Launching SHIP

"Never have I seen a stall at the weekly market or hat where nothing is sold yet so many people gather", says Babu, one of the project collaborators in Bogra, Bangladesh. Indeed, this is an exciting day for the staff and farmers of the project. We have decided to advertise our joint skills and knowledge at a local market.

Credit: Paul Van Mele, CABI

Before the major crowd gathers, we set up an array of community-developed seed drying tables, potted mature rice plants displaying brown spot disease symptoms, some posters and tools for learning such as hand magnifiers and batches of seed. Within no time, our stall is surrounded by a cluster of curious people. Although initially a little unsure of themselves, Zabed Ali and other project farmers soon embark on a question and answer session with passers-by, asking about their problems with seed health and explaining how, in their experience, the objects on display had improved their own rice yields. This 'Going Public' exercise is part of the innovative Seed Health Improvement sub-Project (SHIP) for improving rice seed health amongst resource-poor farmers.

Currently, up to 95% of rice farmers in Bangladesh rely on their own seed for establishing the next season's crop. But seed quality is declining and becoming a major problem. Pests and diseases are one contributing factor exacerbated by inadequate seed drying and storage during the rainy season. Most farmers have no understanding of how the brown spots on the leaves of mature rice plants affect the quality of the seed, its germination and the health and vigour of seedlings, nor what impact poor seed health has on their yields. Of course achieving good, healthy seed requires more than just proper drying and storing: good crop management, selecting healthy panicles in the field, and manual seed cleaning are equally important. With training (and particularly of women, who are mainly responsible for post-harvest activities) farmers are able to improve the quality of their seed for next season and thus their livelihoods, a key target for this project funded by the UK government's Department for International Development.

Women designers- from shyness to pride

CABI Bioscience is one of the organizations implementing the SHIP project. Working with the Rural Development Academy in Bogra, it has focused on participatory development and the dissemination of appropriate seed health technologies at community level. As a result of this approach, women from Maria village came up with the idea of mobile drying tables. These they designed and made with the help of their husbands or local craftsmen, using locally available and low-cost materials. An astonishing array of designs has been developed. Apart from improved drying, all models have other uses. The lower, larger and stronger tables are also used for threshing and even for relaxing on afterwards! Lighter models are used for storage in the kitchen when not needed for drying and there is also a design for a folding table that can be stored on the roof while not in use.

Credit: Paul Van Mele, CABI

The whole process of developing seed drying tables resulted in such a fast success and great feeling of ownership that the women involved soon gained confidence and pride in their achievement. They set up a village picture exhibition to show their multi-purpose seed drying tables to other villagers. This activity stimulated a two-way exchange between women participants and passers-by and provided quick feedback on the technology.

Farmers on stage

At a subsequent Going Public session at a local market, farmers trained through the project took over the role of explaining the benefits of cleaned and properly dried seed to their fellow-farmers. "Which variety is this?", asks one of the passers-by who clearly thinks the clean seed (with accompanying healthy seedlings) is of a different variety to the uncleaned ones. The introduction of modern and higher yielding varieties has indeed often resulted in farmers expecting new varieties to solve all their problems. When the project-trained farmers explain that the clean and uncleaned seed are of the same variety, and that they have cleaned the seeds themselves at home, there is general disbelief. Our farmers challenge others to test the technology for themselves on a small-scale and to judge the results by the seedlings.

SHIP, operating under the Poverty Elimination through Rice Research Assistance (PETRRA) project, has clearly had its impact on empowering farmers not only to use their existing and acquired skills and knowledge, but also to market them. This awakening of a business mentality further contributes to improving their livelihoods. "This Going Public activity is a very useful extension method to reach many people coming from different places in a short time", says the Union Parishad chairman. Being an influential local politician, chairing 14 village committees, he promises to look into local funding possibilities to support similar activities. It looks like SHIP is not heading for anchorage yet!

Article written by Dr Paul Van Mele, CABI Bioscience, For New Agriculturist

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