Media hotline

An information summary for supporters of international rice research

Published by the INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE Vol. 16 No. 1, March 2006

In this issue:

NEWS & PRESS RELEASES

PEOPLE

VISITS

EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

The Green Revolution comes to Laos

Vientiane , Laos – The Green Revolution has finally arrived in Laos, almost 20 years after benefiting the rest of Asia. It has provided the tiny nation -- one of Asia’s poorest -- with the food security foundation it needs for future economic development.

But the spark for this revolution came from half a world away, from the government of another small, mountainous land-locked country, Switzerland.

It was the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) that provided the financial resources needed for a 16-year effort, led jointly by the Lao national rice research system and the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The accomplishments of the project, which effectively closes in September, were celebrated during a completion workshop in Laos.

Between 1990 and 2004, rice production in Laos increased from 1.5 million to 2.5 million tons -- an average annual growth rate of more than 5%, making the small underdeveloped nation one of Asia’s star performers in rice research and development.

This increase in production–-largely attributed to the adoption of Lao modern varieties--has been valued at $8 million to $19 million per year, with households adopting these varieties having more than triple the cash income of households growing traditional varieties. A third of Laos’ lowland rice area is planted to these improved varieties today, pushing average rice yields up 35 percent from 2.3 tons per hectare in 1989 to 3.1 tons per hectare today – well above the average yields of bigger neighbors such as Thailand.

“What’s particularly impressive about these achievements is the commitment of the SDC in providing such long-term support, and the hard work and dedication of Lao rice researchers and government officials,” said Robert S. Zeigler, IRRI director general. “Seventeen of the 18 modern varieties now being used in Laos were developed inside the country.”

Since 1990, more than 4,000 training opportunities involving Lao personnel have extensively boosted Laos’ rice research and training capacity and played a key role in establishing a rice research network covering the entire nation. “IRRI is very proud of the role it has played in supporting this achievement, but the real credit must go the Lao rice research community and the Swiss government for providing the financial support,” Dr. Zeigler added.

“Fifteen years ago, most Laotians were subsistence rice farmers and Laos was a net importer of rice,” Dr. Zeigler said. “Now the country is in the second stage of rice-based economic development, where the intensification of production is enough to meet local market demands. With further research and development, Laos can move into the third stage, where lowland rice exports create a sustainable source of revenue and help fuel economic growth, as has happened already in Vietnam and Thailand.”

Although the Swiss-financed Lao-IRRI Project is nearing its end, much work remains to be done. IRRI is to base its Greater Mekong Regional Office in Laos. “We foresee that Laos will reap substantial benefits from increased involvement in regional rice research initiatives, and will play an important role in the overall development of the Greater Mekong Region,” Dr. Zeigler concluded.

Climate change: the rice genome to the rescue

Los Baños , Philippines – New evidence is emerging that climate change could reduce not only the world’s ability to produce food but also international efforts to cut poverty. However, the recent sequencing of the rice genome is already providing researchers with some of the tools they need to help poor rice farmers and consumers avoid the worst effects of the problem.

The new knowledge generated by the sequencing effort is allowing scientists to develop new rice varieties faster and with specific characteristics needed to deal with climate change, such as tolerance for higher temperatures. However, scientists are calling for more research to fully understand the impact of climate change–-especially the extreme weather it may cause--on international efforts to reduce poverty and ensure food security.

A “Climate Change and Rice” planning workshop this month at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines was told that climate change is already affecting Asia’s ability to produce rice, and that this could eventually slow efforts to reduce poverty in the region, where most of the world’s poor live.

The workshop was informed that, to overcome many of the climate change–related problems facing rice production in Asia and continue to meet the demand for rice in the region, yields will have to double over the next 50 years. Research has confirmed that global warming will make rice crops less productive with increasing temperatures decreasing yields.

“Clearly, climate change is going to have a major impact on our ability to grow rice,” Robert S. Zeigler, IRRI director general, said. “We can’t afford to sit back and be complacent about this because rice production feeds almost half the world’s population while providing vital employment to millions as well, with most of them being very poor and vulnerable.”

For these reasons, Dr. Zeigler announced at the workshop that IRRI, in an unprecedented move, was ready to put up US$2 million of its own research funds as part of an effort to raise $20–25 million for a major 5 -year project to mitigate the effects of climate change on rice production. “We need to start developing rice varieties that can tolerate higher temperatures and other aspects of climate change right now,” he said.

“Fortunately, the recent sequencing of the rice genome will allow us to do this much faster than we could have in the past,” Dr. Zeigler added. “But, in addition to new rice varieties, we must develop other technologies that will help poor rice farmers deal with climate change.”

In one of several examples presented to the climate workshop, researchers mentioned El Niño weather phenomena that hit the Philippines in 1997-98 and caused a severe drought, resulting in a sharp drop in national rice production. Other examples focused on the impact of climate change and variability on gross domestic product, generally causing it to slip by several percentage points.

“One of the main problems with climate change is that the effects are felt mostly in poor, underdeveloped countries because of their reliance on agriculture as one of the main drivers for national development,” Dr. Zeigler said. “In turn, agriculture is very dependent on climate.”

