IRRI Director General enjoins ASEAN states to invest in science for global food security

IRRI file photo

SINGAPORE, 6 October—“It is imperative for the ASEAN nations to invest in scientific research to ensure the improved productivity, quality, health, and resilience of Asia’s rice sector, and strengthen global food security.” This was the call issued by Matthew Morell, director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). 

Morell (photo above) addressed the preparatory meetings of the Senior Officials of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry (AMAF), as well as the AMAF+3, in meetings in Singapore, 3-7 October. Senior officials from the ASEAN 10 countries - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the “Plus 3” countries - China, Japan, and South Korea, participated in the meeting.

Morell presented IRRI’s proposal to establish the ASEAN Genetics and Rice Breeding Platform, a regional program and mechanism that will allow the ASEAN+3 countries to conduct collaborative research. Through this platform, the countries could work together to develop and share improved rice germplasm that could help their respective rice sectors cope with rising demand for rice as well as demand for safe, high-quality production.

“Climate change is expected to significantly lower grain yields and raise the price of rice across the developing world,” Morell added. “That and the combined impact of rapid population growth, diminishing  natural resources, and increasing demand for land for non-farming uses make new technology innovation for agricultural production all the more urgent.” 

Advances in basic science require significant and stable investments by governments in research for public goods.  Traditionally, investments in rice research have been made by Western countries, even though the rice-growing countries of Asia, especially China and India, have largely benefited from the research. 

During his time there, Morell and Bruce Tolentino, IRRI deputy director general, also had a series of bilateral meetings with the ASEAN Secretariat and the delegations from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, and South Korea.

The feedback from the meetings was highly positive, reconfirming the threat climate change poses to future food and nutritional security. It acknowledges the role of science in finding solutions as well as the importance of rice germplasm exchange and breeding programs to the region. In consultation with the ASEAN+3 countries, IRRI will be working on the development of a road map for the ASEAN Rice Germplasm and Genetics Platform.

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Extension workers take part in expanding the Philippine rice information system

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—Agricultural extension workers are crucial in disseminating information and providing recommendations to increase the productivity of Filipino rice farmers. To enhance their skills, more than 120 of them from all regions of the country attended a workshop to prepare for widening the coverage of a monitoring and information system for sustaining stable rice production.

The Crop Health Training Workshop, held at the headquarters of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in two batches in September, was conducted by the Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM), a project funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA). The participants learned more about identifying and managing rice diseases, animal pests, and weeds. It also included how PRISM’s protocol for crop health assessment and characterization of production situations can be effectively introduced in farmers’ fields.

 “With the involvement of extension workers, it is easier to tap more people as we expand our monitoring sites,” said Ulysses Duque, a crop protection expert from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). PRISM has been monitoring 1,060 fields throughout the country since the second semester of 2016.

“Our role is to be agents of change by extending good technologies to farmers to increase their rice production,” said Jurevey Lagaras, an agricultural technologist from Region XI. “This training refreshed our knowledge and skills in identifying and managing rice pests. If we cannot determine what rice disease or insect pests are present, we will not be able to provide the correct recommendations.”

“Being part of this national project is the first step to reach our common goal, which is to provide food self-sufficiency in the country,” said Vincent Jun Caminero, a municipal agriculturist from Region XI.

Mina Joy Wigan, Region II Agricultural Technologist, encouraged other extension workers to support PRISM. “We hope we can convince other extension workers to participate in the project since our goal is to have an accurate and timely database with national coverage.”

“The training is a great opportunity to help us prepare for the expansion of PRISM’s crop health component,” said Levie Legarda, a science research specialist from Region VI. “It is an honor to be part of such big project supported by the DA and IRRI.”

Joselito Villa, associate scientist at IRRI’s plant disease management group, facilitated the PRISM Crop Health Training.

Resource persons from IRRI included Ryong Choi, plant virologist; Casiana Vera Cruz, plant pathologist; Bo Zhou, host plant resistance expert; Jhoana Opeña, weed scientist; Maria Liberty Almazan, agricultural plant science expert; Grant Singleton, rodent biology and management expert; Alexander Stuart, plant protection expert; Buyung Hadi, entomologist; and John Bethany Macasero, researcher. Joining them were Duque and Gertrudo Arida, senior consultant, both from PhilRice.

PRISM is a collaborative project among the DA, PhilRice, IRRI, and sarmap. PRISM integrates data from remote sensing, crop modeling, and smartphone-based surveys to deliver accurate, timely, and actionable information on rice crop seasonality, area, yield, flood and drought damage, and crop health.

The regional and national data gathered by PRISM is available at www.philippinericeinfo.ph.

