Equipping women farmers to drive climate-resilient sustainable farming in Odisha

Women farmers trying their hand at the production of trichocards

Increasing pest and disease incidence due to changing climatic conditions is compelling farmers to use heavy doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to maintain their production. The intensive agricultural practices and excessive reliance on agrochemicals adversely affect the delicate and dynamic balance of the agroecosystems, impacting agricultural sustainability, environment, and human health. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is promoting biopesticides and biofertilizers in Odisha together with Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DAFE) to address this challenge.

IRRI hosts plenary session Gobeshona Int’l Climate Conference in Dhaka

Dr. Ahmad Salahuddin from the IBO giving a presentation
at a IRRI-hosted plenary session at the
6th Gobeshona International Climate Conference 2020
in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dhaka, 06 February 2020 – The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) hosted a plenary session on agriculture and natural resource management at the 6th Gobeshona International Climate Conference 2020 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The theme for this year’s Gobeshona conference was “Research into action”. The event was organized by the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) on the Independent University Bangladesh campus from 20-24 January 2020.

IRRI welcomes new Executive Chairman of BARC

IRRI Bangladesh congratulates new Executive Chairman of
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC)
at his office in Dhaka on 28 January 2020.

Dhaka, 02 February 2020 - A delegation from the IRRI Bangladesh Country Office gave a courtesy visit on 28 January to Dr. Shaikh Mohammad Bokhtiar, the new Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC).

Training aims to boost capacity and supply of high quality seeds of pulses and oilseed in Myanmar

The Department of Agricultural Research (DAR) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI), in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), organized Training of Trainers on Early Generation Seed (EGS) production in pulses, oilseed crops including hybrid sunflower on 7-10 January 2020. The event trained 51 participants from the Department of Agriculture Seed Division, DAR Pulses and Oilseed Crops Section, and the private sector on the important methodologies of EGS production.

Former IRRI Executive Officer passed away

Faustino “Boy” Salacup poses for a portrait at his desk in IRRI.

Faustino "Boy" M. Salacup (b. 1932), former Executive Officer, Comptroller, Treasurer, and Director for Protocol and Liaison of the International Rice Research Research Institute (IRRI), passed away on December 22, 2019. He is regarded as one of the Institute's pioneers, having joined in January 1961.

Former IRRI weed ecologist passes away

Professor Andrew Martin Mortimer, 71, passed away peacefully after a short illness at his home in North Wales on Sunday, 22 December 2019, surrounded by his family. Martin was a weed ecologist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Agronomy, Plant Physiology, and Agroecology (APPA) Division from 1996 to 2003, also serving as APPA deputy head (1998-2000). He continued as an IRRI consultant afterwards.

Martin was an expert in plant ecology, agricultural botany, genetics, and environmental and evolutionary biology. He pointed out that, as a plant population biologist, he studied the development and application of agro-ecology in tropical and temperate agro-ecosystems.

In IRRI’s 1997-98 Annual Report, he explained that natural plants in a location—weeds to most people—present a particular challenge. "All non-rice plants in a field are not necessarily bad," he said. "If we can identify which weeds are good for natural enemies and bad for pests, we may recommend that farmers selectively weed their fields. But managing the vegetation around the field edges will probably have even greater benefit for beneficial insects."

IRRI-PhilRice-JIRCAS collaborative research project holds end-season review with farmer cooperators

Photo by Job Ramos (PhilRice)

A total of 30 farmer cooperators (FCs) actively shared their experiences in the end-season reviews of the IRRI-PhilRice-JIRCAS collaborative research project (IPJCRP) in Sta. Barbara, Cabatuan, and Miagao. The FCs have been participating in the Weather-rice-nutrient Integrated Decision Support System (WeRise) on-farm experiments since 2017.

WeRise enables data-driven decision support for rainfed rice systems through science-based weather and crop advisories including the best time to plant and apply fertilizer as well as the suitable varieties/possible varietal combinations for planting to maximize the entire cropping season. It integrates localized seasonal climate predictions and real-time weather data with a crop growth model. Under the IPJCRP, WeRise is being developed to suit the conditions of Philippine rainfed rice areas.