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.

Learning Visit to IRRI in India by Delegates from Bangladesh: A Step towards Exploring Future Collaborations

17-23 January 2023 - The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) recently organized a week-long learning visit for a four-member delegation from the Government of Bangladesh, to gain and exchange knowledge around a number of important initiatives that the food sector in Bangladesh needs to further improve their rice system. The visit was hosted at IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC), Varanasi.

Rice 2.0: Towards Transforming Rice Cultivation in Uttar Pradesh

3 February 2023, Varanasi, India – The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the 2030  Water Resource Group (2030 WRG) organized a workshop titled “Rice 2.0- Transforming Rice  Cultivation in Uttar Pradesh” on lowering carbon and water footprints, and enhancing farm income  of rice farmers at the IRRI South Asia Regional Centres (ISARC), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

Bridging formal and informal seed systems in Odisha through quality seed production and marketing training for women-led farmer group

The demand for quality paddy seeds from farmers is often impeded by factors like uneven access to technology, unreliable seed supply, and uncertain marketing arrangements. This holds true for most parts of Odisha. A few key reasons why farmer producer companies (FPCs) were facing challenges in quality rice seed production can be attributed to a lack of basic know-how and poor crop management practices. Through building the capacities of formal community-led institutions, local enterprises can serve the needs for quality seed as well as provide income opportunities for member women seed producers.

World Bank exec lauds IRRI’s work on agribusiness and rural transformation in Assam

World Bank Regional Integration and Engagement in the South Asia Region (SAR) Director Ms. Cecile Fruman visited Assam on 25 January to get firsthand understanding and appreciation of IRRI’s work on the World Bank-funded Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART).

PhilRice, UPLB, and BSU researchers attend training on breeding and phenotyping set-ups and use of modern facilities

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Education organized a capacity development program focused on breeding and phenotyping set-ups and the use of IRRI facilities to help local institutions integrate these new strategies and sustain their breeding modernization efforts, Conducted on 17-19 January 2023, the program was attended by 19 researchers from the Philippine Rice Research Institute, University of the Philippines Los Banos, and Benguet State University.

Collaboration between IRRI, Nong Lam University, and JICA to reduce postharvest losses and increase rice quality in Africa

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Nong Lam University, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) entered into a collaboration on improving postharvest handling of rice to enhance the sales of quality local rice through the establishment of bankable supply chains in Côte d'Ivoire. As part of disseminating sustainable techniques and equipment for drying paddy in the country, the project is facilitating technology transfer activities focused on paddy drying, including technology, fabrication, installation, and operation of flatbed dryers. 

India farmers groups complete training on-farm production of biocontrol agents and microbial bio pesticides

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) with its implementing partner Assam Agricultural University under the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART) organized a  three-day training program on “On-farm production of bio-control agents and microbial bio pesticides” at the National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM), Hyderabad from Jan 3 to 5, 2023. The program was attended by members of Farmer Producer Company (FPC) and representatives from the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The program emphasized the importance of plant health and aimed to promote capacity building on bio-fertilizer and microbial agent production on-farm and pilot scale levels. 

IRRI conducts training on genomic selection for IRRI, UPLB, and PhilRice researchers

The International Rice Research Institute Education (IRRI Ed) conducted a two-day face-to-face and hands-on training program on genomic selection for researchers at IRRI and its partner organizations, the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) on 9-10 January 2023 at IRRI headquarters.

Genomic selection is an important tool in modern breeding for effective and rapid crop varietal development to meet the production challenges in a climate-changing world. The training, which was attended by 20 participants, aimed to offer insights into the technology and genomic selection that can be integrated and implemented in breeding programs.

IRRI leads GHG mitigation capacity-building activities in Thailand

Figure 1. Participants performed greenhouse gas collection during the field visit.

Photo courtesy: Ryan Romansanta

Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and local partners, held capacity-building activities for government officers under the Thai Rice Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Project. Under this project, IRRI aims to contribute to the calculation and verification of the prospected emission reductions and monitoring of co-benefits in the field; and provide advice and training on field implementation of the mitigation technologies.

IRRI staff recognized as Valued Partner by DOST-ASTI

13 December 2022 - Two IRRI staff members were recognized by the Department of Science and Technology - Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) as valued partners in its stakeholders’ recognition and fellowship night. The event was held in conjunction with DOST-ASTI’s 35th year anniversary.

Marco van den Berg, IRRI Chief Information Officer was recognized for his valuable contribution to the Philippine Research, Education and Government Information Network (PREGINET) infrastructure, especially in sharing the link to the Los Baños science community (UPLB, DOST, and PhilRice). Ramil Mauleon was recognized for engaging the Computing and Archiving Research Environment (COARE) as a computing partner for the 3,000 Rice Genomes Project, leading to co-authorship and acknowledgement of the COARE team in high impact publications. Ramil received the plaques of appreciation awards from DOST Secretary Dr. Renato Solidum, and ASTI Director Dr. Franz de Leon.

During the day, DOST-ASTI also held technical forums for partners and stakeholders that highlighted some of its projects. One of these was the 2nd Joint PREGINET and COARE Stakeholders’ Meeting, which together formed the Information Network for Operational and Viable Applications and Technology Exchange or InNOVATE, the primary science and technology infrastructures maintained by the Agency. COARE provides high performance computing and storage capabilities to Philippine-based research institutions for free, and PREGINET provides the framework for high speed internet connection among Philippine scientific and academic communities.

During the session, Ramil also delivered a plenary talk on behalf of Kenneth McNally, Head of IRRI Bioinformatics, to share about the institute’s ongoing research activities at COARE. The event was also attended by IRRI Bioinformatics team members, Frances Nikki Borja, Venice Juanillas, and Riza Pasco, who are actively using COARE resources.

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Introducing Climate-Smart Mapping and Adaptation Planning in Cambodia

To provide technical support on participatory climate-risk mapping and adaptation planning, the CGIAR Initiative on Asian Mega-Deltas conducted a training workshop on Climate-Smart Mapping and Adaptation Planning (CS-MAP) for local research partners in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 19-20 December 2022. The workshop introduced the CS-MAP approach as the tool for conducting the mapping activities in the AMD target provinces in Cambodia, such as Kandal, Takeo, Prey Vieng, and Svay Rieng.

Bangladesh women group completes training for seed production efficiency

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) recently organized an event to help create awareness about quality seed production. IRRI also provided a power tiller to the participating women seed producers group, Maddha Rakudia IPM Club. The power tiller aims to reduce the labor, time, and maintenance cost in the production cycle and help in better productivity and is provided as part of One CGIAR’s Seed Equal program being implemented by the IRRI Seed System Unit. The participants comprised 200 women farmers from Babuganj Upazila of the Barisal district of Bangladesh. As members of this seed producer federation, the participants are either formally or semi formally associated in the seed business and are being supported through training activities by IRRI. 

IRRI scientist Sugandha Munshi named “Iconic Woman Leader Creating a Better World for All”

IRRI scientist Sugandha Munshi was named Iconic Woman Leader Creating a Better World for All at the Women Economic Forum 2022 for her work on gender equality and small and marginal farmers. Dr. Munshi advocates prioritizing interventions such as climate change-resilient agricultural practices and serving small and marginal women farmers across the globe.