“Less-is-more” rice method revolutionizes potential without GMOs

Norman T. Uphoff of Cornell University is leading a quiet rice revolution centered on solving the global food crisis. Rejecting old customs as well as the modern reliance on genetic engineering, Uphoff advocates a simple new approach that is meeting resistance by the rice establishment even as whole nations are adopting it as a great improvement. Under the System of Rice Intensification (S.R.I.), harvests typically double if farmers plant early, give seedlings more room to grow and stop flooding fields. That cuts water and seed costs while promoting root and leaf growth.

While modern fertilizers and agrichemicals can be used, organic materials (compost, manure or any decomposed vegetation) and locally adapted cover crops can give good or even better results at low cost. Full story: New York Times