March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook i RICE CULTIVATION HANDBOOK March 2024 CGIAR initative on Seed Equal Rice Cultivation Handbook ii Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IV PROJECT BACKGROUND VI MODULE 1: SITE SELECTION 1 MODULE 2: SEED VARIETY SELECTION 2 MODULE 3: LAND PREPARATION & MANAGEMENT 4 MODULE 4: PEST CONTROL & MANAGEMENT 10 MODULE 5: CHEMICAL USAGE FERTILIZERS 13 MODULE 6: POST-HARVEST HANDLING 17 MODULE 7: COMMUNICATION SKILLS 19 MODULE 8: NEGOTIATION & CONTRACTING 21 MODULE 9: MARKETING 21 MODULE 10: RECORD KEEPING 22 MODULE 11: FINANCIAL PLANNING 23 MODULE 12: DEVELOPMENT OFBUSINESSPLANS 24 iv Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The production of this manual was made possible with funding and support from the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative, work package 6, under the guidance of Internation Rice Re- search Institute, Alliance Bioversity CIAT and Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries. Special thanks are due to the National Agriculture and Research Organization and stakeholders for their valuable docu- ments and publications on Rice cultivation. DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this manual is for advisory use only. Users of this manual should verify site specific details that relate to their agro-climatic zones from their area agricultural extension officers. Citation: Lengewa, C.; Mikhala, A.; Aura, S.; Amuda, A.; Yila, J.; Bomuhangi, A.; and Nchanji, E. (2024). Rice Cultivation Handbook. Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook v vi Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 PROJECT BACKGROUND To address the persistent challenge of limited access to quality agricultural inputs, partic- ularly high-quality seeds in Uganda, a social and behavioral strategy was developed under the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative activi- ties under work package 6. Though agriculture serves as a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, employing 70% of the labor force and covering half of the national land area. Smallholder farmers, comprising 90% of the farm- ing commu- nity, face barriers to accessing quality seeds hindering agricultural productivity and food security. This activity led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT in collaboration with the Centre for Behaviour Change and Communication (CBCC), focuses on improving seed access in Eastern Uganda, with a specific emphasis on Butaleja District. We aimed to empower smallholder farmers, women, and youth, enhance seed access and utilization, and con- tribute to increased agricultural productivity, livelihoods, and food security in Butaleja District and beyond. By implementing evidence-based strategies and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, we aim to create an inclusive and sustainable seed system that benefits all members of the agricultural community. The project will use key SBC interventions that include strategies for shifting norms, im- proving adoption, and utilization of quality seeds among smallholder farmers in Butaleja District, with a focus on addressing gender disparities and integrating behavior change communication (BCC). The strategies comprise of:- Strategy 1: Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) for change in knowledge, attitudes, practices, motiva- tions using multiple channels. Strategy 2: Capacity Building for Seed Producers and Entrepreneurs Strategy 3: Social and Market Mobilization Strategy 4: Advocacy for Policy Interventions Strategy 5: Gender-In- tentional Approaches The cultivation handbook is one of the communication and training tools to be used during capacity strength- ening sessions for farmers to encourage good agronomical practices that result in better yield. March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 1 MODULE 1 : SITE SELECTION Site selection Rice requires more water than other crops. It is recommended to plant rice in lower parts of the field to reduce the drought risk and to target higher yield. Even though it is called “upland” rice, it can perform well in lowland. Please be careful of flood when you plant rice where you don’t know well. 2 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 MODULE 2: SEED VARIETY SELECTION All the seed to be planted must be certified seed for better yields. There are several varieties available in Uganda. NERICA 4 (U) Maturity: 110-120days Yield: 4.0-5.0 t/ha (High yield in upland rice) NERICA 1 (U) Maturity:105-115days Yield: 3.0-4.0 t/ha (Aromatic) NERICA 10 (U) Maturity:100-105days Yield: 3.0-4.0 t/ha (Short maturity period) NERICA 6 (U/L) Maturity:130-140days Yield:3.0-5.0t/ha (Very tolerant against RYMV) WITA 9 (L) Maturity:140-160days Yield: 