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Media hotlineAn information summary for supporters of
international rice research In this issue:
IRRI bids farewell to Director General Ronald P. Cantrell IRRI Director General (DG) Ronald P. Cantrell retired after almost six years as head of the Institute on 15 December, stating that he was proud to have had the opportunity to lead IRRI, a research institution with a rich history of helping the poor in the rice-producing and -consuming countries of the world.
Dr. Otsuka said that, while it is difficult to establish a research institute, it is even more difficult to maintain and strengthen the capacity of such an institution over a long period. "I am very proud to say that IRRI is one of the most outstanding exceptions," he added. "In fact, during the last External Program Management Review, it was made clear that IRRI is very strong and is becoming even stronger. I’m very pleased to say that Dr. Cantrell has made significant contributions to the admirable history of IRRI.” Deputy Director General for Partnerships (DDG-P) William G. Padolina described Dr. Cantrell as the man who helped move IRRI into the new millennium. “Taking the reins of IRRI at the threshold of the new millennium was a challenge Dr. Cantrell accepted," he added. "IRRI had to cross that bridge into the knowledge age where science was undergoing rapid and significant changes, where new tools for unlocking the secrets of nature were becoming more precise, and volumes of data could be processed at speeds unimaginable a decade earlier,” Dr. Padolina said. “Dr. Cantrell leaves IRRI well positioned and adequately prepared to face the digital-genomics age squarely. With very careful and wise judgment, the quality of work of IRRI has been successfully restructured under his leadership. The human resources, the scientists and researchers, support staff, and administrative and finance staff, are all of top quality.” Prior to the farewell program, Dr. and Mrs. Cantrell unveiled a dedication plaque for the Ronald P. Cantrell Building, which houses Communication and Publications Services and Information Technology Services at IRRI. William G. Padolina named acting DG IRRI BOT Chair Keijiro Otsuka announced on 13 December that DDG-P William Padolina will serve as acting director general until the next IRRI director general assumes his/her responsibilities in 2005. Dr. Padolina will also continue his regular work as DDG-P. Three New Board Members Appointed IRRI has announced details on three new members of its Board of Trustees (BOT). Two of the three BOT appointments are women, bringing to three the number of women on the IRRI Board. Emerlinda R. Roman was appointed to the IRRI Board ex officio following her election as the 19th president of the University of the Philippines (UP). UP presidents are appointed automatically to the IRRI BOT following their election. Dr. Roman made history not only as UP’s Centennial president but also as its first woman leader. Aside from having been chancellor of the UP Diliman campus in Manila from 1991 to 2004, Dr. Roman’s experience in university administration includes former positions as the vice-president for administration, university secretary, vice-chancellor for administration, and member of the Board of Regents. Joining Dr. Roman as the third prominent and respected female member of the IRRI Board is Elizabeth Jean Woods, the executive director of research and development strategy at the Australian Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries in Canberra. Dr. Woods is a former Rhodes scholar and winner of a number of honors in Australian agriculture. The third new member of IRRI’s Board is Dr. Tony Fischer, ACIAR’s South Asia program adviser. Previously, Dr. Fischer was the director of the Wheat Program at IRRI’s sister center in Mexico, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), from 1988 to 1995 and principal research scientist at CSIRO’s Division of Plant Industry from 1978 to 1988. He is the recipient of several Australian and international awards for his work in agriculture and is recognized as a world expert in such areas as dry-land agriculture. “Dr. Fischer’s knowledge of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and his vast experience in agricultural research both in Australia and internationally will be a huge asset for IRRI and we are very pleased that he has agreed to join our Board of Trustees,” Dr. Cantrell said. Major new rice alliance endorses 10-year, 3-point plan IRRI has formed a major new alliance with the world’s biggest and most important association of rice-producing nations. The new partnership follows an invitation from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for representatives from IRRI to attend this year’s 26th Annual Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF) in