Latest STRASA Newsletter now out

The STRASA Newsletter (Vol. 9, No. 2) is now available at strasa.irri.org. This issue features the strengthened collaboration with Nepal and Odisha State in India, the presentation of new stress-tolerant rice varieties at the Africa Rice Center station in  St. Louis, Senegal, and other STRASA activities. Also in this issue is the launch of Gender Corner, a new column that focuses on women's rights and gender equality in various countries involved in the STRASA project. The first installment of Gender Corner highlights the women farmers of eastern India as agents of change.


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Indian prime minister says modern technology could double farmers’ income by 2022

NEW DELHI,  India—Modern agricultural technology and modernization could help double the current incomes of farmers within six years, according to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He expressed this possibility during the inauguration of the Krishi Unnati Mela agriculture fair and exhibition, held 19-21 March at Pusa, New Delhi.

“The next revolution in Indian agriculture has to be built on technology and modernization,” Modi emphasized. He also gave a clarion call for a second green revolution in the eastern states through the adoption of modern technologies.

During the mega event, farmers from various Indian states visited the exhibit of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI; photo). The exhibit showcased various technologies developed and promoted by the institute for Indian farmers through the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) projects.

These included stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs), Crop Manager for Rice-based Systems, publications on seed production and postharvest techniques, a manual rice transplanter, the Community Mat Nursery, and the performance charts for the STRVs. IRRI representatives, Mr. Mayank Sharma, Mr. Sarovar Yadav, and Mr. Amit Mishra gave demonstrations and explanations on the various IRRI technologies.

Farmers who are already cultivating STRVs shared their experiences and suggestions, particularly those from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Farmers from these two states were very satisfied with the performance of the drought-tolerant Sahbhagi dhan as their areas experienced severe drought last year. The farmers were interest in other recently released varieties such as BINA dhan 11, DRR42, DRR44, Sambha-Sub1, among others.

Other visitors to the IRRI display were Union Ministers Shri Radha Mohan Singh and Shri Nitin Gatkari, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, agricultural scientists, and extension agency personnel.

Krishi Unnati Mela was organized jointly by the DoA, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, and the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI). 

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Tanzania and IRRI strengthen partnership

L-R: Marco Martin Mwendo, Charles Chuwa, Bruce Tolentino, Corinta Guerta, and Abdelbagi Ismail 

Tanzania and IRRI have committed to doing more collaborative work. Marco Martin Mwendo, plant breeder and seed scientist from Tanzania's Agricultural Seed Agency, and Charles Chuwa, plant pathologist from Dakawa Agricultural Research Institute, learned more about IRRI’s research work and facilities during their four-day visit. The officials from the East African country visited the institute on 21-26 November.

Abdelbagi Ismail, overall project leader of the STRASA (Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia) project and IRRI principal scientist gave a tour of the different scientific facilities and field experiments featuring research on abiotic stresses.

Possible areas of collaboration were discussed during the visitors’ meetings with Bruce Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships, Corinta Guerta, director for external relations,  and several IRRI senior scientists and management staff. IRRI will work with Tanzania on building the knowledge and skills of Tanzanian rice breeders and scientists, including learning to use geographical information systems and identifying suitable stress-tolerant rice varieties for farmer selection and adoption.

The Tanzanian officials also met Noel Magor and the Training Center team; Tobias Kretzschmar of the Genotyping Laboratory Services; Prabhjit Chadha-Mohanty of the Genetic Transformation Laboratory; Mallikarjuna Swamy and Rafiqul Islam on rice biofortification—high-zinc rice and stress-tolerant rice, respectively; Nese Sreenivasulu on grain quality and nutrition; and James Quilty on ecological intensification and seed processing.

Marco and Charles also visited the neighboring University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the SL Agritech farm in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, to learn how a private company conducts seed production.

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