Dr. Fritsche-Neto joins IRRI as Head of Breeding Analytics and Data Management

Dr. Hans Bhardwaj, Rice Breeding Innovation Platform Leader of the International Rice Research Institute, announces the joining of Dr. Roberto Fritsche-Neto as the new head of Breeding Analytics and Data Management.

Green Super Rice variety surpasses 4.4 ton max yield, nets 8.3 tons/hectare in PhilRice field day

In a Facebook post dated 03 October 2020 by the official FB account of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, a variety of Green Super Rice called NSIC Rc 480 was able to almost double its maximum yield per hectare, from 4.4 tons to 8.3 tons, during the Palaysikatan Field Day of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Sto. Tomas, Davao Del Norte.

PRIME partners strengthen coordination and information sharing as project scales up

To ensure efficient rice crop health monitoring in the Philippines, the Pest Risk Identification and Management (PRIME) project conducted the National PRIME Annual Assessment (NPAA) Workshop on the 9th, 11th, and 25th of November 2020. The NPAA is an annual event that was conducted online this year and attended by representatives from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and agencies of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA), mainly the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI), and Regional Field Offices (RFOs).

IRRI and BAFE hold the first of a series of virtual training on laser land leveling

Rice production in the Philippines is constantly faced with threats to food security due to climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the major challenges to Philippine agriculture is the practice of unsustainable land management such as inadequately leveled fields. An improperly leveled field causes uneven water distribution that leads to poor crop establishment and the inefficient use of seed, water, fertilizer, and pesticides. However, this can be addressed by using laser land leveling technology.

Training boosts expertise of Indonesian agricultural researchers in using seasonal climate prediction-based app

ICRR researchers participate from ICRR’s meeting room. ICRR also hosted the videoconferencing held via Zoom. Photo: Suhartini, ICRR

West Java, Indonesia–Researchers from various agencies under the Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) participated in a face-to-face and virtual training in the development, operation, and maintenance of the Weather-rice-nutrient integrated decision support system (WeRise) from 16 to 20 November 2020. These agencies have been identified for the uptake and dissemination of WeRise in Indonesia (Bugayong, et al.). 

Peer teaching approach helps learners become WeRise experts

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia – “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”  

Studies have shown that learning retention is better when students teach what they have learned. Peer teaching is a strategy used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) - Japan Collaborative Research Project (IJCRP) in its capacity-building program for agricultural extension workers (AEWs) to deliver timely and accurate information to rainfed rice farmers through the use of the Weather-rice-nutrient integrated decision support system (WeRise). 

Philippine rice straw project conducts virtual events for Filipino farmers

The Sustainable Rice Straw Management for Bioenergy, Food, and Feed in the Philippines (RiceStrawPH) project held its first virtual events on sustainable rice straw management as part of its online initiatives to reach its stakeholders in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar, Accelerating initiatives for sustainable rice straw management in the Philippines, and the farmers’ field day, conducted online on September 22 and 29, enabled stakeholders to observe sustainable rice straw management practices that aim to improve livelihoods and the resilience of agri-food systems.