IR8 cited among top 50 inventions of last half century

The US-based magazine Popular Mechanics has cited IRRI's IR8 (released in 1966) to be among the top 50 inventions that have "rocked the world" during the past half-century. Published in its December 2005 issue , Popular Mechanics' top 50 inventions include scientific and technological advances that have transformed the world in the past five decades.

The selection of the top 50 inventions was made by a panel of 25 experts who identified the innovations that have made the biggest impact on humanity and the earth, from the hospital to outer space to the kitchen.

The Popular Mechanics article states that, in 1966: "The International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines releases a semi-dwarf, high-yield Indica variety that, in conjunction with high-yield wheat, ushers in the Green Revolution. Indica rice thrives in tropical regions of Asia and South America, raising worldwide production more than 20 percent by 1970."

Other inventions cited in the article include the smoke detector, digital music, the computer mouse, the cell phone, automated teller machine, Sony walkman, in-vitro fertilization, and DNA fingerprinting.

IRRI joins agriculture information network

During the 11th International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) and the 2005 United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) Biennial Conference held at Lexington, Kentucky, last May 2005, Ms. Melanie Gardner, director of the Agriculture Network Information Center (AGNIC), invited CGIAR centers to become members of the network. Joining consortia is one way of maximizing the limited resources of information providers.

As a result, the AGNIC Executive Board recently unanimously approved IRRI's membership as a full member with the responsibility of contributing to the area of rice research for developing countries. IRRI was one of the two new members approved in December 2005, the other being the American Distance Education Consortium, which will contribute to the area of agricultural telecommunications and distance education.

In the letter announcing this new membership, Ms. Gardner said that IRRI deserves a higher level of membership, "The AGNIC Board is considering a third category of membership for organizations such as IRRI. IRRI is a much more developed and high-profile organization and needs higher status in AGNIC than a regular institutional topical site," she said.

IRRI’s logo will now be featured in the AGNIC Web site. Currently, links to IRRI’s Web site and the Knowledge Bank are already provided. Being a member, IRRI can avail of valuable information resources contributed by members in the AGNIC database and, in the future, qualify for assistance in digital preservation projects provided by the Alliance.

The AGNIC Alliance, under the United States Agricultural Research Service, began in 1995. It supports collaboration between libraries and Cooperative Extension, academic departments within colleges, states in the US who unite around a common agricultural theme or subdiscipline, technologists, and librarians who are committed to using technology to knit disparate information resources into a cohesive whole. Among the 15 CGIAR centers, IRRI is the first to gain membership. Also, it is one of the very few partner organizations located outside the US Most of AGNIC's members are big universities and libraries in the US.

IRRI signs MOU with Mozambique

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between IRRI and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique was signed by Director General Bob Zeigler and the Honorable Tomas F. Mandlate, minister of agriculture, Maputo, Mozambique, on 13 January 2006.

The MOU reflects scientific and technical collaboration in rice research, training, and technology development and delivery between IRRI and Mozambique. Mr. Mandlate was accompanied by three Mozambique scientists: Dr. Calisto Bias, director of National Agricultural Research Institute; Dr. Helder Gemo, director of Agricultural Extension; and Mr. Carlos Zandamela, rice specialist. After the signing, the Mozambique delegation visited the International Rice Genebank and the Grain Quality and Nutrition Research Center where they learned more about IRRI's work and research program.  

CRIL: IRRI-CIMMYT Alliance’s first tangible output

The long, arduous, and expensive process of developing new crop varieties received a major boost on 24 January with the joint launch in Mexico and the Philippines of IRRI and CIMMYT’s new scientific program that unites key databases and research on the planet’s three most important crops: rice, wheat, and maize.

The new Crop Research Informatics Laboratory (CRIL) and its associated research program were officially launched via a video conference link between IRRI and CIMMYT. This is the first major output of an alliance between IRRI and CIMMYT that was formally established last year.

The new laboratory at CIMMYT will link with existing facilities at IRRI, heralding a new era in rice research, especially in such areas as the development of improved crop varieties.

“After several years of talking about a common platform for the development of new rice, wheat, or maize varieties, we are now ready for real-world implementation,” said IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler. “Not only will this reduce the time needed to develop new crop varieties—because all three are cereals and so share a range of common characteristics—but we also expect it to reduce the cost of such research. 

“What is particularly exciting is that this platform will also be useful for other crops—often referred to as ‘orphans’—that have yet to benefit from significant investments in genomics research,” Dr. Zeigler added. “And, as we expand our data coverage, research in areas such as natural resource management and climate change will also benefit from our combined capacities."

Scientists at the new joint facilities are already working on the development of a single crop information system and comparative biology infrastructure for rice, wheat, and maize that will greatly assist in the development of new crop varieties. 

“We’re very pleased that the IRRI-CIMMYT Alliance—established just a year ago—is already achieving such important progress,” said CIMMYT Director General Masa Iwanaga. “As we enter the era of genomics research, the efficient and effective management of information, and important databases is crucial to the ongoing development of new crop varieties.” 