Myanmar. The gathering considered, among other important agricultural issues, regional activities for the International Year of Rice and a new 10-year, 3-point plan focused on three major rice production challenges facing Asia: water shortages, global warming, and inadequate human resources. The meetings in Myanmar also included the ASEAN partners known as the Plus 3 nations: China, Korea, and Japan. “We were deeply honored to be invited to such an important regional gathering, especially as the participants are all major rice-producing nations,” said IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell. “We look forward very much to working with ASEAN to further develop this important new alliance, which is sure to greatly benefit the region’s rice farmers and consumers. It is especially heartening to see ASEAN and IRRI working together like this in the International Year of Rice.” The AMAF issued the following statements to the media:
AGM highlights Asia’s new rice revolution The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2004 of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) highlighted the arrival of a doubly green revolution in the rice fields of Asia, as farmers adopt exciting new technologies that simultaneously reduce their inappropriate use of pesticides and boost their income. In a speech given in advance of the AGM, IRRI DG Ronald P. Cantrell said that the days of unsustainable, high-input rice farming will soon be past. He described IRRI’s research strategy for the 21st century as breeding improved rice varieties with durable disease resistance while developing innovative, sustainable cropping systems. The concept of a doubly green revolution was first put forward by the former head of the Rockefeller Foundation, Gordon Conway, in a 1997 book by that name. Dr. Conway argued that the world needed a doubly green revolution that would be even more productive than the first Green Revolution and “doubly green” by conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. “Today, we would like to suggest that, certainly in rice, the doubly green revolution has commenced,” Dr. Cantrell said. “IRRI and its partners in Asia have already enjoyed noteworthy success with environment-friendly technologies for improving rice productivity and poor farmers’ lives.” In Asia, the Green Revolution in rice began with IRRI’s release in 1966 of IR8, the first modern, high-yielding semidwarf rice variety. Half of the modern rice varieties released in South and Southeast Asia over the subsequent 38 years derive at least partly from work by IRRI and its partners. “However, as we all know, the job started in the first Green Revolution is not finished,” Dr. Cantrell said. “Although it did stave off hunger to a significant extent on two continents, an estimated 800 million people still do not have access to sufficient food to meet their needs, and millions of farmers remain trapped in poverty. We have learned some important lessons over the past 40 years. Modern technologies can be environmentally sensitive if they are designed and used with the benefit of modern ecological knowledge. And IRRI is committed to ensuring a cleaner, greener environment.” DG announces establishment of IRRI Environmental Council The IEC will be responsible for implementing the IEA and will aim to be the main advisory body for setting the Institute’s environmental guidelines and policy for all activities related to research, operations, and interactions with the local community. It will also serve as the focal point and the main forum for Institute-level discussions and/or debate on issues relating to the environment and sustainability that are of strategic importance to IRRI; proactively identify emerging environment-related issues that require research or need to be built into IRRI’s Medium-Term Plan and its implementation; form and guide working groups for the issues identified in the IEA; continue revising and further developing and evolving the Agenda and the charter of the IEC; promote the IEA within and outside the Institute, including mobilizing resources, in consultation with IRRI management and mainly as special projects to support the implementation of the IEA; and provide guidelines for auditing and approving IRRI’s research and operations to ensure adherence to the IEA. IRRI hosts visitors from International Rice Forum Researchers and officials from China, India, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) visited IRRI on 28 November prior to attending the International Rice Forum at the Philippine Trade and Training Center in Pasay City, 29 November. The visitors included the 2004 World Food Prize Laureate and hybrid rice expert Yuan Longpin; the Hon. Kanti Lal Bhuria, Indian minister of state for agriculture; Dr. S.G. Sharma, acting