MARS envoys join workshop on rice farming

A rice awareness workshop is ongoing at IRRI this week (30 September-4 October) for MARS Ambassadors. MARS, the global company known for its chocolates, sent representatives from its MARS food brand to IRRI to attend the workshop, Walking in the shoes of rice farmers.


The workshop on rice production and mechanization was designed to give participants a first-hand experience of what rice farmers do to produce rice in a sustainable manner. From the experience, participants are expected to gain a basic understanding of rice production principles and practices as well as the rice value chain and potential bottlenecks within it.

Participants will also be asked to design a training program that will help improve and make sustainable the livelihoods of basmati rice growers in Pakistan.

The workshop is coordinated by Joseph Rickman, mechanization and production systems specialist at IRRI, with assistance from the IRRI Training Center team.


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Biotech advocate from U of Georgia visits IRRI

Wayne Parrott, professor of crop science at the University of Georgia in the USA, recently visited IRRI headquarters to learn more about the Institute’s work on biotechnology. 

Dr. Parrott came to the Philippines to do a series of public seminars organized by the US Embassy in Manila as part of its 2013 Biotech Outreach Program. On the same day of his visit to IRRI, he gave a special seminar titled Biotech tools for smarter agriculture at the SEARCA Auditorium inside the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. 

Part of Dr. Parrott's advocacy on public communication of agriculture biotechnology is to highlight the main conclusion to be drawn from more than 130 research projects over more than 25 years, involving more than 500 independent research groups, that biotechnology—GM, in particular—is not per se riskier than conventional plant breeding technologies. 

Read more about IRRI’s work on Golden Rice.

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Molecular biologist from Korea is guest in September researchers’ lunch

The Young Researchers Lunch for September hosted Sung-han Kim, molecular biologist at the Plant Molecular Breeding Center of Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea.


Dr. Kim was visiting IRRI as part of his work on a project pertaining to a systems biology approach to heat stress in rice. During the lunch, Dr. Kim discussed with the researchers present the different aspects of molecular response to abiotic stress. He was of the opinion that multi-gene interactions should be taken into account when evaluating plant response to abiotic stresses such as heat and drought.

The lunch, held on 23 September 2013, was attended by were Ritchel Gannaban, Anshuman Singh, Manish Raorane, Isaiah Pabuayon, Toshisangba Chuba, Abraham Llave, and Yoye Yu. The group was joined by SNU students Backki Kim and Dong-Ryung Lee.

The Young Researchers Lunch is a monthly meeting for scientists at IRRI who are in the early stages of their career. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for discussions with senior scientists on a range of topics in science, including career paths.

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Vietnam: Climate change and land use project reviewed

A midterm review of CLUES, or “Climate Change Affecting Land Use in the Mekong Delta: Adaptation of Rice-Based Cropping Systems,” reveals the following achievements of the ACIAR-funded project thus far that altogether provide a robust base for the project’s next phase:

• Established a risk map on the effect of sea-level rise and climate change on salt intrusion in the Mekong Delta up to the years 2030 and 2050. 

• Analyzed  land suitability for potential land-use systems under different sea-level rise and infrastructure development scenarios, and the socioeconomic characteristics of each system in various agroecological zones. 

• Developed improved rice varieties using conventional and complex crosses to investigate underlying genetics and the value of parental lines in breeding for stress tolerance. 

• Conducted more than 49 participatory varietal selection trials using 41 rice varieties and distributed more than 27,600 kilograms of best-bet variety seeds to farmers from 2011 to mid-2013. 

• Identified the combination of alternate-wetting-and-drying technology, reduced phosphorus use, and transplanting as a climate change-adaptive strategy for rice production in the Delta. 

• Recommended a short-duration high-yielding rice variety that can replace the local variety Mot Bui Do in the shrimp-rice system in Bac Lieu Province.

• Improved farmers’ income through integration of non-rice crops into rice-based systems  (although poor community water management remains a barrier to upland crop production).

• Identified determinants and solutions for further improvement of livelihoods of rice farmers in the Delta. 

• Developed initial data on emissions in the Delta as a function of crop management.

The review was presented during a gathering of CLUES project partners and collaborators on 19 September 2013 at Can Tho University (CTU) in Vietnam. Attending were more than 80 scientists and partner representatives, including local staff, from Vietnam partners (CTU; Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute; Southern Institute for Water Resources Planning; Institute of Agricultural Sciences for Southern Vietnam; and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Giang, Can Tho, Hau Giang and Bac Lieu provinces); the Deutshe Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ); and the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization (CSIRO), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and IRRI.

The project began work in March 2011 and will conclude in February 2014. IRRI climate expert Reiner Wassmann is the project leader of CLUES. Other IRRI scientists involved are To Phuc Tuong, Russell Reinke, Abdelbagi Ismail, Thelma Paris, Romeo Labios, and Ngo Dang Phong.

CSIRO was represented by Bennett Macdonald, Peter Brown, and John Ward, while IWMI was represented by Chu Thai Hoanh.


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India: IRRI’s work in South Asia presented at agri econ meet

Senior scientist Takashi Yamano shared about IRRI’s collaborative research programs, implemented under the Institute’s Social Sciences Division, during the 21st annual conference of the Agricultural Economics Research Association (AERA) held at Srinagar.


Dr. Yamano joined other representatives from the CGIAR who also presented about their respective work in South Asia conducted in collaboration with national agricultural research and extension systems.

The AERA conference aims to provide a platform for young researchers and students to promote their work and interact with senior researchers. Many students and representatives of research institutes indicated interest in working with IRRI.

Mamta Mehar of the IRRI India office also presented a paper, Trends in crop diversification by agroecological zones of India, in one of the technical sessions.

The conference was held on 10-13 September 2013 at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Kashmir, Srinagar.


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Farmers’ group receives computer donation

The Banca-banca Farmers’ Association in Laguna Province, represented by the group’s leader, Casiano Estrella, Jr., received a computer donated by Lenovo through the CyberVillage Project on 18 September 2013.

Mr. Estrella, on behalf of his group, thanked Lenovo and IRRI for their support. The new computer will enable members of the group to access more farming information and technology recommendations from IRRI and PhilRice, thus helping them improve farm productivity.

The group regularly receives visitors of IRRI who want to discuss with local farmers.
See related news: Lenovo donates computers for CyberVillage Project


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IRRI takes part in local festival, environment gig

Los Baños Mayor Caesar Perez commended IRRI for its sustainable waste management and environment-friendly practices in a speech he gave before residents and local government staff to celebrate Pista ng Kapaligiran (Feast of the Environment) on 7 September 2013.