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Akira Tanaka, IRRI’s first physiologist, passes away

Dr. Akira Tanaka, the first physiologist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), passed away on 28 August in Japan. He arrived at IRRI on 1 April 1962 to head the fledgling institution’s Physiology Department. Japanese researchers, such as Tanaka, played a key role at IRRI as it set the stage for the start of the first Green Revolution

Robert Chandler, IRRI’s first director general, wrote about Tanaka in his book, An adventure in applied science: “Tanaka developed a first-class physiology program and brought to IRRI a wealth of Japanese knowledge and expertise, which were great advantages to the new institution.”

According to Dr. Peter Jennings, IRRI’s first rice breeder, who was a friend and colleague of Tanaka, he was, by far, the most experienced rice scientist at IRRI in those days. The photo shows Dr. Tanaka (left), conferring with Dr. Jennings during the early 1960s.

“Tanaka’s love was mineral nutrition, particularly, deficiencies, but his job at IRRI was really to take the tropical rice plant apart, analyze it—the stems, the leaves, the architecture," says Jennings.

“He had all this experience and his contribution to the development of IR8 was equivalent to that of a breeder. He helped to define the course, the way. Without Tanaka, I think, IRRI would have struggled longer in developing the first semidwarf rice variety. He lives in my mind as a superb scientist who had an immeasurable impact on the development of semidwarf rice varieties that revolutionized the world’s rice production.”

Later this year in November, IRRI will be observing the 50th anniversary of the release of IR8 and recognizing all the dedicated scientists who had a role in its development.



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JICA and IRRI ignite a “seed revolution” for African and Asian farmers

Photo by Rene Guevarra, IRRI 

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The lack of good-quality seed is one of the major constraints in rice production in many developing countries. In many poor rice-growing countries, the farmers rely heavily on farmer-saved seed for their crop production rather than commercial seed produced by the private sector.

Unlike commercial seed, farmers’ seed is not certified by government authorities to ensure the best possible harvest.  By providing seed with inferior quality, the farmers themselves may be unintentionally contributing to food insecurity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. Knowledge of the technical aspects of seed production and understanding the benefits of using quality seed are important aspects of enhancing the seed systems and the use of quality seed among farmers to improve their food security.

To bridge the gap, the Training and Impact Acceleration Units of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and IRRI Education conducted the Quality breeder and foundation seed course for researchers, seed inspectors, and seed producers. The course was developed by IRRI in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“The program covered the principles and crop management practices for producing seeds in different rice ecosystems in Africa and Asia,” said Dr. Peter Brothers, head of IRRI Education. “It focused on the correct postharvest practices and seed processing activities that will minimize contamination and optimize both seed quality and quantity. The course also included review of standard procedures and modern techniques for upgrading the rice seed value chain.”

The training is a component of the Extension Capacity Development for Rice Food Security in Africa, a three-year (2016-19) JICA-IRRI cooperation project. Now in its second phase, this initiative aims to amplify the impact of rice research through capacity building of rice farming practitioners and the development of the seed sector in the region.

“The program was designed to provide a mix of skills training in the field, interaction and learning from researchers and scientists, and discussions and cross-learning opportunities among participants,” said Jason Beebout, project manager of the Impact Acceleration Unit. “At the end of the course, participants were asked to pull together what they had learned into a plan so that they can integrate their new knowledge into their day to day work roles and responsibilities."

Twenty-one rice researchers and seed specialists from 10 countries attended the 3-week course, which ran 12-30 September. Most of the participants were from member-countries of the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) including The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Zambia. Three participants came from Cambodia, India, and Nepal.

CARD is an initiative of JICA and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. The coalition aims to double annual rice production in Africa from the present 14 million tons to 28 million tons by 2018. CARD also forms a consultative group of donors, research institutions, and other relevant organizations to work with rice-producing African countries.“While this effort is relatively small in terms of numbers, we do hope this contributes to the ongoing CARD activities and can be a spark that ignites a seed revolution,” Beebout said.

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Biological control agents are farmers' friends

A local producer of fertilizer with BCA in Cambodia shows his organic vegetable plot to a farmer.

Photo by Rica Joy Flor

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—Biological control agents (BCAs) can be used for sustainable management of major pests in important crops, especially rice. This was a key message at a national forum on regulation, use, and trade of biological control agents. The forum was organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and partners held 22-23 September in Phnom Penh.

BCAs are living organisms, either animals or microbes. The mass release of BCAs has been shown to effectively keep insect pest populations below damaging levels. However, the adoption of BCAs by farmers in some ASEAN countries is hampered by a number of factors, including lack of awareness and the absence of registration process to bring BCA options to the market. The BCA forum sought to create awareness of options for country’s farmers, government officials, nongovernmental organization (NGO) and private sector representatives, and researchers. It also provided a platform to discuss trade regulation and pathways for BCA adoption in Cambodia.

More than 140 participants representing the groups mentioned above attended the forum. Researchers from neighboring ASEAN countries also provided a regional perspective on BCA. They discussed the current status of BCA regulations and use in Cambodia.  Researchers and NGO staff presented their findings from BCA experiments, particularly on the use of Trichoderma and Metarhizium, two beneficial fungal agents, in Cambodia and Vietnam. Private companies that manufacture BCAs provided product demonstrations. Additionally, participants identified organizations, individuals or groups in Cambodia interested in integrated pest management (IPM) for rice.