director, Central Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, in India; Mr. Ramesh C.A. Jain, FAO representative to the Philippines; and Dr. He Changchui, assistant director general, FAO regional representative for Asia and the Pacific. As part of their tour, the guests visited the International Rice Genebank and the Gene Array and Molecular Marker Applications Laboratory and Tissue Culture Laboratory. They also received an introduction to the Rice Knowledge Bank. They were welcomed by DG Ronald Cantrell, Deputy Director General for Research (DDG-R) Ren Wang, and DDG-P William Padolina. IRRI Host Country Day attracts Philippine officials In celebration of the IYR 2004, a Host Country Day held at IRRI on 18 November attracted approximately 125 officials from various branches of the Philippine government. Staff from the Office of the President; Senate; House of Representatives; departments of Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Science and Technology, Environment and Natural Resources, Health, and Labor and Employment; the National Food Authority; the Philippine Rice Research Institute; the University of the Philippines Los Baños; and provincial and local government units from Bay and Los Baños, Laguna, attended. Director General Ronald P. Cantrell told the distinguished visitors that the IYR has heightened people’s awareness of the importance of rice. He added that there are still “silent issues” in Asia that will dramatically affect rice production, including a water crisis, the influence of global warming on crops, and where the next generation of rice farmers will come from. Dr. Cantrell also said that "IRRI is blessed for having the Philippines as its host country.” WRRC 2004 in Tsukuba a success About 1,200 participants from 42 countries attended the World Rice Research Conference (WRRC), 4-7 November, in Tokyo and at the Tsukuba International Congress Center, Japan. During the event, 35 organizations, including IRRI, joined an exhibition that featured posters, brochures, press kits, and some corporate giveaways. The plenary session was broadcast in real time in Japan over the Internet and as recorded video to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand in collaboration with SOI (School of Internet) universities. IRRI will publish the proceedings of the conference on a CD with the provisional title “Rice Is Life: Scientific Perspectives for the 21st Century.” The contents will feature seven keynote lectures delivered in Tokyo and Tsukuba, 145 papers by oral presenters and 40 by poster presenters, and the wrap-up papers of session conveners. Indian scientists dominate science awards in the International Year of Rice Scientists from India have swept many of the prestigious rice-research awards announced during the International Year of Rice, details of which were confirmed at the World Rice Research Conference in Japan, 4-7 November. Topping the list was the winner of this year’s Senadhira Award, which honors every two years a leading Asian scientist working in rice research. S. Mallik, a rice breeder at the Rice Experiment Station, Chinsurah, West Bengal, India, was chosen for his development of rice varieties for rainfed lowlands in eastern India. Scientists from India also did well in a series of seven US$500 awards for short scientific papers presented by International Rice Research Notes (IRRN), now in its 29th year of publication by IRRI. Papers that have not yet been published in IRRN will appear in the December 2004 issue, as will abstracts of the previously published papers. Indian meteorologist G. Nageswara Rao was the first author of the winning paper in the Socioeconomics category, Advance estimation of rice production in India from weather indices. Dr. Rao, who currently works under the United Nations Development Program as an assistant professor and is the head of the Meteorology Department at Arba Minch University in Ethiopia, collaborated on the paper with former colleagues at the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture in Hyderabad, India. The award for Pest Science and Management went to the paper Pseudomonas strain GRP3 induces systemic resistance against sheath blight in rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani. The first author was Ashutosh Pathak, a microbiologist now working for a water purification firm in the Indian state of Uttaranchal while serving as a faculty member and adviser in food technology at Allahabad University. The prize in the Crop Management and Physiology category went to a paper by a group funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research at the Central Rice Research Institute in Cuttack, Orissa. “The group has been working on developing a suitable technique to screen rice varieties exhibiting submergence tolerance,” explained Ramani Kumar Sarkar, senior scientist and first