In another speech during the civic parade and program of the Bañamos festival, the Mayor also made a special mention of IRRI, which he thanked for its contribution to livelihood activities and local employment, both of which have helped improve the town's economy.


A contingent led by Deputy Director General for Communication and Partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino joined the parade on 17 September that opened the week-long celebration of Bañamos.

Bañamos was started 12 years ago to commemorate the colorful history and culture of the town of Los Baños, which means “the baths.”

The festival emphasizes celebration of the place’s natural wonders and local products and showcases residents’ community spirit and pride. It features a trade fair, street dancing, singing contests, a buko pie-eating contest, band performances, fun runs, and others. The week-long celebration is held every year starting on the 17th and attracts thousands of tourists, guests, and media coverage.

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20 undergo training on use of analysis tool for rice production

A training program on version 3 of ORYZA2000, a system analysis tool for rice production, was conducted on 2-6 September 2013 at the IT Learning Center in IRRI.

The 20 training participants are researchers and scientists from the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (Uruguay),  Institute of Agricultural-Alimentary Research and Technology (Spain), the University of Gottingen (Germany), Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. (Japan), AfricaRice (Benin) and IRRI.


The training aims to help the participants become familiar with the basic structure and functions of this latest version of ORYZA2000, which features added functions. The program also covers data preparation for modeling studies, setting parameters, calibration of the model, interpretation of output, analysis of scenarios, and the use of the tool on participants’ respective datasets.

ORYZA2000 is an important tool that scientists can use to extrapolate their research results and verify various hypotheses prior to possible experimentation.

The training team at IRRI is composed of Tao Li, Ando Radanielson, Olivyn Angeles, Man Marcaida, and Mahlie Manalo, with Lolit Adriano as secretary.


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IRRI opens Myanmar office

A decades-long collaboration just got a new home.

The IRRI-Myanmar Office was inaugurated on 12 September 2013 with IRRI’s Deputy Director General for Communication and Partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino and Myanma Department of Agriculture Deputy Director General Aung Kyi cutting the ceremonial ribbon.

Dr. Tolentino reiterated IRRI’s commitment to help Myanmar achieve its goals of becoming a major player in the global rice market and expressed hope that the country, with the help of IRRI, will use its rich resources in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner.

Dr. Kyi, for his part, recalled the pride of being a former top exporter of rice, and said that Myanmar is set to reclaim that standing. He also thanked IRRI for being a steadfast partner in the past decades.

Dr. Kyi and Dr. Tolentino were joined by IRRI-Myanmar Liaison Scientist Madonna Casimero, IRRI National Programs Relations Head Julian Lapitan, Donor Relations and Project Coordination Head Corinta Guerta, as well as representatives from donor organizations, employees of the Myanma Department of Agriculture, and staff members from IRRI Headquarters and the IRRI-Myanmar Office.


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New instrument helps speed up genotyping

A new instrument for analyzing DNA and RNA is now helping advance rice research at IRRI.
The fragment analyzer, now in use at IRRI’s new Genotyping Services Lab (GSL), helps improve the genotyping of molecular markers linked to specific rice traits that can be used to breed better varieties. It does capillary electrophoresis and can run 96 samples in about 90 minutes, and is thus expected to speed up laboratory work.
Michael Thomson, molecular geneticist and marker applications specialist at IRRI, said that they decided on the fragment analyzer after careful review. “The instrument met our critical requirements, which are mainly throughput and reduced hands-on time to improve laboratory workflow and, ultimately, reduce the time it takes to get results.”

The installation of the fragment analyzer is part of a larger effort to upgrade facilities for the GSL. The instrument was supplied by a U.S.-based Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc.

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Sri Lanka: CORRA seeks to boost partnerships for rice research in Asia

Highlighting the strategic role and potential of the Council for Partnership in Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) in strengthening partnership among key stakeholders on rice research and development in Asia is the guiding theme of the council’s 17th annual meeting held at Kandy, Sri Lanka, on 5–6 September 2013.
Strengthening CORRA in enhancing collaboration across the region to benefit rice research is being made in the context of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP).

Senior officials from 14 member-countries, with Singapore as an observer, attended the meeting that was jointly hosted by the Department of Agriculture of Sri Lanka (DOASL) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Rohan Wijekoon, director general of the DOASL, informed participants that Sri Lanka is rice self-sufficient and attributed this achievement not just to Sri Lankan scientists but to global collaborations and exchanges on rice research, such as CORRA.

D.B. Wijeratna, additional secretary of agriculture of Sri Lanka, expressed hope that CORRA can also facilitate sharing of information on rice production and technologies to help Sri Lanka become a rice exporter.

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships at IRRI, exhorted everyone about the need for CORRA to evolve “because the global rice sector is evolving.”

Presentations were made by Sam Mohanty, head of IRRI’s Social Sciences Division, on the status of and outlook for the global rice market; Digna Manzanilla, IRRI scientist and associate coordinator of the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environment, or CURE, delivering a progress report; H. Sembiring, director of the Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development, on the Closing the Rice Yield Gaps in Asia (CORIGAP) project, in lieu of Grant Singleton of IRRI who heads CORIGAP; and Bas Bouman, director of GRiSP, on avenues through which CORRA can effectively participate as an advisory council to GRiSP.

CORRA is composed of senior officials from selected national agricultural research and extension systems or NARES in Asia, which gives the council a strong intellectual and political voice on influencing rice R&D in the region and vast opportunities to deliberate on important research and policy issues affecting the livelihoods of rice farmers and consumers.

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IRRI’s head of research shares about career path with young researchers

The Young Researchers Lunch (YRL) meeting hosted Achim Dobermann, IRRI's deputy director general for research, on 22 August 2013, during which he described his education and career path to some of IRRI’s young scientists. His story emphasized the importance of having dynamic professors who encourage students to pursue a certain field, as well as having the time for exploratory learning as part of research activities.

Participants in the August YRL were Nikos Tsakirpaloglou, Khondoker Mottaleb, Shanta Karki, Man Marcaida, Yvette Naredo, and Ranee Mabesa.

The YRL is a monthly meeting of IRRI scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and scholars who are in the early stages of their career. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for discussion with senior scientists on a range of research topics, including career paths.

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Bigas2 Hack winning apps announced

The winning apps from the two-day (31 August-1 September 2013) developer event, Bigas2 Hack, held by Smart Communications,Inc. (Smart) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), are hereby announced:  

Bring-your-own idea challenge winners 

• "Weather-on-the-Go" as Best Innovation App - notifies users of weather forecasts and changes via SMS and a web-based app module; developed by GoRated Team (Gian Santillan, Patrick Ofilada, and Ericson Luciano).
• "HarBestDeal" as runner-up for Best Innovation App - a platform that establishes communication and trade among farmers, traders, and IRRI; developed by HarBest Team (Tito Mari Francis Escano and Nel Vergara).

