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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