author of Chlorophyll fluorescence parameters as indicators of submergence tolerance in rice. The winner in the Plant Breeding category was Santosh—a high-yielding variety for rainfed lowland developed through participatory breeding for Bihar, India. The first author of the paper was R. Thakur, who collaborated with four of his colleagues at Rajendra Agricultural University, in the Indian state of Bihar, and with R.K. Singh, the recently retired IRRI liaison scientist for India. The paper Boron deficiency in calcareous soils reduces paddy yield and impairs grain quality won in the Soil, Nutrient, and Water Management category. First author Abdul Rashid’s 200 publications include the only soil science book produced in Pakistan. Internationally recognized for his expertise in the nutrition of crops, the chief soil scientist at Pakistan’s National Agricultural Research Center is on the editorial board of the European Journal of Agronomy and has won several other awards and honors. Two other IRRN Best Article Award winners hailed from Thailand and China. Anothai Sirabanchongkran was the first author of Varietal turnover and seed exchange: implications for conservation of rice genetic diversity on-farm, which won in the Genetic Resources category. Winning the award in the Molecular and Cell Biology category was Development of TGMS lines and two-line rice hybrids through a shuttle breeding program between IRRI and China. Mou Tongmin, professor of plant breeding at the Plant Science and Technology College of Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, was the first author. Finally, for the article “Enhanced iron and zinc accumulation in transgenic rice with the ferritin gene” published in Plant Science, a team of IRRI scientists won this year’s CGIAR Science Award for Outstanding Scientific Article. The article showed the potential of using rice to deliver improved nutrition to millions of poor rice consumers. Such research may help address iron-deficiency anemia that afflicts billions of people worldwide. The award carries a cash prize of US$5,000. The team was composed of Marta Vasconselos as lead author, Karabi Datta, Norman Oliva, Mohammad Khalekuzzaman, Lina Torrizo, Sellapan Krishnan, Margarida Olibeira, Fumyuki Goto, and Swapan K. Datta. Feeding half the world … sustainably An international effort—the IRRI Environmental Agenda—has been launched to renew focus on the development of sustainable strategies to feed the half of the world’s population that depends on rice. The move was announced at the World Rice Research Conference (WRRC) held in Japan on 4-7 November. The event was a highlight of the International Year of Rice 2004, which the United Nations declared to focus international attention on the enormous challenges facing global rice production, especially guaranteeing the food security of 3 billion rice consumers despite the erosion of such vital agricultural resources as land, labor, and water. IRRI announced details of its new Environmental Agenda at the WRRC, describing it as one of the most important initiatives launched in the IYR and a new approach to sustainable development in Asia and other rice-producing regions. The Environmental Agenda focuses on seven key challenges directly connected to continued efforts to produce the rice the world needs each day—and to do so sustainably. They are Poverty and the environment, Farm chemicals and residues, Land use and degradation, Water use and quality, Biodiversity, Climate change, and the Use of biotechnology. “Each of these issues is crucial to rice production and efforts to ensure that the 800 million rice consumers who are trapped in poverty in Asia can get access to the rice they need to feed themselves and their families,” said IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell. “As international rice prices jumped this year by a surprising 40 percent because of shortages in some countries, we are reminded that we cannot take Asia’s ability to feed itself for granted. If we do, millions will suffer because of our complacency.” Mekong Rice Conference in Vietnam Vietnam hosted the 3-day international Mekong Rice Conference 2004 in Ho Chi Minh City, 15-17 October. During the opening ceremony, FAO Representative to Vietnam Anton Reynchner said that the conference was the most important event focusing on rice in the Mekong basin being held in Vietnam in the past decade. One hundred seventy-six participants from 18 countries attended. In the first keynote address, Dr. Gershon Feder, a research manager at the World Bank in Washington, stressed the importance of implementing appropriate policies together with new technologies to combat poverty in the region. “All the new technologies that research develops cannot help the millions of poor unless favorable policies are implemented along with them,” said Dr. Feder.