This collaboration will permit new kinds of comparative biology research to be conducted in collaboration with international partners. Bioinformatics specialists Guy Davenport from CIMMYT and Richard Bruskiewich from IRRI contend that “… rice forms an ideal model for this research because of its small, sequenced genome. Maize represents an excellent platform for trait studies due to its outbreeding nature and long history of substantial public- and private-sector investment. Finally, wheat represents a complementary cereal model by virtue of its relatively close relationship to rice and extensive genetic information.”

Dr. Jonathan Crouch, director of the Genetic Resources Enhancement Unit at CIMMYT, said, “Tools to facilitate the use of molecular biology to accelerate and focus crop improvement are emerging in several institutions around the world. A major priority for CRIL will be to further develop those strategies and tools to extend them to other crops, and deploy them in international as well as national crop improvement programs focused on developing agricultural needs.”

IRC 2006 Web site launched by Dr. Swaminathan

The Web site of the 2006 International Rice Congress was officially launched by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, chairman of the Steering Committee of the Congress. The site can now be accessed at www.icar.org.in/irc2006.

Dr. Mangala Rai, co-chair of the Steering Committee and new member of the IRRI BOT; Dr. P.K. Agarwal, organizing secretary; Dr. J.K. Ladha, IRRI representative in India and member of the Organizing Committee; and many other members of the Steering Committee were present during the occasion.

The Web site details information about the Congress, different committees, schedule of events, key dates of the congress, registration fee, abstract submission, sponsorship opportunities, field tours, and other information.

IRRC launches RIPPLE

The Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) launches RIPPLE, its new quarterly newsletter, this week. Grant Singleton, IRRC coordinator, says RIPPLE stands for Rice Research for Intensified Production and Prosperity in Lowland Ecosystems and that the acronym itself has a water connotation, which captures the stage of maturity of the IRRC.

The newsletter is expected to enhance communication between NARES and IRRI and raise the profile of the IRRC in the wider Asian community and elsewhere. Dr. Singleton encourages contributions to the newsletter from anyone working on irrigated rice or favorable rainfed agricultural domain, particularly NARES partners and NGOs. Click here to view Vol. 1, No. 1 of RIPPLE.

PEOPLE

Mangala Rai joins IRRI’s BOT

Dr. Mangala Rai, secretary of the Government of India’s Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) and director general of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), has joined IRRI’s Board of Trustees to complete the final 2 years (2006-07) of the unfinished second term of Dr. Kay Beese of Germany, who resigned effective 8 November 2005.

Born in a remote farm on 30 June 1947, Dr. Rai completed his master’s degree in genetics and plant breeding on a merit scholarship in 1969 and his PhD on a fellowship from the Banaras Hindu University in 1973.  Dr. Rai started his professional career as a junior plant breeder in April 1973 and worked his way up from senior scientist at ICAR to plant breeder-cum-reader at the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, ICAR project coordinator (linseed), assistant director general (seeds), assistant director general (policy and perspective planning), and deputy director general (crop science).  He was also director (oilseed technology, TMO), national director (National Agricultural Technology Project), and agriculture commissioner for the Government of India. He took over as secretary of DARE and director general of ICAR on 1 September 2003.

Dr. Rai has made significant contributions to science and society with more than 200 wide-ranging papers and presentations in important journals and meetings that have covered various facets of genetics, biometrical genetics, salinity tolerance, pest resistance, quality enhancement, mutation breeding, genetic resources, seed technology, biotechnology, and bioenergy.  He has presented policy papers relating to GATT, WTO, and IPR that have helped the national agricultural system deal with current and emerging challenges. He has authored books on several topics including crop hybrids and transgenics in agriculture.

Dr. Rai’s services to professional societies include the presidency of eight national societies related to genetics and plant breeding, genetic resources, seed technology, physiology, oilseed, allelopathy, agrotechnology, bioenergy, and agricultural statistics. He also served as president of the Agricultural Research Service Scientists’ Forum.

Te-Tzu (T.T.) Chang passes away in Taiwan

Te-Tzu (T.T.) Chang, 79, passed away in Taiwan on 24 March. He died of a heart attack. Dr. Chang, IRRI’s principal geneticist for more than 30 years and head of the International Rice Germplasm Center when he retired in December 1991, was considered a world authority on rice genetics and conservation. His research on the evolution and variation of rice led to major advances in plant breeding, productivity, and disease resistance, with a profound impact on agricultural productivity throughout much of Asia, Africa, and South America.

Dr. Chang introduced Dee-geo-woo-gen, a Chinese dwarf rice, to IRRI’s breeding program in 1962. That led to the development of the first high-yielding semidwarf rice varieties. IR8, the first such variety to be widely grown in the tropics, was released late in 1966. It was followed by a succession of improved, early-maturing varieties with genetic resistance to many of the major insect pests and diseases of rice.

Faced with the peril of losing genetic resources that hold the key to the future development of newer and better rice crops, Dr. Chang perceived the danger and put great effort into saving unimproved varieties and their wild relatives.

