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Wednesday, May 7, 2014

New Rice Knowledge Bank website goes live



Equipped with the latest practical knowledge in rice production for farmers in developing countries, the new and updated Rice Knowledge Bank (RKB) was launched on 2 May 2014.

The world’s leading repository of extension and training materials in rice production showcases rice production techniques, agricultural technologies, and best farming practices based on IRRI’s pool of knowledge from research findings, learning and media resources, and in-country projects. Its content highlights step-by-step production from pre-planting to postharvest management. It also includes decision tools and agronomy guides that can help farmers make sound farming decisions.

 “The Rice Knowledge Bank provides our partners in national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) and NGOs with an ever-increasing wealth of information on training and rice production which they share with local farmers,” said Mr. Julian Lapitan, head of Partnerships and the Philippine Desk at IRRI.

RKB’s Project Lead Katie Nelson added, “The Rice Knowledge Bank plays an important role in bridging the gap between research and practice.”

“The website provides information on improved rice farming practices and includes several tools to help extension workers and farmers with crop management and disease diagnostics. Many of the materials on the site are formatted as printable fact sheets or production guides in local languages to better reach extension and farmers. This is just the first step, in the coming years we will focus on offline mobile versions of the RKB, radio information packs, and a suite of how-to videos made for farmer audiences.”

In addition to the new, user-friendly design, the Rice Knowledge Bank now features country-specific information developed through IRRI projects in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam. Other partners include several countries in Africa such as Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Check-out the new and improved Rice Knowledge Bank at  http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/.

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