5.0-6.0 t/ha (Tolerant against RYMV) Yield of upland rice depends largely on the rainfall amount, pattern, and agronomic prac- tices like weeding. If you cannot keep standing water during the cropping season, it is recommended to plant upland rice varieties rather than lowland rice varieties. If your field is infected by RYMV (Rice Yellow Mottle Virus), planting tolerant varieties is recommended. NARIC1, NARIC2, NAMCHE1-6, OKILE, AGORO, and KOMBOGA are also available in Uganda. Improved seeds These are seeds produced through a series of seed production channels that is suited for a particular domain, are superior than local home saved seeds and farmers do harvest a bumper amount of grains through its genet- ics potential for bulk production. Attributes of improved rice seeds • High yielding. • Early maturity • Tolerant to harsh weather conditions (drought). • Uniformity in size of grain. • Resistant to pests and diseases. • Hides the grain during flowering to avoid being eaten by birds. NERICA 4 NERICA 1 NERICA 10 NERICA 6 WITA 9 WITA 9 has purple color on its stems NERICA 6 & WITA 9 have high tolerance against RYMV March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 3 Types of Improved rice seeds NP2, NP3, UK2, NARIC 1(ITA 257), NARIC 2(ITA 325), NARIC 3 (NERICA 4), NERICA 1 and NERICA 10, Bugala; Kaiso varieties (K5, K6, K12, K23, K85, K264); Basmati (370), Sindano; WAB 165, Supa V-88, TOX 9, Namche, Komboka, and Wita 9. Sources of improved rice seeds: Cooperatives, Farmer groups and Agro-input shops Opportunities in rice, Agribusiness-Market potential • Value addition (shelling and packaging) • Sale of grain • Sale of QDS and other agro-inputs Seed Preparation Germination Test 1. Count 100 seeds > 2. Soak seeds for 24 hours > 3. Wrap seeds in wet paper for 48 hours > 4. Count the number of seeds that have germinated. If germination rate is lower than 80%, use higher seeding rate. Seed Selection It is difficult to determine seed viability with the naked eyes. It is advisable to carry out seed selection us- ing flotation method. Separate sunken seeds (filled grain) of higher germination and bet- ter growth from those floating seeds (empty grain) that are of poor viability. 4 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 MODULE 3: LAND PREPARATION & MANAGEMENT Upland Rice: Rough soil brings poor germination. Fine soil is recommended. land Rice: Bunding with 30-60cm and Leveling is recommended for higher yield. Bunds enables you to control the water and better weed management. Sowing (for upland rice) Method: Line planting (Drilling) or spot planting (Dibbling) is recommended for ensuring optimum seeding depth, plant population and easier weed control. Line Planting (Drilling) 30cm between lines Planting fork can be made with metal or wood Spot Planting (Dibbling) 30cm x 12.5cm 7 seeds/hole Planting fork can reduce the time of planting and ensures the proper distance between the lines March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 5 Sowing (for upland rice) Method: Line planting (Drilling) or spot planting (Dibbling) is recommended for ensuring optimum seeding depth, plant population and easier weed control. Refilling of missing hills Missing hills lead to low yields. It is therefore advisable that you set a small nursery bed be- side the mother garden to raise seedlings for the purpose of refilling gaps and missing hills. Gap filling should be done 15 - 20 days after sowing. It is important to water the seedlings after transplanting. Weeding Weeds prevent rice to receive sunshine, soil nutrients, and water. Weeds also attract insects, rats and diseases. Weeding must be done at least 2 times at 3 and 6 weeks after germination either by hand or hoe. *WAG = Week after germination • Farmer group / coopera- tive members are trained on seed multiplication by seed specialists from NARO. • Trained group forms internal Quality Control Committee to monitor multiplication within the group STEP 1 Training by NARO on seed multiplication No Weeding Weeding 1 time (3 WAG) • Between lines = 1 foot = 30cm • In the line = 20 seeds/1 foot (30cm) 20 kg/Acre is optimum seeding rate • It is recommended that upland rice be planted at a depth of 2 - 4 cm. • Deep planting causes low germination and delayed maturity. • Shallow planting has risks of drought and bird damage. 6 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 More you weed, more you harvest. Line planting is highly recommended to re- duce the time for weeding Nursery Bed Pre-Germination After seed selection by floating empty grains, it is recommended to incubate seeds before making nursery bed with following procedure. 1) Soak seeds for 24 hours in clean water. 