He mobilized international and multiagency resources in 14 Asian nations and several African nations to undertake massive field collections of nearly 40,000 specimens, many on the brink of extinction. This effort made IRRI’s rice gene bank holdings the largest collection in the world for a single crop. Desirable genes from this invaluable resource continue to sustain advances in global rice production.

Over the years, Dr. Chang had shared his expertise in genetic conservation with national agricultural research centers in China and India as they established gene banks for other crop species.

A native of Shanghai, China, Dr. Chang completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Nanking and earned masters and PhD degrees from Cornell University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. He was a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, the Institute of Biology of the UK, the Crop Science Society of the Philippines, and the Crop Science Society of America. Among his many awards were the 1988 Rank Prize for Nutrition and the 1999 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.

IRRI Director General speaks at AAAS symposium

IRRI DG Robert Zeigler gave a presentation on “ Pursuing drought, salinity, and temperature tolerance in food staples,” during the symposium “ Putting Science to Work for the Poor and the Environment: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” one of the key events during the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on 18 February in St. Louis, Missouri.

During his presentation, he pointed out that agriculture is plagued by problem soils, too much or too little water, and large temperature fluctuations. However, he added that advances in comparative genomics clearly demonstrate that previously intractable problems, such as these facing agriculture in developing countries, may be solved in the near future if the international scientific community can be mobilized to focus on developing multidisciplinary applications of basic research findings. “Implicit in this,” he said, “is educating a new generation of students from industrialized and developing countries.”

The symposium, which addressed ongoing and planned international agricultural research, focused on two key Millennium Development Goals, i.e., poverty and hunger alleviation and sustainable management of natural resources. Other speakers included Geoff Hawtin of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, Rome; Philip Pardey, University of Minnesota; St. Paul; and Per Pinstrup-Andersen, Cornell University.

IRRI Director General announces two new appointments

On 31 January, IRRI DG Robert Zeigler announced two new appointments: Mr. David Shires, international research fellow, is acting head of the IRRI Training Center and Ms. Elisa S. Panes, senior manager, is acting head of Human Resources Services. In her management and supervision of the HRS, Ms. Panes will report to the director for management services.

Mr. Shires is an expert in training and education and has been involved for the past few years in IRRI’s training, technology dissemination activities, as well as in the development and maintenance of the Rice Knowledge Bank. 

Ms. Panes has years of experience in finance and administration at IRRI and in the private sector. Her current job description, which includes the management and administration of IRS and NRS payrolls, NRS medical insurance, and NRS retirement benefits, has provided her an in-depth interface with the HR function at IRRI, which should serve her well in this temporary assignment. She will serve in this capacity until a substantive head of HRS is appointed.

VISITS

Indian president focuses on farmers

Los Baños, Philippines – In a historic, first-ever visit to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) by an Indian head of state, Indian President A. P. J. Kalam placed special emphasis on using science and technology to help his country’s millions of poor rice farmers.

President Kalam spent more than 2 hours hearing about the latest rice research and advising the Institute’s scientists on Sunday, 5 February. His time at IRRI was part of an official 4-day visit to the Philippines, the first trip to the Southeast Asian nation by an Indian president in 15 years.

“We were honored and delighted by the Indian presidential visit,” said IRRI Director General Robert S. Zeigler. “What was especially impressive about his time at IRRI was how productive it was -- we managed to discuss a number of very important issues in depth and to agree to move ahead in several key areas.”

Dr. Zeigler said the president was particularly interested in the development of new, nutritionally enhanced rice varieties and in connecting Indian farmers to the Internet so they could benefit from the knowledge and information available online. “We also discussed and agreed to develop plans to send 50 Indian rice farmers on a special visit to IRRI so they can see the technologies being developed,” Dr. Zeigler said.

In comments to IRRI scientists, the Indian president said India had around 176 million hectares of land currently available for cultivation, which, by 2020, he predicted would be reduced to 100 million hectares. He also warned of a looming water crisis and he shared his observation that the next generation of Indian farmers was losing interest in agriculture.

Admitting that farmers in India were not happy, Dr. Kalam said his country needed a second Green Revolution. In response, the Indian president briefed IRRI staff on a range of new technologies aimed at boosting farmer productivity, including hybrid rice and a drum seeder that is inexpensive to build and easy to use.

Chinese minister of agriculture visits IRRI

The minister of agriculture from the People’s Republic of China, Hon. Qinglin Du, made an official visit to IRRI on 26 March. It was the first-ever visit to IRRI by China’s minister of agriculture. During his 3-hour stay, DDG-R Ren Wang gave Minister Du an overview of IRRI’s research agenda.

The Minister also visited selected trial fields, the Gene Array and Molecular Marker Application Laboratory, and the International Rice Genebank. The visit was capped with a luncheon at Dr. Wang’s residence.

