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Media hotlineAn information summary for supporters of
international rice research In this issue: News
PEOPLE
EVENTS, TRAININGS, AND WORKSHOPS
News MOU signed for establishing GMS office in Vientiane; IRRI-GMS office inaugurated IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler and Lao Minister for Agriculture and Forestry Sitaheng Rasphone signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment of IRRI’s Office for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in Vientiane on 12 January. The IRRI GMS Office will be headed by Dr. Gary Jahn, IRRI's representative and coordinator for the GMS. The MOU stipulates IRRI’s framework for regional cooperation that complements the Institute’s continued strong bilateral relationship with Lao PDR. It will channel combined efforts and leverage additional resources to meet four national goals in Lao PDR: to improve the export potential of Lao rice, increase Lao rice production to 3.3 million tons by 2010, increase the forested area by replacing shifting rice production with sustainable practices, and alleviate poverty among rice growers. These goals will be achieved by helping farmers to help themselves with new rice varieties that tolerate drought, floods, pests, and diseases. A few hours after the MOU signing, the IRRI’s GMS Office was formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Dr. Zeigler and Dr. Jahn. IRRI-GMS opens branch office in Luang Prabang The Luang Prabang Branch of the IRRI-Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Office was officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 7 February. Dr. Bounthong Bouahom, director general of the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI), and Dr. Gary Jahn cut the ribbon in front of 40 guests, including NARES and NGOs that work with IRRI. The Office is staffed by Dr. Benjamin Samson, agronomist; Ounheuane Phouthachit, accountant; and Sommay Yasongkua, driver. In addition, Mr. Randy Ritzema and Mr. Hidetoshi Asai, PhD students from the University of California-Davis and Kyoto University, respectively, use the new office. IRRI dedicates GRC to the memory of rice research pioneer T.T. Chang During special ceremonies on 12 March, IRRI dedicated the Genetic Resources Center (GRC) to the memory of Dr. Te-Tzu (T.T.) Chang, the founder of the International Rice Germplasm Center - one of the predecessors of the GRC. Dr. Chang (1927-2006) devoted his whole life to rice breeding, which has contributed immensely to agriculture in Asia, Africa, and the world. With his inroads into rice breeding for enhanced yield and innovative procedures for germplasm collection and technology, he improved the food supply and lives of many people. Dr. Chang was an authority on rice genetics and conservation and spent 30 years at IRRI collecting and storing rice varieties from all over Asia and the world. The dedication ceremony was highlighted by welcome and opening remarks from IRRI DG Robert Zeigler; an overview of Dr. Chang and his achievements from GRC Head Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton; and a response and message from Dr. Dean Chang, T.T.'s eldest son. Other family members in attendance as guests of honor were Nancy Chang (T.T.'s wife), son Jeffrey, and Dean's wife Sue and children Nathan and Erica. Participating in the unveiling of the dedication plaque were Drs. Zeigler and Sackville Hamilton, IRRI Director for Program Planning and Communications Michael Jackson, and the Chang family. The event was capped with a viewing of a new photo exhibit on the walls at the entrance and a tour of the T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center. New agreement helps permanently protect the world’s thousands of varieties of rice An unprecedented new agreement that will involve the annual dispersal in perpetuity of US$600,000 was unveiled yesterday on 12 March to help fund the protection and management of the world’s thousands of unique rice varieties. IRRI and the Rome-based Global Crop Diversity Trust unveiled the historic new agreement at a special dedication ceremony at IRRI’s T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center, which houses more than 100,000 samples of rice, the biggest and most important such collection in the world. The funding agreement is expected to help conserve and manage forever the extraordinary diversity of arguably the world’s most important crop. Today, about 3 billion people depend on rice for their survival, with the thousands of varieties carefully stored at IRRI providing the last line of defense between them and possible famine, especially in times of war, natural disasters, and attacks from pests and diseases. CGIAR genebank community receives Science Award for Outstanding Partnership In a follow-up to the CGIAR-AGM in Washington last December, the CGIAR genebank community received the CG's Science Award for Outstanding Partnership. The CGIAR genebanks hold plant genetic resources in trust for the world community. The genebanks, which safeguard 600,000 accessions of crop, forest, and agroforestry species—the majority of which are stored as seeds—provide an insurance policy of sorts, underwriting food security and preserving genetic diversity well into the future. Scientists from around the world have drawn on the genebanks for wild relatives of common crops whose desirable traits, such as disease resistance and drought tolerance, are bred into new varieties. The CGIAR genebanks—oriented toward those varieties that are useful to poor farmers—represent the