System of Wheat Intensification (SWI)

in Mali – West Africa3 years of experience

Erika Styger SRI International Network and Resources Center (SRI-Rice)

Mali - Timbuktu region

Sahelo-Saharien and Saharien climate

• 150-200 mm rain/yr• Annual mean Temp:

29.1°C (13°- 43°C)Food Security: >70%

communes are among most vulnerable in Mali

•

Irrigated Rice and Wheat in the Timbuktu region

Village Irrigation Perimeter

30-35 ha - 1 motor pump

Shared among 100 farmers

0.33 ha / farmers

SRI Story in Mali 2007 - 2011

• 2007: first farmer exploratory test: SRI: 9 t/ha vs 6.7t/ha

• 2008: 60 farmers in Timbuktu: 9.1t/ha vs 5.5 t/ha

• 2009: 450 farmers in 5 regions: 7.7 t/ha vs 4.5 t/ha

• 2010: Scaling up to new sites, more farmers/site and more acreage; numbers not yet known

• Feb 2011: National SRI Coordination Committee under the Ministry of Agriculture

SWI Pioneers in Mali, 2009

Village chief, Horogoungou with Africare extension officer; President of Agriculture cooperative in village of Hara Hara;Imam village of Douegoussou, Goundam and Dire Circles, Timbuktu region, Mali

First Farmer-led test of SWI in 2009

• Organic matter application of 10-15 t/ha

• Soil plowing and land leveling

• 3 treatments: – Direct seeding: 25 cm x 25 cm, 1 seed/hill,

seed soaking for 24 hours– Transplanting at the 2 leaf-stage– Control

•Use of Cono-weeder for soil aeration

System of Wheat Intensification (SWI)

• Seed reduction: 94% (10 vs 170 kg/ha)

• Yield increase: +10% (2.2 vs 2.0t/ha)

• Problems: mortality, spacing too large (25cm x 25cm)

• Labor reduction: 40 %• Irrigation water reduction: 30%

SWI: 10.2 cm Traditional: 4.2 cmPanicle length Number of tillers

18.4 3.7

System of Wheat Intensification, 20102nd year

SWI in Mali, 2011• No funding to date

• Africare agriculture extension agent Harouna Ibrahim continues to work with 20 farmers on SWI (in spare-time)

• Challenge to let people know about the importance of SWI

• Experience on SWI/SCI in Bihar and India is crucial for the rest of the world

Thank you!

SRI-Rice, Cornell University