Short-term challenge winners 

• "RiceCalc" as Best Farmer App -  an online tool that helps farmers with decisionmaking and features a variety seed selector and calculators to determine profitability, moisture loss, milling quality, and others; developed by xTra Rice Team (Diony Guillen, Alexander Delos Santos, and Leandro Parmis). 
• "Visitors Kiosk App" as Best Consumer App - a web-based tool that visitors can use to view IRRI's Riceworld Museum; developed by LB Pips Team (Raven Lagrimas and Paul Elessat Caceres).   

Long-term challenge winners 

• "Butil" as Best Research Optimization App - an automated digital phenotyping system using a camera that will monitor plant development in the screenhouse for analysis of images that assist in phenotyping and monitoring; developed by Ani Mo Team (Brian Paul Samson, Ralph Vincent Regalado, Enzo Hagad, and Francis Lai).
• "OryzaOnline" as runner-up for Best Research Optimization App - a web-based user interface for IRRI’s ORYZA2000 predictive crop growth software; developed by Hackalyst Team (Nehemiah Caballong, Henry Dela Cruz Cayaban, Steve Belarmino, and Abraham Darius Allave).

Each of the 37 hackathon participants  received freebies including t-shirts, lanyards, and credits on Amazon Web Services (AWS) , Microsoft Azure, and Google App Engine cloud servers. The winning teams received Lenovo smart phones or Archos tablets for each member, Jollibee gift certificates, a freelancer.com annual membership fee, USSE data leakage protection software, SMART DevNet laptop bags, and packs of brown rice.

Smart Communications, Inc. was a major sponsor and co-organizer of Bigas2 Hack. Other sponsors are AWS, Microsoft BizSpark , Google Developers Group, freelancer.com, and Jollibee Group Foundation. Additional partners include the U.S. Embassy-Manila, Mozilla Philippines, Advance Microsystems, and Soft Microenterprises.

“The encouraging support of our co-organizer, sponsors, and partners was one of the strengths of this event,” said Charizabel Fortunado-Sapiandante, IRRI’s Bigas2 Hack sponsorship specialist. “It shows that we share the same core values of innovation and creativity. IRRI is very grateful for their facilitation of the server platform workshops prior to the hackathon; subsidy of the participants’ food, accommodation, and transportation needs; and for donating the exciting prizes for the winning teams. They also helped us in inviting our highly competent guest judges.”

"I saw a lot of excitement and buzz around the hackathon products from our partners," said Katie Nelson, who led the Bigas2 Hack organizing team. “Many of them mentioned that it was great that we had an interesting theme because not many hackathons focus on IT in agriculture. We have lots of data to back up the ideas, and strong involvement from the researchers. In my opinion, this is a great recipe for start-up success."

"Before the event, I was a bit worried that some of the challenges set would be preferred over others,” said Nicola Wunderlich, one of the hackathon’s challenge coordinators. “I would have been disappointed for the resource persons that spent quite a lot of time and effort to come up with the challenges, if their particular challenge would have not been attempted at all. I was relieved and excited to see that just about all challenges were taken on almost evenly."

Katie sees the expansion of these types of hackathons. “We have discussed doing a similar hackathon in one of our partner countries. But, even more exciting to me would be to see global involvement from other international agriculture research centers, the CGIAR centers. Like other global hacks, such as Angel Hack, each center would come up with their own issues to solve and each would organize the hack individually to take place on the same day around the world. It would be a global 'Hunger Hack', if you will,” she said.

“I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the Bigas2 Hack—for organizing another splendid event—including the organizing team led by Katie Nelson, Marco, the whole ITS team, EVO, and many others,” said Achim Dobermann, IRRI’s deputy director general for research. “I can only recommend to all IRRI staff to take a closer look at the 12 ideas that were presented on Sunday, because I saw potential for use in IRRI for nearly all of them. Well done.”


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Climate change modeling workshop ongoing at IRRI

The inception workshop for the Integrated Modeling of Climate Change Impacts on Agricultural Productivity and Socio-Economic Status, or IMCASE, is now being held (3–5 September 2013) at the Social Sciences Division, IRRI Headquarters.


The workshop aims to present an overview of the IMCASE project to stakeholders, introduce various modeling tools that the project will use, discuss the integration mechanism of these modeling tools, and explore potential collaboration with ongoing related projects and institutions.

Participants of the inception workshop were from government agencies and NGOs and include the Food and Agriculture Organization; Global Information and Early Warning Systems; International Center for Tropical Agriculture; Asian Development Bank; International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center; Regional Integrated Multi-hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia; International Research Institute for Climate and Society; DA-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics; the Climate Monitoring and Prediction and Philippine Impact Assessment and Applications sections of the Climatology and Agrometereology Division, PAGASA; Analysis and Mapping of Impacts under Climate Change for Adaptation and Food Security; and IRRI.


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Laos and Indonesia: Training held on weather-rice-nutrient decision tool prototype

A training course on the use of a prototype of the Weather-Rice-Nutrient Integrated Decision Support System or WeRise for rainfed lowland rice production was held on 19–20 August 2013 at Vientiane, Laos, and on 22–23 August 2013 at Bogor, Indonesia.

The WeRise training course covers simulation of crop growth for the forecast weather scenario in the prototype, and feedback collection from potential users to ensure user-friendliness of its features.

Specific topics included modeling crop growth, database management, crop-weather-nutrient model interface, and practical exercises on the WeRise prototype.

Participants’ feedback indicate that majority of the respondents found the WeRise prototype easy to use and the output easy to understand. Of the 10 respondents who have experience in using other Decision Support tools, 9 respondents found WeRise prototype easy to use and 5 respondents found the prototype simple and more complete. Four respondents expressed interest and excitement in using the final version of the WeRise.

Rainfed rice yields are low and unstable mainly because of uncertainty in rainfall amount and distribution, nutrient stress, and pests. Extreme weather events caused by climate change could further reduce rice productivity in these areas.

WeRise aims to assist rainfed rice farmers under current and future climate scenarios. It uses a seasonal weather forecast that provides farmers crucial weather information, such as the start and end of the rainy season and rainfall distribution during the crop-growing season. It also advises farmers when to sow and transplant the crop, what variety is appropriate, and how fertilizer and other inputs may be efficiently applied.

