Nepal: Farmers honored with Presidential Awards during National Rice Day

After celebrating the International Year of Rice in 2004, the Government of Nepal officially declared 30 June as National Rice Day. Since then the National Rice Day has become an important event in the country.

On its 12th anniversary, the National Rice Day was observed in many parts of the country with Mechanization in Rice cultivation, minimization of cost of production as this year’s theme. As part of the event, Hari Prasad Parajuli, head of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) honored five outstanding progressive Nepalese farmers with the Presidential Award for their significant work in agriculture. This was the first time that the award was given to farmers.

Philippines: IRRI’s 'science and security' drones featured at the 2015 International Film Expo

IRRI's security team flies a drone along the experimental ricefields at IRRI headquarters

MANILA - IRRI’s head of security, Glenn Enriquez, was invited to speak at an International Film Expo in Manila earlier this month. His talk showcased the work done by the Institute’s security team and focused on the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, which patrol the campus of over 200 hectares, 6 times a day.

The drones are complementary measures to the ground patrol team. Warlito Untalan, UAS team leader, has conducted 1,020 flights, equivalent to 340 hours. “Introduced in 2012, the drones are used in a complementary capacity to the ground team,” Mr. Enriquez said. “If one of our ‘pilots’ operating the drones spots any unusual activity, they call the ground team to check on the situation. In the past cows have been spotted grazing on the rice fields at night, which could affect the scientists’ experiments, and may not have been detected without the use of drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.”

Drones are also a useful tool for scientists, who can see their rice experiments from a bird’s eye view. This can help for research purposes, such as the comprehensive assessment of complex plant traits such as growth, development, tolerance, yield and other observable traits. However, there are many future exciting prospects for the drones, and James Quilty, head of IRRI’s experiment station says, “There is little doubt that in the future, drones will be involved in a wide range of tasks from phenotyping, possibly sampling, and probably delivering payloads to plots. The technology is advancing rapidly.”

Steve Klassen flying a newly acquired drone

Steve Klassen, an environmental science and engineering consultant at IRRI, uses drones to check on his 5 hectare plot. The drone must be flown 3 times with 3 different cameras in order to collect the necessary information, taking about 30 minutes. Without drones, this process would take around 4 hours. “This season, drones will be tested alongside more traditional data-collection methods to evaluate their performance and potential,” he said.

IRRI’s use of drones aligns with good practices regarding privacy. “Respect for privacy is paramount in the operations of the drones,” Mr. Enriquez emphasized. “For this reason, IRRI’s security team works very closely with the local community to inform them of the reasons we use drones. Also, the drones are not flown above the local communities, as can be shown by the GPS-tracked flight paths.”

Any publicly posted video or photographic materials taken by the drones can be used freely under a creative commons license, which includes attribution to IRRI.

The 2015 International Film Expo was held on 26-28 June at the SMX Convention Center.

Glenn Enriquez talks about the use of drones at IRRI (top);
From L-R (bottom), Teejay Teodoro (Unmanned Systems Consulting), Glenn Enriquez (IRRI), Ramson Velez (RC VictoryWorld) and Oli Laperal (RS Video and Film Productions), drone zone coordinator, 2015 International Film Expo.

Written by: Sophie Anderson

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IRRI joins global climate change network

IRRI has been developing rice varieties that can adapt to various climate stresses while improving yield.

The Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) granted IRRI membership in recognition of shared objectives in supporting developing countries in adopting climate-smart technologies for climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, CTCN promotes technology transfer by providing technology services, capacity building, and implementation advice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cope with climate change.

Members of the network carry out information exchange, capacity building, and outreach activities. As part of the network, organizations provide each other with technical assistance as well as support in engaging high-level policy officials on climate change issues.

Part of IRRI’s mission is to enhance the environmental sustainability of rice production. Since 1991, the Institute has implemented various climate change research initiatives and projects, covering adaptation, mitigation, and policy. IRRI has been collaborating with developing countries, particularly in South and Southeast Asia, on making rice production more environmentally responsible. Examples of these efforts include climate research and technologies, web-based crop management tools, training activities, and other farming and postharvest technologies.

Through the IRRI-CTCN collaboration, the Institute gains more collaborative capacity to continue its work on knowledge sharing and technology adoption in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Currently, CTCN’s fast-growing network is comprised of 57 institutions and organizations worldwide. CTCN continually conducts training, webinars, and technology assessments, and convenes discussions for capacity building.


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Philippines: Workshop to help journalists with better media coverage of climate change issues

(From left:) Melody del Rosario, MPIC VP for media and corporate communications,; Ramon Isberto, Smart Communications VP and head of public affairs; Jose Ma. K. Lim, MPIC President and CEO; Noel Reyes, PAJ VP; and Mike Toledo, Philex VP for corporate affairs and MVP Group media bureau chief. 

Numerous scientists and experts around the world have expressed their concern at the low media reportage on issues of climate change. Another concern is that media discussions on the subject matter lack accurate information or are too technical for the public.

To change the situation, private companies and government agencies in the Philippines, as well as international non-government organizations, will hold seminar-workshops to help journalists craft better and more science-based stories about the matter.

