IRRI signs agreement with University of Illinois

A memorandum of understanding was signed between University of Illinois (UoI) at Urbana-Champaign and IRRI on 26 October, during the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act, which established Land Grant universities such as Illinois.

UoI was represented by Phillis Wise, vice president and chancellor of the university. Pradeep Khanna, associate chancellor, was also present during the signing.

GCARD2 under way in Punta del Este, Uruguay

The Second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD2) is being held this week (29 Oct.-2 Nov.) in Punta del Este, Uruguay. GCARD2 is focusing on the ways to implement the tasks identified in the GCARD RoadMap with special attention to “Foresight and Partnership for innovation and impact on smallholder livelihoods.”

From IRRI and GRiSP, Robert Zeigler (IRRI director general), V. Bruce J. Tolentino (deputy director general for communications and partnerships), and Bas Bouman (GRiSP director) are attending the week-long event to discuss progress across CGIAR to reshape research so that it better answers the needs of resource-poor smallholder farmers and fosters rapid rural development.

Race for rice apps (IRRI-Smart Bigas Hackathon)

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and SMART Communications are holding Bigas Hackathon 10-11 November in Los Baños as one of the activities prepared by IRRI for Rice Awareness Month.

The Hackathon is open to computer programmers, software developers, graphic designers, interface designers, enthusiasts, or anyone who thinks their genius could help make rice research a little better.

Rice blast research calls for joined forces

The Rice Blast Workshop is ongoing (29-31 October 2012) at IRRI as an offshoot of the fifth annual meeting of the Temperate Rice Research Consortium (TRRC) in September held in Turkey.

The workshop is a joint effort between TRRC Working Group 2 (with focus on biotic stresses, specifically rice blast) and the JIRCAS Blast Research Network.

The workshop uses a parallel approach, looking at both pathological and breeding studies in rice blast research.

Philippines: Ifugao and Kalinga rice farmers attend technoclinics

More than a hundred rice farmers from the Cordillera Region in Northern Philippines participated in simultaneous technoclinics held by IRRI and PhilRice scientists on 23-24 October 2012 in Pasil, Kalinga, and Hungduan, Ifugao.

The 20 farmers who participated in the Hungduan technoclinic cited these among their farming problems: earthworms, rat infestation, zinc deficiency, blast, rice bugs, and stem borers. They admitted considering using poison on occasion to stop rats from damaging their crops.

China: IRRI Board of Trustees meets in Shenzhen

The IRRI Board of Trustees held its regular October meeting on 15-17 October 2012 in Shenzhen, China.

The venue for the meeting was arranged with support extended by the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen Institute for Breeding and Innovation (SIBI), and the local governments of Shenzhen.

Three board members leaving at end of 2012

By the end of 2012, three Trustees complete their tenures on the IRRI Board—Jillian Lenné, Usha Zehr, and Mohammed Syeduzzaman. 

At the dinner hosted by BoT Chair Emerlinda Roman, the Board expressed their deep gratitude to the departing members for their distinguished service.