UPLB celebrates its 97th Loyalty Day

IRRI joins the celebration 

“IRRI is part of UPLB, UPLB is part of IRRI” said UPLB Chancellor Fernando Sanchez during the groundbreaking of IRRI's new plant growth facility a few months ago.  His words have captured the essence of the long-standing collaboration between the two institutions. For more than five decades, the UPLB and IRRI partnership has contributed significantly to Philippine development, and beyond, through advances in agricultural science.

Last October 10, IRRI participated in the annual celebration of UPLB’s 97th Loyalty Day with Agro-Industrial Innovations and Entrepreneurship for Inclusive Growth as this year’s theme. In line with the theme, IRRI showcased the Rice Research and Development Component of the Food Staples Sufficiency Program, which it implements with the Department of Agriculture.

One of the highlights of the event is the traditional parade of students and alumni, members of different organizations, and  employees from different offices in and around the University.

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Bayer CropScience hosts 2nd ASEAN Rice Future Forum in Vietnam: Fostering closer collaboration across the rice value chain

 (Bayer media release)

- Policy makers and rice experts call for action to increase rice productivity sustainably
- Public-private partnerships essential to encourage adoption of farming technologies
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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 14 October 2015  – With increasing challenges in agriculture and 2015 in particular being a difficult year for farmers in ASEAN, rice farmers need access to technologies to help them increase yields and efficiency. From October 14 to 16, over 100 policymakers and rice experts from across ASEAN countries are gathering at the ASEAN Rice Future Forum in Vietnam to discuss how public-private and value chain partnerships are essential to the adoption of farming technologies, in light of the fact that the majority of rice farmers in these countries are smallholders.

The Forum is organized by Bayer CropScience, in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Vietnam Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD). It aims to continue the constructive dialogue from the 2013 Rice Future Forum in India and the International Rice Congress 2014 in Thailand.

Casting the spotlight on ASEAN this year, where rice is the key crop grown by mostly smallholder farmers, the conference includes keynote addresses and panel discussions on several pertinent and relevant topics, including the need for capacity building and efficiency in sustainable rice production, the adoption and access to technologies and innovations in rice farming, and the need for closer collaboration throughout the rice value chain as well as more private-public partnerships.

Adoption of technologies key to increase yields and efficiency in rice production
Rice is a key crop and a staple in most diets in ASEAN, with ASEAN countries accounting for 25 per cent of the global rice production, and 22 per cent of the global rice consumption. Thailand and Vietnam are the key exporting countries for rice in the region, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of global rice exports, while on the other end of the spectrum, countries like Indonesia and Philippines are striving for self-sufficiency in rice production and are the top rice importers in the region.

According to estimates by the United Nations, the world will grow to 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. In addition, due to a rising middle class and a shift in dietary preferences especially in emerging countries, the projected nearly 10 billion people could eat as much food as required for an astounding 13 billion. IRRI projects that the current rice production—at over 700 million tonnes per annum—will not be sufficient to meet demand. Rice production will need to rise by 80 million tonnes in the next 10 years.

With increasing challenges faced in agriculture and rice farming, including limited arable land, impact of climate change, labour shortage and limited resources, this growth must be achieved in a sustainable manner through harnessing innovative solutions and farming technologies.

“Agriculture is exposed to a plentitude of challenges such as limited arable land and natural resources, a shortage or rising cost of labor, increased market volatility, limits to credit availability for smallholder farmers, resistance issues and an ongoing quest for further increasing sustainability – to name only a few,” said Dr. Sascha Israel, Head Region Asia Pacific, Bayer CropScience.

“This means we need to learn to farm even better and harvest more from the land that we have available. At Bayer CropScience, we are committed to support growers in their daily operations with innovative products and on-farm advice to tackle these challenges and support a sustainable intensification of rice farming. We collaborate along the entire value chain to achieve even better results.”