most important international effort to conserve plant genetic resources. The genebank community is coordinated by SGRP and convened by Bioversity International. Executive agreement for the Indonesia-IRRI Work Plan for 2007-09 signed Executive agreement for the Indonesia-IRRI Work Plan for 2007-09 signed The executive agreement for the Indonesia-IRRI Work Plan for 2007-09 was signed during the Indonesia-IRRI Collaborative Work Plan Meeting, 22-23 March, at the Ministry of Agriculture and IAARD Headquarters, Jakarta, Indonesia. Participants reviewed and assessed the achievements and progress of the 2003-06 collaboration and developed the new work plan that will support the Indonesian research and development agenda in general and its Rice Production Increase Program for 2007-09 in particular.They also identified categories of collaborative activities that can be done immediately in the next 3 years (2007-09), those that should continue as research collaboration, and those that pertain to the training of the next generation of rice scientists under human resource development. The participants agreed that collaboration in the general areas described in the memorandum of agreement between IRRI and IAARD should continue, including germplasm exchange, genetic and varietal improvement, natural resource and crop management, socioeconomic and policy research, and development of the next generation of rice scientists. Bangladesh expresses appreciation for IRRI's contributions to increasing rice production The government of Bangladesh has expressed its appreciation for the contributions of IRRI to increasing rice production and thereby reducing poverty in Bangladesh, and has requested IRRI’s continued assistance in rice research and development in the country. This was conveyed to Dr. M. Zainul Abedin, IRRI representative for Bangladesh, by Mr. M.A. Aziz, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, during his visit to the IRRI-Bangladesh office on 20 February. Mr. Aziz was recently appointed as the secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and he wished to learn more about IRRI and its role in Bangladesh. Dr. M. Zainul Abedin made a brief presentation on IRRI in Bangladesh since 1967 and outcomes of its collaboration with BRRI and other local GOs and NGOs. Dr. Abedin noted that, since 1970, rice production has almost tripled from about the same area under rice. This was made possible by the adoption of modern knowledge and input-based technologies developed/recommended by BRRI, with support from IRRI.
Diara land, the land lying between the river bed and levees, is subjected to alluvion, an increase in the area of land due to sediment (alluvium) that is deposited by a river. This changes the size of a piece of land and thus its value over time and is a major source of income for many farmers in eastern India. The project on Enhancing Farmers’ Income and Livelihoods Through Integrated Crop and Resource Management in the Rice-Wheat System in South Asia brought new hope to the resource-poor, hard-working farmers of the diara land by adopting improved agro techniques for using high-yielding varieties Gautam, IR64, Krshnahansa, Prabhat, and Sarjoo 52. Now, researchers have also introduced aromatic rice (Sugandha 3) and hybrid rice (KRH-2). The project, jointly implemented by Banaras Hindu University, the Rice-Wheat Consortium, and IRRI, and funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), boosted rice yield from 2–3 t per ha to 6–8 t per ha. This has increased the income of farmers substantially and paid back the dividend of hard work they put in for farming this difficult and unpredictable land. The shorter duration of these varieties also reduces the risk of early flooding of land, because of which farmers have lost their crop in the past. IRRI breeders compare “quick and dirty” DNA extraction methods in rice IRRI breeders have evaluated six methods for extracting DNA from rice seedlings. The researchers were trying to find simple and cheap methods for extracting DNA from rice seedlings to be used in marker-assisted breeding programs in research institutes in developing countries. D.J. Mackill, head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division, and his group, observed that both the IRRI-developed extraction method and the previously published method using NaOH-Tris worked best. However, because the NaOH-Tris method is simpler, quicker, and cheaper, they recommend it over the standard IRRI method for potential use in many applications of marker-assisted selection or high-resolution mapping. The IRRI method costs about $1.38 per sample compared with just $0.49 when the NaOH-Tris method was used. To access the abstract published by the journal Plant Breeding with links to the full paper for subscribers, go to http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0523.2006.01272.x