2) Incubate the seeds for 36-48 hours by keeping it in a sack with wet condition. Bedmaking Recommended width of nursery bed is 100cm (1m) and width between the beds is 40-50cm. Weeding 2 times (3 &6 WAG) Weeding 3 times (3,6 & 9 WAG) 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 kg /A cr e No Weeding 378 766 998 1,815 2,135 Weeding 1 time Weeding 2 times Weeding 3 times Weeding 4 times March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 7 Sowing SeedingRate For healthy seedling growth, seeding rate on the nursery bed is supposed to be 100 – 200 g/m2. If the seeding rate is high, late transplanting damage will be increased. Step 1: Sow pre-germinated seeds on the nursery bed Step 2: Cover seeds with soil by pushing down gently Step 3: Cover beds with banana leaves or rice straws (can be removed after 3-5 days Step 4: Keep shallow water level and the seedling will be ready 18-21 days after sowing 8 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Transplanting (Seedling Age, Planting Depth) Seedling Age It is recommended to start transplanting about 3 weeks after sowing. Rice starts tillering in this stage and if they are still in the nursery bed they will not be able to get enough nutri- ents and lose the time for tillering. However, in case you find the snail damage with young seedlings, transplant- ing 4 weeks after sowing will be accepted. Planting Depth Recommended transplanting depth is 3 – 4 cm. Deep planting will cause poor tillering Damage caused by deep planting Cannot stand Easy to stand March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 9 Transplanting (Method, Spacing) Line planting is recommended for uniformed plant growth, easier weeding, and better dis- eases and pests control. Recommended spacing is 30cm x 15cm or 20cm x 20cm but 30cm x 15cm has more advantage to reduce transplanting work and better weed management. Transplanting method with several farmers (Prepare a rope which has mark (or knot) each 30cm) Step 1. Transplant seedlings in 30cm on both side of the field by using a marked rope Step 2. Stretch the ropes between the seedling planted on the both sides and transplant where there is mark and between the marks on the ropes A transplanting tool for an individual farmer Random Planting Line Planting 10 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 MODULE 4: PEST CONTROL & MANAGEMENT Pests Stalked-eyed flies: The larvae bore and feed on plant tissues, and cause dead heart to rice stems. Stem borers: The larvae bore through the stem and eat up plant tissues, resulting in dead heart or white head. Sting bug & Rice bug: The bugs stay on the panicles and suck the milky juice of young panicles and cause staining grains hence lowering grain quality. Termites: Termites eat and cut the stem of rice plants. Severe damage is experienced in dry soils. Usually insect damage does NOT require chemical control since it does not reduce yields significantly. Snails: Snailes attack the transplanted seedlings in lowland. Removing by hands and try to keep saturated con- dition after 1 week after transplanting. In case the damage is serious, a farmer can try to use 4 weeks seedlings. Stalk-eyed fly (Adult) Stalk-eyed fly (Larva) Stalk-eyed fly Stem borer (Adult) Stem borer (Larva) Stem borer Damage Rice bug Stink bug Damaged Rice March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 11 Birds: Chasing by human labor is the best solusion. Bird chasing is needed during the period only 1 month from heading to harvest. Pest Management & Scouting: Management is necessary in order to avoid damage caused by the pests. Towards pest management, the first step is the identification of pests followed by field scouting so that extent of pest can be determined. Determi- nation of varietal resistance to pests can be helpful in determining the chances of having problems warranting preventive management measures. Pest Control Methods: Agronomic Methods: Seedbeds should be made away from grass and weed areas to avoid cutworms and armyworms migration to alternate hosts. Ploughing fallow land and weed removal from areas outside the fields helps to control cutworms and armyworms. Use of resistant rice varieties is recommended. Chemical Methods: Insecticides; Sevin (@ 0.15 to 0.25%) and Furadan (@ 10 kg/ha) are used to control army- worm and other pests. These insecticides are suggested to be applied as sprays because of their effectiveness over granular form. Since insecticides rapidly break down in high temperature and sunlight. Insecticide spray should be done in the late afternoon to make sure that larvae are in their resting places because after that larvae climb up the plants. To destroy large cutworm and others, higher doses are required, because of direct positive linkages between insecticide toxicity and insect body weight. Biological Methods: Cutworms have several natural