Nepal project explores technologies and training opportunities for highland rice farmers

(Representative photo. Photo: IRRI)

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Twenty-five senior agriculture officials and specialists from Nepal visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to learn about its impact-driven work and training opportunities. The delegation included members of the High Mountain Agribusiness and Livelihood Improvement (HIMALI), a project that aims to promote agribusiness development in the country’s high mountain districts.

Mr. Ram Mani Paudyal, a project team leader at HIMALI, is trying to help make farmers in the highlands become more entrepreneurial by providing agribusiness grant opportunities,  empower farmers to add value to their products, and strengthen market linkages.

 "We want them to sell some of their products in the market because they have been producing rice and other food crops in the mountains," Paudyal explained. "In the highlands, we have some rice varieties and these are good.”

But an erratic monsoon pattern due to climate change is affecting the country’s farmers. In particular, water for crop irrigation is becoming a major problem.

“Sometimes we have plenty of rainfall, other times we have little rainfall,” said Mr. Dala Ram Pradham, another HIMALI project team leader.  “Then there are times when we have no rainfall at all."

 “There are abundant rainfed lands below the highlands but these have no regular sources of water,” said Paudyal. “”Drought-proof rice varieties would be useful.”

Dr. Peter Brothers, head of IRRI Education, explained how IRRI is developing different kinds of rice varieties to help countries like Nepal adapt to the complexities of climate change.

"What you have cited is very common," he said. "There are several areas of work that IRRI is pursuing. One is developing varieties that are drought-tolerant, flood-tolerant, saline-tolerant, heat-tolerant, and even cold-tolerant.

"The other is water management,” Brothers explained. “We have scientists working on alternate wetting and drying system to help farmers cut water use without reducing yields,"

He also shared how he recently received a request from a seed grower's group in Nepal to design a course on quality seed production.

"We are negotiating with them to see if we can design a course that meets their needs," said Brothers. “In addition to technical courses on different aspects of rice production, IRRI Education also offers science and leadership courses for a wide range of partners.”

The visit by the Nepal delegation to IRRI on 7 February was organized by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Scientists helping Filipino farmers adapt to climate change

ALABANG, Muntinlupa City, 28-29 November—The current practices of Filipino rice farmers and the varieties they are using are continually being upgraded by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to help them adapt to the unpredictable effects of climate change.

This was an observation from Dr. Yoichiro Kato, a rainfed lowland agronomist at IRRI, during his presentation at the recent 10th Annual Scientific Forum and Meeting, organized by the Philippine Association of Career Scientists, Inc. (PACS). The event attracted Kato and other international and national scientists from different disciplines who shared insights from their research activities in improving farmers’ planting practices.

Kato, when discussing other adaptive measures for growing rice under the current Philippine weather and climate conditions, cited Central Thailand's rice farming model, which uses a number of the dynamic farming approaches recommended by IRRI.

He also shared his three-step research philosophy for agricultural science: (1) know your own target; (2) get robust evidence; and (3) understand reasons behind the results. “This is my personal strategy to effectively implement basic researches in rice agronomy,” Kato said.

Dr. Ricardo Orge, from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), presented his study on coping with climate change in the Philippines.  He gave an overview of Palayamanan, a PhilRice initiative on water-saving technology for diversified and integrated system of farming.  Orge’s presentation stimulated a discussion on budget limitations for rice-farming research.    

According to Evelyn Mae Tecson-Mendoza, Scientific Career Council Executive Secretary Academician, research and development (R&D) in the Philippines are lagging behind in the number of R&D personnel per million persons in the population.  This lags far behind other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and needs to be remedied.

Other prominent scientists from leading rice research centers in the country discussed how they are providing far-reaching technological solutions in line with the Forum’s theme, Reinforcing science and technology capacities for sustainable community development,

The Philippine Scientific Career System and the National Academy of Science and Technology collaborated with PACS in sponsoring the forum.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Pili Drive to undergo major renovation: wider, safer, and bike-friendly

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—In a major renovation, Pili Drive (photos), the panoramic and historic road that stretches through a portion of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus to the entrance of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters, will soon have new bike and pedestrian lanes.

The project is spearheaded by Dr. Marish Madlangbayan, vice chancellor for Planning and Development, under the oversight of UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez, Jr.

Under the road widening project of UPLB, IRRI, and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), full-width lanes will be constructed on both sides of Pili Drive, turning the current thoroughfare into a center lane.

"This will help reduce bike-related accidents," said Glenn Enriquez, head of IRRI's Security Office, who is part of the UPLB-IRRI management committee that is overseeing the project. Pili Drive is also a popular place for joggers, which adds a dangerous mix to the cars and bikes that use the road.

