Next-Generation project delegates strengthen links with government partners in Central Luzon

Members of the Accelerating the Development and Adoption of Next Generation Rice Varieties for the Major Ecosystems in the Philippines (NextGen Project) visited field sites in the provinces of Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, and Tarlac on 1 – 3 October to strengthen research and development linkages with Regional Field Offices (RFO) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

The NextGen Project delegates from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and DA-National Rice Program  assisted RFO focal persons in assessing research methodologies such as preferential test, sensory evaluation, and Participatory Varietal Selection used by farmers in selecting rice varieties.  In addition, the actual performance of rice technologies in the field was evaluated.

“We are pleased to have experts from IRRI visit us,” said Mr. Crispolo Bautista, Jr., assistant regional director of the RFO in Central Luzon or Region III.  The activity is the first leg of a series of site visits that will cover all Philippine regions. NextGen will visit eleven regions in the next two months.

NextGen is one of the projects under the Food Staples Sufficiency Program (FSSP) supported by the DA. The project, led by PhilRice and IRRI, aims to accelerate the introduction and adoption of higher-yielding rice varieties and hybrids with resistance to/tolerance of biotic and abiotic stresses to raise current yields in rice production..

Dr. Glenn Gregorio is the project leader of the NextGen project (IRRI).


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