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SEACON Member News January-April 2009 (Malaysia) PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 28 April 2009 15:58

Malaysia

Activities by DHRRA-Malaysia & ERA Consumers 2009

 

A) Sustainable (Alternative) Agriculture/Agricultural Production

Organic-SRI and Malaysia Rice Production

System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is a new term to Malaysian farmers. Since Malaysia is critically at the brink of adopting a policy to go full-fledged on hybrid rice, it is strongly feared that this policy would integrate excessive emphasis on the use of chemical inputs that could present more harm to the environment and consumers.

 

 

As rice production is generally considered as a traditional agricultural sector, it is important that farmers are exposed to various technologies and should be empowered to decide on the rice varieties to plant, or technologies to adopt.

 

                               

 

Thus, a workshop and launching of a organic-SRI rice farm would be an effective way to publicize and expose farmers to other alternatives that are available in order to ensure the sustainability of rice production in Malaysia.

 

In this project, SEACON hope to introduce the technology to the Malaysia rice farming communities, by implementing a pilot project. Collaboration with National University of Malaysia (UKM) has been engaged. Identification of areas and community in West Malaysia that would be suitable for the SRI pilot project is carried in consultation with UKM & MARDI.

 

 

  • Year of Rice Action (YORA) project promoting Organic-SRI in Malaysia.

    First Organic-SRI Workshop was conducted in cooperation with the National University of Malaysia from 31st- Feb 1st, 2009. The  Introductory Workshop was attended by 20 participants from the Dept. of Agriculture, FELCRA,Farmers and entrepreneurs, and researchers.

 

Trial plots for R&D were estabkished in Beranang and Tanjung Karang,Selangor.

  • Planting seedling:on 25 January,2009
  • Compost:first week of January
  • 3 varieties of rice: Serendah Kuning(traditional) UKM 7 (hybrid), and MR219 (hybrid) 

 

 

                                  

 

The collaborators:

  • National University of Malaysia (Dr. Anizan Isahak, Soil Scientist UKM)
  • SEACON (DHRRA Malaysia)
  • Nagrak Organi-SRI Center, Indonesia
  • Malaysia Agricultural Research & Development Institute ( Mardi-Organic Agri. Unit)

     

                            

     

     

 

Target and Expected Outcomes

- Integration of Organic-SRI in Agriculture Policy

- Documentation and research data

- Capacity building and changing farmers' mindest

- Establishment of Organic-SRI Center in Malaysia

 

                                

 

B) Right- to- food

  • Year of Rice Action (YORA) project Creating awareness on Right-to-Food & sustainable Food Security.

 

Threat to Right to Food & Food Security:

Diminishing rice land due to non-food agro-conversion

Community: The rice farming community of Kampong Gunong Semanggol, in Taiping Perak.

                                                                                                 

 

Rice farming has been the source of income and the main              

livelihood activities for the community. The area has been known

as one of the designated rice producing areas for Malaysia.

 

 

 

In the past few months, the rice farmers in the village have shown grave concern over the aggressive conversion of rice land to fish ponds for Arowana fish breeding by private owners (coming from outside of the community). These outsiders have been offering and luring rice farmers to sell their land. Currently, ten acres of and have been traded at the value of RM 160,000 for 3 acres. For the economically disadvantage community in Kampong Gunong Semanggol,the amount offered seemed lucrative.

 

The rice farmers in the community have posted theirconcerns

and forwarded their protest against the Department of Agriculture's

lack of will power to discourage the activity of growing approval for

Arowana fish breeding. Unfortunately, the DOA has indicated that

the impact of stopping any on-going conversion would jeopardize

the position of the pioneering group to whom consent has been

awarded.

 

The threat needs to be urgently addressed due to

1.) The aggressiveness and the rate of the

     conversion that has not been justified

     through any sustainability impact assessment

     study for the community.

    

 

2.) The conversion threatens food security of the nation,

  • Decrease rice supply caused by low production due to diminishing production area.
  • Arowana fish is not bred for consumption, but merely fodecorative, or aesthetic purposes.
  • The dubious policy (Food Security) and implementation, as well lack of enforcement and will power of the government to stop conversion of designated land for food production.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Last Updated on Thursday, 04 June 2009 17:40