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IRRI Annual report 2011
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IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
The following sections highlight
a cross-section of the significant
events, media coverage,
activities, and awards during 2011.
More details on these and others can
be found elsewhere on the DVD and
via archival links on the Web to more
comprehensive, all-inclusive details in
IRRI’s weekly online Bulletin, which
has been capturing IRRI’s institutional
memory since 2000.
2011—The year of GRiSP!
A workshop, Defining evaluation and
reporting processes for the Global
Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) as a
model Consortium Research Program
(CRP) of the CGIAR, 23–25 March),
kicked off the “Year of GRiSP” at IRRI
headquarters (photo 1).
Launched in November
2010, GRiSP is the strategic work
plan for global rice research to
contribute more effectively to solving
development challenges. It aims to
reduce poverty and hunger, improve
human health and nutrition, reduce
the environmental footprint, and
enhance the ecosystem resilience of
rice production systems through high-
quality international rice research,
partnership, and leadership.
Workshop participants discussed
key components and mechanisms for
the monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
plan, a Consortium-mandated early
step in the implementation of GRiSP,
which might also provide guidance for
other CGIAR CRPs and M&E done at
the CGIAR system level.
Lloyd Le Page, the first chief
executive officer of the new CGIAR
Consortium, attended the GRiSP
workshop. In an address to IRRI staff
on 24 March, he said, “IRRI has led
the way and set the standard with
the development of GRiSP as the first
approved and funded CRP, which
can be used as an example for the
CGIAR’s other CRPs.” He added that
the Consortium is working very hard
to make sure that the funding will be
coming as rapidly as possible.
During the first week of October,
major GRiSP players from around the
world gathered at IRRI headquarters
for a review of all GRiSP work in Asia
and for a GRiSP Global Forum.
Achim Dobermann, GRiSP
director and IRRI deputy director
general for research, expressed his
satisfaction at the progress so far of
GRiSP, stating that GRiSP had been
smoothly and effectively implemented
and opened up many new
opportunities for collaboration around
the world.
IRRI milestones during 2011 “All the pieces are in place and
GRiSP is functioning very well,” said
Dr. Dobermann, “People are starting
to realize the benefits of it—both
scientists and our partners and
donors.”
After the Forum concluded,
the GRiSP Oversight Committee
met and elected Professor Fusuo
Zhang from China Agricultural
University, Beijing, as the new GRiSP
Oversight Committee chair. Members
of the Oversight Committee and the
Program Planning and Management
Team are Beatriz Pinheiro, Jill Lenné,
Kei Otsuka, Masa Iwanaga, Osamu
Koyama, Robert Zeigler, Barbara
Becker, Stephen Baenziger, Paul
Mafuka, Achim Dobermann, Joe
Tohmé, Anthony Cavalieri, and Marco
Wopereis (photo 2). View a video
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IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
of Dr. Dobermann’s assessment of
GRiSP progress in 2011.
Bill and Melinda Gates visit STRASA and CSISA sites in India
On 23 March, Bill and Melinda Gates
(at left in photo 3), co-chairs of the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),
and party visited the research farms
of the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) in Patna. They
received briefings on the ongoing
activities of Stress-Tolerant Rice for
Africa and South Asia (STRASA) and
the Cereal Systems Initiative for
South Asia (CSISA), two important
projects generously supported by
the BMGF. U.S. Singh, South Asia
coordinator for STRASA, and M.
Srinivas Rao, CEO-CSISA, explained the
frameworks of their respective projects
to the BMGF delegation. Dr. Singh
pointed out that STRASA is working
with 254 partners in three countries
and that the Swarna-Sub1 variety,
which has been tested and released to
farmers in 2009, has shown excellent
performance in farmers’ fields, both
with and without flooding.
Bill and Melinda Gates showed
keen interest in the flood-tolerant
rice, anaerobic germination, and the
quantity of seeds being distributed
through minikits. They also discussed
issues such as the availability, planting,
fertilizer needs, and the eating quality
of the flood-tolerant variety Swarna-
Sub1 with visiting women farmers.
They expressed their appreciation of
the efforts of the two organizations
to make new varieties and sustainable
technologies available to farmers in
the region and for the opportunity to
interact with the scientists, partners,
and especially the farmers.
