Nepal was one of the first countries outside of Madagascar where SRI methods were evaluated, starting in 1999. The initial results were not very encouraging, perhaps because there was not adequate water control so that aerobic soil conditions could be maintained. From 2002 on, better results began to be reported, notably from the Sunsari-Morang irrigation project where a NEDECO technical assistance team and a cooperating Nepali NGO undertook to introduce and evaluate SRI methods through farmer field schools. SRI yields averaged 8.28 tons/hectare over two seasons, compared with 6.01 tons from ‘improved’ practices including use of chemical fertiliser and 4.29 tons with farmer practice.
