2nd IRRC Steering Committee meeting held in Indonesia

The 2nd Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) Steering Committee (SC) meeting was held in Cikampek, Indonesia, on 27-29 November 2006. The meeting was hosted by the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology under the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD).

The IRRC Steering Committee discussed progress in 2006 and plans for 2007 collaborative work. This year, the meeting will be hosted by the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Hanoi, Vietnam, on 8-10 October. (Photo by J. Hernandez)

The IRRC SC is composed of leading representatives of national agricultural research and extension systems and nongovernment organizations from seven major Asian rice-growing countries. Members of the committee meet face-to-face yearly.

Donor representatives who attended were Dr. Carmen Thönnissen (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), Dr. Christian Witt (International Plant Nutrition Institute, Southeast Asia Program), and Mr. Hillel Magen (International Potash Institute). Dr. Achmad Suryana, IAARD director general, welcomed the participants. Dr. William Padolina, deputy director general for operations and support services, represented IRRI during the opening program and in the subsequent deliberations of the SC.

Hillel Magen (IPI) and Carmen Thönnissen (SDC) observe the rice husk cook-stove, which can heat one liter of water in about 5 minutes. (Photo by G. Singleton)

At the meeting, progress in 2006 and plans for 2007 collaborative work with country partners were discussed. The SC and donors were impressed by the level of activities and achievements of the IRRC during 2006. Their strong message for 2007 was for the IRRC to build on its successes that are directed at timely delivery of technologies to farmers so as to strengthen collaboration with NARES. Networks and delivery pathways for outreach are in place in the Philippines and Myanmar. China, Indonesia, and Vietnam will be priority countries for developing an effective platform for outreach activities in 2007.

Sharing of information, research needs, and experiences is important for an effective regional consortium. To facilitate this sharing, the IRRC sponsored the attendance of collaborators from agricultural partner institutions of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines. They were hosted on the last day by the Indonesian Center for Rice Research at Sukamandi. At the institute, they visited laboratory facilities and field experiments, and met with the IRRC’s Indonesian colleagues.

IRRC Coordinator Grant Singleton discusses how the IRRC can help Indonesian farmers by delivering its technologies through the Prima Tani program. Seated at the rightmost is the Bupati (district head) and at the back are extension specialists. (Photo by F. Palis)

Grant Singleton (g.singleton@cgiar.org) 

News archive