Philippines: Ecological engineering in rice production proven to bring tangible benefits for farmers

By Finbarr Horgan

Native stingless bees pollinate sunflowers at an ecologically engineered site in Rizal.

Ecological engineering is a management strategy that strengthens the rice field’s natural capacity to cope with pests by building biodiversity. Field tests of this technology using fruits and vegetable crops to attract beneficial insects in rice paddies reduced pest populations. Results also showed that farmers’ practice of using insecticides sustained higher planthopper and leaffolder damage compared to control and ecologically engineered fields. These were some of the results of research activities under the Ecological engineering approaches to restore and conserve ecosystem services for pest management project launched in 2013. The goal of the project was to reduce the environmental impact of rice farming and promote sustainable rice production.

Philippines: Symposium held on long-term sustainability of irrigated rice farming

By Finbarr Horgan

LEGATO and BioLuz, two projects focusing on sustainable land use, held a symposium to present the progress of their respective activities in the Philippines. LEGATO (Land-use intensity and Ecological Engineering – Assessment Tools for risks and Opportunities in irrigated rice based production systems) is an international project on sustainable development of rice ecosystems in Southeast Asia funded by the German Ministry of Science and Technology. BioLuz (Biodiversity Indicators for Sustainable Land Use in Luzon, Philippines) promotes sustainable land use based on the application of biodiversity indicators and is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service.

At the symposium, titled Natural and crop ecosystems from mountain peaks to lowland plains, LEGATO coordinator Josef Settle updated participants on the global achievements of the project and its connections to the Intergovernmental Science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). IPBES provides a common platform for science, government, and the private sector to exchange research on the economic value of ecosystem services.

Dr. Finbarr Horgan, terrestrial ecologist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), reported on IRRI’s research activities with LEGATO and their connections to the Global Rice Science Partnership. Dr. Damasa Macandog, professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), reported on the progress made by BioLuz and introduced the Biodiversity System Monitoring Database for Luzon.

The symposium featured 14 other presentations by students and staff from IRRI, UPLB, and the Museum of Natural History (MNH). Among the presentations were the use of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to determine rice varietal diversity at the LEGATO sites by Suja Thanga Srinivasan, geographical patterns in the efficiency of brown planthopper egg parasitoids by Liberty Almazan, the autoecology of ladybeetles in rice fields by Aimee Agbay, and rules of assembly for rice birds in Asia by Angelee Fame Ramal.

Josie Lynn Catindig, IRRI entomologist, and Aimeelyn Barrion-Dupo, MNH's curator for moths and spiders and associate professor at UPLB, discussed the history and state of the entomological collections at IRRI and UPLB, respectively. There was also an open discussion with Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez, director of MNH, on possible mechanisms to share resources between the two collections and to gain support on curation and modernization of these valuable resources.

The LEGATO/BioLuz symposium was held at the Crop and Environmental Sciences Division, IRRI on 1 June. It was organized by ecologists/entomologists and environmental scientists at IRRI and UPLB. The event was an important step toward greater collaboration between scientists and institutes in Los Baños to improve knowledge on rice landscapes and ecology.

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Philippines: "Birds of IRRI" takes flight

Photo exhibit tour continues until June 

Avian enthusiasts are in for a real treat as birds found in the rice fields of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are showcased  in a spectacular photo exhibit entitled Feathers in the Fields: The Birds of IRRI.  IRRI, together with the National Commission for Culture and Arts and the Filipino Heritage Festivals, launched the traveling exhibit at The Gallery, Greenbelt 5, in Makati City on May 6 in celebration of the National Heritage Month.

Feathers in the Fields: Birds of IRRI,  featuring stunning photos taken by renowned photographers Segfredo Serrano and Tirso Paris, was originally unveiled at the Riceworld Museum at the IRRI headquarters. The exhibit was meant to help people understand that not all birds found in rice fields are pests.

“Our research indicates that these birds contribute to maintaining a healthy rice crop by consuming large numbers of insects and snails thereby regulating pest population,” said Finbarr Horgan, an ecologist at IRRI.

But the presence of numerous birds species also indicates a healthy rice ecosystem that provides them with an ideal habitat.  “The ecologically-based management of rice fields at IRRI has been rewarded by a multitude of farmer-friendly birds,” said Dr. Horgan. “Recently, large numbers of rails and moorhens have successfully reproduced at IRRI, an indication perhaps of the success of IRRI’s focus on environment-friendly agriculture. This is just the start, and hopefully continuing efforts will invite even more birds to make IRRI’s rice fields their home.”

The exhibit is now on display at SM Calamba until 29 May. It will be available for viewing at the Makati City Hall starting 8 June.

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