The BCA forum was organized by GIZ-ASEAN Sustainable Agrifood Systems and the project, Development of an Ecologically-based Participatory Integrated Pest Management Package for Rice in Cambodia (EPIC). EPIC is an IRRI project funded by the Feed the Future Initiative of the United States Agency for International Development.

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Agriculture Partylist vows to help bring modern rice technology to Filipino farmers

Cong. Salon (left) visited IRRI headquarters to learn about the scientific research program of the institute and these can be shared with Filipino rice farmers.

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—“We need to popularize these technologies,” Congressman Orestes Salon of the AGRI Partylist of the Philippines said after being briefed on the activities of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).  

Congressman Salon and his staff visited IRRI headquarters on 9 September to learn about the scientific research program of IRRI and how the results of research can be shared with Filipino rice farmers.

“We want to be able to pick up technologies on producing more rice per unit area,” he said. “What are the new technologies that address climate change? The farmers need them because they are already feeling the impact of climate change like flooding and drought but they are not prepared. Climate change affects the rich as well as the poor. But the poor are the ones who are very vulnerable.”

The AGRI Partylist advocates for the welfare of farmers, fisherfolks, and families who belong to marginalized groups who do not have the access to basic social services in different parts of the country. They implement programs that aim to benefit those experiencing severe poverty and need assistance to meet their basic human needs.

During the Party’s visit, they learned about IRRI’s work in developing rice varieties that can thrive under erratic weather patterns and produce more nutritious grains, the application of satellite imagery to rice production, water-conserving technology, and training for young scientists and extension workers.

Dr. Olivyn Angeles (in photo) from Crops and Environmental Science Division, and Dr. Shoba Venkatanagappa from the Plant Breeding Division, also provide the party with an overview of the Long-Term Continuous Cropping Experiment and IRRI’s breeding lines.

“IRRI brings together the traits in rice that are required by the poorest of the poor farmers all over the world,” Venkatanagappa explained. “We are trying to help increase the profitability of farmers so they don’t have to spend too much on expensive agricultural input and they don’t have to suffer from complete crop loss. We are in the business of reducing poverty.  Every farmer needs to have a chance. We try to develop varieties that help farmers get that one chance.”  

Dr. Bruce Tolentino, deputy director for Communication and Partnerships, emphasized that IRRI is an international public institution and its research and technologies can be accessed and used by everyone.

“This is really eye-opening,” said Congressman Salon. “We can translate the information into a popular form so that farmers and our other constituents can avail of them. We hope to come back with the entire Congressional Agriculture and Food Committee.”

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IRRI strengthens commitment to South Asia with two appointments

LOS BAÑOS, Philippines—The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nafees Meah as the new IRRI regional representative for South Asia.

In his new role, Dr. Meah will work with governments of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, and India to represent and coordinate IRRI’s programs regionally. In consultation with key universities, civil society organizations, international donors and organizations in South Asia, Dr. Meah will lead the development of a regional strategy and support the development of individual country strategies for IRRI’s research, outreach, training and resource mobilization activities.

Dr. Meah comes to IRRI from the Government and UK Research Councils (RCUK), where he served from 2012 to 2016 as Director of RCUK India office. During his time there, Dr. Meah lead RCUK’s presence in India and developed a programme of activities to deliver the organization’s strategy for deeper research and innovation engagement with India. He is also a recognized expert on sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate change.

Dr. Meah holds PhD and MSc degrees in Chemistry from the University College London and the University of Toronto, respectively as well as an LLB from the University of London. He has authored research papers, articles, and reviews in energy and climate change, chemistry, food science and risk assessment.

Dr. Meah will be based in the IRRI India office in New Delhi and will officially join the team in October, 2016.

In a complementary role, Dr. Noel Magor will take over as interim IRRI country representative for Bangladesh, beginning in mid-September. This is in addition to his current role as head of Impact Acceleration. As interim IRRI representative, Dr. Magor aims to strengthen the longstanding relationship and commitment of IRRI to Bangladesh.

With his move to Bangladesh, Dr. Magor will be returning to a country he knows well, having lived in Bangladesh for 21 years and seen his three children born there. Dr. Magor has significant professional experience in Bangladesh, and has supervised food security and poverty alleviation projects in the country. Previously, he was also seconded to the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute for 6 years as a Farming Systems Agronomist and has served as an IRRI representative for Bangladesh from 2001 to 2006.

The two appointments align with IRRI’s commitment to further develop a rice sector research strategy in Bangladesh and the South Asian region. The representatives will work together to strengthen IRRI relations with government institutions, public and private sectors, and civil societies to further enhance research collaboration and ensure food security in Bangladesh and South Asia.

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