Nigerian embassy delegation discusses rice research collaboration

On 27 February, members of the Nigerian Embassy Delegation, S.G. Sampson (minister) and Aki U. Aki (finance attaché), visited IRRI to discuss rice research and development and collaboration possibilities with Nigeria. IRRI staff members brought the visitors up-to-date on IRRI’s collaboration with WARDA regarding rice R&D in Africa and the posting of Glenn Gregorio, IRRI Africa rice breeder, with the WARDA-IITA team in Ibadan. They also discussed research-extension-farmer linkages; federal, state, and local government roles in and support of rice production; public-and private-sector collaboration; and rice commercialization and marketing in Nigeria and other West African countries.

Mr. Sampson said that Nigeria has placed high importance on improving local rice production with national funds. Nigeria is particularly interested in long-grained type varieties similar to IR64, which are resistant to local pests and diseases. The government is also looking for simple farm machines and production and postproduction technologies that small-scale farmers in Nigeria can adopt and use effectively.

IRRI staff members who met with the delegation included Robert Zeigler, Vethaiya Balasubramanian, Joseph Rickman, Darshan Brar, and Duncan Macintosh. The visitors went to the field to see more than 5,000 lines available for evaluation in African countries and systems of rice cultivation and inspected IRRI’s postharvest processing facilities and technologies.

PhilRice supports Institute's MTP during visit of IRRI DG

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) supports the new Medium-term Plan of IRRI because of its direct benefit to the Philippines, “more than any other country in Asia,” according to Executive Director Leocadio S. Sebastian. Dr. Sebastian issued this statement during the visit of Director General Robert Zeigler to PhilRice on 17 March.

In welcoming Dr. Zeigler, Dr. Sebastian also said, “IRRI remains a dominant force in the development of new technologies in rice. PhilRice takes pride in doing rice breeding and varietal development work with IRRI. In fact, our own breeding work is largely anchored on the traditional Philippine rice varieties that IRRI turned over to us early in our R&D operations. We will continue to adapt the locally applicable IRRI-developed technologies, in addition to our own R&D outputs.”

Dr. Zeigler visited the PhilRice experimental fields, notably the windmill pump irrigation system for rice-based crops, and observed nonchemical weed control in direct-seeded wet-sown rice, rice seed production, and water management. He also visited the Institute’s Food Science Laboratory, Fine Instruments Laboratory, and the Genebank.

PhilRice program leaders also briefed Dr. Zeigler on technology promotion, intellectual property rights, and the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture.


EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

IRRI and MARDI scientists discuss the impact of rice production on environmental sustainability

In response to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the UN Millennium Development Goals’ call for environmentally sustainable land management, the Malaysian government funded a 3-year project for scientists from the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and IRRI to develop indicators to monitor efforts to ensure the environmental sustainability of rice production.

K.L. Heong, senior scientist, entomology, and Greg Fanslow, EPPD consultant, coordinated the inaugural 2-day workshop of this project at IRRI, 13-14 February. In attendance were eight MARDI scientists, led by Dr. Ghulam Hashim and 16 IRRI scientists. In his opening speech, Dr. William Padolina, deputy director general for operations and support services, said the workshop was a historical event as it marks a new partnership between MARDI and IRRI and that he looks forward to more such opportunities to strengthen this new relationship.

Workshop participants developed four sets of potential indicators to cover issues related to soil health, pollution, biological control services, and biodiversity and prepared a workplan for further development of these indicators. A content management system has been installed at GreenRice.net that will facilitate collaboration for the duration of the project.

A followup workshop is planned in Malaysia in August 2006 to examine the results of the preliminary work and expand the range of inputs to experts from a broader range of disciplines.

International workshop on rice and water discusses rice production technologies

The “International Dialogue on Rice and Water: Exploring Options for Food Security and Sustainable Environments” was held at IRRI, 6-8 March.

Sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and cohosted by IRRI and the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), this international workshop aimed to broaden existing dialogues on sustainable rice production technologies. Participants included senior representatives of key international development agencies, think tanks and research institutions, regional bodies, professional organizations, and selected national governments.

At the workshop, participants shared their insights on the various strengths and weaknesses of possible technologies as well as practical constraints to their implementation.

The workshop was technically supported by the WWF, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Center for Research in Semi-Arid Agricultural Technology (ICRISAT), and IRRI under the auspices of the “International Dialogue on Water, Food and the Environment.”

Thirty women attend CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program workshop

About 30 women from IRRI and other CG centers, FAO, USA, and Africa attended a workshop on "Enhancing Negotiations Skills for Women” at IRRI, 28-30 March.

Organized by the CGIAR Gender and Diversity Program and hosted by IRRI, the workshop was facilitated by Deborah Kolb, Ellen Gabriel Professor for Women and Leadership at the Simmons School of Management, Boston, USA. The workshop aimed to teach the participants the fundamentals of negotiation, examine how gender plays out in negotiations, assess their bargaining strengths and weaknesses and how skills in advocacy and connection enhance collaboration and problem solving.

Training workshop on crop residue management held to enhance skills

To enhance participants’ skills in statistical analysis and interpretation of collected data from the IRRI project on “ Managing crop residues for healthy soils,” 13 researchers from Bangladesh, China, Germany, India, and the Philippines attended a workshop on “ Interpretation of Research Results from Multi-Year and Multi-Location Experiments on Crop Residue Management,” at the IRRI Training Center, 9-20 January.

