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Timothy J. Krupnik Home  Directory Timothy J. Krupnik
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| Research Focus | |
My research focuses on improving rice production in West Africa, where I examine resource conservation and ecological intensification in the irrigated rice farming systems of the Senegal River Valley. The main thrust of my work is an evaluation of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI), an controversial farming system that is reported to improve yields while making more efficient use of natural resources.
Developed in Madagascar, the system has spread to some 30 countries. Often championed as a high-yielding, ecological approach to rice cultivation, probably no other rice management system has attracted more attention and popular support from so wide an array of NGOs, development and civil society organizations. SRI entails reduced water use, transplanting young seedlings, manual weed control and herbicide reduction, and the use of organic material to partially or totally replace chemical fertilizers. Over 900 farmers in Northern Senegal have been exposed to the principles of SRI through FAO supported Farmer Field School programs.
However, the spread of SRI has not come without considerable debate. While some researchers praise the system for its environmental benefits, ecologically driven approach to soil and plant management, and potential to improve farmers’ livelihoods, others researchers contend that the system’s benefits are vastly overstated, and that while some gains in resource use efficiency can be made with SRI, the system is labor-intensive, difficult for farmers to master, and little better than conventional agronomic management practices. These contradictions have forced a sharp cleft amongst rice researchers and development organizations that has slowed consensus on a particularly pressing global issue: how to best intensify rice production for an expanding global population while also minimizing environmental impact.
In response to this debate, my research is intended to provide a thorough assessment of the system in the context of Sahelian rice production. Our work involves agroecological research in detailed on-station experiments as well as broader agronomic and economic assessments of SRI under farmer management. The on-station experiments have focused on (1) long term assessments of water and nutrient use efficiency, (2) examining rice variety performance, water productivity, weed competitiveness and weed community dynamics in SRI and (3) measuring crop eco-physiological performance.
Our work involves agroecological research in detailed on-station experiments as well as broader assessments of SRI under farmer management and economic analyses. The on-station experiments have focused on (1) improving water and nutrient use efficiency, (2) examining rice variety performance, water productivity, weed competitiveness and weed community dynamics in SRI and (3) measuring crop eco-physiological performance.
In our on farm work, we compare SRI to “best recommended” and farmers’ rice production practices, including transplanted and direct seeded rice. Heavy emphasis is placed on farmer participation in the design and evaluation of experimental trials. This has led farmers to implement a “modified” SRI system that is more appropriate to local agronomic and economic conditions. This system is currently in its second season of evaluation, and had lead herbicide reductions of approximately 30% without a loss in yield. Finally, on-farm data are also used for modeling of the economic performance alternative cropping systems given farmer-identified risk scenarios.
This research is conducted in partnership with the Africa Rice Center (WARDA), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Senegalese irrigation and extension authority the Société Nationale d’Aménagement et d’Exploitation des Terres du Delta et des Valées du Fleuve Sénégal et de la Falémé (SAED). |
| Interests | |
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Tropical cropping systems ecology, international agricultural development, conservation agriculture, energy analysis in agriculture, agricultural extension and education, ecologically based waste management; beekeeping and eating honey; riding bikes and ocean kayaking. |
| Courses Taught | |
I am currently out of the country on research. In Senegal, I collaborate with professors a the University of Gaston Berger (based in Saint-Louis) to mentor undergraduate and MS students interested in gaining hands on experience in agricultural research. Students’ work focuses on developing familiarity with soil sampling, crop development, and basic statistical and economic concepts.
In the UC System, I have worked a teaching assistant for the following courses: Environmental Studies Capstone Course: Environmental Problem Solving, UCSC (2007), Insect Ecology, UCSC (2006), Agroecology Field Course, UCSC (2006), Ecology and Society, UCSC (2005), Farming Systems in Developing Countries: Crop and Livestock Systems, UCD (2004, Cropping Systems of the World: Critical Principals and Concepts, UCD (2003).
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| Education History | |
(1) MS. International Agricultural Development, University of California at Davis. 2005. Emphasis: Agroecology and Resource Management. Thesis: Linking Farmer, Forest and Watershed:
Agricultural Systems and Natural Resources Management Along the Upper Njoro River, Kenya.
(2) BA. Anthropology. The New College of California, San Francisco. 1999. Emphasis: Human Ecology. Thesis: Famine and Resistance in the Sahel: The Story of the Pastoral Tuareg. |
| Selected Publications | |
Krupnik, T.J., Jenkins, M.W., and S. Mooney. 2009. Modeling Tool to Assess Economic Consequences of Changing Farming Systems for Resource-Poor Small Farmers in the Upper Njoro River Watershed, Kenya. Sustainable Management of Rural Watersheds Research Brief 09-04. Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program. Davis, California, USA.
Mulvaney, D., Krupnik, T.J. and K. Koffler. 2009. Containing Risk? The California Rice Certification Act and Transgenic Rice. Submitted to California Agriculture Journal, under revision.
Krupnik, T.J., and M. Jenkins. 2006. "Linking Farmer, Forest and Watershed: Agricultural Systems and Natural Resources Management Along the Upper Njoro River, Kenya" (March 3, 2006) University of California International and Area Studies Digital Collection, Article #3.
http://repositories.cdlib.org/uciaspubs/articles/3.
Ladha, J.K, Himanshu, P., Krupnik, T.J., Six, J and C. van Kessel. 2005. Efficiency of fertilizer nitrogen in cereal production: Retrospects and Prospects. Advances in Agronomy. 87: 85-156.
Krupnik T.J., Six J., Ladha J.K., Paine M.J. and C. van Kessel. 2004. An assessment of fertilizer nitrogen recovery efficiency by grain crops. In: Mosier A.R., Syers K.J. and Freney J.R. (eds), Agriculture and the Nitrogen Cycle, The Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE). Island Press, Covelo, California, USA. pp. 193–207.
Krupnik, T.J., McLaughlin, S. and M.A. Altieri. 2003. Shifting the Paradigm: Reflections on the Past and Future of Farming by California Agricultural Students. Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Environment. 1:355-375. |
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