VI. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC RICE FARMING USING SRI IN THE DSTRICT OF SUKABUMI
6.1. Background
The successfulness of rice farming using SRI method is very dependable upon how the concept is applied in the field. This rice cultivation method seems to
offer better future for the elevation of rice production. However, the sustainability of this method is still questionable if applied in larger scale of rice farming
Gardjito et al. 2006. The adoption of SRI method can cause some changes in socio-economic, technical and environmental aspects of rice production.
Concerning the change in attitude, it is not easy for farmers to be convinced that a new method can increase rice production immensely. Therefore, more indebt
study in various aspects of this method is still required. Beside some topics of research focusing on soil and agronomic aspects, other research in macro aspect
concerning rice production using this method with modeling approach is also important Gardjito et al. 2010.
Experience of a farmer in Desa Cibadak, District of Sukabumi, who had received training about SRI, indicated that by applying this method he managed to
achieve rice production ranging from 6.5 to 8.5 tonha. In other areas on Java Island and several other Asian countries, the yields resulted from field
experiments were even higher Gardjito et al. 2006. As a comparison, a field survey and on-farm experiments were conducted in the central highland of
Madagascar to assess rice yield performance and key management practices on a few of the early SRI-practicing smallholder farmers. The result indicated that rice
grain yields at the survey fields were 9.9 tonha maximum without using mineral fertilizer Tsujimoto et al. 2009. In several other smallholder farms in that area,
even higher yields over 15 tonha were reported Rafaralahy 2002, in Tsujimoto et al. 2009.
Due to its high productivity based on several existing records and reports, organic rice cultivation with SRI method is necessary to consider about its
development in conjunction with the proliferation of rice production either at local or national level. The development should be sustainable which can be viewed
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from three aspects, i.e., economic, social and environmental. The economic aspect concern with the productivity which in turns is related to how sustainable is the
organic rice farming financially. The social aspect can be associated with the awareness and interest of the farmers to adopt the SRI method. The economic and
environmental aspects among others can be associated with the utilization of animal and other agricultural farming wastes as well as other sources for the
production of organic fertilizers in the form of compost, bokashi or direct utilization. The most efficient and economic utilization of agricultural wastes for
organic fertilizer might be the production of compost from paddy straw. It can be combined or supplemented by compost made from cattle wastes manure and
urine. The District of Sukabumi is likely to have the potential to supply both sources of organic wastes. The utilization of wastes for organic fertilizer is one of
the methods or systems in order to reduce the hazard of environmental pollution. This study had the objective to make an analysis of some factors to support
planning purposes of the development of sustainable SRI organic rice farming in the District of Sukabumi by means of modeling approach.
6.2. Method
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