Forty-three researchers and agricultural extension workers from Laos (National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute; National University of Lao PDR; Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment; IRRI-Laos; Department of Agriculture, Extension and Cooperatives; Department of Agriculture; Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Office; District of Agriculture and Forestry Office; and the Department of Agriculture, Land Management, and Development); Indonesia (Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology; Indonesian Agroclimate and Hydrology Research Institute; Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development; Indonesian Center for Rice Research; Executing Agency for Food Security and Agricultural Extension, Fisheries and Forestry; Food Security Office; and IRRI-Indonesia); and Bangladesh (Bangladesh Rice Research Institute) participated in the training course.

The training course was hosted by the Climate Change Adaptation in Rainfed Rice Areas (CCARA) project, an IRRI-Japan collaborative research initiative, and was organized by IRRI and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences.

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Lenovo donates computers for CyberVillage Project

Two all-in-one computer units and a laptop were donated to the Philippine CyberVillage project by Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

The equipment was turned over to representatives of the CyberVillage project by Maria Victoria Agorilla, Lenovo country general manager and officer of the InfoCom Technology Association of the Philippines or ITAPhil.

The Philippine CyberVillage project is the short name for "Enhancing Knowledge Exchange and Decision-making among Rice Stakeholders through the Development and Promotion of Location-Specific Rice Knowledge Products and Delivery Systems,” which aims to teach farmers to use information and communication technology (ICT) tools to improve their access to farming advise and rice research products, and thus improve their livelihood.

The project uses at least three ICT tools to inform extension workers and farmers about better farm management practices:

• The Pinoy Rice Knowledge Bank (www.pinoyrkb.com/), a repository of science-based information on rice run by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice);
• The IRRI Rice Doctor (http://knowledgebank.irri.org/RiceDoctor) to assess rice crop diseases and explain relevant management options; and
• The Nutrient Manager for Rice, a fertilizer management program developed by IRRI that provides location-specific recommendations via the Internet and as an app on Android smartphones (http://webapps.irri.org/nm/nmtutorial/).

IRRI has partnered with the local government units of eight municipalities (Batac, Ilocos Norte; Apalit, Pampanga; Victoria, Laguna; Infanta, Quezon; Banay-Banay, Davao Oriental; Kabacan, North Cotabato; and Dingle and Oton, Iloilo—a total of 39 barangays) and several NGOs, regional and local state colleges and universities, and rice research institutions in the country.

"The donation demonstrates the working partnership between ITAPhil and IRRI in helping accelerate the impact of rice research and technologies that are crucial in improving the livelihood of rice farmer-cooperators in our pilot CyberVillage. Farmer-cooperators who will use these computers will surely be very pleased and inspired to move the project along in its aim of getting relevant rice information and technologies to farmers through these ICT tools," said Julian Lapitan, senior manager of IRRI's National Programs Relations.


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Local residents affected by typhoon get help from IRRI personnel

IRRI employees responded quickly to a call for relief goods for those affected by Habagat (monsoon) rains exacerbated by Typhoon Maring in August 2013.

Sacks of rice, canned food, milk, coffee, hygiene products, and clothing were turned over to residents of Barangay Lalakay who were staying in evacuation centers because their homes were destroyed by mudslides. Donated goods were likewise distributed to households in Barangay Malinta, where houses were partly still partly flooded. Both barangays are located in Los Baños, Laguna.
The Host Country and Community Relations office (HCCRO) team, which organized the relief operation, is also currently extending assistance to residents of flooded areas in barangays Tagumpay and San Antonio in Bay, Laguna.

Residents and local government officials have thanked IRRI’s HCCRO and Neighborhood Emergency Services Team for immediate and efficient monitoring and disaster response, including management of the evacuation center, during the monsoon rains that lasted for several days.


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IRRI trains neighboring communities on disaster preparedness

Twenty six responders completed the Neighborhood Emergency Service Team (NEST) training on light search and rescue in difficult mountain areas, medical preparedness, fire and earthquake response, anti-terrorism skills, and hazard mapping among others on August 26-30.  The new members of the NEST team were resident of upland barangays of Sta. Cruz, and Bitin in Bay, Laguna.



The NEST training is facilitated by the disaster preparedness team of the Emergency Research Center (ERC), funded by the United Parcel Services, (UPS) and managed by IRRI's Partnerships Office through the HCCRO, and the Safety and Security Services (SSS).


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Indian state extends use of drought-tolerant rice

An awareness and review workshop on cluster demonstrations of drought tolerant rice in India’s eastern state of Jharkhand was held by IRRI and the State Agricultural Management and Extension Training Institute (SAMETI) on 30 August 2013 in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.


More than 70 people, including 11 women, agricultural officers from all the districts, training coordinators, and extension officers from KVKs, NGOs, and seed producers, participated in the workshop. Mr. Kamal Kishore Soan, Director of Agriculture (Jharkhand) was chief guest of the event and other officials included Mr. Jata Shankar Chaudhary (Director, State Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute, or SAMETI), Dr. Mukund Variar (Director, Central Rainfed and Upland Rice research Station or CRURRS, Hazaribagh), Dr. D N Singh (Rice Breeder, Birsa Agricultural University, or BAU), and Dr. Ratan P. Singh (Director Extension, BAU, Ranchi).

Dr. Manzoor Hussain Dar (IRRI, STRASA) welcomed the participants. He presented an overview of the cluster demonstrations of stress-tolerant rice varieties  and objectives of the workshop. He emphasized the need for partnership development between different stakeholders across the state to ensure the speedy dissemination of information, seed up-scaling, and faster diffusion of drought-tolerant rice varieties. He acknowledged the initiatives of the Department of Agriculture, Jharkhand, to undertake large scale seed production of Sahbhagi Dhan – a drought-tolerant rice variety – through seed village programmes and their evaluation of the drought-tolerant rice IR64 NIL at various locations in the lead-up to its planned release. Dr. Dar also acknowledged the strong coordination between the Stress-tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia, or STRASA and SAMETI as an example for other states.

Other presentations were given by Dr. Variar, who talked about the rice situation in Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh with respect to climate change, and Mr. Jata Shankar Chaudhary, about the initiatives that the department has taken to scale up the seed production and dissemination of drought-tolerant rice varieties like Sahbhagi Dhan. Mr. Shankar provided assurance that their efforts will be intensified by linking their work with other schemes. He also offered help and cooperation to  STRASA to undertake their activities including the evaluation of new genetic material and awareness creation.

Meanwhile, Chief Guest Mr. Kamal Kishore Soan endorsed the suitability and profitability of Sahbhagi Dhan in Jharkhand, and recommended the development of an action plan to prepare the state for droughts in the future. He proposed the need ffor buffer stock of Sahbhagi dhan seed as a part of a contingency plan to help the state cope during drought years.