The course was designed for researchers who are analyzing data with repeated measures across years and/or seasons. The course involves 3 days of theory, five days of hands-on analysis of data brought to the course by the participants, 1 day of report preparation on the results of data analysis, and 1 day of presentation of results to course participants.

Dr. Roland J. Buresh coordinated the course with assistance from Dr. Nguyen Hong Thuy, postdoctoral fellow from Crop, Soil, and Water Sciences (CSWS) Division, and Ms. Maria Angeli G. Maghuyop, training specialist from IRRI Training Center. Ms. Marianne Samson from CSWS and Ms. Violeta Bartolome from Biometrics and Bioinformatics Unit (BBU) are also involved as resource persons.

International scientists attend planning for nutrient and pest management in Southeast Asia

Scientists from Denmark and Vietnam visited IRRI, 9-13 January, to develop a project on “ Integrated nutrient and disease management in intensive rice ecosystems.”

The planning session aimed to increase the efficiency of antagonistic bacteria for biological control of sheath blight, evaluate and improve soil health and sustainable land management, integrate advanced pest management technologies with ongoing efforts on sustainable nutrient management (particularly of N) in intensive rice ecosystems, and disseminate new technologies to extension workers and farmers.

Part of the planning was a workshop that featured presentations by Danish scientists Jan Sorensen, Kristian Brandt, and Mette Nicolaisen from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL), Nils Risgaard-Petersen from the National Environmental Research Institute (NERI); and Vietnamese scientists Pham Sy Tan and Pham Van Du from the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute and Tran Thi Thu Thuy from Cantho University, who provided updates on rice agronomy and rice pathology in the Mekong Delta region. Pham Sy Tan and Pham Van Du are long-time partners of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC).

The proposed project will have research and extension components centering on five topics over a 4-year period: pathogen biology (Rhizoctonia spp. – sheath blight complex), biological control, soil health as affected by nutrient and water management; integration of nutrient and disease management practices, and extension of technologies as part of a proposed initiative on ‘four healths’ (soil-seed-plant-human). The proposal will be submitted to the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) by mid-2006. The workshop and planning sessions were supported by DANIDA.

IRRI holds seminar workshop on Environmental Management System

In line with the goals and objectives of the IRRI Environmental Agenda (IEA), the first draft of the Environmental Management System (EMS) was developed by the IRRI Experiment Station (ES) in 2005.

A proposed implementation work plan was presented to the IRRI Environment Council (IEC) last 12 December 2005. Formal implementation of the EMS work plan began with a seminar workshop held on 16 December 2005 at the IRRI Seminar Room for ES staff.

“A serious concern for the environment has long been apparent in our activities at the Institute and currently there exists a clear need to develop and implement a structured system and work plan that can effectively document and clearly demonstrate, beyond doubt, IRRI’s full commitment toward responsible stewardship of the environment now and in the future. Developing and implementing the IRRI ES EMS take us a step closer toward achieving an ISO certification for the Institute. However, the ultimate aim of implementing the EMS is really to institutionalize environmental safety, sustain environmental protection, and prevent pollution,” says Mr. Arnold Manza, senior manager of the ES. “Obtaining an ISO certificate is, after all, just the icing on the cake. The EMS, designed to conform to the international standard ISO14001, is envisioned to serve as a management tool to ensure that our activities at the research center are conducted in an environment-friendly way and in a sustained manner,” he added.

The seminar workshop introduced the concepts of EMS and ISO14001 to the ES staff. The first draft of the ES Environmental Policy Statement was also presented and discussed. The output of this workshop are now being summarized, analyzed, and evaluated by an EMS team for use as a basis for prioritization and design of environmental management programs.

Nepal-IRRI workplan meeting charts the next 3 years

The Nepal-IRRI workplan meeting held in Kathmandu on 10 March charted the next 3 years of Nepal-IRRI research. It was finalized and signed by Dr. R.P. Sah, the executive director of Nepal Agricultural Research Council and IRRI DDG-R Ren Wang. A new memorandum of understanding between Nepal and IRRI was also signed.

During the meeting, Dr. Wang made a presentation on IRRI’s strategic plan. Mr. Ganesh KC, secretary of agriculture, chaired the meeting and highlighted the contributions IRRI has made for the development of rice technology in Nepal. The IRRI team included David Johnson, Edwin Javier, J.K. Ladha, and Sushil Pandey.

Following the workplan meeting, the IRRI delegation met with the minister of agriculture and discussed the need to develop a bilateral program to strengthen rice research in Nepal. They also discussed future funding opportunities with the local office of DFiD. Drs. Johnson, Javier, and Pandey also reviewed the progress of the IFAD-supported upland project in Nepal and helped develop a detailed workplan for 2006.