"The plan will also preserve and protect the famous trees that line the drive," explained Enriquez. The road is named for the Pili trees planted along both sides. Some of the older trees were planted more than half a century ago.

"While construction of the new car, bike, and pedestrian lanes is under way, the existing road will still be used," Enriquez assured.

"Moreover, our information and technology team have already looked into the existing placement of IRRI's fiber optic cables near UPLB,” he added. “We've reported the location of the cables to both DPWH and UPLB so that they won't be damaged during construction."

In addition to the full-width roads and separate lanes for bikers and pedestrians, a rotunda will be constructed on one end of Pili Drive near the UPLB Chemical Engineering complex. The rotunda will  be connected to the abandoned pedestrian “hanging bridge” where a new bridge will be constructed to provide an alternative route to the university’s main gate.

The DPWH is financing the project for which construction will start sometime later this year. The project is estimated to take around seven months to complete.

(Article by Paul Bianca Ferrer. Photos by Gene Hettel.)

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Naga City agriculture officials visit IRRI

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Officials of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) in Naga City and City Councilor Cecilia De Asis visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on 16 June to learn about modern and traditional farming technologies.

A progressive city known for its agricultural roots and hardworking people, Naga City bagged the Agri-Pinoy Rice Achievers Award in 2015. The award recognized the hard work and support of farmers, agricultural technicians, and local farm leaders in increasing productivity and income of rice farmers.

During their visit, the guests were given seeds of IRRI-developed rice varieties and toured the Riceworld Museum.

"The museum was an eye-opening experience for me," shared De Asis. “When you see traditional farm implements, they show how innovations started. It makes you realize how farmers then had much difficulty. Back then, you had to go through a lot just to be able to eat rice. But now, there are all these modern technologies, which make things easier.”

"You won't see many of these traditional implements even in the most remote villages anymore,” observed Maria Edna Bongalonta, officer-in-charge of Naga’s Agriculture Office. “Farmers are likely to dispose of them when they are no longer used. It's good that you were able to collect and preserve these artifacts for the younger generation.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Concern for Philippine farmers when rice import quotas are lifted

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The head of the Philippines' food security and agricultural modernization agency has expressed her concern over the impending lifting of the trade restrictions on rice.

To 'insulate' the local rice market from rice imports, the Philippines maintains government quotas on them, a measure discouraged under the international trade agreements with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). By June 2017, the country's quantitative restriction (QR) on rice imports will be lifted. 

"What will happen to our farmers?” Edel Guiza, secretary of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, asked this during her visit to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on 19 May. “We have been discussing possible schemes together with the National Food Authority on what mechanisms we can put in place." 

Dr. Bruce Tolentino, IRRI's deputy director general for communication and partnerships, concurred that the country has no choice to lift the restrictions because the WTO will not agree to another extension of the QR. However, he raised an important point on providing ways to support farmers other than through a QR.

“One of the reasons why the country's rice is not as competitive as the commodity is in Vietnam, Thailand, and other rice-producing countries is the high cost of production,” Tolentino said. "This can mostly be attributed to our high labor costs because food is expensive. Why is food expensive? Because rice prices are high. Once we're able to manage rice production and make it less expensive and comparable to, say, Vietnam, we will then be able to manage production costs." 

(This news article was written by Paula Bianca Ferrer, IRRI.)

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Exploring water-saving technology for the Philippines' national irrigation system

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA, Philippines—The head of the Philippines' food security and agricultural modernization agency is considering using a water-saving technology developed at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for the country’s national irrigation. 

Edel Guiza, secretary of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, visited IRRI on 19 May to study measures that will help the government assist rice farmers affected by the El Niño-induced drought in the southern Philippines.

Guiza, along with officials of the National Irrigation Administration and the National Food Authority, were briefed on the water-saving technology called alternate wetting and drying (AWD) by Bruce Tolentino, IRRI deputy director general for communication and partnerships; and James Quilty and Jun Correa, head and field operations manager, respectively, of the Zeigler Experiment Station. 

AWD helps farmers reduce the amount of water they use by eliminating the traditional method of keeping their rice fields continuously flooded. Instead, the water level is allowed to drop to 10–15 cm below the soil surface before reflooding the field. A perforated water tube, which could be made from PVC pipes or bamboo, is used for farmers to monitor the water level below the soil. 

AWD is regarded as one of the more important rice cultivation methods that can dramatically save freshwater irrigation in the coming decades. It not only conserves water but also mitigates greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining rice yields. But in some countries, its adoption by farmers remains limited. 