IRRI DDG-P William Padolina elaborated on the importance of cultivating good-quality stakeholder partnerships to meet various goals. The Rockefeller Foundation, ADB, Mekong River Commission, FAO, World Bank, and IRRI sponsored the conference. IRRI's APR encouraged lively discussion, merged projects IRRI’s Annual Program Review (APR) encouraged lively discussion about the progress and directions of the Institute's four research programs and various cross-program issues, including the proposed IRRI-International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) alliance and the Center-Commissioned External Review on models of staff placement. At the end of the three days (24-26 Nov.), DG Ronald P. Cantrell, DDG-R Ren Wang, and DDG-P William Padolina agreed that IRRI's research staff are of a quality matched nowhere else in the CGIAR and that the Institute's research agenda is on the right track. It was also agreed that Project 11 (Ecoregional approaches for integrated natural resource management and livelihood improvement), headed by Dr. T.P. Tuong, would be merged into Project 8 (Natural resource management for rainfed and upland rice ecosystems), headed by Dr. K.L. Heong. This merger will take effect on 3 January 2005, with Dr. Heong having the overall responsibility of managing Project 8, including outputs/activities transferred from Project 11. Likewise, all administrative matters concerning Project 11 will be under Project 8. Rice researchers converge on University of Arizona The second annual Symposium on Rice Functional Genomics brought together on 15-17 November more than 240 leading rice researchers who heard the latest on the rice genome and explored ways of identifying the purpose of each of the 50,000 rice genes. Rod Wing, the director of the Arizona Genomics Institute and chair of the conference, said that understanding the functions of rice genes could help scientists develop genetically altered varieties of rice that are drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, which would allow rice to be grown on less land with fewer pesticides and less water. "We need to know all we can about rice,” he said. “Rice feeds half the world's population, and that's the group that will double in population in the next 50 years." Upon completion of the rice genome sequence, scientists will investigate the functional genomics of rice, a process Dr. Wing estimates could take five to 10 years. Scientists already know the function of approximately 500 of the 50,000 rice genes, Dr. Wing said. IRRI scientists Richard Bruskiewich, Darshan Brar, Jan Leach, Renee Lafitte, Hei Leung, Ken McNally, and Ron Phillips (IRRI BOT) attended the conference. Former IRRI Principal Scientist Gurdev Khush gave a plenary lecture on Rice breeding: past, present, and future. Partners in development through rice research The Asian Development Bank hosted a special IYR seminar on rice and development on 16 November at its headquarters in Manila. ADB President Tadao Chino opened the event, Celebrating the International Year of Rice. IRRI BOT Chair Keijiro Otsuka gave a keynote speech on the History, impact, and role of rice research in Asian development. A representative of Arthur Yap, the Philippine secretary of agriculture, spoke about Hybrid rice in the Philippines and IRRI DG Ronald P. Cantrell gave a presentation on the Research strategy for rice in the 21st century.