DG attends regional rice network meeting in Central Asia Common constraints to rice production in the region, discussed during the meeting, are a lack of irrigation systems, lack of suitable germplasm, soil salinity and low temperatures, ignorance of modern technologies, lack of blast-resistant varieties, and lack of weed management tools. Dr. Zeigler said that IRRI’s goals in the region are to 1) facilitate close collaborative research among scientists in these temperate rice countries to help maintain food security, 2) share information on rice toward increasing production of japonica rice, and 3) provide a framework for IRRI-NARES partnership to facilitate and strengthen research on temperate rice and technology delivery. MOA on water resource protection and conservation signed Dr. Zeigler discusses poverty alleviation and climate change at ADB MOA on water resource protection and conservation signed Signatories to the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed on 27 February between heads of local governments and agencies, research organizations, and academe will comprise the Makiling Watershed Resources Coordinating Council charged with identifying priority areas for collaboration toward a comprehensive water resource protection and conservation program within Calamba, Bay, and Los Baños. The MOA, known as Water resource protection and conservation within the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve covering the municipalities of Los Baños, Bay, and Calamba City, was signed by Calamba City Mayor Joaquin M. Chipeco, Jr., Los Baños Mayor Caesar P. Perez, representative of Provincial Governor Teresita S. Lazaro, UPLB Chancellor Luis Rey Velasco, IRRI Deputy Director General for Operations and Support Services William G. Padolina, SEARCA Deputy Director for Administration Gil Saguiguit, Laguna Lake Development Authority General Manager Casimiro A. Ynares III, Calamba Water District General Manager Alberto M. Cervancia, and Laguna Water District General Manager Pantaleon L. Tabanao. Dr. Zeigler discusses poverty alleviation and climate change at ADB On 15 March, while speaking to an audience of senior officials at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler discussed the serious challenges facing Asia in terms of persistent large-scale poverty, constraints to agricultural development, tightening rice supplies, and climate change. He outlined how strategic investments in agricultural research and development can help sustain the Asian economic miracle within an increasingly threatening environment. Dr. Zeigler had been invited by the Bank to discuss the importance of agriculture to Asia's development. He pointed out that, for almost half a century, Asia has led the world in efforts to lift people out of poverty. Despite this, the region is still home to 65 percent of the planet’s 1.3 billion poor. There are more poor people in South Asia than the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa, and other Asian nations such as Indonesia still face enormous challenges to achieving the Millennium Development Goal for poverty alleviation. He added that flooding, submergence of crops, and drought are all environmental manifestations of climate change that are expected to increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades. “The implications for Asia’s continuing economic growth and development are enormous,” he said. “It is vital that organizations such as the ADB fully understand how new scientific knowledge can be used to lift the rest of the region’s poor out of poverty as well as appreciate the serious challenges that climate change will present to the region.” PEOPLE Friend and former Lao BOT member of IRRI recognized On 11 January, IRRI recognized valuable friend and former IRRI BOT member Siene Saphanthong. He is the former Lao minister of agriculture and forestry and, in that capacity, served for 6 years as a member of the IRRI Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2001. IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler cited him for his vision, dedication, and commitment, which provided the foundation for establishing Lao rice research capacity and ultimately the country’s rice self-sufficiency. Dr. Zeigler presented the citation at the Lao Plaza Hotel in Vientiane during a short ceremony followed by a dinner attended by officials from the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; Ms. Vannaly Saphanthong; IRRI representative Gary Jahn, senior scientist and coordinator for the Greater Mekong Subregion; Benjamin Samson, agronomist based in Luang Prabang; and Gene Hettel and Meg Mondoñedo of IRRI’s Communication and Publications Services. Dr. Siene responded by congratulating Dr. Zeigler for spending time in Laos and for the great cooperation between IRRI and the Lao government. “I think IRRI and Laos have done much for rice production,” he said, “and I thank you for this plaque recognizing my devotion to rice research and development.” New members join IRRI BOT for 2007-09 Three new members have joined the IRRI Board of Trustees for 2007-09. They are Jillian Lenné (United Kingdom), M. Syeduzzaman (Bangladesh), and Usha Barwale Zehr (India). Jill Lenné has almost 30 years' experience in tropical agricultural research and development, including 15 years' experience with CGIAR centers as plant pathologist, Tropical Pastures Program, CIAT, Colombia; and director, Crop Protection Division, and deputy director general-research, ICRISAT, India. She is currently a consultant in agricultural research for development; visiting professor in agro-biodiversity, University of Greenwich, UK; and co-editor in chief, Asia, Field Crops Research. She has B Agr Sci (honors), PhD (plant pathology), and D Agr Sci degrees from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne, Australia. Usha Barwale Zehr is the joint director of research at the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited, India. She is responsible for research on plant biotechnology, technology transfer to farmers, and use of new technologies and tools, including biotechnology, for improving the quality and productivity of seeds and agriculture. She received her MS (1985) and PhD (1987) in agronomy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign