Imperial Couple's visit underscores Japan's commitment to world food security

Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko
at the LTCCE view deck with IRRI scientist Yoichiro
Kato,  (Photo: IRRI/Isagani Serrano)

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko received an overview of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the institute’s vibrant partnership with Japan during a short visit to the IRRI headquarters on Friday afternoon (29 January).

IRRI Director General Matthew Morell presented the institute's goals, financial supporters, and some prominent Japanese scientists who have been associated with the institute.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko were briefed by V. Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships, on some of the improved rice varieties developed at IRRI. "Their Majesties expressed special interest in IRRI's work on climate-ready rice, particularly submergence-tolerant rice," Tolentino reported. "They also seemed pleased about the long-term relationship IRRI has had with the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), and that the institute has always had a Japanese national on its board of trustees since its founding in 1960."

JIRCAS has through the years sent several Japanese scientists to work on collaborative projects at IRRI, under a special contribution from the Japanese government.

Japanese scientists on the IRRI staff interacted with the Imperial Couple.

Takashi Yamano discussed the institute’s contributions to the Green Revolution. “They asked many questions about rice production and our contribution to increasing rice seeds and reducing rice prices,” Yamano said. “They were very interested in our work.” 

The Japanese Imperial Couple at IRRI.
(Photo: IRRI/Isagani Serrano)

Keiichi Hayashi showcased Japan’s contributions to IRRI over the past decades. “They were curious about various stresses being caused by climate change that affect rice,” Hayashi said.

The Imperial Couple visited the Long-term Continuous Cropping Experiment (LTCCE) where Yoichiro Kato explained the importance of the world's longest-running rice research project. “They were quite surprised that we have been planting rice at the LTCCE three times a year,” Kato said. “In Japan, farmers usually plant only one crop a year. They were very interested in the different effects of fertilizer and pests on rice plants. Her Majesty was particularly keen on salt-tolerant rice."

Rice played a significant role in the creation of Japan. According to Japanese mythology, Amaterasu, a major deity of the Shinto religion and the Sun Goddess and the universe gifted one of her descendants with rice. That descendant was Jinmu, the legendary first emperor of Japan. Emperor Jinmu was tasked with turning Japan into a land of rice.

Japan’s creation myths were about “the transformation of a wilderness into a land of abundant rice at the command of the Sun Goddess, whose descendants, the emperors, rule the country by officiating at rice rituals,” said Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, a Japanese anthropologist and authority on its rice. Japan’s emperors became priest-kings whose functions revolved around the rice crop.

As Jinmu's 125th direct heir, Emperor Akihito is currently Japan's rice-farmer-in-chief, according to Ohnuki-Tierney. Emperor Akihito has maintained his ties to rice. Every year, he plants and harvests rice at the paddy on the Imperial Palace grounds, a tradition started by his late father, Emperor Showa, in 1927.

The Japan-IRRI partnership dates back to 1960 when IRRI was established. Since then, Japan has provided leadership to IRRI with a representative on the IRRI board of trustees. The government of Japan has been one of IRRI’s most generous financial supporters, having given a total of more than USD 211 million since 1971.

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Agri students inspired to be modern day heroes

Jerome Barradas of the IRRI Training Center speaks to CMU faculty and
students about different ICT tools for farmers.

BUKIDNON, Philippines – “In agriculture, everyone can be a hero.” This is the catchphrase of Why AgRiCOOLture?, a series of knowledge-sharing and -learning (KSL) activities organized by Project IPaD in Philippine agricultural universities and rice farming communities this year. The recent KSL activity was conducted on 28-29 January at the Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Maramag, Bukidnon.

The 2-day activity gathered hundreds of faculty and students of agriculture in the university town to encourage their commitment in helping the country’s rice farmers. Through this event, the participants were introduced to different information and communication technology (ICT) tools such as the IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank, the Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank, the e-ExtensionPortal, and different farmer text centers. Demonstrations on several farming decision tools, such as the Rice Doctor, Rice Crop Manager, the Minus One Element Technique and App, and the Weed ID were also conducted.

These ICT tools were developed by the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI), the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI).

Thelma Padolina, one of PhilRice’s accomplished plant breeders, gave a talk on recent achievements in rice breeding. She inspired the students to be “heroes” for agriculture in their own way.

The series ended with a commitment ceremony. Participants were asked to access the social media and, using the hashtags #RiceUpPH and #ProjectIPaD, to post statements about how they could be heroes for agriculture. In addition, a commitment wall was set up, on which the students were encouraged to post their plans of action to help the cause.

The Why AgRiCOOLture? series was organized by Project IPaD, in collaboration with the CMU Plant Breeding and Agronomy Students Society, with help from the CMU International Relations Office.

