Le riz est la troisième céréale cultivée au Niger après le mil et le sorgho. Il constitue cependant la nourriture de base des citadins. La production nationale atteint 130 000 t, couvrant à peine le tiers des besoins de population. Les rendements obtenus en hors aménagement sont encore très faibles. Pour renverser cette tendance il est nécessaire d’augmenter la productivité du riz et des sols. D’où l’introduction du système de riziculture intensive (SRI).
Lowlands’s ecology represents nearly half of the agro forestry region irrigated for rice in Niger. This research aimed at evaluating practices of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) in these ecologies. On-farm testing was conducted in three (3) different regions (Tahoua, Zinder and Dosso). SRI practices in these regions were compared to conventional rice production system. Forty-five (45) producers were selected and each implemented the two (2) systems for comparison. Variables compared included tillers production and paddy yield. Results showed clearly that relative to conventional practice, SRI package increases tiller production by 45% and paddy yield by 58.2%.