India: Coromandel joins IRRI to advance rice technologies

Coromandel International Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for cooperation in promoting and disseminating improved rice research technologies in India.

The technologies covered in the agreement will help improve all aspects of rice cultivation, including seed quality, nutrient and crop management, water management, farm machinery, and postharvest processing.

Landbank offers agriculture scholarships for Filipino students

LandBank President and CEO Gilda Pico (4th from left)
receives a certificate of appreciation from
IRRI Deputy Director General for Communication and
Partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino (4th from right).

A scholarship program was recently launched for dependents of small farmers and fisherfolk in 'agricultural communities undergoing change.'

The deed of donation for the scholarship was signed by officials of the Landbank of the Philippines (Landbank), a financial institution of the Philippine government, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on 23 April 2013 at the Landbank Plaza in Malate, Manila.

Indonesia: CURE steering committee meets in Lombok

Seventy-five participants from ten countries attended the twelfth annual review and steering committee meeting of the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE) on 23-25 April 2013 in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province. 

West Nusa Tenggara is the home of Gogo Rancha (GORA) or dry direct-seeded rice, which saved farmers from famine in the early 1990s.

Genomics professor is guest in researchers lunch

Thomas Mitchell-Olds (third from right),
with some of IRRI's young scientists.

Thomas Mitchell-Olds, professor at the Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy at Duke University in the U.S., was the guest during the Young Researchers Lunch for April.

Dr. Mitchell-Olds discussed his approach to data analysis, in which he considers multiple traits together in order to see genetic differences better. He also gave the young scientists on the table tips for applying in US universities.

Emergency preparedness training held for local residents

The Neighborhood Emergency Services Team (NEST) training, a set of lectures and drills on disaster management and emergency preparedness, was held for the tenth time by IRRI's Host Country and Community Relations Office (HCCRO)—this time, for 18 volunteers from barangays Bayog and Mayondon in Los Baños, Laguna.

Second medical mission held in local barangay

The second medical mission and community health education activity for 2013 was held at Barangay San Antonio in Los Baños, Laguna, on 25 April.

About a thousand residents, mostly persons with disabilities (PWD),  infants, and children, came to receive free check-ups, medicines, vitamins, and health counseling.

Physiology lab re-opens

IRRI's old "Rainbow Lab" has been refurbished into the more efficient and modern Physiology Laboratory, thanks to funding from the Australian government.

The Physiology Lab, built as a communal facility, was inaugurated on 19 April 2013 in a small ceremony led by David Johnson, head of the Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CESD) that houses the lab.