Rice Crop Manager spurs women and the youth to embrace digital technologies in Odisha

The Rice Crop Manager (RCM) is a tailor-made, web-based tool that follows site-specific nutrient management principles. It gives rice farmers recommendations for applying the right amount of essential nutrients for their crops at the right time, along with weed and nursery management recommendations.

RCM has been disseminated  under the project Increasing Productivity of Rice-based Cropping Systems and Farmers’ Income in Odisha, implemented by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) with the support of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE) in Odisha, India.

The five-year (2016-2021) project aims to enhance the lives of farmers in the state who are dependent on rice-based cropping systems through improved agricultural management practices, innovations, and technologies.

During the project, RCM was used to provide fertilizer use recommendations to around 200,000 thousand men, women, and young farmers. Evidence and learning from the field have shown that the farmers who have been practicing and adopting the technology, and benefiting from it, were also promoting RCM to their fellow farmers.  The two case studies presented here highlight how farmers have taken simple steps to use RCM on their farm and successfully reduced their input costs and experienced the net benefits.

The two case studies presented here highlight how farmers have taken simple steps to use RCM on their farm and successfully reduced their input costs and experience the net benefits.