enemies. They colonize the crop in the rainy season imme- diately after land preparation. At this stage, populations of the natural enemy are low. Armyworms controlled at the egg and larval stage by parasites. Because of drought, these parasites fail then armyworms become epidemic. Larvae are parasitized by Tachinid flies, eulophid wasps, chalcid wasps and braconid wasps. Ants are reported as larval and egg parasites. Moths are parasitized by spiders. Women are not allowed to apply pesticides: Women are not allowed to apply pesticides because of the reproductive effects that have been associated with pesticide exposure in women including; decreased fertili- ty, sponta- neous abortions, stillbirth, premature birth, low birth weight, developmental abnormalities, ovarian disorders, and disruption of the hormonal function. Diseases Rice Blast: It is one of the most destructive fungal diseases of rice. The fungus produces spots or lesions on leaves, nodes, panicles and grains. The spots are usually elongated and pointed at each end. Damage is often characterized by 50% of yield reduction. Control can be done by planting resistant varieties like NERICAs and avoiding excessive nitrogen application. Termites Snail Bird Damage 12 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Rice Yellow mottle Virus (RYMV): It can be found in lowland rice field and shows the symptoms of stunning, and yellowish leaves. There is no chemical which can kill this virus and only solution is to plant tolerant/resistant varieties like WITA9 or NERICA6. Direct sowing also can reduce the damage. Brown Spot: It is common in soils that are poorly drained or deficient in nutrient. The symptoms are brown spots on the leaf and grain. The most effective way of controlling brown spot is to grow plants in good soil and provide adequate fertilizer. False smut: The fungus changes single grain of the panicle into velvety balls, which may grow to a diameter of 1 cm. The occurrence of the disease is believed to indicate a good yield because weather favourable to the development of false smut also favours good crop production. Usually, damage of this disease is minimal, no control measures are necessary. Leaf Node blast Neck blast Brown spot False smut False smut RYMV RYMV RYMV March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 13 MODULE 5: CHEMICAL USAGE FERTILIZERS Recommendation UPLAND RICE 3 weeks after germination Urea (20 kg/Acre) DAP (20 kg/Acre) 8 weeks after germination Urea (20 kg/Acre) LOWLAND RICE At transplanting Urea (25 kg/Acre) DAP (25 kg/Acre) 8 – 10 weeks after transplanting Urea (25 kg/Acre) * Please be careful to apply fertilizer to upland rice. The rice plant usually becomes taller and requires more water when fertilizer applied. If you cannot get enough rain after rice plants big, drought damage to rice would be more serious. * Urea contains 46% of Nitrogen. DAP contains 18% of Nitrogen and 46% of Phosphorus. 14 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Herbicides Common herbicides available in Uganda is shown below. Glyphosate: Non-Selective, Pre-plant, Foliar applied (Round Up, Weed Master etc.)* Butachlor: Selective, Pre-emergence, Soil applied (Butanil-70, Butanil-S) Benthiocarb: Selective, Pre- & Post-emergence, Soil applied (Hasunil, Satunil) 2,4-D: Selective, Post-emergence, Foliar applied (2,4-D) ** Propanil: Selective, Post-emergence. Foliar applied (Butanil-70, Hasunil, Satunil) * If the water is not clean, glyphosate will not be much effective. * 2,4-D is going to prevent tillering of rice also, it is recommended to use when the rice is at late stage (2 months after planting) Pre-plant herbicides are applied before the crop is planted. Pre-emergence herbicides are applied after the crop has been planted but before weeds emerge. Post-emer- gence herbicides are applied after weeds have emerged. Selective herbicides will kill or stunt some plant species with little or no injury to others, especially the crop. Non-selective herbicides will kill all plants in a field, including rice. Foliar applied herbicides are applied to portion of the plant above the ground and absorbed by exposed tissues. Soil applied herbicides are applied to the soil, usually taken up by the root or shoot of the emerging seedlings and used as pre-plant or pre-emergence treatment March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 15 Advanced Techniques Terracing: Terrace enable you to keep rainfall water in your garden longer and gives you higher yield. Common Herbicides in Uganda 16 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Ratoon Crop: After harvest, rice plant produce new shoot and panicle as long as it receives enough water. About 0.4 – 1.0 t / Acre can be harvested within 60 days after harvest. Height of harvested