 60 percent of the population. The yield growth rate has to be maintained at 1.2 to 1.5 percent annually to meet the increasing demand in the region. Meanwhile, water withdrawal for agriculture in India has increased by 70 percent in 30 years, creating water supplies stress.
Transplantation is the most popular technique to grow rice in the region. In transplanting, seedlings are germinated in a nursery and transferred to a flooded field. Prolonged flooding increases greenhouse gas emissions.
Flooding paddy fields requires around 2,500 liters of water per kilogram of cultivated rice. This process affects the texture and composition of the soil, resulting in less groundwater replenishment and potentially leading to water scarcity issues. Recent studies suggest that the water table in some parts of India is falling by 4cm per year.
Enhancing farmer livelihoods while reducing their environmental footprint
Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is an alternative rice growing method to transplanting. It involves spreading seeds directly into the field by hand or using machinery. DSR allows faster crop establishment, requires less intensive labor, and helps groundwater retention, protecting the water table.
Yields also improve, and the rice reaches maturity sooner, improving incomes and allowing farmers earlier access to markets.
Despite these benefits, DSR is still not widely adopted in India. This is due to a lack of access to quality inputs, such as hybrid seeds and herbicides, low levels of mechanization, and a lack of knowledge or awareness of the technology.
Corteva Agriscience introduced AcreNext to promote better understanding and adoption of DSR in India. AcreNext is an integrated program providing DSR solutions for rice farmers, including hybrid seeds, mechanized sowing services, and weed and crop management advisory.
AcreNext is currently available in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. Corteva is working on multiple public-private partnerships to drive the adoption of DSR in the region.
Showcasing the benefits of Direct Seeded Rice
Some farmers remain skeptical of new techniques and are slow to adopt new products or processes. Education and training through AcreNext are vital to unlocking the potential of DSR.
Corteva Agriscience partnered with NGO PRADAN to introduce DSR techniques in Nawoda, Bihar, where water scarcity is a significant challenge for farmers like Sunita Devi. Sunita received technical training, help with soil testing, disease pest management, and plant protection.
She also had support with farm equipment such as drum-seeders and access to crop advice throughout the growth cycle. The process allowed Sunita to reduce the time spent on labor and the costs of irrigating her crops. Yields were higher, and the rice grew quicker, increasing her profits and improving productivity.