In the final session of the workshop, the possible strategies and action plan for the upscaling of stress-tolerant rice technology and sustainable seed production for the Jharkhand state was discussed. An action plan with the timeline including the roles of all possible stakeholders involved will be jointly structured by SAMETI and IRRI and submitted to the department for the instant implementation. Mr. T C Dhoundiyal (STRASA) formally delivered the vote of thanks to all the participants.

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Hei Leung honored for work in rice blast

Dr. Hei Leung during the 6th International
Rice Blast Conference in South Korea.

Hei Leung, IRRI Principal Scientist and Program 1 Leader, received the "Lifetime Achievement for Rice Blast Research" award at the 6th International Rice Blast Conference in Jeju, South Korea on 23 August 2013.

Dr. Leung is one of the pioneering plant pathologists in molecular analysis of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. His fervent interest in blast research began early in his career and, over the last 30 years, he has made significant contributions to many aspects of rice/pathogen interactions, application of pathogen population biology, and dissection of qualitative and quantitative disease resistance in rice.

He has been a key player in helping many institutions and national partners in developing countries  to build their research capacity and enabling them to develop varieties with better resistance by applying new knowledge in host-pathogen interactions and plant genomics.


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India: Government honors breeder’s work for first salt-tolerant Basmati

The government of India, through the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), recognized the contributions of R.K. Singh in the development of the first salt-tolerant Basmati rice variety, Basmati CSR30, in a ceremony held in New Delhi on 16 July 2013.

Dr. Singh is a senior scientist at IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) division. He co-developed Basmati CSR30 with B. Mishra while working with him at the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI) in Karnal, India, before joining IRRI.
The recognition for ‘outstanding service to his country’ was received by a representative on Dr. Singh’s behalf by Sharad Panwar, Indian minister of agriculture and ICAR president. Dr. Singh was unable to attend the ceremony in person.

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IRRI-trained emergency teams help community during heavy monsoon rains

For the past two days, members of the Neighborhood Emergency Services Team (NEST) teams in various barangays in Los Banos and Bay have been actively monitoring flood and erosion situations, providing hourly feedback on the heavy downpour caused by Typhoon Maring and the Habagat (monsoon) rains. They have also been helping bring affected families in Barangay Lalakay to an evacuation center.


IRRI earlier facilitated a NEST training with participants from barangays Maahas and San Antonio in Los Banos on 24-28 June 2013 and for barangay Paciano Rizal in Bay on 29 July-2 August, with 21 and 26 graduates, respectively.

With funding from the United Parcel Services (UPS) and through the facilitation of IRRI's Host Country and Community Relations Office and Safety and Security Services, the NEST was started in 2012 as a program designed to build participants’ capacity to provide help; prepare themselves in any emergency; avoid crime and terrorism; prevent fire incidents and be knowledgeable in the use of basic firefighting equipment; contribute to the safety and security of the community; and save lives.


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CORIGAP opens as IRRC achievements lauded in new RIPPLE issue

The 23rd issue of RIPPLE features the Closing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia (CORIGAP) Project, which takes off from the success of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC). The new CORIGAP project builds on partnerships and linkages formed by the IRRC in six partner-countries—Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and Vietnam. CORIGAP’s goal is to sustainably increase rice yield by 10% by 2016 in three major rice granaries and by 20% by 2022 in six granaries for 500,000 smallholder farmers.

A summary of the IRRC’s achievements for the past 16 years can also be read in the latest RIPPLE issue. From an external panel report titled, Meta-impact assessment of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC), the IRRC is shown to have delivered a six-fold economic return of a US$12 million investment from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Other stories feature the works of Roderick Rejesus, a Filipino agricultural economist at North Carolina State University in the USA, and Ladda Viriyangkura, senior specialist on rice inspection and certification at the Thailand Rice Department.

The new issue of RIPPLE can be accessed through the IRRC web site, or downloaded from Scribd.


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Analytical services lab gets ISO certification

IRRI’s Analytical Service Laboratory (ASL) recently received its new PAO ISO 17025 certificates for maintaining its accreditation after the Philippine Accreditation Office (PAO) conducted its third yearly surveillance visit.



The ASL also successfully added 13 standard operating procedures to its scope of accreditation, covering all plant- and soil-testing methods and most of its water analyses.

ISO 17025 is the hallmark of quality assurance in chemical testing.

The Analytical Service Laboratory (ASL), manned by a team led by Lilia Molina, is IRRI’s first ISO-accredited testing laboratory.

Learn more about the ASL.



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West Bengal: Stress-tolerant rice seed production strengthened

A workshop that sought to sustain awareness and strengthen seed production of stress-tolerant rice varieties (STRVs) was held at the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, on 2 August 2013.


The workshop was organized by the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia, or STRASA, project and the IRRI-National Food Security Mission (NFSM), in close association with the West Bengal Agriculture Department and the West Bengal Seed Association (WBSA).

The workshop had 60 participants, composed of deputy directors from all districts where demonstrations are being carried out and representatives from small private seed companies who have major shares in the paddy seed market in West Bengal and adjoining states.

STRASA’s Manzoor Hussain Dar discussed a seed delivery strategy that aims to actively promote small-scale farmers’ access to quality seed of stress-tolerant varieties. He further outlined a work plan to overcome key bottlenecks in the production and delivery of STRVs.

S.K Bardhan Roy, senior rice breeder and key collaborator of STRASA, explained how different varieties with tolerance to single or multiple stresses are being multiplied and evaluated in West Bengal, highlighting the performance of these varieties in drought-, flood-, and salinity-prone areas of the state.

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Direct-seeded rice areas to get boost from rice that can germinate in anaerobic conditions

The inception and planning meeting for the BMZ-supported project, Increasing productivity of direct-seeded rice areas by incorporating genes for tolerance of anaerobic conditions during germination, was held at IRRI on 13–14 August 2013.

The BMZ-supported project provides IRRI an opportunity to better understand the mechanisms underlying tolerance of anaerobic germination (AG) stress in order to develop rice varieties that can survive flooded conditions right after sowing, and to test improved crop management practices in direct-seeded conditions.



IRRI partners with three institutions for the project—the Max Plank Institute (MPI) for Developmental Biology in Germany; the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice); and the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) in Sri Lanka.

Eero Nissila, head of IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology division, said that improved AG-tolerant varieties and the corresponding crop and weed management is very much needed in each of the participating countries.