IRRI also recognized several key ADB staff for their support for rice research: Muhammad E. Tusneem, director general of the East and Central Asia Regional Department; Muhammad A. Mannan, director of the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Division, Southeast Asia Regional Department; and Frederick C. Roche, director of the Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources Division, South Asia Regional Department. As part of ADB's IYR celebration, IRRI set up a rice exhibit on 11 November in the lobby of the Bank. The exhibit raised ADB employees' awareness of the importance of rice and rice research in development efforts in Asia. The exhibit focused specifically on the impact of IRRI's ADB-funded projects, general facts about rice, and the challenges faced by rice researchers. IRRC holds review and planning meeting To capture the many achievements and lessons learned from the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) Phase II activities and plan for new activities, a review and planning meeting was held at IRRI from 29 November to 3 December. With the theme “Facilitating the dissemination of innovations in rice farming," the meeting reviewed progress and outlined the innovations and technological recommendations that have been developed by work groups in IRRC Phase II. The meeting also identified the information, innovations, and research needed to ensure the development and wider-scale dissemination of technologies; exchanged findings among IRRC work groups; identified opportunities and formulated approaches for interdisciplinary activities; and heightened awareness of opportunities for innovative partnerships involving research, extension, education, and the private sector. About 130 participants representing national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) partners in IRRC work groups, steering committee members, donor representatives, observers, and IRRI staff members attended. The IRRC is coordinated by IRRI. It involves nearly all the Asian rice-producing developing countries and is funded primarily by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with additional sponsorship from the international fertilizer industry. The consortium provides a structure and mechanism for partnerships among NARES of the rice-producing developing countries, as well as linkages with IRRI. The consortium has been functioning for the past eight years, and the current phase will end by 31 December. A proposal for a new phase has already received favorable endorsement by donors and thus IRRI is proceeding with the planning for a third phase. A Workshop on Economic Cost of Drought and Farmers’ Coping Mechanisms Project team members from the three countries, a panel of senior policy researchers from India, and scientists from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and IRRI participated. In opening remarks, IRRI DG Ronald P. Cantrell commented that drought is an important problem in rice production. Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills Course held in Indonesia A 6-day Scientific Writing and Presentation Skills Course was successfully conducted in Bogor, Indonesia, from 29 November to 4 December. Eighteen researchers and extension specialists from various parts of Indonesia (West Java, Bogor, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Jambi, and Jakarta) participated in the course. Each participant wrote a scientific paper and delivered a presentation at the end of the course. The course was facilitated by V. Balasubramanian and Gina E. Zarsadias of the IRRI Training Center, with the assistance of their Indonesian counterparts Mr. Adi Widjono of the Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development (ICFORD), Ms. Rita Nur Suhaeti Gandasoemita from the Indonesian Center for Agro-socioeconomic Research and Development, and Ms. Diah Wurjandari Soegondo of the IRRI-Bogor office. Annual GIS Day observed at IRRI GIS Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide to promote GIS and to showcase real-world applications of the technology. GIS is a versatile tool that allows users to create visual models of the world to better understand natural systems and the effects of human actions in using and managing resources. The exhibit featured posters and computer presentations showcasing GIS databases and applications developed at IRRI, and hands-on demonstrations on digitizing maps, thematic mapping using the commercial GIS software ArcMap and ArcView, and RaGIS, a software developed in-house at the GIS-IP Laboratory. Departing and arriving staff members recognized On 1 December, the IRRI community bade farewell to departing staff members and formally welcomed new staff. Departing staff were DG Ronald P. Cantrell, Social Sciences Division (SSD) senior scientists Suan Pheng Kam and David Dawe, Visitors and Information Services editor Peter Fredenburg, Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biochemistry (PBGB) international research fellow Ish Kumar, and Crop, Soil, and Water Sciences (CSWS) postdoctoral fellows Ramasamy Rajendran and Murshedul Alam. The four new staff members are Jing-sheng Zheng, Arvind Kumar, Yasukazu Hosen, and Glenn Gregorio. Dr. Zheng joined the Institute on 5 October as a CSWS postdoctoral fellow under the project Genetic enhancement. He hails from China and has worked at the Rice Cultivation and Physiology Department of the Institute of Rice and Wheat of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He obtained his PhD in Crop Cultivation and Geoponics at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in July 2004. Dr. Kumar is a postdoctoral fellow in PBGB in the project Detecting alleles conferring improved reproductive-stage drought tolerance in rainfed rice. He has worked as a senior scientist at the Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (IGAU). He obtained his PhD in plant breeding and genetics at IGAU. Dr. Hosen joined CSWS on 1 October as a soil scientist. Before joining IRRI, he was a senior researcher for the Crop Production and Environment Division of the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, Incorporated Administrative Agency of Japan. He obtained his PhD in soil science from the University of Tokyo. He arrived