“We have made some headways in the area of public-private and value chain partnerships in rice and have started seeing positive results from the projects that we are undertaking. Going forward, we believe we can continue to contribute to the development of rice farming in ASEAN through continuing and strengthening these partnerships, with a focus on enhancing the adoption of technologies by smallholder farmers,” he added.

Joining hands to foster dialogue across the rice value chain
Stressing the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors and across the rice value chain, the ASEAN Rice Future Forum this year is organized in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). The event also features prominent speakers from companies and associations such as the IRRI-led Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA), as well as government officials and policymakers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

“IRRI is pleased to partner with Bayer and MARD to foster dialogue through the ASEAN Rice Future Forum 2015 in Vietnam. This is yet another extension of our ongoing partnership since the 2013 inaugural Rice Future Forum. Bayer was also a platinum sponsor during the 2014 International Rice Congress, hosted by the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand,” said Dr. Bruce Tolentino, Deputy Director General for Communication and Partnerships at IRRI. “Given the global scope of food security challenges, IRRI supports national systems in the rice-producing world—Vietnam and MARD being critical partners in the region. We also work with research and non-profit organizations, and the private sector, including Bayer, to improve rice production through better use of rice genetic diversity for crop improvement, disease and pest management, more sustainable and profitable farming, and capacity building for young rice scientists.”

For example, Bayer CropScience has a long-standing partnership with IRRI to work together to expand the rice database and provide the impetus for breeding new high-yielding rice varieties, as well as enabling access to the many benefits of hybrid rice for farmers and rice communities.

About Bayer CropScience
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, agriculture and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, the subgroup of Bayer AG responsible for the agricultural business, has annual sales of EUR 9,494 million (2014) and is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of seeds, crop protection and non-agricultural pest control. The company offers an outstanding range of products including high value seeds, innovative crop protection solutions based on chemical and biological modes of action as well as an extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture. In the area of non-agricultural applications, Bayer CropScience has a broad portfolio of products and services to control pests from home and garden to forestry applications. The company has a global workforce of 23,100 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.bayercropscience.com.

About the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
IRRI, or the International Rice Research Institute, is a nonprofit independent research and training organization. IRRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium. IRRI develops new rice varieties and rice crop management techniques that help rice farmers improve the yield and quality of their rice in an environmentally sustainable way. It works with public and private sector partners in national agricultural research and extension systems in major rice-growing countries to do research, training, and knowledge transfer. Its social and economic research also informs governments to help them formulate policy to improve the equitable supply of rice.

About the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is a government ministry responsible for rural development and the governance, promotion and nurturing of agriculture and the agricultural industry in Vietnam. The purview of the Ministry includes forestry, aquaculture, irrigation and the salt industry; it is also involved in water management and flood control. The Ministry maintains 63 provincial department offices throughout Vietnam, and is itself located in Hanoi.
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Contacts
Asia: Lynn Ong
 +65 6496 1797
 +65 9834 2351
lynn.ong@bayer.com

Other regions: Jenny Schroeter
 +49 2173 38-3544
jenny.schroeter@bayer.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.


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Thailand invests in partnership-driven rice research

In an effort to further implement the rice research agenda of the country, the Royal Thai Government through the Rice Department recently approved annual donation of THB 3,600,000 (equivalent of USD 100,000) starting fiscal year 2014-2015 to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

In a letter addressed to the Thai Rice Department Director General Anan Suwannarat, IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler acknowledged the funding contribution. “We once again take this time to convey our deep gratitude to the Royal Thai Government for its support of IRRI and its mission,” Zeigler stated.

The funding donation will greatly support the collaboration between IRRI and the Thai Rice Department toward achieving the goals set forth in the country's research agenda.

IRRI Deputy Director for Communication and Partnerships Bruce Tolentino explains the goals of this collaboration. “As Thailand faces more complex and more serious challenges in this modern era, the country's policymakers are adjusting their domestic policies to strengthen the competitiveness of Thai rice in the face of growing competition from major producers such as Vietnam and India, and from newer competitors such as Myanmar,” he said. “The impacts of climate change will become more serious over the long term. Thailand must also raise farm yields, which requires the rapid strengthening of the national agriculture R&D system to ensure the availability of technology adapted to Thailand and readily accepted by Thai farmers,” Tolentino added.

