Peer teaching approach helps learners become WeRise experts

West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia – “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”  

Studies have shown that learning retention is better when students teach what they have learned. Peer teaching is a strategy used by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) - Japan Collaborative Research Project (IJCRP) in its capacity-building program for agricultural extension workers (AEWs) to deliver timely and accurate information to rainfed rice farmers through the use of the Weather-rice-nutrient integrated decision support system (WeRise). 

In Indonesia: Laser leveling of farmland steps up agricultural production

Participants in the laser leveling demonstration learn the basic principles of the technology and how to operate the equipment. IRRI’s CORIGAP project supports capacity building of NARES partners and other rice-farming sectors, such as youth, to accelerate adoption of best management practices that will support Indonesia’s national goal to achieve rice self–sufficiency.

The swampy land areas of South Sumatera, Palembang are poised to become the next rice granary in Indonesia. Recently, to step up the region’s agricultural productivity, local extension professionals, farmers, and students were trained on the use of laser-assisted land leveling and tractor driving in Palembang.

Indonesian ambassador commends crucial role of rice research in helping farmers

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—During his visit to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), H.E. Johny Lumintang (at right in photo), Indonesian ambassador to the Philippines, commended the impact of rice research on improving the productivity and livelihood of Indonesian farmers.

“I believe that IRRI is the best institute to help Indonesian farmers increase their rice yields,” he said. He added that, as a young boy, he grew up helping out on his family’s farm and is greatly concerned about the current situation of Indonesian rice farmers.

H.E. Lumintang was welcomed by Dr. Bruce Tolentino (at left in photo), IRRI deputy director general for communication and partnerships. He was briefed on collaborative projects with the Indonesian government.

Dr. Grant Singleton, coordinator of the project, Closing rice yield gaps in Asia with reduced environmental footprint (CORIGAP), presented an overview of the adaptive research work in Yogyakarta and South Sumatra. CORIGAP aims to increase rice production through sustainable environment-friendly approaches. The project is working closely with the Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development, the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technologies, the Indonesian Center for Rice Research, and the Directorate General of Food Crops.

During his visit, the ambassador observed a demonstration of the Indonesian Rice Crop Manager (RCM).  RCM is a computer- and  mobile phone-based tool that provides farmers with personalized crop and nutrient management guidelines and general recommendations. The technology was developed by IRRI and its Indonesian partners. He also toured the Long-term Continuous Cropping Experiment, the world's longest-running rice research project that provides a firsthand glimpse of how rice production can be sustained in a changing climate without adversely affecting the soil and the productivity of a rice ecosystem. He also met with Indonesian scholars who are studying at IRRI.

Indonesia and IRRI have nurtured an ever-evolving partnership for 44 years. This collaboration has resulted in increased rice productivity, improved livelihood for Indonesian rice farmers, and increased capacity through a new generation of IRRI-trained scientists.

(This article was written by Rona Mae Azucena, IRRI).

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Indonesian rice farmers and extension workers learn to produce participatory video for technology dissemination

PALEMBANG, Indonesia—“Technologies that do not reach the people who are meant to use them are rather useless, that’s why the outscaling process is crucial,” said IRRI scientist Buyung Hadi. To fill the gap between technology and the farmers, a participatory video production training-workshop (photo) was conducted under the Give2Asia-funded capacity enhancement project for sustainable intensification of rice ecosystems in Indonesian outer islands.

Twenty farmers and 13 research and extension staff of the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technologies (AIAT)-South Sumatra participated. They learned the basics of participatory video production during a training-workshop on 28 March-1 April at the AIAT compound in South Sumatra.

“When you involve the end-users (farmers) in scaling out a technology, you produce something that is potentially more effective because it (the technology) is communicated in layman’s terms from the perspective of a fellow end-user,” added Hadi who is also the project coordinator. “There will also be ownership by the farmers, which may encourage them to use the participatory video method in their own outscaling efforts.”

Dr. Harmanto, AIAT-South Sumatra director, expressed his appreciation to IRRI for organizing an activity that built the capacity of both farmers and AIAT staff. Also, he expressed hope that participatory outscaling methods will encourage more farmers to adopt rice-farming technologies.