with his wife, Mari, and two children, Midori and Mami. Dr. Gregorio is now a scientist in plant breeding (rice breeder for Africa) in PBGB. He first joined the Institute in 1986 as a research aide, worked as a project scientist, and became an international research fellow in PBGB in 2004. A Filipino citizen, Dr. Gregorio obtained his PhD in genetics at the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 1997. Sant Virmani is co-winner of International Koshihikari Rice Prize In recognition of his contributions to hybrid rice breeding, genetics, and seed production, IRRI Principal Scientist Sant Singh Virmani has been chosen as one of the most recent recipients of the International Koshihikari Rice Prize. Dr. Virmani, who has been working at IRRI on hybrid rice since the early 1970s, shared the award with Dr. Hae-Chune Choi, a prominent rice breeder in Korea and director of the Rice Genetics and Breeding Division, National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration (RDA). The award ceremony will be held on 5 February 2005 at the International Activities Plaza in Fukui City, Japan. During the event, both winners will give seminars about their research and each will receive a cash prize of 500,000 yen. PBGB scientists win best poster award The winning poster showed the advantage of accurate marker-assisted backcrossing and the submergence screening approach to incorporate submergence tolerance into the popular rice variety Swarna in fewer generations than conventional breeding or backcrossing. Swarna is a popular variety grown in irrigated and rainfed lowland areas of India and Bangladesh (estimated 5 million hectares). The addition of the submergence-tolerance gene will allow farmers to grow Swarna in areas subjected to flash flooding. Rice-Wheat Consortium receives CGIAR King Baudouin Award The Rice-Wheat Consortium for the Indo-Gangetic Plains (RWC) received the CGIAR King Baudouin Award during the recently concluded CGIAR AGM2004. The award recognized the RWC’s seminal role in charting a course toward more ecologically friendly, higher-producing agriculture among the poor in Asia. The consortium’s work has led to a widespread agricultural transformation, some say a revolution, in South Asia’s breadbasket regions. “The impact has been tremendous,” says Dr. Mangala Rai, director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and member of the RWC Steering Committee, who accepted the award on behalf of his colleagues. “We’re talking about a region that cuts across four countries—Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan—and is home to hundreds of millions, many of whom live in extreme poverty. Consortium efforts have already benefited 250,000 farm households region-wide. Impacts down the road could be as great as those of the Green Revolution of the 1970s.” The RWC includes the national agricultural research and extension systems of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan; CG centers CIMMYT, IRRI, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), International Potato Center (CIP), IWMI; the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC); and various advanced research institutions—Cornell University, IAC, Wageningen University, IACR, Rothamsted Research, CABI-UK, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The King Baudouin Award targets CGIAR initiatives that benefit resource-poor farmers and low-income people, foster sustainable agriculture, use innovative science, and feature outstanding partnerships. It includes a US$10,000 cash prize. The award is given each year at the CGIAR AGM. IRRI scientists named SSSA and ASA fellows Soil scientist Jagdish K. Ladha and crop physiologist Shaobing Peng have been named as fellows of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), respectively. Dr. Ladha, soil fertility and plant nutrition specialist at IRRI, is also an adjunct professor of soil science at UPLB, an adjunct graduate faculty member of the University of Hawaii, and an associate in the Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of California, Davis. He earned his MS and PhD degrees from Jiwaji and Banaras universities in India. His research focuses on working with scientists in national and international agricultural systems and advanced laboratories to develop and implement farm nutrient management and crop establishment strategies that minimize environmental effects and maximize farmers’ income. He is the regional editor of Biology and Fertility of Soils, and editor-in-chief of IRRI's International Rice Research Notes, and is on the editorial board of Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems and the Japanese Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. Dr. Peng, a senior crop physiologist at IRRI, is also adjunct professor at Huazhong Agricultural University in China and University of the Philippines Los Baños. He earned his BS degree from Huazhong Agricultural University, MS from the University of California, Davis, and PhD from Texas Tech University. His research focuses on crop management and physiology of yield potential in the intensive irrigated rice ecosystem. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Field Crops Research, an editor of Plant Production Science, and an overseas member of the Editorial Board of Acta Phytophysiologica Sinica. Gelia Castillo among five Outstanding Filipino Awardees |
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• October-December 2007 • July-September 2007 • April-June 2007 • January-March 2007 • October-December 2006 • July-September 2006 • April-June 2006 • March 2006 • December 2005 • September 2005 • June 2005 • December 2004 • June 2004 • April 2004 • December 2003 • October 2003 • June 2003 • March 2003 • December 2000 • September 2000 • June 2000 • April 2000 • December 1999 |
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In his remarks during a farewell program organized by the IRRI staff, the Chair of IRRI’s Board of Trustees (BOT), Keijiro Otsuka, said that Dr. Cantrell joined IRRI at a time when strong leadership was truly needed. “Ron revived IRRI with his strong scientific, intellectual, and managerial leadership,” he said. “IRRI would have been very different from what it is now without Ron."