Since its collaboration in 1960 when IRRI was established, Thailand has been a staunch supporter of institute’s research. Key achievements of this partnership include improvements in deepwater rice culture and development of new rice varieties that can tolerate flood and drought. IRRI and Thailand have been working together to improve rice production and enhance capacities of Thai rice researchers.

In October 2014, the 4th International Rice Congress (IRC2014)—the largest regular conference and exhibition of the global rice scientific research community and industry—was held in Bangkok under the patronage of the Royal Government of Thailand, specifically the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Thailand hosted, co-organized, and provided financial support for IRC2014. The country was chosen as the location for the congress as it is a key player in world rice trade. Dubbed the “Olympics of rice science,” IRC2014 gathered around 1,500 participants from 69 countries. The event highlighted the latest in rice research to ensure global food security.

With 16 partner countries, IRRI now explores partnerships with many nations to meet their specific local needs where traditional donor agencies lag behind in carrying out research activities. Collaborative funding arrangements between IRRI and countries, such as India, the Philippines, and now, Thailand, helps these nations become not only beneficiaries but partners of their own research initiatives.

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CORIGAP workshop focuses on future directions for closing yield gaps

By: Rona Azucena

The Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint (CORIGAP) project gears up for its second phase with a review of the progress made at sites in major granaries of lowland irrigated rice in six Asian countries.  The meeting reviewed plans for the last 15 months of Phase 1 of CORIGAP and then considered priorities, future development activities, and timelines for Phase 2, 2017–2020.

IRRI scientists and research and extension partners from Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China, and Indonesia came together for the two-day workshop on 6–7 October, IRRI headquarters.

Matthew Morell, deputy director general for research at IRRI, in his opening message said that “CORIGAP can provide a global strategic point of view as it brings together half of the world’s rice producing capacity.” He added that the project promotes cross-country learning and is an important part of the Global Rice Science Partnership.

Grant Singleton, CORIGAP coordinator, explains that “the success of the project is because of the strong partnerships built throughout the years since IRRC (Irrigated Rice Research Consortium).”

“It is time to capitalize on those partnerships and explore promising avenues for large-scale dissemination, especially the message that we can close yield gaps in an environmentally sustainable manner,” Dr. Singleton added.

The in-country developments made from research efforts on monitoring the ecological footprint of natural resource management (NRM) technologies, value chains, gender studies, and the field calculator were discussed, as well as the delivery and implementation of NRM technologies per country.

There also was an active exchange of ideas on communication plans for large-scale dissemination of CORIGAP technologies and practices.

The project aims to improve food security and gender equity, by optimizing the productivity (resource-use efficiency) and environmental sustainability of irrigated rice production systems, thereby closing rice yield gaps in a selection of major irrigated rice granaries in Asia.

CORIGAP is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.



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CORIGAP conducts workshop on measuring ecological indicators for sustainable rice production

The Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint (CORIGAP) project conducted a two-day workshop on measuring ecological indicators and using the field calculator on 8-9 October 2015. IRRI scientists, led by Sarah Beebout, and key partners from China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam gathered together to discuss how to calculate 12 core environmental indicators from farmer field data collected from CORIGAP project sites.

 “One of the very important parts of CORIGAP is looking at the environment and examining whether we can measure ecological impact to see where we could make cropping systems more sustainable from an ecological perspective,“ Grant Singleton, CORIGAP project leader, said.

He lauded the continuing efforts of the project team in providing substantial input into creating indicators that will complement the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP). “If we get better measures, we can deliver key messages to policy makers so they can be the key people to take this initiative further,” he added.

“The vision is to build sound recommendations for sustainable practices in different countries for each planting season,” Sarah Beebout, lead scientist for the work on ecological indicators, explained. “For example, if a farmer uses low-carbon technology, does the nitrogen-use efficiency improve?”

