From only a vision and informal association of diverse partners, the SRI Global Marketing Partnership (System of Rice Intensification), one of the 2005 SEED award winners, has become the catalyst for an international enterprise spanning several countries and exporting many tons of certified organic and fair trade rice grown by small farm families.

In 2009 the partners were able to:

• reach out to Lotus Foods, a small company in California that specializes in importing heirloom rice. At the Natural Expo West, the premier trade show for natural products in North America, Lotus Foods launched three SRI-produced specialty rice in the US market as the “Healthiest Rice for People and Planet.”

• obtain a US State Department grant to CEDAC, the Cambodian NGO partner, to develop SRI organic producer groups. In 2009, CEDAC purchased about 1,480 tons of paddy rice from SRI farmers at a premium, with 309 tonnes to be certified as organic. This rice is sold in 7 CEDAC retail shops in Phnom Penh and Siem Riep.

• promote SRI, as a methodology, in other countries. The Prime Minister of India recently endorsed SRI as a way to increase rice productivity and save water. A World Bank-financed project in the state of Tamil Nadu in which SRI methods are being extended to 750,000 hectares of rice lands, has demonstrated that SRI can help farmers to double their yields while cutting water use by 40%.

• SRI methods have been most actively promoted in Asia by governments and NGOs concerned about poverty alleviation and diminishing water resources. However, the SRI principles and practices also show exciting promise for African conditions

Click here to read the full case study in the SEED 2010 Annual report.