rice plant (stubble) should be 15-25 cm. This technique is recommended to the area which has longer rainy season (for about 6 months). With Maize With Coffee With Beans March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 17 MODULE 6: POST-HARVEST HANDLING Harvesting The stems of the rice are cut close to the ground using serrated sickles. This method of harvesting is faster than harvesting panicles using a knife. Harvesting should be done when 80 - 85 % of the grains are yellow-coloured and the grains of the lower part of the panicle are in the hard dough stage. Threshing Threshing can be done by beating to logs, with sticks or using a thresher. Threshing by beating increases the chances of broken grains at milling. It is recommended to use a thresher where possible. Drying Open air drying under the hot sun heat is widely practiced in the tropics. Preferably, drying should be done on a tarpaulin or a clean drying floor free of stones. The rice should be dried slowly with 4-5cm thickness and needs to be turned over every 30 – 60 minutes to allow equal exposure to the sun. If you dry too quickly, you will get more broken grains at milling. Immature Best Over stayed 4-5cm thickness is recommended Frequent turn-over for better milling recovery rate 18 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Seed Maintenance Rice is a self-pollinated crop and harvested seed can be used for next season and yield is NOT going to be decreased as long as the seed maintained. Seed purity can be main- tained by farmers. It is recommended that a farmer separates seed multiplication plot from other areas and removes off- types (variety you do not want) in the plot. 100m2 seed multiplication plot is enough to get seed for 1 acre for next season. Off-types can be detected by the difference in maturity period, plant height, plant shape, grain colour, grain shape, etc. Seed Storage Harvested seed should be stored in dark cool place. It should be avoided to put seeds directly on the ground. Off-type identified by plant height Different grain color March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 19 MODULE 7: COMMUNICATION SKILLS These are skills that allow someone to understand as well as be understood by others. The basic communi- cation skills are speaking, writing, listening and reading. Below are the high- lights of the Do’s and Don’ts in business communication. Dos Don’ts Listen to your partner Get angry Acknowledge his/her pointofview Reject your partners ideas immediately State your position with confidence Lock yourself in one position Look at your negotiation partner in the eye Allow yourself to get self-sidetracked Reframe your partners ideas to move towards a solution 20 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Preparation is the key to successful negotiation! Therefore, the participants must understand the basics of negotiation. Important parts include objectives (what are the results wanted), appreciation (of the negotiating partners and their opinion), interests (of both sides) and the set-up of the discussion. Role-playing and mock discussions with a focus on negotiation guidelines are once again a useful method of directing the participants’ attention to the content conveyed. The aim should be to practice various aspects of negotiations: preparation, clarity of detail, exerting and dealing with pressure, making concessions and admit- ting problems, and the conclusion. It is not uncommon to have negotiating meetings ending without any concrete conclusions. Therefore, this step of skilling is where participants are exposed to some of the things to lookout for after or in a negotiation meet- ing or session. Participants need to ask themselves the questions below: 1. What was our objective when we came to the meeting? 2. Have we achieved the objectives? 3. What deal do we have on the table? 4. What are the agreed upon conditions? 5. Do we understand the conditions? Can we effectively deliver on the conditions? 6. Do we need more time to discuss, think and return with alternatives? 7. Do we need another meeting? 8. What type of agreement do we have: formal or informal? 