 In South Asia, specifically in the northern parts of Bangladesh, eastern India and eastern Terai of Nepal, flooding is a serious constraint to increasing rice production and reducing poverty. Flooding also damages large areas of rice production every year. Because of this, farmers continue to dream of rice varieties that would withstand submergence. The introduction of submergence tolerant varieties is paving the way for farmers to realize their dream. The incorporation of submergence tolerance from traditional varieties into modern varieties has been a plant breeding focus at the International Rice Research Institute, or ERI, since the early 1980s. Rice varieties with a sub-1 gene commonly known as sub-1 varieties have the capacity to withstand flooding of up to two weeks. ERI, through its project on stress-tolerant rice for poor farmers in Africa and South Asia, or STRASA, has helped develop, validate and disseminate such improved varieties. The project is a joint activity of ERI and its partner institutions in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. In this video, we will show you the impressions of farmers in Nepal and Bangladesh who are first-time users of sub-1 varieties, as well as the experiences and perceptions of farmers who have been using these varieties for more than a year. We will also show some of the differences and similarities in experiences in these two countries, as well as farmers' preferences. Our first top will be in the northern parts of Bangladesh, namely Rangpur, Kurigram, Ghaibanda and Pabna districts. We met farmers who have adopted sub-1 varieties in Kurigram and Ghaibanda, Mr. Manik, Mr. Jitinder, and Mr. Rafiqul Islam. Most of them started testing and planting sub-1 varieties in 2007, and these are their stories to share. We started the cultivation of sub-1 materials in 2007. I received some 150 grams of seeds from R.S. Rangpur from Strasaya. Project Dr. Mojit supplied the seeds to me. I have distributed themself and on the 2007 and 2008, this field was submerged for 7 to 8 days. In 2009, it was submerged in seed phases, 7 days, 5 days and 10 days this way. I got the seeds every day, but my crop, my rice was not destroyed, but the other field was destroyed. This is the first time I have seen this crop, 10 crops, 10 masts, 10 masts, 10 masts. This is the first time I have seen this crop, 10 masts, 10 masts, 10 masts. I have already harvested some of the seeds, and I have got 4.6 metric tons per hectare. Mr. Sarkar, another farmer who has been growing Suvarna sub-1 since 2009, narrates his story about this variety, especially when his field was submerged by flood for 18 days. This variety of flood-tolerant rice is more qualitative-different than others. The seedling is very good, there is no waste taste, and the color is very deep green. Some farmers like to plant sub-1 varieties for selling seed. An example is Mr. Musaluf Hossein from Brownport District. In our visit, we also met some farmers, and these are their impressions about the different sub-1 varieties. Sub-1 varieties are not only known to men farmers. We also encountered a woman farmer, Mrs. Beauty Begum, who is an early adopter of the sub-1 varieties. Even after 20 days of flooding, yield is a little bit less than local variety, but it is still satisfactory and the taste is better and less fertilizer was used. I also attended training in Dhaka in 2008 and I was trained how to cultivate the sub-1 varieties. The cultivation of sub-1 varieties has also increased the use of marginal flood-prone lands in the severely flooded and poverty-stricken region of northern Bangladesh. As a result, poor farmers cultivating these lands are able to increase their rice production. We have a story about a farmer whose field has not been planted for the last five years because flood comes three to five times a year in his area. In 2010, he tried planting all the sub-1 varieties such as the IR-64, Samba Masuri, and Beery Dan 51 and 52, and here is what happened. Farmers are also happy about the sub-1 varieties because they can save on production costs since they don't need to re-transplant after the flood recedes. Unlike traditional or improved varieties that need re-transplanting, submergence-tolerance varieties regenerate after the flood, thus saving on re-transplanting which costs poor farmers an additional 60 to 90 U.S. dollars per hectare, depending on farm conditions, flood situations, and locations. In the last four years of the project, field assistants and local researchers played important roles in the dissemination process. In Bangladesh, Mr. Ahad Hussein is in charge of the Greater Rangpur area and this is his experience with farmers in terms of convincing them to use the sub-1 varieties specially during the first years of the project. We have asked them why they did not go for any pedicultivation. So they told me they transplanted previous year but all the crops are damaged so they did not go for any rice cultivation here. But I propose them if you go for our flood-tolerant variety, you can get some crop from this land and you also could cultivate the early potato. Collaboration with the government and NGOs is also a plus factor in the success of the project's dissemination. In Bangladesh, NGOs like RDRS