2nd IRRI-IFAD Review and Planning Meeting held at IGAU

IRRI hosted the 2nd Annual Review and Planning Meeting of the IFAD-funded project on “ Accelerating technology adoption to improve rural livelihoods in the rainfed eastern Gangetic Plains” at Indira Gandhi Agricultural University (IGAU, cohost) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh State, India, 18-20 January. The project is managed by IRRI in partnership with CIMMYT, ICRAF, and ICRISAT, and is implemented by 13 NARES and 5 NGOs in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal using a community-based participatory research approach.

The meeting reviewed the progress of activities in each project site, assessed lessons learned from the implementation, assessed the strategies in scaling up the identified star technologies, and developed a workplan for information capture and dissemination using information and communication technologies to support extension of the star technologies.

The inaugural function was held during the first day where Dr. Thelma Paris, IFAD project coordinator, provided a brief background of the project. Dr. Mahabub Hossain, project leader of the IFAD project, Dr. Olaf Erenstein of CIMMYT, Dr. Suresh Pande of ICRISAT, and Dr. Virendra Pal Singh of ICRAF delivered welcome remarks. Dr. Ashok Seth, IFAD representative, conveyed IFAD’s expectations from the project and Dr. C.R Hazra, IGAU vice chancellor, delivered the chairman’s address.

The meeting was also attended by Dr. S.N. Shukla, assistant director general, Indian Council of Agricultural Research; Dr. M.M. Haque, director general, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute; Dr. S.S. Baghel, vice chancellor, Assam Agricultural University Dr. Zahanara, director, Chinsura Rice Research Station, West Bengal; and Dr. Zainul Abedin, agricultural research and extension advisor, CIDA.

SSNM training seminar held in East Java

In early January, the minister of agriculture in Indonesia signed a recommendation for location-specific fertilization of lowland rice to be implemented beginning the next cropping season in March. To prepare for the implementation phase, a training seminar on site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) for lowland rice in Indonesia was held on 27 January in Malang, East Java.

Organized by the Indonesian Center for Food Crop Research and Development (ICFCRD) and the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology for East Java, the seminar was opened by Ir. Maksum, head of the Agricultural Service for East Java, and Dr. Udin Nugraha, head of the National Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology.

About 50 participants attended, including staff members from BPTP in East Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, Bali, and West Nusa Tenggara. Dr. Suyamto, director of ICFORD closed the seminar. IRRI was represented by Mahyuddin Syam and Roland Buresh who served as resource persons.

Procedures for using the leaf color chart, omission plot technique, and soil testing in location-specific fertilization were refined during the seminar. Training materials and guidelines for developing and implementing fertilization practices adapted to specific rice-growing locations will be developed after the seminar.

IRRI staff members facilitate CARDI strategic planning workshop

Upon invitation from the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), Mr. Jojo Lapitan of IPMO and Ms. Corinta Guerta of DPPC facilitated CARDI's strategic planning workshop cum team building retreat at Sihanoukville, Cambodia, 1-5 February. There were 47 participants, which included the CARDI management team, senior staff from research, administration, and finance; and three representatives of the CARDI-Assistance Project (CARDI-AP) with Australia.

The workshop aimed to develop strategies to strengthen CARDI’s short- and long-term capability after the completion of the CARDI-AP project in August this year. CARDI has been getting strong funding support from Australia and has collaborated with IRRI since the Institute’s creation in 1987. The workshop identified major issues for resource mobilization, including the business culture in CARDI.

First annual review and planning meeting of ADB-supported project held in Pakistan

Mr. Fayyaz Basharthe, secretary of agriculture of Punjab, Pakistan, opened the annual review meeting of the ADB-funded project, “Enhancing farmers' Income and livelihoods through integrated crop and resource management in the rice-wheat system in South Asia ,” on 7 February at Hotel Avari, Lahore, Pakistan. IRRI scientist J.K. Ladha gave an overview of the activities of the project for the first year. Dr. Mushtaq Gill, Dr. Ren Wang, and Mr. Jhangfeng Zhang also spoke at the event.

Message design workshop held in Vietnam

A Message design workshop was held on 22 February in Can Tho City, Vietnam. The workshop prepared for an Environmental Radio Soap Opera for Rural Vietnam. “The new project will use the experiences and momentum generated from the current, popular radio soap opera, Chuyen Que Minh (My Homeland), to further educate rice farmers in environmental conservation principles, methods to reduce environmental impacts, and protect ecosystem services,” said K.L. Heong, senior scientist, entomology, in EPPD.  It will aim to modify farmers’ attitudes toward the use of farm chemicals, burning straw, water use efficiency, wildlife, soil health, and biological control.

In August 2005, a stakeholder workshopwas held where the workplan was revised and target sites in Can Tho Province were identified. Focus group discussions were carried out in September 2005 and the audience analysis survey of 605 respondent farmers in the districts of Vinh Thanh and Phong Bien was completed in October 2005. 

At the scriptwriting workshop in December 2005, the soap opera characters and scripts were developed using the results of the focus group discussion and audience analysis as reference. The new soap opera, which will focus on environmental issues with new characters in a new setting (Can Tho Province) has the tentative title, Que Minh Xanh Mai (Forever Green Homeland).