The event—the first of three training sessions—taught the participants how to create a storyboard, properly handle equipment, practice filming techniques, and conduct outdoor hands-on exercises in filming videos and interviews. The participants came up with multiple storyboards on various topics, such as trap barrier system, drum seeder, and mechanical transplanter. The participants showed eagerness and enthusiasm in learning “outside their comfort zone” and promised to come back to the next training session with video clips based on their storyboards.

The farmers were from villages in tidal swamp areas where integrated best management approaches are promoted by CORIGAP (Closing rice yield gaps with reduced environmental footprint), an IRRI project that aims to increase farm productivity through environmentally sustainable ways.

Mr. Budi Raharjo, head of the mechanization and postharvest division of AIAT and CORIGAP country partner, was instrumental in bringing the farmers and AIAT staff together. Trina Mendoza, an IRRI consultant, led the participatory video production workshop. She was assisted by Rona Azucena, IRRI communication specialist.

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Indonesia: Stakeholders support new activities for increasing rice productivity in suboptimal lands

WeRise  is a seasonal climate forecast-based app designed to maximize rainfed rice production through efficient natural resource management. The app could assist farmers with their crop production decisions by providing crucial weather information such as start and end of the rainy season and distribution of rainfall, optimum sowing time, amount and timing of fertilizer application, and the most suitable variety to plant.

Developed under the Climate Change Adaptation in Rainfed Rice Areas (CCARA) project, WeRise will serve as the springboard for Climate Change Adaptation through Development of a Decision-Support tool to guide Rainfed Rice production (CCADS-RR). CCADS-RR, is the new phase of the IRRI-Japan Collaborative Research Project (IJCRP), which is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan. The CCARA project will end on 30 September.

CCADS-RR invited potential stakeholders including representatives of the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (AIATs) from North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi. They discussed the project concept and details of the work plan such as experiment protocols, data management and sharing, and other areas for possible collaboration.

During DRYNET and WETNET, a series of meeting on the networks for drought-prone lowland and swampland, staff from several AIATs, Indonesian Agroclimate and Hydrology Research Institute, Indonesian Soil Research Institute, and Indonesian Swampland Agriculture Research Institute presented technology innovations in their respective rice ecosystems. The meetings aimed to ensure that the researches being conducted address the local developmental needs by strengthening the network of institutions for technology development and dissemination and putting in place a more effective monitoring and evaluation system.  WETNET and DRYNET are supported by CURE, which is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a regional platform for partnerships among institutions from South and Southeast Asia.

“We are proud to be among the major stakeholders of these projects to contribute to moving things forward and ensure that the technologies reach the ground and will be useful for farmers,” said Dr. Ali Jamil, director of the Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR). “As you know, suboptimal lands which include rainfed rice, wet and dry land areas comprise a significant portion of Indonesia’s rice production areas –whose productivity could be enhanced to help us address the problem of decreasing rice production area due to land conversion and consequently help Indonesia achieve self-sufficiency and even surplus, “

The meetings were held at ICRR in Sukamandi, Indonesia on 9-10 September.  A total of 42 participants attended the two events organized by IRRI, JIRCAS, and ICRR.
 
CCADS-RR, headed by Keiichi Hayashi held a separate meeting with officials from the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Land Resources Research and Development (ICALRRD), Indonesian Soil Research Institute (ISRI), and IAHRI in Bogor, Indonesia on 11 September.

Dr. Hayashi, coordinator and soil scientist at IRRI, presented WeRise and discussed ways to align it with Indonesia’s Integrated Cropping Calendar technology, locally known as Katam. Katam is also a climate change adaptation technology that aims to assist farmers with their crop production decisions. WeRise targets rainfed lowland areas while Katam is more suitable for irrigated areas.

Dr. Ir. Dedi Nursyamsi Affendi, M. Agr., director of ICALRRD, expressed his strong support for WeRise noting that the Ministry of Agriculture now places importance on developing rainfed rice areas and other sub-optimal lands.

Indonesia and IRRI to revolutionize rice technology for swampy areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan

The Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) is aiming to modernize the technology for growing rice in the swampy areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan Provinces.