With funding from the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Smart Communications and Philex Mining Corporation, the Philippine Agricultural Journalists, Inc. (PAJ), in collaboration with the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia (CCAFS-SEA), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) and Department of Agriculture will conduct four regional seminar-workshops for journalists, dubbed Climate Change: Gets mo na ba? (Do you get it now?)

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by PAJ and the MPIC Group on 30 June 2015 for the project’s implementation. The workshops aim to make climate change processes and terminologies more understandable for the layman. The series of activities will be held in Legazpi City (30 July-1 August), Tacloban City (27-29 August), Siargao Island (17-19 September), and Tuguegarao City (29-31 October).

The media seminar-workshop series is part of the CCAFS-SEA’s collective engagement and communication strategy and plan in the region which was mapped out with CGIAR Centers. The plan serves as a collective platform to build synergistic relationships among CGIAR Centers and key stakeholders, including the media.

Led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), CCAFS is a collaboration among all 15 CGIAR research centers and coordinates with the other CGIAR research programs. IRRI hosts the regional program for Southeast Asia, which is based in Vietnam.

Related articles:

Laotian media professionals trained in climate change

Brainstorming with the media on climate change in Vietnam

CCAFS-SEA kick​s​ off first media workshop on how to report about climate change with impact

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Philippines: Corporate Social Responsibility Expo features Heirloom Rice Project

The League of Corporate Foundations held a Corporate Social Responsibility Expo earlier this week at SMX SM Aura, Taguig City. The event was a great opportunity to raise awareness of the Heirloom Rice Project of the Department of Agriculture in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). The Heirloom Rice Project promotes rice grown by indigenous people in the upland areas of Moutain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, and Kalinga.

The theme of this year’s expo was Collaborate. Sustain. Revolutionize. Tony Lambino, head of the Communication Unit at IRRI, participated in the panel discussion on the role of innovation (revolutionize) in developing various sectors including arts and culture, education, environment, health, and enterprise. He suggested that the most effective way to revolutionize was through community-based projects, using both modern technology and more local forms of materials. He also cited the importance of using networks to maximize the potential of the message to be reached as far as possible.

Other members the panel included Ms. Aisa Mijeno, co-founder and chief executive, Sustainable Alternative Lighting, Atty. Leonido Pulido, president and CEO, Electric Vehicle Expansion Enterprise Inc., and Mr. Manny Ayala, chairman and chief instigator, Hatchd Digital. The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Maria Ressa, chief executive officer, Rappler.

Several organizations with active reaches in their communities displayed their CSR projects at the event held on 30 June to 1 July. The League of the Corporate Foundations is the leading network in practice-based, strategic Corporate Social Responsibility that contributes to sustainable national development.

Written by: Sophie Anderson

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Indigent families receive medical assistance from IRRI

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through the office of the Philippine Desk, conducted a free medical mission for the indigent residents of Barangay Puypuy  in Bay, Laguna, a few kilometers from IRRI headquarters.  Around 500 individuals received medical attention, which includes free consultations and health care counseling from the physicians of the Army General Hospital, headed by Dr. Mary Agnes Motril.  IRRI spouses sponsored the free medicines provided to the patients.

Bread donated by  Gardenia Bakeries (Philippines ) was also  distributed to the patients  during the medical mission. It  was held on 25 June 2015, from 8:00 in the morning until noon. The event  is one of IRRI's community engagement activities to help reduce the incidence of common illness in the community.

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Philippines: DA-IRRI Heirloom Rice Project taps local champions for its grassroots advocacy

Grassroots advocacy is one of the most effective ways of raising the level of awareness regarding certain causes to influence public perception, regulations, or public policy. To mobilize and harness the power of grassroots brand advocates, the Heirloom Rice Project (HRP) conducted a workshop for “local champions” from local government units and state colleges and universities in Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province.

Local champions are HRP partners within their communities who will actively coordinate self-help group activities for the project beneficiary and eventually sustain the management of the Department of Agriculture (DA) project. The HRP team, composed of staff from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), and DA-Cordillera Administrative Region organized the activity to update the local champions on the latest project developments. The workshop also helped them define their roles in the implementation activities for HRP’s second year and in the identification of project activities with community-based indicators of landscape resilience, that is, the rice terraces sites of the UNESCO world heritage.

Digna Manzanilla, a social scientist at IRRI and co-project leader for HRP’s components on linking smallholders to the value chain, as well as on model documentation, knowledge management and M&E, facilitated the discussion on the various roles of local champions in the project’s activities. The participants defined how their current professional qualifications and responsibilities fit into their new role as local champions. They have also identified capacity-building needs that could enable them to better perform their part.

Mr. Adrien Salazar, an IRRI graduate student intern from Yale University, gave the participants a brief overview of community-based indicators of resilience to guide them in identifying activities that they perceive as contributing to the environmental, economic and social dimensions of landscape resilience. Outputs of this workshop will be applied to the framing of indicators relevant to heirloom rice farmers, through field research to be piloted in two project sites in the coming weeks.

The DA-IRRI Heirloom Rice Project workshop was held in Tuba, Benguet on June 24, 2015.

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