The message design workshop aimed to develop a publicity plan and produce prototype materials to promote the new drama series and to prepare for its launch on World Environment Day, 5 June 2006. Participating IRRI staff members were Dr. Heong; Monina Escalada, international research fellow, IPMO; and CPS graphic designers Juan Lazaro IV and George Reyes.

SIERM planning workshop held in Vietnam

A planning workshop of the ACIAR-funded project on “ Sustainable implementation of integrated rodent management (SIERM),” in Vietnam was held in Ho Chi Minh City, 14-15 February. This new 3.5-year project builds on previous ACIAR projects in Vietnam on ecology-based rodent management. It focuses on developing effective pathways for delivery of integrated ecology-based methods for rodent management to poor farmers in the Red River and Mekong River deltas of Vietnam. 

The main counterpart agencies in Vietnam are the Plant Protection Department (PPD), the provincial sub-PPDs, the National Institute for Plant Protection, and World Vision. Later this year, the project will also be implemented in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. 

In irrigated rice crops, rodent pests are the number one preharvest pest in Indonesia and among the top three pests in Vietnam. Rodent pests affect directly the lives of poor farmers in these countries through damage to growing crops, postharvest losses, transmitting diseases to people and livestock, contaminating food and water, and damaging buildings and other possessions. Rodent impacts are greatest among the poorer communities, who lack the capacity to absorb either the chronic losses or the occasional acute losses associated with periodic rodent population eruptions. 

CURE workshop and planning meeting for upland rice held in Laos

Under the auspices of the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE), Laos was selected as a key site for implementing upland research programs. Participants in a 3-day workshop and planning meeting held on 20 February in Luang Prabang reviewed recent activities and outputs, including new rice varieties aimed at helping poor, upland rice farmers achieve better yields and livelihoods.

Representatives and extension workers from the Lao National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute, government representatives from Oudomsay and Sayabouli provinces, and IRRI staff developed an action plan for the coming year.

Dr. Sushil Pandey, leader of the Upland Working Group, said that CURE in Laos is focusing on dissemination of information and technologies to farmers. “This will be achieved by collaborating with the provincial governments of Oudomsay and Sayabouli through community development projects funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) . Through this linkage, new varieties and appropriate crop management practices will be delivered directly to farmers.”

Workshop concludes detailed workplan for upland research in Laos

To finalize milestones and develop a detailed workplan on project implementation protocol for a major collaborative upland research program in the Lao PDR, IRRI scientists met with officials from the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), the Northern Agricultural and Forestry Research Center (NAFReC), and provincial authorities of Oudomxay and Sayaboury, on 22 February in Luang Prabang.

One of the final plans is the distribution of 1,400 kilograms of upland rice seeds to about 350 farmers in the northern Lao provinces of Oudomxay and Sayaboury. These include improved rice varieties from Yunnan, China and others identified as being suitable to Lao uplands conditions by NAFReC. A protocol for seed multiplication activities was also developed, along with a schedule for possible field visit of local officials to Yunnan later in the year so they can study the modern system of upland rice farming in the area.

The program, jointly funded by ADB (through CURE), IFAD, and CPWF, aims to improve food security and livelihoods of upland rice farmers in Laos through the development of improved technologies for the rice-based system.

The program recently forged a link-up with IFAD-supported development initiatives in Oudomxay and Sayaboury for the dissemination and validation of technologies for rice-based systems. IRRI staff who participated in the meeting were Aileen Lapitan, Casiana Vera Cruz, Edwin Javier, David Johnson, and Sushil Pandey. 

CURE annual meeting wraps up with NRM workshop in Bangladesh

The Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) concluded its annual meeting, 8-9 March, with a natural resource management workshop at Dhaka, Bangladesh. More than 80 scientists from IRRI and NARES partner institutions gathered for the scientific meeting "Natural Resource Management for Poverty Reduction and Environmental Sustainability," at the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) Centre.

The workshop was inaugurated with a ceremony officiated by Mr. Kazi Abul Kashem, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of the Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh. Other speakers during the ceremony were Workshop Chair M. Nurul Alam, executive chair of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, and Mr. Hamidur Rahman, director general of the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Scientists working in unfavorable environments presented papers on research progress on natural resource management since 1991. The IRRI Project 8 team leader, Dr. K.L. Heong, organized the workshop.

About 20 participants from Southeast Asia and India stayed over on Friday and Saturday to tour boro (dry season) rice-growing areas in the northwest. The participants visited the Rural Development Academy in Bogra to learn about social engineering practices that have spread new rice production technologies to farm households in that region. Next, the participants then traveled to Rangpur to visit the regional station of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). Rangpur is a key site for CURE Working Group 2’s research on submergence-prone environments. Participants also visited a research site of the NGO Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service.

A tour and workshop followed the CURE Steering Committee’s annual meeting held on 6-7 March. CURE working groups reported their research progress in 2005 and presented their 2006 work plans. The Steering Committee held a business meeting, at which IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler updated the Steering Committee members on IRRI’s discussions on the new strategic plan for 2007-15.
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