"From our experience, the key to getting the AWD system adopted is that it has to be done on a large scale and there has to be incentives for irrigation," explained Quilty. "Most irrigation systems in the Philippines currently charge farmers a flat rate, regardless of the actual amount of water they use. But, if the farmers are saving water then the cost should be reduced.”

Guiza noted that the success of AWD largely depends on the kind of irrigation system involved. For example, national irrigation systems have irrigation service fees, which can directly benefit from reduced costs through AWD. But, in communal irrigation systems, the farmers collect the water fees themselves, which are then collected by the national system, making the situation a bit more complicated for AWD adoption. 

"We want to revisit the irrigation service fees,” Guiza said. “Then there is the irrigation management process, which has five irrigation models. That means it's not easy to shift right away because there are policy implications." 

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

Rice information system crucial to national action plan to reduce the impact of El Niño

A map from PRISM using satellite images shows all
cropland in Mindanao affected by drought attributed to El Niño.

MANILA, Philippines—Accurate, timely, and location-specific information on rice production is important in developing a national action plan to reduce the impact of El Niño and other events that can reduce rice productivity.

“The Philippines has been experiencing El Niño for the past year,” said Allan Umali, assistant secretary for administration of the Department of Agriculture (DA), on behalf of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. "But the agriculture sector is still expected to bring food to everyone's table," he said.

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is a climate cycle in the Pacific Ocean with a global impact on weather patterns associated with droughts. The current El Niño, which started in 2015, was predicted to be  strongest since 1998 and much lower rainfall is expected until the first half of 2016 throughout Southeast Asia.  Although El Niño is predicted to wane, the United Nations expects harvests will continue to be affected not only in the Philippines but also in other parts of the world throughout the year.

Philippine policymakers have put together an action plan on helping affected farmers mitigate the impact of the recurring climatic events such as El Niño. Among the recommended strategies in the plan include growing drought-tolerant crops, adopting water-efficient techniques, performing cloud seeding, among other climate-smart technologies.

The Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM), a joint project of the DA and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), can also support strategic decision making and planning of interventions to boost rice production, targeting of productivity-enhancing technologies and programs, disaster preparedness and rapid response to emergency situations, among others.

Through remote sensing, crop modeling, cloud computing, and smartphone-based surveys, PRISM can combine data from satellite and the ground to give crucial information about rice. These include rice area, planting dates, yield estimates, areas affected by flood or drought, rice crop production situation, and extent of damages caused by pests.

“PRISM enables us to  determine the crop growth stage when a typhoon or drought strikes,” explained Dr. Alice Laborte, GIS and market research specialist at IRRI. “We can also ascertain  whether or not a particular area has been planted to rice during a specific season. And if not planted to rice, what specific problems may have contributed to this so that interventions can be made.”

Laborte reported that she and her team had  developed a proposal on early warning system for pests and diseases so that appropriate and timely interventions can be made when and where they are needed.

"For food self-sufficiency, I think PRISM will be a valuable tool because we can now pinpoint areas where development is needed,” said Dr. Calixto Protacio, executive director of the Philippine Rice Research Institute. “For example, we can see which communities have very low yields, map these out, and then target them or provide support to these communities. We have an average yield of 4.01 tons per hectare, but the others are just averaging maybe 1 ton. So it's as bad as that. So if we know where these are, then we can better target these communities and give them the support needed.”

Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, has recently proposed a bill that would require local government units to allocate a portion of their budget to pay for information and communication technology applications that would enhance taking full advantage of the data provided by PRISM.

“Modern tools,  mechanization, and financial literacy could help make Philippine agriculture more productive and competitive,” Villar said.

“Around the world, innovations in agriculture are helping desperately poor communities and even water-scarce nations cope with the challenges they face," added Bruce Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships at IRRI. "These science-based innovations are helping to avoid famine, are reducing poverty, and are even promoting inclusive economic prosperity.”

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

ASEAN supports building the next generation of rice scientists

Los Baños, Philippines - In a shared pledge to ensure food security and strengthen cooperation in agricultural development across the region, ASEAN ministers and senior agriculture officials voiced their unequivocal support for the Agriculture Innovation and R&D Fund (AIRDF) last September 12 at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.

The AIRDF is designed to provide scholarships to selected young individuals who wish to pursue a career in the agricultural sciences, as long as they are admitted to the university of their choice.

"So their studies would be about rice or the priorities of ASEAN countries in agricultural development,"said Bruce Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships of IRRI. "It's a very competitive scholarship." he said.

Robert Zeigler, IRRI director general, explained that one of the objectives of the AIRDF trust fund is to help finance in a sustainable way the next generation of rice scientists.

He said that rice farming for the next generation will be very different from that of today. “I talked about technology that is available or becoming available, but it will be impossible for us to use that technology without a trained scientific core,” he said.