Discussed during the inception meeting were the occurrence of flooding during germination and weed problems in each of the participating countries, and the need to test newly developed AG-tolerant varieties along with crop and weed management practices.

The participants, who drafted research work plans for each country, were Oliver Manangkil and Rolando Cruz (Philippines); D.S. Kalukandara and R.S.K. Keerthisena (Sri Lanka); and Abdelbagi Ismail, Berta Miro, Bhagirath Chauhan, Carlos Casal, Eero Nissila, Endang Septiningsih, Evangeline Ella, Frederickson Entila, James Quilty, John Carlos Ignacio, Leigh Vial, Margaret Pelayo, Ofelia Namuco, Swarna Herath, Swe Myint Thien, Teodoro Migo, Thahir Awan, and Tobias Kretzschmar (IRRI).


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Chinese Taipei: IRRI scientist speaks on reducing postharvest losses at APEC seminar

Alfred Schmidley, business model and value chain specialist at IRRI, was a featured speaker at the recent APEC seminar, Strengthening Public-Private Partnership to Reduce Food Losses in the Supply Chain, hosted by Chinese Taipei.

The event, held on 5–8 August 2013, was the first major output of a multi-year project by APEC that began this year to address losses from food processing and elsewhere along the supply chain. It was attended by 120 participants from the APEC Secretariat and 18 member-economies.
In his presentation titled, Advancing postharvest technologies to reduce losses in rice postharvest value chains, Mr. Schmidley spoke about how postharvest losses are aggravated by increased yields, cropping systems intensification, and other factors such as labor shortages, the absence of improved technologies, and the lack of a postharvest sector capacity to efficiently process paddy and reduce losses.

The APEC seminar highlighted the fact that 95% of agricultural research monies go toward increasing yields while only 5%, or less, is allocated to reducing postharvest losses and addressing other postharvest issues.

The seminar is part of an ongoing effort by APEC to raise awareness about food losses, find better ways to measure and assess losses among member-economies, enable private sector investment, and foster adoption of technologies that can reduce losses across farm and food-processing supply chains.

At the end of the conference, delegates agreed to establish a focal point network (FPN) and appoint cross-sector representatives from APEC member-economies. They also agreed to establish a research team to follow up on assessment methodologies, tool kits, datasets, and the need for future capacity building activities.

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Vietnam: Rice postharvest and laser-leveling advocacy seminar conducted

While the Mekong Delta remains a major rice-producing region, other areas in Vietnam must not be left behind in efforts to improve the quality of the country’s rice exports through improved postharvest technologies.

A seminar on rice postharvest and laser-leveling for the northern, central, and highland regions of Vietnam was held on 30–31 July 2013 in Quang Ngai Province.
Seventy participants from the project’s partner universities and local government authorities and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Trimble, and Ideal Farming Corporation attended the event.

The seminar aimed to identify constraints and opportunities in expanding technology use in the various regions of Vietnam, document insights to guide policy for promoting laser-leveling technology, and ensure the commitment of the provinces to the goal.

Participants were brought on a field tour at the Quang Ngai Sugarcane Seed Center and in Ngia Hinh District, where the use and benefits of laser-leveling technology are showcased.
Partners from Nong Lam University’s (NLU) Ho Chi Minh City and Hue campuses presented the results of their assessment of different rice postharvest technologies in Vietnam. Truong Thi Thanh Nhan, one of the first to buy laser-leveling equipment in Dak Lak Province in central Vietnam, reported about the advantages of using the technology. Mark Heyward of Trimble presented various business model proposals that may interest farmers or farmers’ groups.

The event was organized through the Asian Development Bank-IRRI Postharvest Project, in cooperation with NLU, the National Extension Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.


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Women rice farmers honored

IRRI marked its first-ever Women in Rice Farming Day on 8 August 2013 to recognize the role of women in agriculture, particularly in rice farming. The event was attended by 213 participants from the national and local governments including the Philippine legislature, the academe, media, NGOs, and the private sector.

Emerlinda Roman, chair of the IRRI Board of Trustees, welcomed the participants, citing the Philippines as "one of the world's leading countries in laws, rules and regulations that promote the rights and welfare of women and protect them against discrimination and harassment in the workplace."

She also mentioned that Filipino women are well represented in research as well as in research leadership in the Philippines and studies reveal that gender is not a big issue in the country as women continue to be actively involved in various fields, especially in education and research.
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, undersecretary for special concerns at the Department of Agriculture (DA), said that according to the National Statistics Office in 2012, 93.4% of Filipino women are employed. Out of the number of employed women, 21.7% are in the field of agriculture, 80% of whom are in rice farming.

“Women participation is particularly high in activities such as planting, weeding, input and fertilizer application, drying, and sacking. Indeed, women constitute an integral part of the rice industry in the Philippines,” Usec. Romulo-Puyat added. She also thanked IRRI for organizing the event, which was held at the IRRI Headquarters. It was attended by women from the national and local government units, the academe, the media, and the private sector.

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, deputy director general for communication and partnerships at IRRI, presented a briefing on the event and an overview of IRRI’s research agenda.    

Women in Rice Farming Day activities included interaction with scientists and rice experts through a marketplace presentation of IRRI’s work on rice breeding, women-inclusive rice research, International Rice Genebank, the Nutrient Manager, grain quality and nutrition, and healthier rice. Booths were also set up for DA/PhilRice and the PCW.

Participants were brought on a field tour that included stops in which they were introduced to IRRI’s facilities on its long-term continuous cropping experiment, farm equipment and machinery, ecological engineering, seed health, and quality seed storage.

The event was held in partnership with the DA and the PCW.  View photo album.

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IRRI backs Golden Rice research

After the successful observance of Nutrition Month in the Philippines, IRRI’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships V. Bruce J. Tolentino called on fellow Filipinos to rally against malnutrition and support the quest for solutions to help solve vitamin A deficiency. He explained that Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A) that IRRI is developing with the Philippines as a potential new way to reduce vitamin A deficiency and improve nutrition among rice consumers, especially women and children.


However, on the morning of 8 August 2013, one of the Golden Rice field trials at Pili, Camarines Sur, was vandalized. It was disappointing news, but as Dr. Tolentino said in a media release, “It is just one trial and we will continue our Golden Rice research to improve human nutrition.” He also gave a video statement that emphasized the importance of Golden Rice research.

Abelardo Bragas, regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit 5, gave a statement condemning the vandalism of the trial plot. Philippine Secretary of Agriculture Proceso Alcala, who is also a member of the IRRI Board of Trustees, said on national television that the research on Golden Rice should be continued to completion.