IPaD is a collaborative project among PhilRice, DA-ATI, and IRRI, with funding support from the Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). It aims to improve promotion and delivery of rice technologies by enhancing the capability of the next generation of extension professionals and other knowledge intermediaries.
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GRiSP strengthens impact delivery via RICE proposal

Members of the GRiSP oversight committee and program planning
and management team.

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines - The CGIAR Research Program on Rice (RICE) has adopted a new structure that will strengthen its impact delivery beginning with its proposed second phase in 2017. 

This week at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), during its annual meeting, the oversight committee of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) provided insightful recommendations for the second phase of RICE. 

“RICE is the main vehicle for CGIAR’s contribution to GRiSP,” says GRiSP Director Bas Bouman, “and its second phase (2017-22) will continue to play a pivotal role in global research and development efforts in the rice sector. Phase 2 will greatly expand the research portfolio across the entire rice value chain and rice-based agrifood systems.” 

According to Matthew Morell, IRRI director general, RICE will contribute to increased global food security and reduced poverty, while at the same time reducing the environmental footprint of the rice sector. 

“RICE proposes a strong and integrated research program, with a focus on the grand challenges of the 21st century such as climate change, gender inequities, and environmental degradation,” Morell says. “It actively links research to programs strengthening the enabling environment for impact through capacity development, partnerships, and novel approaches to scaling out of its technologies.” 

“The main focus of RICE is impact,” says Harold Roy-Macauley, director general of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) and member of the oversight committee. “The committee believes that RICE’s proposed research and development agenda is well framed to achieve greater impact.”  

“AfricaRice, IRRI, and their partners will collaborate under a common Africa Rice Strategy, which aims to boost the continent’s rice sector. By 2020, African countries aim to achieve 90% rice self-sufficiency.” Roy-Macauley is convinced of the crucial role that rice research needs to play in support of this objective.

Based on the committee’s recommendations, RICE’s phase 2 proposal will be further developed and then submitted for funding on 30 March 2016 to CGIAR Consortium. Approval is expected toward the end of 2016 so that phase 2 can seamlessly start in January 2017.

Chaired by Pascal Kosuth of the Agropolis Foundation, members of the GRiSP oversight committee include Masa Iwanaga, AfricaRice board of trustees (BOT), Lala Razafinjara (AfricaRice BOT), Rita Sharma (IRRI BOT), Kaye Basford (IRRI BOT), John Hamer (CIAT BOT), Kei Otsuka, (GRIPS), Luciano Nass (Embrapa, Brazil), Jan Leach (Colorado State University, USA), Ambrose Agona (NARO, Uganda), Shaobing Peng (Huazhong Agricultural University, China), Trilochan Mohapatra (IARI, India), Roy-Macauley (AfricaRice director general), and Morell (IRRI director general).

The GRiSP program planning and management team is composed of Bouman, Abdelbagi Ismail (IRRI), Marco Wopereis (AfricaRice), Joe Tohme (CIAT), Nour Ahmadi (Cirad), Alain Ghesquiere (IRD), and Osamu Koyama (JIRCAS).

CIAT = International Center for Tropical Agriculture; Cirad = Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement, France; Embrapa = the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation; IARI = Indian Agricultural Research Institute; IRD = Institut de recherche pour le développement, France;JIRCAS = Japan International Research Center For Agricultural Sciences; NARO = National Agricultural Research Organisation. 


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Africa needs a Green Revolution in rice, says expert

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines - “Just by improving management practices, the productivity of rice in Africa can be increased by as much as 50%,” said Keijiro Otsuka, an expert in agricultural development in both Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

A Green Revolution is needed in Africa, particularly for rice, which has become very important on the continent. In fact, an African now eats 25 kilograms of rice annually, compared with only 10 kilograms 30 years ago. This was brought about by rice imported from Asia. Imported Asian rice accounts for more than one third of African consumption. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, consumption has been rising faster than production, according to Otsuka, who spoke during the regular Thursday seminar at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

“An African Green Revolution in rice is feasible as the crop is the most promising one for raising food productivity on small farms in SSA because of the high transferability of Asian rice technologies,” he said. 

His study showed that many areas in SSA have attained high yields by adopting Asian-type technologies and improved management practices. “In other words, a Green Revolution in rice has already been taking place in some SSA locations.”

Otsuka expressed his appreciation of IRRI’s work in training and educating young African scientists over the years. For him, training programs are vital in introducing improved technology and management practices for rice in Africa. “A Green Revolution in rice is possible if sufficient resources are allocated to capacity building for effective extension systems,” he concluded.