The plaque reads: “The Trustees of the International Rice Research Institute have named this building in honor of Ronald P. Cantrell, Director General, 1998-2004, in recognition of his strong leadership and intelligent management at a time when this combination of talents was urgently needed. He secured a place for the Institute on the cutting-edge of information and communication technology and the new science of functional genomics ushered in with the sequencing of the rice genome. He also oversaw the continued development of innovative, sustainable rice production systems for both irrigated and unfavorable environments and articulated the importance of household food security for millions of poor rice farmers and consumers. Dedicated this 13th day of December 2004.”
IRRI Director General Ronald P. Cantrell announced on 23 November the establishment of the IRRI Environmental Council (IEC), with the mandate of providing a mechanism to ensure the long-term implementation, continued development, and evolution as well as success of the IRRI Environmental Agenda (IEA).
In response to a question as to why the Philippines continues to import rice, Dr. Cantrell cited land use and high labor and production costs. Senator Edgardo Angara, former secretary of agriculture and former IRRI BOT member, added: “Apart from the slow adoption of high-yielding rice varieties by farmers, we are slow in building a scientific infrastructure to receive and disseminate the breakthroughs that researchers are developing."
The day concluded with a special seminar by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on The Philippine Law on International Organizations. Senator Santiago underscored that Presidential Decree 1620, which grants IRRI the status, prerogatives, and privileges and immunities of an international organization, is a validly enacted law that should be enforced. 
World Food Day on 16 October was commemorated by Vietnam’s vice minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Bui Ba Bong. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of research in reaching the most important Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty in the region. In his keynote address, Dr. C. Rajendran of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) outlined ADB’s strategies in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
During the seminar, IRRI presented the Bank with a large plaque (a signed IYR poster) in recognition of its 30 years of support for the Institute.
A workshop on the Economic Costs of Drought and Rice Farmers’ Coping Mechanisms was held at IRRI on 7-8 December. Workshop participants shared the findings of a comparative study on drought-coping mechanisms of farmers in rainfed areas of China, India, and Thailand.
On 29 October, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Image Processing Laboratory held GIS Day at IRRI with the theme “Strengthening Agricultural Research with GIS.”
Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biochemistry (PBGB) scientists Alvaro Pamplona, Reycel Maghirang, C.N. Neeraja, Evangelina Ella, Abdelbagi Ismail, and David Mackill received the best poster award for their poster "Submergence tolerance deployed to widely grown rainfed rice varieties through marker-assisted backcrossing” at the International Symposium on Rice: From Green Revolution to Gene Revolution held at Hyderabad, India, 4-6 October.
IRRI social sciences consultant Gelia Castillo received one of five 2004 Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) Awards given to pioneering Filipinos by the Philippine Jaycee Senate on 9 December. The TOFIL, which was conceived by the Philippine Jaycee Senate in 1988, recognizes Filipino men and women, 41 years of age and over, for their exemplary achievements and contributions to society.