The ruined site, where nearly all plants were uprooted or trampled, was less than a hectare in size.

Dr. Tolentino visited the site on 9 August and reported in his blog that the “entire research team was already looking forward to completing the project.” A global petition has since started in support of IRRI's Golden Rice research.

The incident has been reported across local, national, and international media and we are replying to all inquiries. Follow us on Twitter (@riceresearch) or follow hashtag #goldenrice for updates.

More on Golden Rice.


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Mapping and GIS capacity strengthened to aid spread of stress-tolerant rice

An international training-workshop on the characterization of rice-growing environments was held on 24–26 July 2013 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop, joined by 35 participants, aimed to facilitate the dissemination of stress-tolerant varieties in the region.

The 3-day training-workshop sought to introduce to and instruct participants on the use of various tools and techniques related to remote sensing, GIS, and other geospatial technologies for drought assessment and monitoring; characterization of drought-, submergence-, and salinity-prone areas; and targeted dissemination, real-time data collection and transfer, business management-to-extension system, and rice crop monitoring using satellite data—all to assess impact and prospects of enhancing rice production in the rainfed lowlands of South Asia through crop and natural resource management.

The event was opened by D.B. Gurung, executive director of the Nepal Agricultural Research Council, commending the Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia (STRASA) project for its success in targeted dissemination of stress-tolerant rice varieties in India and Bangladesh within a very short period of time, through the use of remote sensing and GIS techniques and applications. “I am very keen on IRRI replicating such an initiative in Nepal in the near future,” he said.

Dr. Gurung also applauded IRRI’s capacity building efforts, particularly through STRASA and EC-IFAD programs, for Nepalese scientists and extension officials.

Vijay Kumar Mallick, joint secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Development of Nepal, shared about experiences in Nepal regarding the work on remote sensing and GIS and requested IRRI’s support in identifying and characterizing target areas for dissemination of improved rice varieties.

Sudhanshu Singh, IRRI’s rainfed lowland agronomist for South Asia, welcomed participants to the event. A.N. Singh, GIS consultant, gave the overview, rationale, and expectations for the workshop.

Participants were brought on a field visit on 26 July.

The training-workshop was made possible through support from the STRASA and EC-IFAD projects.


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IRRI biometrics group releases statistical tool for Windows

The Biometrics and Breeding Informatics (BBI) group, under IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PBGB) division, has launched version 1.0 of the Statistical Tool for Agricultural Research, or STAR. 

STAR is a complete data management package that provides statistical analyses of experimental data. Its main modules and facilities are data management with a spreadsheet, descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation and linear regression analysis, randomization with layout and electronic field book, and non-parametric data analysis. 

STAR runs on the Windows operating systems and has a user-friendly interface where options are accessible via drop-down menus. It uses the Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) for the graphical interface and R language for statistical computing and graphics.

STAR version 1.0 may be downloaded from http://bbi.irri.org/.  Comments or suggestions are welcome and can be sent to STAR.bbi@irri.org. 

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Philippine university to deliver scholarship program with IRRI

An agreement was signed between Central Mindanao University (CMU) and IRRI on 19 July 2013 to deliver the Gawad Patnubay College Scholarship Program for deserving dependents of agrarian reform beneficiaries, cooperatives, and local government units where the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) operates.

 Ma. Luisa Soliven, CMU president, signed the agreement with Corinta Guerta, IRRI director for external relations. 

Witnessing the signing were Revelieta Alovera, head of CMU’s Plant Pathology Department; Glenn Gregorio, IRRI senior scientist; Eugenio Castro, senior research manager at the IRRI Training Center (TC); and Anilyn Maningas, assistant manager at the TC. A meeting ensued between representatives from the CMU and the IRRI TC to further discuss guidelines for the implementation of the scholarship program.

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Healthier rice on agenda of Philippines food officials' visit

IRRI's healthier rice research leader
Gerard Barry (left) and Oscar Gutierrez (right)
of the FDA.

Senior representatives of the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) visited IRRI Headquarters on 29 July 2013 for a briefing on the Institute’s research on healthier rice, including Golden Rice.


The FDA’s mission is to ensure the safety, efficacy, purity, and quality of products that it regulates through effective implementation of the national regulatory framework consistent with international best practices. The FDA has shown leadership in helping accurately communicate the status and safety of GM crops approved in the Philippines when it issued a safety advisory on 24 June 2013 titled, The Safety of Genetically-Modified Foods Produced Through Modern Biotechnology.

The briefing for the FDA at IRRI is part of an ongoing series of meetings with government and other stakeholders in the Philippines to inform them about the Institute’s work on healthier rice.

During the visit, V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships, provided an overview of IRRI’s research. Gerard Barry, leader of the Golden Rice project, talked in detail about IRRI’s research on developing healthier rice.

The group visited the Golden Rice screenhouse to view plants and grain samples, the gene transformation laboratory for a glimpse of IRRI’s GM rice research, and the International Rice Genebank to see IRRI’s rich collection of rice varieties conserved there.

The guests from the FDA were Kenneth Hartigan-Go, MD, director general; Cristal Ann Laquindanum, MD, head executive assistant, Office of the Director General; Maria Victoria Pinion, OIC, Product Research and Standard Development Division, CFRR; Flordeliza Abrahan, head, Food Laboratory Division, CFRR; Oscar Gutierrez, DVM, OIC, Policy and Planning Office; Abram Joseph Magnaye, DOH-DOST-PCHRD fellow (economics), PPO-FDA; and Rudolph Tan.

View more photos of the visit.

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Philippine agriculture oversight team visits IRRI

Participants of the COCAFM briefing at IRRI

IRRI welcomed the members of the secretariat of the Philippines’ Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization (COCAFM), led by Executive Director Jocelyn Rodriguez-Badiola, on 18 July 2013 for a briefing on the Institute’s research, specifically on healthier rice.

COCAFM serves the agriculture and related committees, such as rural development and agricultural reform, of both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines. Its mandate is to monitor the implementation of the Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act; oversee and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Congressional Commission on Agricultural Modernization as well as all programs and projects related to agriculture and fisheries; and provide legislative support.

Presentations on the following were given: IRRI and PhilRice's work to support the Philippines’ Food Staples Sufficiency Program, by V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships; PhilRice’s work, by Eufemio Rasco Jr., PhilRice executive director; and IRRI’s work on rice and a healthy diet by Inez Slamet-Loedin, IRRI scientist.

The COCAFM group also attended a seminar by Howarth Bouis on the work of HarvestPlus to increase the nutrition content of various crops, and had a chance to see Golden Rice grain samples.

