Featured Tool: Field Markers

 Within the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), proper spacing in the planting of seedlings is one of the essential principles underlying the technology. A grid pattern with spacing of 25 x 25 to 35 x 35 cm in a uniform square pattern (planting with space) is normally adopted. Planting single seedlings in a square method can be made more efficient, as farmers can find it difficult to mark the recommended spacing. The conventional method of using rope as marker can be labor intensive when a long rope knotted at 25cm to 35cm intervals and stretched across portions of the field and pressed down to mark the intersections of the grid pattern. Looking for ways to reduce the drudgery of this task, the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK satellite locations throughout India), in Madurai developed a handy implement, the rolling marker. This marker when rolled on wet, not flooded, paddy field makes uniform square impressions. which facilitates easy operation of rotary weeders. This implement is very handy, easy to operate and does not require highly skilled labour. It reduces the human drudgery and inconsistency in square planting which prevented some farmers from adopting the SRI method of cultivation.

Innovation to this part of SRI comes in many forms, mostly from smallholder rice farmers, using materials at hand to create other tools that served to mark off the grid pattern before transplanting seedlings takes place. Rake designs have been modified on a much larger scale, built with bamboo and wood or with metal in areas where welders could apply their skills to the task.

SRI Promotion in Thailand

From echocommunity.org https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/6045a74d-
bdab-491d-b7ff-d36e181a62b8

An attribution to an early designer of a rolling marker:
Wanpen Channarod is a farmer from Thamai, Chomsaeng Nakorn Sawan, in Thailand. She cultivates rice on sixteen rai (7.2 acres), producing single and multiple seedling clumps for rice paddy planting.

In addition to using SRI methods to produce these seeds, she also made a roller marking tool that is now used for commercial SRI production in Nakorn Sawan province and surrounding areas. Wanpen’s roller planting marker was developed from her experience. When a problem occurred, she would alter and develop the tool according to the problem and rice variety.

Wanpen’s tool was designed to be light- weight, easy to handle and convenient to use. The handle was designed so that the tool can be pulled. The tool makes parallel and perpendicular lines to mark the planting locations, optimizing space between rows so that the rice is easily organized in lines without using too much energy.

Roller Marker
“Integrate SRI”

Variety of Markers:
Amazing creativity involved with using materials at hand to lay out the grid pattern for Transplanting seedlings from the nursery to the field: