BADHAIYATAL, NEPAL — In 2023, Jagdish Tharu’s farm produced three times more rice than expected. At a time of dried-up springs and prolonged drought in this agricultural area, this success surprised Tharu – and his neighbors.
When they saw tall weeds growing in the fields, they predicted that Tharu’s field would produce a maximum of 12 quintals (1.3 tonnes). Instead, the yield was 32 quintals (3.5 tons).
It wasn’t Tharu’s best return ever, but it didn’t break his wallet or his back. He did not need to hire the thirty or so workers he usually employed to work in his fields. And the work was easier, he said, even though he did it by hand, all by himself.
This is all due to a paddy cultivation technique called direct-seeding rice method, which is slowly becoming popular in China, India, the United States, and parts of Europe and Africa.
The technique, called chharuwa dhaan kheti in Nepal, involves planting rice seeds directly in the field, thus avoiding the tedious process of growing seedlings in nurseries and subsequently transplanting them into fields. Compared to traditional rice cultivation, no-till uses 12 to 35 percent less water, reduces labor costs and allows crops to be harvested seven to 10 days earlier, according to a 2022 article published in the journal Circular Economy and Sustainability.
Direct seeding is a success in terms of climate adaptation. Traditional rice farming requires an average of 2,500 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of rice (about 660 gallons for just over 2 pounds) – a huge amount in the face of global water shortages and local droughts. No-till, on the other hand, recharges groundwater, reduces soil erosion and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
“This is smart technology in climate adaptation,” says Sachin Kumar Mishra, head of Ranighat Agricultural Implements Research Station, Parsa district, Madhesh province.
And if people want to continue eating rice, they need to adopt the direct-seeded rice method, he says.
“Otherwise, the land will remain barren, because there will be a big water problem in the coming days,” he adds.
Rice is a staple food for more than half of the world’s population, supporting more than 3.5 billion people, particularly in Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa. In Nepal, it is the main food crop. As the country faces longer droughts due to climate change, the need for water-efficient farming methods like no-till grows.
The stakes are high. Around 67% of Nepal’s population depends on agriculture, and the sector accounts for around a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product. The country has already suffered significant losses from climate-related events between 1972 and 2016.
The International Rice Research Institute, a non-profit organization that studies the development of the global rice sector, promotes the direct-seeded rice method in the Terai regions of Nepal. The Nepalese government also recommends rice varieties that can withstand the effects of climate change, including drought and floods.
Some of these acclimatized rice varieties, along with the direct-sown rice method, are slowly gaining popularity among the farmers of Bardiya district.
Ramchandra Yadav planted paddy for seven years in a row using this technique. Rice is extremely sensitive to drought conditions during germination and early seedling growth. During droughts, traditional agriculture is not possible. This year, as an experiment, Yadav sowed paddy for the first time during the drought, using the direct seeding rice technique.
“It was like a bet,” he says. But as the drought passed and it rained, the rice in his fields grew well.
No-till is not without its challenges. Increasing weed infestation is the main bottleneck, especially under dry field conditions. Special tools are needed to manage weeds, and many farmers don’t have access to them.
“Currently, even if farmers want it, the devices to plant paddy and pull weeds are not available,” says Mishra of the Agricultural Implements Research Station, adding that even the available tools cost expensive to purchase for farmers.
But the gains are obvious.
A series of experiments were conducted over seven years, from 2011 to 2017, in the western Terai region of Nepal to measure performance and refine the direct-seeded rice method. No-till produced higher grain yields with lower total production costs, as well as higher water productivity and net profits compared to traditional practices.
Tharu says that when he used standard methods, the water level was too low for even three operating machines to extract it from underground, and the working methods were high.
It took 10 farmers to extract the seeds and another 20 to plant them, he says.
“On top of this, farmers were to receive an additional 700 rupees (about US$5.25) per day and food,” says Tharu. Finding workers is becoming more difficult each year as many people leave agriculture or move abroad for better opportunities.
Tharu wants to continue planting paddy next year on his own land, using the direct-seeded rice method, and hopes that each year will bring better yields. Six other farmers from Tharu village joined him to use the technique this year.
Ashish Bhattarai, a 31-year-old farmer from Badhaiyatal, says his generation is generally not interested in agriculture. “Everyone has little respect for farmers,” he says.
But he quit his job in human resources to sow paddy on 19.5 bighas of land (nearly 33 acres) – the largest area in his village.
“People think wheat is easy to grow, but rice is hard to grow,” he says.
The direct-seeded rice method changes that perception, he says, highlighting the future of rice farming.