Improving the livelihood of farmers by intensifying the rice-potato-rice system through double-transplanting of rice in West Bengal, India

Natural Resources Management Division Working Paper No. 2007-1

This working paper is based on collaborative work conducted by scientists from the International Potato Center and the Rice Research Station of the Department of Agriculture of West Bengal, India. It reports the proceedings and results of participatory trials conducted in two locations in West Bengal, to evaluate and disseminate rice double-transplanting technology to intensify potato-rice cultivation system, enhance sustainable productivity and alleviate poverty. The reported work is based on the fact that rice is a staple food and potato is an important cash crop for farmers in the Sub-Tropical Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of India and Bangladesh. Recognizing the importance of potato and rice for poor farmers, the Department of Agriculture of the Government of West Bengal and the International Potato Center undertook a study to evaluate and validate an innovative double-transplanting technology of boro (summer season) rice and improved management of existing resources to obtain higher productivity and profitability of the kharif (wet season) rice-potato-boro rice system, without sacrificing the yield of either potato or boro rice.