|
IRRI appoints Chinese scientist to high-level position
The appointment of a leading Chinese scientist to head research efforts
at the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute has
catapulted China to the fore of international rice research. The former
vice president of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Dr.
Ren Wang, will officially become IRRI's new deputy director general for
research in January 2000.
IRRI director general Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell said, "Dr. Wang
brings to IRRI not only impressive leadership experience and an excellent
scientific background but also a direct link to China's valuable
contributions and traditions of scientific excellence in rice research.
His joining the Institute will undoubtedly strengthen ties between IRRI
and China and provide our research efforts with an important boost at the
start of the new millennium." Formal links between IRRI and China
were first established in 1982 with the CAAS as the lead agency. The
relationship was strengthened in November 1997 when the China-IRRI Liaison
Office was formally established in Beijing.
Chinese Premier Li Peng appointed Dr. Wang as vice president of the
CAAS on 12 November 1994, where he was responsible for strategic planning,
priority setting, and developing major agricultural research programs. He
also served on the expert advisory panel that drafted China's national
guidelines for the development of agricultural science and technology
(2001-2015). He was a member of an expert committee charged with
developing guidelines and making strategic plans for the Ministry of
Science and Technology. Before joining the CAAS, Dr. Wang was deputy
director of the International Institute of Biological Control run by
Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International in the United Kingdom. He
was also a member of a specialist panel on science and strategy that was
part of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
System Review in 1998.
Asian food security and what Germany can do about it
Germany's important role in helping Asia avoid food shortages was the
focus last month of a series of exhibits, workshops, and seminars in Bonn
and Frankfurt. Organized by IRRI, the events highlighted Germany's
long-running contribution to food security in Asia. Organized under the
theme "Rice Is Life," the exhibits and seminars started in Bonn
on 16 November and Frankfurt on 18 November. It was the first time such
events had ever been held in Germany. Those who attended included several
of IRRI's leading scientists, top German researchers, as well as several
senior government leaders and aid officials.
"Germany has been a key supporter of our research efforts for many
years and we think it's important that people understand what has been
achieved as a result," IRRI director general Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell
said. The highlight of the week-long series of events was a major rice
exhibit at Bonn University that not only looked at the latest achievements
of German-funded rice research but also allowed visitors to witness
first-hand the importance of rice to millions of Asians. The exhibit
included artifacts, agricultural machinery, posters, and an actual plot of
growing rice.
Recent World Bank estimates indicate that nearly 1.3 billion people
still live in poverty, while 840 million suffer from hunger, 70 percent of
them living in Asia. "We urgently need new creativity and a new
partnership between rich and poor if these 840 million people, as well as
the extremely poor in other parts of the world--especially South Asia--are
to enjoy a chance for human betterment," Dr. Cantrell said. "The
key challenge, as yet mainly unrecognized, is that of mobilizing global
science and technology to address the problems facing agricultural
productivity and environmental degradation in the developing world."
Other issues discussed at the seminars and workshops included the role
of biotechnology in agriculture in the developing world; Will Asia
starve in the next 25 years?; and IRRI's future research focus and
priorities. The events were sponsored by the Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation with support
from Lufthansa Airlines. The two government organizations have played a
major role in IRRI's research programs since 1974.
New rice research plan for the Philippines
IRRI, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the
University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) have signed a new work
plan agreement on priority rice research activities for the period 2000 to
2002.
IRRI director general Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell said the work plan paves
the way for joint efforts focusing on key research priorities such as
biotechnology, intellectual property rights, transgenic rice, and the
physiology and high yield potential of new rice varieties. It will also
look at integrated pest management, technology packaging, and rice
consortium activities, as well as human resource development. Other
research priorities include the evaluation of socioeconomic trends in the
rice industry, and the competitiveness as well as the strengthening of
three important consortia: the Rainfed Lowland Rice Research Consortium (RLRRC),
the Upland Rice Research Consortium (URRC), and the Irrigated Rice
Research Consortium (IRRC). The priorities of these three research
consortia are all incorporated into the National Research Development and
Extension Program of the Philippine government as presented to IRRI by
PhilRice for discussion during the tripartite meeting. These priorities
have been additionally cross-checked against IRRI's Medium-Term Plan for
2000-2002 called Sustaining Food Security Beyond the Year 2000: A
Global Partnership for Rice Research. Such measures ensure that the
research activities of IRRI and PhilRice move ahead in a coordinated way.
