Representatives from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), local government units, and state colleges and universities participated in a workshop to discuss the status of technological interventions from the drought project under the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) on 11 -12 December in Subic, Zambales.
Organized by PhilRice with support from IRRI, the workshop gathered outputs and outcomes from the project Improving Livelihoods and Overcoming Poverty in the Drought-Prone Lowlands of Southeast Asia funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and eventually share them with stakeholders. These include climate change-ready rice, improved nutrient management through the Rice Crop Manager, and mechanized seed planting, among others.
“When combined with good agronomic practices, rainfed rice farmer’s profited from greater productivity and impact,” said Yoichiro Kato, IRRI agronomist and coordinator of the drought project. Dr. Kato observed that farmers in 130 rainfed lowland sites in Cambodia were able to get a yield advantage of 1-2 tons per hectare when improved rice varieties were adopted with good management practices despite drought.
The workshop also identified bottlenecks in the project and narrowed future targets for outscaling or upscaling of the drought-mitigation technologies.
“Only in partnership can we thrive, grow, and be transformed,” said Dr. Manuel Jose Regalado, acting deputy executive director for research at PhilRice “All these fruits of labor would not be realized without each of us supporting one another. Every single one of us here are pieces of a puzzle that would not create a solid picture if one is missing.”
A total of 58 participants discussed the status of their milestones, ongoing activities, and outputs.
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