and Solidarity are working hand-in-hand with the project staff. Solidarity, for example, is involved in providing training programs on quality rice production to farmers to enhance their skills and confidence. NGOs are also one source of the seeds needed by farmers. Links with institutions like these ensure large-scale seed multiplication and faster dissemination of improved varieties to farmers. Overall, sub-1 varieties are well-received by the farmers in Bangladesh, especially in the northern part of the country where most of the flooded areas are situated. Nepalese farmers also have stories to tell about sub-1 varieties. Many parts of rain-fed lowland rice areas in the dry of Nepal are also subject to sudden increases in water level or flush flood resulting in crop damage. Flooding damage is very serious, especially in the eastern terai of Sunsari and Saptary districts where the Koshir River annually floods thousands of hectares of rice fields in Nepal. This floods occur after heavy rains and they completely submerge the crop for several days in low-lying rice fields. As of this, farmers need submergence-tolerant varieties. Under the STRASA project, seeds of sub-1 lines such as Suarna sub-1, Samba Masuri sub-1, and IR64 sub-1 were provided for on-farm testing in the flush flood prone areas of the terai. Suarna sub-1 had an excellent performance under the flush flood conditions encountered in Torhara in Sunsari district during the wet season of 2009. Suarna sub-1 was extensively evaluated both at research stations and in farmers' fields in various parts of the Nepal Terai through National Rice Research Program Hardinath in Janakpur and the Regional Agricultural Research Station Torhara in Sunsari. Seeds of Suarna sub-1 and other lines were distributed to many farmers for conducting participatory varietal selection trials and demonstration trials. The initial results are very encouraging and Suarna sub-1 was able to withstand submergence and prevent yield losses. Some farmers described the variety as God sent. This occurred specially when the flood came and submerged their fields for several days. To their surprise, the sub-1 varieties survived and regenerated after the flood receded. A farmer who planted the sub-1 variety for the first time shared this experience. The grain weight of these varieties is very good. In terms of quantity, I have found the yield is around 5 ton per hectare. As compared to other varieties, this variety remains greener throughout the life period and the flood also did not affect this variety. In an interview with the agricultural extensionist in the eastern Terai of Nepal, he shared the farmers' concern about the sub-1 varieties that were introduced to them. These varieties need to be brought in time. That is right from the beginning of May because the farmers here go for early transplanting because when they go for early transplanting, when there is flood, the plants are well grown up and then they escape the flooding. In both Nepal and Bangladesh, farmers are happy about the introduction of sub-1 varieties. These varieties have given them more hope and opportunities to tell even fields that are left follow for a long time. The project leaders involved in this Trasa activity are also positive that this project has achieved major successes that they can share with others. Swarna sub-1 is now leading varieties in the summer genes area and with respect to if we compare the local and other varieties, it is equal yield. It is now 5 to 6 tons per hectare it will give yield and the farmers are now much interested for the Swarna sub-1 and they are liking, they are growing and the area is now expanding. We have linkages with some seed companies and some NGO who are taking sow seeds from us and just they are multiplying in the areas and providing the seeds to the other farmers and also selling to the other traders to disseminate the varieties. Two sub-1 varieties, Biridhan 51 and 52 that is Swarna sub-1 and Biridhan sub-1 already released as a variety. By this time we have developed a very good development we have. Director of agricultural extension, that is the main body of dissemination of the varieties and BAK is one of the biggest NGO in Bangladesh. They are taking the interest of dissemination of these varieties and produce the seeds also. Today when we came here we did a quick harvest the field of this farmer and I was told that the yield based on a small area harvest was estimated to be 5.7 tons per hectare. Now I was also told that this field has submerged during the crop growth period about 10 days and it has yielded a very good yield. So I think that's a very good performance of this Bir 52 and if this kind of the performance spreads across large area then you can imagine the kind of the impact that it will have. In the past farmers and their families would be left with nothing as soon as the flood came but the introduction of sub-1 varieties has given more hope to this farmers to meet their food and income needs. Although we cannot stop floods from coming especially in low-lying areas where many of our farmers and their families live we now have varieties that can withstand this floods and still assure that farmers along with their families have something to eat day after day.