186 Participatory Processes
Rice Production
Between 1995 and 1998, small-scale rice growers in the project areas obtained 4.7
and 3.2t/ha yields in the dry and monsoon season respectively (n = 2927).^1 Data
from 1995 to 1997 show that project participants generate yields that are on aver-
age 4 per cent and 11 per cent higher than non-participants in the dry and mon-
soon seasons respectively (n = 1640). This was achieved mainly through changes in
fertilizer and pesticide use, transplanting time, spacing, variety, and seed and seed-
ling quality. While these increases are modest, they combine with reduced produc-
tion costs to raise household incomes.
Most of the reduction in production costs is from reductions in insecticide use.
In 1999, for example, the percentage of participants using insecticide on their rice
at least once dropped from 86 per cent (n = 6045) in 1995 to 11 per cent (n =
7700) in the dry season, and from 76 per cent (n = 6045) to 19 per cent (n = 7700)
in the monsoon. We estimate there have been savings of 486 takas per 0.11 ha plot
(n = 360), which amounts to 4418 takas per hectare per year (US$92).^2
After having obtained yield increases, farmers become willing and able to
spend more on quality seed of improved or local varieties or to produce and pre-
serve their own seed. In the highest external input use district, the percentage of
participants producing their own rice seed went from 40 per cent to 83 per cent (n
= 200 respondents from 21 FFS) before and after project intervention. Irrigation
costs do not change, while labour costs increase slightly as farmers give more
importance to certain crop management practices such as planting in rows and
weeding. Overall, the costs of production for dry season rice decreased by 12 per
cent, from 1.70 takas per kilo of rice produced (baseline) to 1.40 takas after two
years. For monsoon rice, the per-hectare costs of production declined 30 per cent,
from 1.30 takas to 0.90 takas per kilo of rice produced.^3
For farmers, the other main consideration in rice production is reducing year-to-
year yield fluctuations. Participating farmers have developed the capacity to maintain
a minimum threshold of production from their rice fields while reducing their costs
of production. This is essential to food security. Farmers working with the project
experienced variation in yield averaging plus or minus 5 per cent, while control farm-
ers experienced average variances in yield of 9.5 per cent.^4 The data from pairs of
farmers matched by rice variety and irrigation source during seven seasons between
1996 and 1999 show that the total crop failure rate of participants was 0.3 per cent,
while that of control farmers was 0.54 per cent (n = 1673 pairs of farmers).
Other Production Within the Rice Farming System
The programme is also promoting the integrated cultivation of rice, fish, dyke
crops and timber trees. As rice is the staple food in Bangladesh, and also probably
due to the influence of the Green Revolution, farmers invest considerable time and