Vientiane Province, Laos – As rice is the main crop in Laos, Lao farmers have a long history of growing rice using different techniques. In the lowland areas where farmers plant on paddy fields, the common technique is rice transplanting. Meanwhile, in the upland areas, farmers grow rice on the hills through direct-seeding, but since there is no irrigation in these areas, their crops are rain-fed. In both systems, the most demanding part of growing rice is labor. For the lowland farms, seed transplanting is labor-consuming, while for the upland farms, weeding, which is usually done by women, requires a lot of work.
To respond to these difficulties, various organizations developed and promoted various rice-growing techniques that aim to save labor. Among these techniques is seed broadcasting where farmers do not have to prepare seedlings for transplanting. Instead, they will only need to prepare the rice fields, broadcast (scatter) the seeds on the paddies, and wait for the crops to mature for harvesting. This technique works well especially for the farmers who can only employ few laborers and for those who do not have irrigation in their fields. However, with this technique, the yield is low because the farmers cannot control the weeds growing in the fields. The farmers deal with weed problems by using herbicides, but doing so may have negative impacts on their health and the environment.
Khammoune Xaymany, the president of the Lao Farmer Network and head of rice producer group in Jaeng village, said that Vientiane province has been conducting Participatory Action Research on a new improved rice broadcasting technique that can completely eliminate weeds without the use of herbicides. This new technique is called the “Beautiful Wife Growing Technique”. “The reason why your wife is beautiful is that she no longer has to work in the rice field, so she has time to look after herself,” explained Khammoune.
In this new technique, the rice plants, along with the weeds that grew in the field, have to be cut down after 60 days. “Two months after broadcasting the seeds, we have to cut down the rice and the grass together,” said Khammoune. “We keep the rice plant about 20 to 30 centimeters from the ground,” he added.
Khammoune said that after cutting down the rice, the weeds will die out while the rice plants grow back healthier. “I saw the rice plants that were eaten by buffaloes. They grew back and yield higher than other rice plants.”
In the case of paddy fields, it is important to maintain the water level after seed broadcasting to ensure that the water does not flood the seedlings. While in dry fields, ensure that the soil is well-tilled. Farmers tend to not cut the rice plant because they are afraid that it will not grow back, but LFN stresses the importance of cutting the rice plants on time.
Khammoune himself had tried out the technique in one hectare of his paddy fields in 2016, and it resulted in a 30% increase in yield and a significant reduction in labor. Not only will the new technique result in the women being beautiful, but also in much more beautiful rice harvests, as told by Khammoune.
For 2017, the Lao Farmer Network with support from AFOSP-MTCP2 helped Khammoune conduct a Participatory Action Research with other farmers in his village which has a total area of around 15 hectares. The PAR process will include record keeping, video documentation, and a cross visit from other farmers to the experimental sites.
The “Beautiful Wife” technique of rice planting is easy to apply and can solve fundamental problems while reducing labor for women and at the same time protecting the environment. The technique reflects how farmers can be innovative and can generate effective knowledge about farming–something that should be shared with farmers in other countries. This technique is being practiced in Vientiane province since 2016.
The technique was piloted by the Jaeng rice production group in 2016. Seven farmers participated with a total area of about 30 hectares. The Lao Farmer Network carried out a field visit in other farmer organizations in Jaeng village. Later, the technique was scaled up by the LFN members in Xiengkhouang, Bolikhamsay, and Champasack province.
The production cost of rice is high because of the labor cost, which results in low profit in rice production, thus, many rice farmers gave up rice production. This new technique helps reduce production costs due to the elimination of the rice transplanting process which requires a lot of labor. In addition, rice transplanting is a job usually done by women. The elimination of rice transplanting freed women from the rice field which provides them with an opportunity for education, income generation and to take care of themselves. Furthermore, with this rice production technique, weeds growing in the fields can be eliminated without the use of herbicides.
LFN concludes that Participatory Action Research is a good method because it allows farmers to pilot new techniques. Farmers learn by doing it with records documented by the farmers. LFN also notes that regular visits to farmers during the piloting period is very important to ensure that the farmers follow all steps especially during soil tilling, seed broadcasting, and rice plant cutting.
Some farmers achieved a significant increase in yield, but some did not due to different rice varieties planted and how well the field is taken care of. In case of failure due to climate change or due to the technique itself that does not work, farmers need a guarantee from extension workers in order to build up their confidence in piloting the technique. The guarantee can be simple such as compensation of rice that they usually get from the area of rice field they use for piloting the technique.
LFN highly recommends scaling up this technique because it can reduce a lot of labor while maintaining a good yield. It is recommended for rain-fed rice for non-paddy rice fields. Other farmers can come to visit the farmers in Vientiane province to learn more about the technique.
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