AGGRi Network Trials hold annual advancement meeting

The Annual Advancement Meeting of AGGRi Network Trials (ANT) 2023 was held from 11-12 March 2023 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Since rice is the life of Bangladesh, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has played a significant role for the last six decades to improve rice research in the country. IRRI has been assisting Bangladesh in developing superior and high-yielding rice varieties by identifying novel breeding lines adapted to Bangladesh's diverse environmental conditions. Therefore, assisting farmers in boosting their production and enhancing the food security of the country. Implementing the AGGRi (Accelerated Genetic Gain in Rice) Network project stimulates the existing and new IRRI-NARES breeding networks to jointly develop sustainable breeding strategies based on carefully considered and agreed on product profiles for the replacement of old mega varieties within a target environment or market segment.

BRRI hosts workshop on the impact of project modernizing rice breeding in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) in Gazipur hosted a workshop on 06-05 March to highlight the achievements of the Transforming Rice Breeding (TRB) project that aims to increase the rate of genetic gain for yield and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of breeding operations.

Understanding soil health management under different land uses

Soil is one of the planet's great reservoirs of vast biodiversity. It provides a habitat for plants, animals, and microorganisms and acts as a buffer against pollutants that safeguards the purity of groundwater. Additionally, because of the massive amounts of carbon, it collects and stores, the soil is essential in combating climate change and mitigating its impacts. 

Showcasing IRRI at the Bangladesh Seed Congress 2023

The Bangladesh Seed Association (BSA), the apex body of several formal and informal seed associations  engaged in seed production and distribution successfully organized the Bangladesh Seed Congress on  11-13 February 2023 in Dhaka.

Capacity Development Training on ‘Climate-Smart Agriculture’ for BAU Farmers under the CRA Program

15 February 2023, ISARC, Varanasi - As a part of the ongoing collaboration between IRRI and Bihar Agriculture University (BAU) under the Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) Initiative of Government of Bihar, a three day capacity development training program centered around rice production practices was conducted at the IRRI South Asia Regional Center (ISARC), Varanasi from 9th-11th February 2023.

Promoting science-based nutrient management system for achieving sustainable food systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains

The Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) of India are among the most fertile tracts in the world.  It is known as the country’s breadbasket where important food crops are grown on millions of hectares (ha), particularly rice and wheat. 

However, farmers here predominantly practice the rice-wheat cropping system with intensive use of resources. They often apply excess fertilizers to get higher yield but actually cause wastage of resources, higher incidence of pests and diseases, and soil and groundwater pollution.

OneRicePH workshop towards streamlining the Philippines’ rice breeding program

The International Rice Research Institute, together with the Philippine Department of Agriculture- Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), organized the OneRicePH validation workshop last January 31 to February 2, 2023 in Los Baños, Laguna. The activity entitled, “Stakeholders’ Workshop on Validation of Market Segments for Selected Priority Provinces”, aimed to validate the results of OneRicePH’s Module 1 baseline data collected, where all aspects of rice from production to market are identified and prioritized.