Otsuka is professor of development economics at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan, and a former chair of IRRI's board of trustees (2004-07). His presentation was based on In Pursuit of an African Green Revolution, a book he edited with Donald F. Larson, senior economist at the World Bank. 

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AfricaRice, CIAT, and IRRI reaffirm commitment to GRiSP

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna – Three major agricultural research centers reaffirmed their commitment to the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) during the signing of the extension of its framework agreement.

Signatories to the agreement, approved on 26 January, were Harold Roy-Macauley, director general of the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice),  Ruben Echeverria, director general of the International Center for Agriculture in the Tropics (CIAT), and Matthew Morrell, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). 

Significantly, the framework provides an overarching agreement in which AfricaRice, CIAT, and IRRI will collaborate in the GRiSP program for the first time, GRiSP Director Bas Bouman explained. As outlined in the agreement, the three centers will collaborate and coordinate their rice research agendas as laid out in GRiSP.  But each center takes a primary leadership role for overall research and development strategy and other GRiSP-related activities at a continental level: AfricaRice for Africa, CIAT for Latin America and the Caribbean, and IRRI for Asia.

Roy-Macauley intimated the importance of a partnership framework—and a guiding document—on how the centers can work together not only on one project but on all projects and take opportunities where the center can respond with common objectives."We need to put our strengths together,” he said. “We need to be very, very innovative about the type of partnership that we're putting together, and that's exactly what we're doing. “When you have ideas, you have people thinking, and you need to bring others along with you. I think the framework agreement is a tool that helps you understand where you want to go."

"GRiSP has actually brought AfricaRice and IRRI closer together as partners,"Roy-Macauley added. "Many acknowledge that GRiSP has played a major role in engaging our scientists in a form of partnership. That's why we're thinking of improving it. Next week, for example, several IRRI scientists will attend the AfricaRice Science Week, where they do joint planning with our scientists. This is new and quite important."

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French ambassador pledges stronger partnership with IRRI

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Thierry Mathou, the Ambassador of France to the Philippines and Micronesia, visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) headquarters recently (25 January) to gain a clearer understanding of the relationship between the government of France and the institute.

IRRI Director General Matthew Morell welcomed the ambassador and his delegation. He provided them with an overview of the institute’s mission and acknowledged the contributions of the French government to rice research.

One of the important points raised during the meeting was expanding  France’s commitment to IRRI’s mandate. “We have to find ways to increase France’s contribution to IRRI research and forge a stronger partnership,” Mathou said.

Morell appreciated Mathou’s sentiment. “More collaborative efforts between IRRI and the government of France as well as French institutions can help ensure food security in the not-so-distant future,” he said.

During their visit, the party toured the International Rice Genebank and interacted with IRRI scientists.

The French government has been a solid financial supporter of the institute. Since 1986, France has donated more than USD 11 million in support of various research projects and has provided unrestricted support through CGIAR.

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Local communicators team up to use social media skills for more effective advocacy work

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa speaks to participants during a workshop at IRRI 

on advocacy communication in a mobile world.

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines – Representatives of the social news network, Rappler, led a workshop on 19 January at the International Rice Research (IRRI) to share ideas and expertise on using social media. Media such as Facebook and Twitter can be used effectively to communicate messages and advocacies of the agricultural rice sector in an ever-growing mobile world.

“There is a need to effectively communicate rice science to IRRI’s audiences and stakeholders through these social media to gain further reach and support,” said V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI deputy director general for communication and partnerships.

Around 60 communicators from the offices, bureaus, and institutes of the Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) and IRRI attended the workshop.

For the first time ever, there are more gadgets on the planet than there are people, according to a GSMA Intelligence survey. Gadgets, like tablets and smartphones, are multiplying five times faster than the global population, which makes them the fastest growing manmade phenomenon ever: from zero to 7.2 billion in only three decades, according to one media report.

The Rappler team, led by CEO Marie Ressa, provided some unique insights and case studies on how to use these gadgets in conjunction with social media to do advocacy work. More than just promoting causes, social media can be used to elicit audience response and create impact as well as genuine change. The workshop concentrated on two activities—executing a social media campaign and honing effective writing skills for the gadgets or mobile devices.

Rappler’s Stacy de Jesus, Chay Hofileña, and Gemma Mendoza, led the workshop, which was facilitated by Zak Yuson, director of MovePH.

The workshop was organized by the IPaD project of the DA-IRRI Food Staples Sufficiency Program. IPaD is a collaborative project among the Philippine Rice Research Institute, the DA-Agricultural Training Institute, and IRRI with funding support from the Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR). It aims to improve promotion and delivery of rice technologies by enhancing the capability of the next generation of extension professionals and other knowledge intermediaries.

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