while working as a research assistant. She earned her BS (microbiology) in 1981 from Wilson College, University of Bombay, and a Diploma in Clinical Analysis from Sophia College, Bombay, in 1982. IRRI Bangladesh Office honors Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus Employees of the IRRI Bangladesh Office (IBO) honored the great visionary Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his institution, the Grameen Bank, for being awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. IRRI Social Sciences Division Head Mahabub Hossain, along with the technical and administrative staff of IBO, went to Grameen Bank Bhaban at Mirpur on 28 December to congratulate Professor Yunus. They gave Dr. Yunus a plaque signed by IRRI representative for Bangladesh Dr. M. Zainul Abedin. The plaque reads: “We are proud to recall that IRRI had the opportunity to have you as one of the members of its Board of Trustees. Your advice and guidance will encourage us in IRRI’s effort to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability.” Cambodian prime minister recognizes two former IRRI DGs On 9 January, the Cambodian Agricultural Research Institute (CARDI) in Phnom Penh officially inaugurated all of its new facilities with the completion of the last major structure, the Plant Breeding Center. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen presided over the early-morning event, which was attended by a large crowd of more than 4,000 diplomats and ambassadors; international visitors; teachers and students; Buddhist monks; farmers; officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF); and CARDI staff members. In recognition of their contributions to the revival of rice research and development in the country, the prime minister presented the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Sahametrei Medal to 11 individuals, including former IRRI directors general M.S. Swaminathan and Ronald Cantrell. H.E. Hun Sen made particular mention of Dr. Swaminathan, “who,” he said, “was one of the driving forces in CARDI’s inception when, back in 1987, he proposed establishing the project design team to prepare a plan to set up CARDI.” The prime minister acknowledged IRRI’s overall help in establishing CARDI through the very successful Cambodia-IRRI-Australia Project (CIAP). He also mentioned IRRI’s reintroduction of more than 800 Cambodian rice varieties to the country - varieties that were lost during the years of war and hunger when people ate their seeds. IRRI BOT member is co-winner of the 2007 Wolf Prize for Agriculture The 2006-07 Wolf Prize for Agriculture has been jointly awarded to Ronald L. Phillips of the University of Minnesota and Michel A. J. Georges of the University of Liège, Belgium. Dr. Phillips has been an IRRI BOT member since 2004 and is currently chair of the Program Committee and vice chair of the Executive Committee. Dr. Phillips was the first to generate whole corn plants from cells grown in culture, which laid the foundation for, and sparked, a new industry, using cell-culture methods to genetically modify corn plants and other cereals. The corn cell line most widely used in the world today for genetic modification of corn has greatly accelerated the improvement of corn, as food, feed, and fuel. Fundamental studies in the Phillips laboratory have further led to the identification of cells and plants with increased levels of essential amino acids and the development of an efficient DNA sequence mapping system used by plant scientists in genomics research. Dr. Phillips is also world-renowned for his leadership and service in the field of plant science within international agricultural research communities and for his teaching and student training in plant genetics. Since 1978, five or six Wolf Prizes have been awarded annually in the sciences. Prize fields comprise agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, physics, and the arts. The prize in each field consists of a certificate and a monetary award of $100,000. In the event of two or three recipients sharing the prize, the honorarium is divided equally. International prize committees in each field, comprising renowned experts, select the Wolf Prize winners. Prize committees are appointed every year. Committee proceedings, minutes, and recommendations are kept confidential, except for the recipients’ prize rationale. Indian university honors Dr. Zeigler IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler received a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) from Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Modipuram, Uttar Pradesh, India, on 23 February for his outstanding contribution to rice research and help in improving the livelihood of millions of rice farmers across the globe. Presenting the degree and plaque of honor, Dr. Mangala Rai, director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, commended the contribution of Dr. Zeigler to improving rice productivity in the region. He also lauded the role of IRRI in increasing the productivity and sustainability of rice farming in India. Rice researcher wins international award for innovative biodiversity study in Thailand The important role, and impact, of women in rice research has been highlighted with the awarding of the L'Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science awards for 2007. Mahabub Hossain receives plaque of recognition for his contributions to PhilRice's social science research Dr. Mahabub Hossain, head of IRRI’s Social Sciences Division, received a plaque of recognition for his contribution