ISARC concludes 6th Coordination Committee Meeting

The IRRI South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) successfully concluded the ISARC Coordination Committee (ICC) Meeting last April 20 in Varanasi. IRRI leaders, along with government partners took stock of project activities and lessons learned over the past year to carve a new strategic path for the Government of India and ISARC for the next five years. Dr. Jean Balié, Director General, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) appreciated the cooperation of the Government of India and assured the active participation of the ISARC in this renewed alignment. Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, ISARC shared a detailed update on successful ISARC-led research and training activities and also presented specific activities for future plans in view of IRRI’s mission to uplift the lives of farmers from the South Asia region. Dr. Ajay Kohli and other members of the ISARC Coordination Committee from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal also participated in the meeting.

Present in the meeting were Dr. Jean Balié, Director General, IRRI, the chairperson of the ISARC Coordination Committee; Ms. Wahida Akter, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Bangladesh; Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Joint Secretary (Agri Development), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Nepal; Dr. T R Sharma, DDG - Crop Sciences, ICAR; Mr. M P Yadav, National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC); Dr. Paresh Verma, Director Research of Shriram Bioseed Genetics India; and Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, ISARC.

The ISARC Coordination Committee meeting was also attended by Dr. Shahjahan Kabir, Director General, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI); Mr. P.C. Peiris, DG (Agri. Tech) Sri Lanka; and Dr. Humnath Bhandari, IRRI Representative Bangladesh as the special guests. Mr. Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, who also co-chairs the ISARC Coordination Committee and Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh joined online.

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International delegation visits rice-straw management and business model in Vietnam

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Vietnam and Can Tho Subdivision of Crop Production and Plant Protection organized a site visit for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, and GIZ delegates to observe rice straw management technology at the New Green Farm Cooperative.

Knowledge Transfer on survey app building and Implementation in Eastern Africa

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through the Market Intelligence Initiative (MII), conducted a successful online training titled "Knowledge transfer on survey app building and implementation” among IRRI’s network of National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) partners in the East African region. Two half-day online sessions were given on the 22nd and 24th of March 2023, participated by 118 participants from the region.

Towards a viable framework for carbon credit projects in agriculture in Vietnam

To provide a platform for knowledge sharing and discussion on carbon credits, the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development (IPSARD) of Vietnam, with support from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), organized a hybrid event in Hanoi titled ‘Short-term operating procedure for engaging in carbon credit projects in the agriculture sector in Vietnam’.

In his opening message, Dr. Tran Cong Thang, director of IPSARD, and Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, lead climate change scientist of IRRI, emphasized the goal of the workshop, sharing that it aims to “create opportunities where stakeholders could initiate discussion about developing the policy framework for carbon markets in agriculture for Vietnam.” 

CGIAR Initiatives SeedEqual and Market Intelligence work together to streamline strategies for 2023

To streamline and strengthen the Research Initiatives, the Seed Equal and Market Intelligence Initiatives of OneCGIAR hosted a reflection and planning workshop from 13-17 March 2023 at the ILRI Campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The five-day event brought together representatives from various CGIAR centers, the Systems Office, NARES partners, universities, and private sector partners.  As part of the “reflect process” in CGIAR annual reporting, the meeting aimed to identify the lessons learned from 2022, set the objectives and expectations in 2023 in terms of outputs and impact, achieve integration between the two Initiatives, and promote scientific exchange.

One of the goals of Seed Equal for 2023 is to develop strong impact assessment strategies for the Genetic Innovation (GI) Action Area.  For Market Intelligence, there is a plan to operationalize the Global Market Intelligence Platform (GloMIP), which will become the priority-setting information hub for GI by integrating three levels of prioritization: global, market segment, and breeding pipeline. Both efforts are anticipated to support adoption amongst stakeholders and increase the services’ value to users. 

At the reflective workshop, the group identified touchpoints between both Initiatives and was able to synchronize their strategies for targeting and prioritizing activities. 

The overall goal of the CGIAR Initiatives is to create a real, lasting, and positive impact in 5 key areas: climate change and mitigation; environmental health and biodiversity; gender equality, youth, and social inclusion; nutrition, health, and food security; and poverty reduction, livelihoods, and jobs. Through cooperation, the Initiatives are positioned to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

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IRRI-SARC and ICAR organize Grain Quality Analysis Capacity Development Program

VARANASI, India (29 March 2023) - The International Rice Research Institute - South Asia Regional Centre (IRRI-SARC) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) organized a capacity development program on grain quality analysis at the IRRI-SARC from March 29-31. In this program, a total of 21 scientists from IRRI, the National Rice Research Institute, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and Odisha Agricultural and Technical University discussed various aspects related to paddy cultivation, yield, and grain quality, among other IRRI technologies.