The 2000-2002 Tripartite Work Plan was signed by Dr. Cantrell, PhilRice
executive director Santiago R. Obien, and UPLB Chancellor Ruben L.
Villareal at the conclusion of the two-day Fourth Biennial IRRI-PhilRice-UPLB
Tripartite Collaborative Research Work Plan Meeting at IRRI's headquarters
(28-29 September). The plan is expected to strengthen agricultural
research and rice productivity in the Philippines and in the national
agricultural research systems of South and Southeast Asia.
Vietnam honors IRRI scientist
The government of Vietnam has once again recognized IRRI's
contributions to its rice production efforts by presenting an award to one
of the Institute's leading scientists. During the recent IRRC steering
committee meeting in Hanoi, Dr. Achim Dobermann, soil nutrition specialist
with IRRI's Soil and Water Sciences Division, was presented a medal
"For the Cause of Agriculture and Rural Development" by the
Ministry of Agriculture.
The IRRC comprises India, Indonesia, China, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its major objectives are to promote an
integrated pest management (IPM) approach in national agricultural
research and extension systems, improve farmers' income, and minimize
health risks and environmental disruptions resulting from pesticide use by
applying efficient and environmentally sound pest management techniques,
tools, and strategies.
In response to receiving the award, Dr. Dobermann said, "Vietnam
has not only significantly increased its rice production in the past few
years but has also strengthened its agricultural research sector, leading
to many new collaborative research activities with institutions such as
IRRI and others. Since 1993, I have collaborated with many scientists in
Vietnam. Their skills and dedication have contributed much to the success
of our joint work. In the coming years, IRRI will concentrate on providing
extension staff and farmers with the knowledge and tools needed to
increase rice yields through improved soil and nutrient management
practices."
IRRI director general Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell said, "This honor for
Dr. Dobermann is significant because it recognizes the hard work and
scientific contributions of one of IRRI's scientists. It also highlights
the importance to Vietnam of joint research on improving nutrient
management in rice."
Dr. Dobermann coordinates the IRRI mega project "Reversing Trends
in Declining Productivity in Intensive Irrigated Rice Systems" funded
by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the International
Fertilizer Industry Association, the Potash and Phosphate Institute, and
the International Potash Institute. The project employs a site-specific
integrated nutrient management (SSNM) approach to overcome low
productivity and low nutrient efficiency in intensive irrigated systems in
Asia. This approach is currently being tested on 48 rice farms in northern
and southern Vietnam, in collaboration with the National Institute for
Soils and Fertilizers (NISF) and the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research
Institute (CLRRI). Pilot studies on extending the SSNM approach to village
and provincial levels will start in India, the Philippines, and Vietnam in
2000.
IRRI consultant named National Scientist
Philippine President Joseph Ejercito Estrada has conferred the rank and
title of national scientist on Dr. Gelia Tagumpay Castillo, a leading IRRI
consultant. Dr. Castillo has for many years been known for her expertise
in the social sciences and for her work on women in rice farming. The
presidential decree given with the award recognized Dr. Castillo's
"distinguished individual achievement in the social sciences and
outstanding contribution to national development." She was also cited
for her "excellence in sociological research and achievements that
have contributed immensely to the acceptance and growth of empirically
based social science both in the Philippines and abroad."
Commenting on the award, IRRI director general Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell
said that it was extremely well deserved. "IRRI has always placed
great value on the advice and guidance Dr. Castillo has given the
Institute over the years and we are delighted that she has been honored
with this important award. This confirms her position as one of the
country's top scientists," he said.
Dr. Castillo joined IRRI in 1994 as a consultant. She is a member of
IRRI's Ethics Review Committee and advises the Institute on the
socioeconomic and cultural impact of rice research and specific
country-related issues, among several important and sensitive tasks
assigned to her. She has served on the boards of trustees of the
International Development Research Centre (Canada), the International
Potato Center (Peru), the International Service for National Agricultural
Research (The Netherlands), the International Centre for Research in
Agroforestry (Kenya), and the International Plant Genetic Resources
Institute (Rome).
|