9. What type of agreement did we want? March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 21 MODULE 9: MARKETING Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating,delivering, and exchang- ing offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, andsociety. Marketing skills: • Understanding all aspects of the product and arguments as to why anyone should pick interest in buying this, specifically over other products • Farmers should go out to the public with the effort to convince as many people as possible to buy the selected product • Upon return, in a meeting, reports and marketing experiences are shared. Those with higher sales could share best practices and those with lower sales could share what went wrong MODULE9:MARKETING 22 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 MODULE 10: RECORD KEEPING Record keeping is the maintenance of a history of one’s activities such as financial trans- actions among others. Record keeping is vital as it helps one to stay on top of their tasks, measure progress and achieve career goals. Farmers can keep the following records; sales book, purchase records, labour records, busi- ness plans, produc- tion records, cropping calendar, visitor register, and asset register. Example of a record in a farm: Afterwards, the farmers should be supported in developing suitable templates for their re- spective record keeping by using a participatory approach. Templates are meant to be used at individual and group level, fo- cusing on the selected products and should be updated depending on needs. March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 23 MODULE 11: FINANCIAL PLANNING With basic financial skills and better financial planning, smallholder farmers can gain significant farm benefits, increased household income and food security, helping farmers make the most of their farms. Smallholder farmers should be guided through the use of financial planning tools such as the cash flow and the farm budget. Example of an annual finances overview Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total Revenue Riceharvest sales 10,000 5,000 Beanharvestsales 3,000 Totalrevenue Expenses Inputs 2,000 2000 Labour 100,000 5,000 Ploughing Transport Marketing Loanpayment 10,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 2,000 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,500 TotalExpenses Netincome 24 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 MODULE 12: DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS PLANS The business plan should include all identified stakeholders. At this stage, farmers have iden- tified areas and businesses that will ensure production, productivity and profitability, and specified the time period of the busi- ness plan. Components of a business plan; Step 1: Description of the business. This paragraph contains a detailed description of the business and business idea. Explain the background, where the business is coming from and who the initiators are. Furthermore, it should describe the who, why (goals, objectives, etc.), when, where and how of the busi- ness/product, basically this information was gathered in the previous stages. As a rough reference, the leading questions below should be answered in this paragraph. • What is the name and description of the product/business option? • Describe the value chain, • Who are the target consumers? • What is the importance of the product? • Why is it different to other products? Step 2: Analysis of the market and business environment (external factors) This paragraph is strongly based on the information gathered during the Rapid Market As- sessment and SWOT. Describe the markets, competition and consumption habits as well as the policy environment of the product to be sold. Similar to the above guiding questions may support this step. • Describe the actual market (e.g. location, products, urban/rural, typical consumers and sellers) you are planning to supply. • What is the number of potential customers per day, month or year? • What are consumer preferences? Where are potential consumers located? • Any seasonal fluctuations in demand for product? • Who are the other actors in similar business – potential competition? • What is unique about the business so that it can compete against competitors? • Are political, social and other external environments stable? • What are the rules and regulations that guide the business? Step 3: Promotion and marketing plan (internal factors) After describing the external factors influencing the business, this paragraph focusses on internal factors about the product. This includes aspects of production, post-harvesting, processing etc., but also how it is supposed to be marketed (consider the 6Ps (product, price, place, people, promotion and performance). The market trial session (4.3) could pro- vide some suitable answers here. • Are there any points standing out in production, post-harvesting, and processing (e.g. decomposable pack- aging)? • What is different or special in the whole process? In addition, think “outside the box” e.g., producers are widows; 10% of the income goes to the local school or into environ- mental education services. • Are there any specific promotional requirements (platforms like newspapers, radio, and network of social media), benefits to the public, partnerships i.e. research, public sector, donors)? Step 4: Operations and management plan