Aside from ecological indicators, the participants were also taught how to use the field calculator, a tool to assess sustainability using the ecological indicators themselves. The participants brainstormed on how to use the field calculator further and who else might be its potential users.



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Transforming knowledge and disseminating new seeds through women’s networks

Rural women play a vital role in increasing in food production. Women farmers should have better access to varieties and resources to help mitigate the effects of climate change on their rice production. More importantly, instead of treating them as mere beneficiaries, they should be viewed as experts who possess the know-how that can complement experts’ formal knowledge.

Paddy cultivation is the main alternative livelihood for women in eastern India. This is part of changing landscape of agriculture across Asia. The traditional role of women in rice farming is rapidly changing, according to Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, head of the Social Sciences Division at the International Rice Research Institute. They are going from farm laborers to farm managers and owners because of the outmigration of male farmers to urban areas in search of better economic opportunities.

Despite the changes, the extension system in most developing countries has not made significant impact on small-scale farmers. Seed replacement rates remain very low, and access to new seeds continues to be problematic. Most farmers grow old varieties and use their own seeds. In order to address these challenges, new approaches based on community participation have come to the fore as a means of scaling up agricultural technologies to a wider audience.

The Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project is initiating approaches that promote women farmers as principal agents of change in their communities. The new strategy focuses on enhancing their learning processes, capacity building, and empowerment to improve their ability to adapt and make better decisions. The project is also training women farmers—being the actual operatives of the most rice farming practices—to provide accurate feedback to researchers.

STRASA is using this approach to disseminate information and seeds of stress tolerant rice varieties in eastern India. It aims to reach all farmers in an entire village by working with members from existing women’s groups in the villages because most social networks, where interaction is greater, are found within these groups. The approach works on the premise that female farmers would facilitate the further spread of knowledge and seed of stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) through their social networks thereby generating sustainable processes and practices. If a member of a self-help group successfully adopts a technology, other members may not only learn the innovation from her but also share it with others creating a multiplier effect. Moreover, in most of the stress prone areas with inadequate extension services available, women are taking the lead in all the operations of rice farming. They can be the best agents for extending the knowledge and seeds of STRVs.

Because stress-tolerant varieties are knowledge-intensive technologies, representative farmers go through a joint learning process with researchers and extensionists. It is necessary for them to understand the subject behind the practices before implementation. STRASA facilitates their interaction with researchers and provide hands-on trainings on quality seed production, seed testing, and safer storage. With the launch of phase 3 of STRASA, new lines developed by the International Rice Research Institute have been released in India for flood and drought stresses. These are Bina dhan11, Samba Mahsuri Sub1, DRR42 (IR64 Drought), DRR43, DRR39 and DRR44. Some of these varieties are already popular in many of the regions of eastern India, where they are being evaluated and promoted through private seed companies and other channels.
 
The importance of women in the promotion and dissemination of STRVs in the first season of their release can be clearly seen as these varieties have been disseminated through women's networks with the help of NGOs working with women’s self-help groups and women farmers.STRASA works with groups who have already an established base in these areas working for improving the livelihoods and empowering women through different interventions.

One organization, Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana (RGMVP) organizes self-help groups for poor rural women each with ten to twenty members. RGMVP has developed a cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable poverty reduction and women’s empowerment model adopted by STRASA for the dissemination of knowledge and seeds of STRVs like IR64 Drought (DRR42), Samba Mahsuri Sub1 and Binadhan 11.

Farmers are initially educated about the basics of rice farming and made aware about the characteristics of the new varieties. Trainings are conducted for different operations from seeding to storage, to ensure that quality seed is produced which can be bought back from the farmers and sold/shared to others as a part of the RGMVP model.

Other NGOs which are engaged in the promotion of new STRVs through women’s networks are Vishwalok Jan Sewa Sansthan in eastern Uttar Pradesh,  Baster Sevak Mandal in Chhatisgarh, and Samekit Jan Vikas Kendra in Jharkhand in eastern India. A total of about 1,350 female farmers from different community groups across the four states were reached through this initiative.