to capacity enhancement in social science research at the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). The plaque was presented by Honorable Arthur Yap, secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Philippines, on 15 March during the Farmers’ Field Day and Forum of PhilRice’s National R&D Conference in PhilRice, Maligaya, Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. Dr. Hossain was recognized for his leadership in the socioeconomic projects of the PhilRice-UPLB-IRRI tripartite partnership and for supporting PhilRice as a member of the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments that he efficiently coordinates globally. He was also recognized for his innovations and support in making PhilRice’s socioeconomic projects relevant and responsive; for guiding PhilRice socioeconomic researchers into pursuing studies on the income distribution and poverty of Filipino rice farmers by sharing his expertise, comprehension, and experience in rural development; and for continually challenging the Philippine Rice R&D sector by influencing the directions of its socioeconomic and policy research toward alleviating the plight of poor rice farmers. GNDU honors world-renowned scientists G.S. Khush and N.K. Ganguly Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has honored international rice breeder Dr. G.S. Khush of the University of California, Davis (USA) and former IRRI breeder and eminent medical scientist Prof. N.K. Ganguly, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, with Doctor of Science (honoris causa) degrees in the Faculty of Life Sciences.Dr. Khush was presented with an honorary D Sci in the Faculty of Life Sciences in recognition of his seminal contribution to plant sciences, especially genetics. Dr. Ganguly was conferred with the same honorary D Sci in recognition of his contributions in the field of medical science.These honorary degrees were bestowed on 21 March by Gen. S.F. Rodrigues (Retd.), governor of Punjab and chancellor, at the 33rd Annual Convocation of the University. Dr. Jai Rup Singh, vice-chancellor, read the citations.Some 320 rice breeding lines developed under Dr. Khush's leadership at IRRI have been adopted as different varieties by national rice improvement programs throughout the world. IRRI-developed breeding materials and their progenies are now planted on 60 percent of the world's rice land. IRRI VISITORS World Food Prize Laureate Prof. Longping Yuan visits IRRI Prof. Longping Yuan, 2004 World Food Prize Laureate and director general of the China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center, visited IRRI on 13 January with Mr. Weibin Yan, CEO of the Yuan Longping High-Tech Agricultural Co., Ltd. They were welcomed by IRRI Deputy Director for Research Ren Wang, who gave the party a brief history of collaboration on rice research between China and IRRI and an overview of IRRI’s new Strategic Plan, 2007-15. During their 3-hour visit, they toured several IRRI laboratories. Prof. Yuan highly commended IRRI for the establishment of these new research facilities and appreciated the update on IRRI’s latest progress. Venezuelan ambassador visits IRRI to discuss renewal of cooperation To look at IRRI’s research activities and determine the possibility of renewing cooperation mechanisms with Venezuela, Mr. Manuel Perez Iturb, charge d’ affaires, Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, visited IRRI on 2 February.He was welcomed by IRRI DG Robert Zeigler and DDG-OSS William Padolina, who presented IRRI’s research efforts. The ambassador visited the T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center and the Biotechnology/Transformation Laboratory. French envoy gets overview of IRRI's agenda for future collaboration To get an overview of IRRI's recent research agenda for future collaboration, H.E. Gérard Chesnel, ambassador of the Republic of France to the Philippines, visited the Institute on 19 February. He was accompanied by Mr. Georges-Gaston Feydeau, counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs; and Ms. Inès Loge, scientific attaché. UC-Davis chancellor visits IRRI to discuss collaborative projects Dr. Larry Vanderhoef, chancellor of the University of California-Davis, visited IRRI on 15−16 February. He was accompanied by Maril Stratton, assistant chancellor; Dr. Concepcion Lizada, professor of food science and nutrition, University of the Philippines Diliman; and Robert Kerr, UC-Davis assistant vice provost for international alumni and development. They visited IRRI to discuss joint mentoring of UC-Davis graduate students going to IRRI, sabbatical leaves at IRRI and UC-Davis, collaborative projects centered on key IRRI projects or jointly with IRRI on the Challenge Programs, and undergraduate exchanges. West Bengal official spends time at IRRI Swedish ambassador takes a quick tour of IRRI While attending a lecture at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, H.E. Annika Markovic, ambassador of Sweden to the Philippines, together with Dr. Lars Jonsson, associate researcher from Uppsala University, visited IRRI on 21 February. Dr. Jonsson gave a lecture at UPLB. They visited IRRI to get an update on IRRI’s research agenda and see some facilities. To get an overview of the Institute’s research agenda and see some of the laboratories, His Excellency Jorge Rey Jiménez, ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the Philippines, visited IRRI on 5 March. Norwegian ambassador visits IRRI His Excellency Stale Torstein Risa, ambassador of Norway to the Philippines, visited IRRI