Use this paragraph to describe how smallholder farmers manage resources such as inputs, human resources, equipment, transports, etc. Take the chance to introduce the governance structure and respective commit- tees. Describe the different tasks, roles and responsibilities of the participants in the process. Administration March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 25 and management processes for assets and equipment should be included here as well. Keep in mind that this section goes hand in hand with the financial plan – in this section describe the financial aspects, e.g. reimburse- ment, income distribution and such. However, the actual calculations should take place in the financial plan. • How to do you manage resources? • How to deal with risks and challenges? • Are there any internal policies in place? Step 5: Financial plan The financial plan includes all the necessary calculations including investments, costs, (pos- sible) incomes and remuneration, cash flows and if possible, also financial. It is advised to use a mathematical calculation tool, e.g. MS Excel. The financial plan also should be repre- sented in the monitoring and evaluation of the business. • What are the investment amounts? • Are there any profitability estimates? • What sources of funding do you have? In what forms, which amounts for what period? Step 6: Description of risks and challenges One good source of information for this section is the SWOT as well as the Rapid Market Assessment. This sec- tion describes the critical issues that could affect the business in the short and long term. Respectively, strate- gies for tackling upcoming issues should be includ- ed as much as possible. • How will you contribute to the environment? • Any uncertainties or threats? • How do you plan to overcome them? • Do you have a crisis management plan? Step 7: Gender analysis This is an informal paragraph about describing gender issues in your business. This includes roles, opportuni- ties as well as gender balances. Make sure to address gender equality, con- sider opportunities for both women and men and women empowerment in business imple- mentation. You might consider including relationships with partners and other stakeholders. • What are aspects of gender among actors? Step 8: Executive summary An executive summary generally provides an overview of a larger document and is one of the first things a reader will look for. Often, the executive summary is the only part decision makers – or in our case partners, traders, etc. will go to determine if action or collaboration is warranted on the business option. The executive summary analyses the situation/problem and recommends a course of action in a complete but brief way. Re- member, the people who are reading the summary often do not have much time, so your executive summary must grab their attention and entice them to read through the larger, more in-depth business plan. Such a brief but well descriptive summary of the business plan is used at a later stage to establish further contact with con- tract partners and customers. 26 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 Rice Record Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting Date Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting Date Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting Date March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 27 Rice Record Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting Date Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting Date Year Season Variety Area Sowing Date Transplanting Date 1st Weeding Date 2nd Weeding Date 3rd Weeding Date Harvesting 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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ March 2024 | Rice Cultivation Handbook 29 30 Rice Cultivation Handbook | March 2024 CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. CGIAR science is dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. Its research is carried out by 13 CGIAR Centers/Alliances in close collaboration with hundreds of partners, including national and regional research institutes, civil society organizations, academia, development organizations and the private sector. www. cgiar.org We would like to thank the Gender Impact platform for funding this activity. We would like to thank all funders who support this research through their contribu- tions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: www.cgiar.org/funders. To learn more about this Initiative, please visit this webpage. To learn more about this and other Initiatives in the CGIAR Research Portfolio, please visit www.cgiar.org/cgiar-portfolio © 2024 CGIAR System Organization. Some rights reserved. 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