Indonesia is the world’s third-largest rice producer and also one of the world’s biggest rice consumers. With its increasing domestic production and declining dependence on imports, the government is aiming to attain self-sufficiency in rice within the next 3 years.  Sumatra and Kalimantan Provinces could play major roles in helping Indonesia reach this goal.  The government expects South Kalimantan to maintain its projected surplus rice production this year despite the current El Niño that has caused harvest failure in a number of rice-growing areas in Indonesia. The resiliency of the province’s rice production is credited to its swampy areas that provide a stable source of water for irrigation.

The Indonesian Swampland Agriculture Research Institute (ISARI) and the Indonesian Center for Rice Research (ICRR) conducted a workshop on Developing Best-bet Management Practices (BMP) Specific for Swampy Rice Environment to take full advantage of the potential of the country’s swampy areas.

Indonesia has around 33.4 million hectares of swampy areas in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua, and the Sulawesi islands, collectively. However, only 1.3 million hectares of these have been reclaimed by the government, mostly in Sumatra and Kalimantan islands. Swampy areas also have various rice production constraints including flash flooding, stagnant flooding, acid sulfate soils, pest, diseases, and weeds. Droughts also often occur in the upper portion of the swamps.

“These factors hamper the sustainable reclamation and development of Indonesian swampy lands,” said Ms. Rina Dirgahayuningsih, a researcher from the Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology (AIAT) of South Kalimantan Province.

“The good news is ICRR recently released several rice varieties suitable for the swampy areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan,” said ICRR scientist Dr. Indrastuti Rumanti, “These varieties are tolerant of flooding, salinity, acid sulfate soil, tungro and blast diseases.  Now, we need to integrate all the technology components from land preparation to post harvest as farmer-friendly products, in order for the new technology and rice varieties to be easily adopted by smallholder farmers living in marginal areas.”

At the workshop, a total of 17 scientists and researchers from ISARI, ICRR, AIAT-South Kalimantan, AIAT-South Sumatra, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) discussed the current constraints and opportunities for rice technology innovation. And these experts from diverse fields—soil and water management, landscape management, crop management, rice breeding, and crop protection—jointly prepared the best-bet management options for swampy rice areas.

“The multi-disciplinary work on technology development is always challenging, but we can learn many things from each other,” said Dr. Yoichiro Kato, IRRI’s rainfed lowland agronomist.

The participants also visited the farmers’ fields in South Kalimantan’s swampy and tidal areas, and discussed with farmers their practices and problems. This allowed them to compare their prepared management recommendations with farmers’ practices. These recommendations will be reviewed by scientists and extensionists working in the swampy rice areas at a national workshop at ICRR in September.

“The attempt to develop an integrated approach to managing rice is an important point for helping extensionists transfer the applied technology to farmers, and we hope the partnership between our Indonesian institutes and IRRI will get stronger in the future,” said Dr. Herman Subagio, ISARI director. He was also thankful to the support from the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments, which is funded by the International Funds for Agricultural Development, and Give2Asia project.

The workshop was held in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan Province on August 18-21.

Next phase of GRiSP is focus of 2015 meeting of Asia rice research body

Dr. Mat Syukur, assistant to the Minister of Agriculture for Innovation and Technology, strikes the gong to ceremonially open the CORRA event as IRRI DDG-R Dr. Matthew Morell and IAARD Executive Secretary Dr. Agung Hendriadi look on. 

Bekasi, Indonesia – Leaders and representatives of national agricultural research institutions from 18 Asian countries gathered for the 19th annual meeting of the Council for Partnerships on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) to discuss the second phase of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP). Participants also examined the relevance of GRiSP to the national rice research and development priorities of member countries and the national rice programs of member countries Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

The event concluded with a formal declaration of CORRA’s support for GRiSP Phase 2. The declaration also included a pledge to promote the development of the next generation of rice scientists by encouraging national governments through the ministries of agriculture to fund relevant international programs.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Agung Hendriadi, executive secretary of Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD). IRRI was represented by Dr. Matthew Morell, deputy director general for research, who also co-chaired the meeting.

CORRA is composed of heads of national research institutions from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam, plus IRRI. IRRI is also the secretariat of CORRA.

This year’s meeting was held on 3-4 August in Bekasi, Indonesia and hosted by IAARD.

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