This open access book is about understanding the processes involved in the transformation of smallholder rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin from a low-yielding subsistence activity to one producing the surpluses needed for national self-sufficiency and a high-value export industry. For centuries, farmers in the Basin have regarded rice as “white gold”, reflecting its centrality to their food security and well-being. In the past four decades, rice has also become a commercial crop of great importance to Mekong farmers, augmenting but not replacing its role in securing their subsistence. This book is based on collaborative research to (a) compare the current situation and trajectories of rice farmers within and between different regions of the Lower Mekong, (b) explore the value chains linking rice farmers with new technologies and input and output markets within and across national borders, and (c) understand the changing role of government policies in facilitating the on-going evolution of commercial rice farming. An introductory section places the research in geographical and historical context. Four major sections deal in turn with studies of rice farming, value chains, and policies in Northeast Thailand, Central Laos, Southeastern Cambodia, and the Mekong Delta. The final section examines the implications for rice policy in the region as a whole.
Introduction and background; Characterization of environments; Nutrient balances; Managing organic matter; Nutrient x water interactions; Soil physical constraints and nutrient availability; Germplasm for nutrient efficiency.
This book presents a comprehensive account of upland rice cultivation in different states of India. Upland rice system is considered as most diverse of all rice systems and each states of the country grow different varieties under a range of management conditions and cropping patterns. The 23 chapters in the book consolidate and share the knowledge on rainfed upland rice cultivation practiced in different states. It analyzes the upland rice agro-ecosystem in different states and encompasses various aspects of integrated nutrient management, pest management, varieties available and newer technologies introduced for adoption by farmers to improve the productivity of this fragile ecosystem.
The importance of rive as a world crops, and its principal characteristics. The modern rice plant and the new technology: Greater potentials for rice production in the tropics. Problems of postharvest technology. Rice marketing. Some successful rice production programs. Promising rice research. Elements of a successful accelerated rice production program. A national rice program: putting the ingredients together.