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Strategic public and private partnership help accelerate dissemination of new varieties in eastern India

It could take between 3 to 6 years from initial evaluation of a breeding line to the release of a new rice variety. Add to that the slow rate of varietal adoption by farmers, because of problems with the seed industry and extensions services, and you have a system with low production, productivity and farm incomes. Now, the dissemination of newly released stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) in eastern India is getting a boost through the partnership between public and private seed producers.

The Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project has been working with partners in the region to spearhead initiatives to accelerate the adoption and dissemination of stress-tolerant varieties so they can reach farmers’ fields much quicker. STRASA is using this strategy to create awareness among the farming communities in 50 districts in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. These districts mostly have marginal farmers without access to quality seed of new varieties. The strategy also promotes proper channels as seed sources to ensure a sustainable seed system in the future.

STRASA facilitated the activities in which public and private formal seed sectors and extension systems participate in the promotion and multiplication of the flood-tolerant BINA dhan 11 and Sambha Mahsuri Sub 1, the drought-tolerant DRR42, DRR 43, DRR44, and salinity tolerant DRR 39. These are suitable for areas where farmers suffer heavy losses due to floods and drought and salinity. The varieties are early maturing and have characteristics and traits preferred by most farmers and consumers.

Farmers evaluate the varieties in multi-location field trials through the extension system. Extension agencies collect the feedback from the farmers then convey the information to seed producers. The feedback from these demonstrations help the national system to determine which new varieties for improving the rice yields in rainfed conditions are suitable for large-scale promotion and seed upscaling. The seed production sector engages in the upscaling and the comparison of the new varieties with existing varieties.

Farmer seed systems and formal seed systems have complementary tasks in supporting agricultural development. STRASA is strengthening both systems to expedite the upscaling and adoption of new varieties in the pipeline. The project is developing a promotion roadmap by linking public, private, and state seed corporations with institutions that produce breeder seeds.  This will allow new varieties to enter the formal seed chain as early as the first year of their release.

For example, the Seed Association of Bengal, a group of more than 45 seed companies which supplies seeds to several states in eastern India, has taken up the multiplication of DRR42 seed in the first year of its release. This will speed up the replacement of high-yielding, but short-rooted and drought-prone commercial rice variety, IR64.

STRASA supports these small seed companies by creating awareness of the varieties by providing technical information about the varieties and conducting small demonstrations through their dealers’ network.

These partnerships are gaining momentum in the seed sector, allowing for fast-track commercialization of STRV seeds that enable large-scale distribution so more farmers benefit. STRVs is a top priority of breeder seed indent from different agencies across the states submitted to the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture.

In 2014, STRASA facilitated the production of 5 tons of breeder seed of the new rice varieties allocated to public and private seed companies. This will produce about 400 tons of foundation seeds in 2015 and is sufficient to produce more than 25,000 tons in next two years. The seed will be commercially available to farmers.

In target areas where farmers traditionally use their own seeds and depend on their own varieties, the foundation seed will be used in demonstration areas to generate further awareness and demand through multiple channels. STRASA is demonstrating the STRVS with support from the states and partners (mostly NGOs) in collaboration with scientists and extension workers. These demonstration areas are in small clusters to cover more areas. Quality seed-production training and meetings are conducted to increase awareness of STRV varieties and accelerate the informal seed diffusion.

The governments of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand joined IRRI in establishing demonstration areas of STRVs to improve and stabilize rice productivity in 15 target districts. There are 40 demonstration areas (50 hectares each) in Uttar Pradesh and 12 demonstrations (100 hectares each) in Jharkhand. The demonstration areas are linked to producers to make the seeds available to farmers.  Along with STRVS, the improved management practices are also shown. More than 8000 farmers, many of them registered as seed growers, are participating in these activities. The target producing more than 1500 tons certified seed of these varieties.



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