on 20 March to get an overview of the Institute’s recent research agenda and to visit various research facilities. EVENTS, TRAININGS, AND WORKSHOPS IRRI-Bangladesh office participates in consultation meeting for launching ICT-based Bangladesh Telecentre Network The IRRI-Bangladesh office participated in the 1st consultation meeting on “Towards Mission 2011: Building a Telecentre Family in Bangladesh” on 13 January at the BRAC Centre Inn. The program was jointly initiated by telecentre.org and D.Net (Development Research Network) and cosponsored by bracNet. The meeting aimed to identify specific sets of activities for launching Mission 2011, a goal to have telecentres accessible to every village of Bangladesh for livelihood-related information and communication services by the year 2011, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence. The main purpose of the telecentre network is to build a common supportive platform with an inclusive arrangement so that all telecentre players in the country can keep the independence of their activities while promoting their common cause. Twenty organizations, research institutions, NGOs, private-sector enterprises, and development partners participated in the meeting to form the network. Current practitioners presented their telecentre models and shared ideas about the road map to achieve Mission 2011. IRRI representative for Bangladesh and FoSHoL-coordination project team leader Dr. M. Zainul Abedin briefed the participants on IRRI’s interest and experiences in using ICT for dissemination of agricultural information and knowledge, including the Rice Knowledge Bank, Bangladesh Rice Knowledge Bank (BRKB), and FoSHoL Web sites. Telecentre, the global apex institution for promoting telecentres, which is a part of the Canada-based International Development Research Centre, has agreed to support this initiative. A workshop on "Deploying ICT Services to the Cyber Communities" was held in PhilRice in Nueva Ecija, 18-19 January. Leaders and team members of the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA) and the IRRI-PhilRice PhilICT projects attended. The workshop aimed to develop common benchmarking guidelines and problem identification tools, develop specific ICT interventions content and services per pilot cyber community, and develop appropriate monitoring and evaluation tools to track delivery of services and desired outcomes in the pilot cyber communities. It identified the most common problems that farmers encounter and the possible options to address these problems through the use of ICT and other means. The participants eventually developed 2007-08 work plans highlighting the M&E activities for their cyber communities. The workshop also featured the presentation of Dr. Balaji Venkatamaran, head of Knowledge Management and Sharing in ICRISAT, India, who shared the lessons and challenges of India’s Virtual Academy on Science and Technology (VASAT) and e-learning initiatives. IRRI’s Training Center Head Noel Magor also shared the experiences of village ICT development in Bangladesh in his opening message and thanked PhilRice for its hospitality during his first visit to the institute during his closing remarks. New option for reducing harvesting costs in the Greater Mekong Subregion New option for reducing harvesting costs in the GMS According to Martin Gummert, IRRI postharvest development specialist, harvesting costs have increased recently in many provinces of Cambodia and Laos. “Urbanization and attractive labor markets in neighboring countries, such as Thailand, are causing increasing labor shortages during the peak harvest season,” he says. “Farmers are competing with each other for the same few available laborers for different harvesting operations, from cutting and threshing to cleaning and hauling to their homes. Costs for these activities are totaling US$65-70 per hectare in the region. Estimated local operating cost for the mini-combine is around $35 per hectare. The demonstrations were conducted in three areas in the province and got many positive responses from more than 150 villagers and potential combine-harvesting service providers. New chapter opens for Myanmar’s rice economy New chapter opens for Myanmar’s rice economy IRRC co-sponsors extension workshop with Myanmar Agriculture Service The workshop was opened by U Tin Htut Oo, director general of agricultural planning of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. The workshop aimed to review current structures and possible changes in the research-extension interface in Myanmar, develop a better understanding of pathways for the upscaling of mature technologies to farmers, and share IRRC scientists’ knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the agricultural extension processes of other countries in Southeast Asia. The workshop was attended by Dr. Grant Singleton and Dr. Flor Palis from IRRI. "Cool rice" workshop held in Wuhan, China An international workshop, Cool rice for a warmer world, was held 26-30 March in Wuhan, China. The workshop was jointly organized by IRRI and the Huazhong Agricultural University and partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It aimed to review our current knowledge on rice tolerance/adaptation to high temperatures and to formulate research strategies for developing new rice varieties that can cope with the increasing air temperature associated with global warming.
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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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