Aside from mebers of the COCAFM Secretariat, other key officials attended included: Santiago Obien, representing Dante Delima, assistant secretary of the Department of Agriculture and director of the Rice Program; Ariel Gacayan, executive director of the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council; and Abraham Manalo of the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines. Jimmy Tadeo and Romeo Royandoyan, senior leaders of the farming and NGO sectors, respectively, also came with the group.

View more photos here.

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Ecological engineering data consolidated for planthopper project

The ADB-IRRI Rice Planthopper Project held its final data synthesis workshop to consolidate data on arthropod biodiversity collected from experiment sites in the past two years.



Research partners came from China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines (PhilRice), and IRRI and were taught to sort ecological engineering data. A series of lectures and hands-on exercises on summary statistics, inferential analyses, biodiversity statistics and analyses were also held.

The partners worked on their respective countries’ data sets as well as combined these data sets for cross-country comparisons.

The workshop was held on 29–31 July 2013 at IRRI.


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Bangladesh: First 5-ton flatbed dryer installed

The 5-ton flatbed dryer is the first of its kind installed in Bangladesh.

Drying remains a key problem for farmers and other stakeholders in the rice postharvest chain in Bangladesh. To help overcome the problem, which is worst during the boro and aus (wet) harvest, a flatbed dryer was set up in the Jessore hub.



The establishment of the flatbed dryer was made possible through an agreement made in December 2012 between Ali Seed Farm and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) in Bangladesh, under its postharvest component.

A team started work at the premises of the Ali Seed Farm at Rupdia, Jessore, in March 2013 and completed installation and a test-run of new flatbed dryer on the last week of May. The team was composed of Debashish Chanda, senior specialist for postharvest and business model development, CSISA-BD; Alfred Schmidley, scientist, IRRI; and Lito Diestro, a dryer manufacturer from the Philippines

The new 5-ton flatbed dryer with a modified rice hull furnace is a good and affordable mechanical drying system that offers a practical solution for recovering more paddy and more value from farmers’ rice harvests.

Before the mechanical dryer was installed, the owner of the farm had to dry large volumes of seed on the drying floor and had to depend on sunlight. In just the last year, he lost about 400 tons of paddy seed because of rainy weather. He now says that, al though the cost of operation from the flatbed dryer is about the same as when he was drying seeds on the floor, he would be happy to pay even more for it.

Mechanical drying services will benefit farmers, processors, and trade intermediaries by recovering more of farmers’ harvests and by adding value to paddy. Flatbed dryers can also potentially be used to dry maize, soybean, and other crops.

Expansion of the current enterprise will not only expand contract drying services for a diverse customer base in the postharvest rice chain but will also allow the enterprise to access potential opportunities for drying other types of crop.

In a seminar held on 25 July 2013 at the IRRI Bangladesh Office, Dr. Chanda introduced this new business model, with emphasis on the fact that the 5-ton flatbed dryer is the first of its kind installed in Bangladesh and is running and benefiting the owner.


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Women in rice farming to star at IRRI event

IRRI recognizes the crucial role of women in agriculture and food security, particularly in rice farming. In partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), the Institute will be hosting Women in rice farming, an event that gives tribute to women and their contributions to rice production, on 8 August 2013 at IRRI Headquarters.

“Filipino women in rice farming are very proud of the fact that they are not only the family’s treasurers but are partners with their husbands in decision-making on farm and household matters,” said Thelma Paris, leader of IRRI’s gender research. “They are thus potential contributors and beneficiaries of rice technologies through rice research.” 

“Through this event, women in rice-farming communities can gain more knowledge and skills related to new technologies, which can help them make sound decisions to better manage their rice production,” added Dr. Paris. “In this event, we are also giving tribute and recognition to women leaders and ’unsung’ workers in the fields, especially in arduous operations such as transplanting, weeding, harvesting, gleaning, and other value-adding activities that are crucial in achieving household and national food (rice) security.”

Women in rice farming will be attended by women farmers and women from the national and local government units, the academe, and the private sector. Activities will include a field tour of IRRI’s facilities; viewing of various women-friendly machinery developed by IRRI’s Postharvest Center; marketplace presentations of IRRI’s research projects; and an open forum where guests, scientists, and researchers can discuss different aspects of food security. There will also be a tour of the Riceworld Museum and a viewing of the exhibit, Feathers in the Fields: The Birds of IRRI.

The event is a highlight of IRRI’s celebration of the National Year of Rice 2013.

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Healthier rice takes center stage at international rice festival

V. Bruce J. Tolentino, IRRI’s communication and partnerships head, opened the International Rice Festival
with representatives from the National Nutrition Council, PhilRice, Oxfam, Megaworld Lifestyle Centers.The opening program included a rice wine-toasting ceremony and a cultural performance from the Indak Lahi dance troupe.

In keeping with Nutrition Month and the National Year of Rice (NYR) celebrations in the Philippines, IRRI

partnered with Megaworld Corporation to stage the International Rice Festival at Eastwood Mall, Quezon City, on 26–28 July 2013.

“Improving the nutrition and health of rice consumers and rice farmers is one of the main goals of IRRI,” said V. Bruce J. Tolentino, the Institute’s deputy director general for communication and partnerships, in his message during the Festival’s opening ceremony.

IRRI’s participation in the Festival was a fun opportunity to share its work with the public and to affirm its support to the rice self-sufficiency goal of the Philippine government, which is the focus of the NYR.

During the Rice Symposium on 28 July, Dr. Tolentino talked about IRRI and shared highlights of the Institute’s research and development programs. Lina Torrizo, associate scientist at IRRI’s Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology division, discussed “hidden hunger,” or micronutrient deficiency that is prevalent in rice-consuming populations. She also spoke about IRRI’s work in developing healthier rice varieties as a potential new way to improve the nutrition of rice consumers.

Rosa Paula Cuevas, postdoctoral fellow at IRRI, got the audience talking about their rice preferences and dissected the various aspects of rice grain quality in a presentation.

The three-day event highlighted healthier ways to cook, serve, and enjoy rice through exhibits, bazaars, and cooking demos.

Other organizations that participated in the festival include the Philippine Rice Research Institute, Oxfam, Center for Culinary Arts, National Bookstore, Robinson’s Supermarket, Galileo Enotica, and more.

The IRRI booth featured taste-tests of brown rice to help consumers appreciate its appeal and learn more about its nutritional benefits over the commonly preferred white rice.

Mall-goers were likewise invited to sign up for a free subscription to e-Rice Today, IRRI’s quarterly publication. More than 200 signed up to receive e-Rice Today for free and more than 400 visited the brown rice-tasting booth.

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