Philippine Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala said that he is in support of putting AIRDF into operation and has, in fact, already allocated a certain amount, which they will be defending in front of congress next year.

“Without science, without research, without fresh minds and people in any endeavor in the government and industry, we are bound to fail,” he noted.

Undoubtedly, “capacity building remains crucial to the success of any development endeavor despite how rich a country is endowed with natural resources or science and technology,” said His Excellency U Myint Hlaing, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation of Myanmar.

He urged all member-states to closely cooperate with IRRI to help shift farming from a livelihood associated with poverty to that of prosperity.

Participants to the AIRDF discussion included high-ranking officials and heads of delegations from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The pledges to support AIRDF come at a significant moment, alongside the 37th meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF), in addition to the 15th AMAF Plus Three Meetings with China, Japan, and South Korea hosted this year by the Philippines.

Photos 

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).

DA and IRRI to host ministers from ASEAN Plus Three and India tomorrow

Los Baños, Laguna — Ministers and dignitaries from 11 Asian countries will visit the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters tomorrow, 12 September. The visit is part of the 37th meeting of the ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF), in addition to the 15th AMAF Plus Three Meetings with China, Japan, and South Korea hosted by the Philippine Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary Proceso Alcala, this year. India will also participate.
"IRRI supports ASEAN members in their national rice and food security programs by providing the necessary scientific research as well as technical support and capacity-building," said Robert S. Zeigler, IRRI director general.

The ASEAN Integrated Food Security Framework, along with the Strategic Plan of Action on Food Security in the ASEAN Region, enables sharing of any agricultural commodity. A careful assessment of  the various ASEAN+3 countries reveals extensive variation in natural resources for rice production. This is also the case for other crops and agricultural commodities.

"In effect, each ASEAN nation has a country food security agenda.  Each country’s national strategy is linked to the ASEAN regional agenda, bound together by shared aspirations, and facilitated by trade. ASEAN countries could look at exporting high-quality rice to Europe, for example. And Africa is a major growth area because of its rising demand for rice. All these topics, including IRRI’s support to the Philippine Department of Agriculture’s Food Staples Sufficiency Program will be part of the discussions during the ASEAN event," Zeigler noted.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column). 

IRRI expert talks about moving seed systems forward

Last January 29 at the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) science week, Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, principal scientist and coordinator of the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project, explained how important it was to facilitate seed systems, especially when it comes to multiplying and disseminating seeds—considered a prime product of the Institute—more widely for impact.

He said IRRI needs to engage in the seed business because it strengthens trust with partners and can be an entry point for influencing policies across the seed chain or value chain. It can also generate additional resources from national programs or donors, can engage public-private partnerships, and ensure fast delivery or impact, among others.

To facilitate the development of these seed systems, he explained that proper seed partners in the value chain must be aligned in order to facilitate multiplication and dissemination of the seeds. The capacity of the public and private sector partners should also be strengthened and strategic dialogues must be made to ensure enabling policies. Programs on awareness should also be launched to speed up seed uptake, and additional financial resources must be mobilized.

He emphasized in the latter that to ensure ownership of national programs, project objectives must be aligned with a country's priorities and that linkages must be made with national schemes or initiatives for similar goals. The same case can also apply to international initiatives. Networking with diverse partners along the seed chain from production to farmers is also another option. STRASA currently has 570 partners in this regard.

Since much interest has also come from the private sector in the production and marketing of seeds of inbred stress-tolerant rice varieties, this is also another option that can be considered. Currently, STRASA has involved about 350 small and medium private seed producers and over 15 large public and private seed companies and corporations.

In terms of regional collaboration, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and IRRI signed two separate agreements on 2013 and 2014, respectively, where they agreed to jointly share evaluation and release of new rice varieties. Such policy breakthroughs are important, explained Dr. Ismail, since they not only help to fast-track the dissemination of seeds, but also allow IRRI to share costs or resources.
Dr. Joel Janiya, an expert in the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE), explained on the one hand that the primary driving force behind the development of seed systems or the uptake of seeds at the community level are women. In fact, women have been playing an increasingly important role in almost all facets of rice farming.

According to him, the way forward for community seeds and women are to continually identify gender-sensitive technologies and to develop a system for assessing farm-level effects on the use of technologies, risk reduction, productivity gains, and value addition. Up-scaling and out-scaling strategies should also be linked with local, regional, or national programs in the same way that technical information services can be linked with non-government organizations, the private sector, and other delivery mechanisms that benefit both men and women.

Learn more about IRRI (www.irri.org) or follow us on the social media and networks (all links down the right column).