Farmers' Adaptations to Production Constraints and its Implications for Agricultural Research: The Case of Rice Production Systems in the Dominican Republic Frans Doorman Associate researcher for rice studies; Adaptive Agricultural Research Project, CENDA Apartado 700, Santiago, Dominican Republic Self-sufficiency in rice production is one of the major objec- tives of government agricultural policy in the Dominican Republic. Therefore, heavy emphasis is put on double crop- ping, while other production systems, such as ratooning, are discouraged. In this paper traditional production systems employed by farmers in the Dominican Republic are de- scribed. It is argued, that in many cases these systems are well adapted to, or are a result of constraints in production condi- Frederico Cuevas Perez Rice breeder, director of research; Institute Superior de Agricultura Apartado 166, Santiago, Dominican Republic tions. As such, they are rational solutions to the many prob- lems of an infrastructural nature, particularly faced by small farmers. It is suggested that under specific conditions some of the production systems may well be more cost effective, both at a micro and macro level, than double cropping. Therefore, it is recommended to incorporate these systems into the na- tional rice research activities. In this paper, we will describe and analyze small farmers' rice production systems in the Dominican Republic. We will look at these systems as answers to constraints in small farmers' produc- tion conditions. Thus, we hope to indicate that production systems used by small farmers, although perhaps not very high yielding in absolute terms, may be fairly effective in adding to total production under conditions in which high yielding systems such as double cropping are difficult to realize. Data on farmers' production systems, conditions and decision making were gathered within the framework of the Adaptive Agricultural Research project. This project, aimed at establishing how and what sociologists can contribute to agricultural research, has been a joint effort of the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural University of Wageningen, the Netherlands. Sociologists and agronomists have been working together since 1981 in agronomical problem identification among small scale cassava and rice farmers through the use of in-depth case study interviews, a survey and adaptive trial research. (More informa- tion on methodology and results of the AAR project can be ob- tained at CENDA, Apdo. 700, Santiago, Dominican Republic; or after January 1985, with Dr. Louk de la Rive Box, Dept. of Rural Sociology of the Tropics and Subtropics, Agricultural University, Salverda plein 10, Wageningen, The Netherlands.) Survey data from the same project are used for quantitative infor- mation on the occurrence of different rice production systems in the regions around Nagua, in the northeastern part of the Dominican Republic, and Mao, in the northwest. In the following, we will first present some general information on rice cultivation and research in the Dominican Republic. Subsequently, we will describe the agronomic and economic aspects of the two most important production systems in the Dominican Republic: double cropping and ratooning. Then, the "riso" and the "mateo," two other, less frequently occurring production systems, will be described in terms of the conditions in which they are used by farmers. We will conclude by trying to indicate what implications our analysis might have for agricultural research efforts in the Dominican Republic. 96 Rice Cultivation and Research in the Dominican Republic Rice is the most important staple in the Dominican Republic. In area sown, production value, labour and capital invested it is second only to sugarcane (SEA 1981, page 5). According to Cor- dero (1978), some 98% of the physical rice is officially classified as irrigated. However, about one-fourth of this land exists with such a poor irrigation infrastructure that rice grown on it would be better defined as upland rice grown under favourable conditions. In 1983, 99,733 hectars were sown with rice (Cuevas Perez, 1983). On a physical rice area of 90,400 ha, this implies that the average number of cropping cycles for that year was only about 1.10. This figure indicates that double cropping is more an excep- tion than the rule. This is surprising, considering the fact that the larger part of the rice area is dedicated exclusively to the cultiva- tion of this crop. In certain regions in the country, ratooning is practiced instead of sowing a second crop. In 1982, about 12,000 ha were ratooned, almost 20% of the 62,000 ha sown during the first cropping cy- cle. If one would consider a ratoon as a second crop, the average number of cropping cycles in 1982 would amount to 1.23. Since the 1960's, rice research has been executed at the Centro de Investigaciones Arroceras (CEDIA), located near the town of Bonao in the fertile lands of the central region of the Dominican Republic. Rice breeding has been the most important and suc- cessful component: at present, major areas are sown with locally released varieties such as "Juma 57," "Juma 58," and "Juma 60." Apart from these varieties, a package of recommendations was developed, based on the sowing of two crops per year, and in- cluding an ample use of modern inputs such as fertilizers, pre- emergent herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. Double Cropping The production system recommended by the rice research in- stitute CEDIA is double cropping. Also, the rice researchers ad- vocate establishing these crops at specific dates: the first crop in December and January; the second in June or July. PROCEEDINGS of the CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY-VOL. XX