Vietnamese president visits IRRI
A partnership spanning almost half
a century was the backdrop of the
visit by the president of the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang
(left in photo 4), to IRRI headquarters
on 27 October. IRRI DG Robert
Zeigler (right in photo 4), officials of
the Laguna provincial government,
and Philippine Agriculture Secretary
Proceso Alcala received President Sang
and his delegation. Dr. Zeigler briefed
the Vietnamese officials about IRRI’s
work with Vietnam.
“IRRI has become a familiar
name to the Vietnamese people,” said
President Sang, as he acknowledged
IRRI’s collaboration with the country
that started in 1963. “The Vietnamese
people, especially the farmers, invite
IRRI to Vietnam, and see what IRRI has
done for our country,” said President
Sang. “My government is looking
forward to a stronger and deeper
collaboration with IRRI.”
“IRRI and Vietnam have a long
history of partnership,” said Dr. Zeigler.
“The first IRRI-bred rice variety—IR8—
was called ‘Honda Rice’ in Vietnam
because many Vietnamese farmers
were able to buy a Honda motorcycle
with the extra income they made from
the rice variety.” View video of visit
View additional photos
Rice breeding brings billions to SE Asia (click art below for ACIAR video)
Southeast Asian rice farmers are
harvesting an extra US$1.46 billion
worth of rice a year as a result of
rice breeding by IRRI, according to
an Australian report released in
September. The Australian Centre
for International Agricultural
Research (ACIAR) assessed the impact
of IRRI’s research on improving rice
varietal yield between 1985 and 2009
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and found a boost in rice yield by up
to 13%.
The assessment also showed
that IRRI’s improved rice varieties
increased farmers’ returns by US$127
a hectare in southern Vietnam, $76
a hectare in Indonesia, and $52 a
hectare in the Philippines. “The annual
impact of IRRI’s research in these three
countries alone exceeded IRRI’s total
budget since it was founded in 1960,”
said IRRI DG Robert Zeigler.
NM Rice Mobile makes global debut
The 24 January launching of the
Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile
(NMRiceMobile) was seen as a
milestone in the relationship between
IRRI and the Philippine Department of
Agriculture (DA) (photo 5). “We are
stepping up our efforts in helping the
Philippines,” said Achim Dobermann,
IRRI DDG-R. NMRiceMobile is a mobile
phone-based application that allows
users to pull precision agriculture
information from designated servers
in a rapid, accessible, inexpensive,
and credible way. IRRI, in partnership
with DA-Agricultural Training Institute,
PhilRice, University of Southeastern
Philippines, and West Visayas
State University conceptualized
NMRiceMobile, with support from
telecommunication giants Smart
Communications, Inc., and Globe
Telecoms.
New Golden Rice partners join forces against vitamin A deficiency
develop and evaluate Golden Rice
(photo 6) as a potential tool to reduce
vitamin A deficiency. Golden Rice is a
unique type of rice that contains beta
carotene, a source of vitamin A.
Vitamin A deficiency is the
leading cause of preventable blindness
in children. It also impairs immune
system function and increases the
risk of death from certain childhood
diseases. Globally, approximately
670,000 children die every year and
another 350,000 go blind because
they are vitamin A–deficient.
“IRRI and its partners have been
working on Golden Rice for about 10
years to develop a safe and effective
way to address vitamin A deficiency,
prevent blindness, and save lives,” said
Gerard Barry, Golden Rice Network
coordinator and IRRI’s Golden Rice
project leader. “Our latest stage of
work is now supported by the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation and will
bring in HKI—a new partner from the
nutrition sector—further understand
how well Golden Rice can reduce
vitamin A deficiency.”
IRRI wins award for mobilizing rice knowledge to alleviate hunger
On 25 February, 2011, it was
announced (photo 7) that IRRI had
won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers
of Knowledge Award for 2010
in the Development Cooperation
category for its contribution to
“reducing poverty and hunger in the
world by means of rice research and
farmer training,” in the words of the
jury’s citation. IRRI was deemed to
merit the award “for the quality of
its research work, which has led to
the development of new rice varieties
adapted to different cropping areas
in Asia and providing improved yield
and sustainability across multiple
climate regimes.” The award consisted
of €400,000 (about US$550,000) 5
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In April, IRRI and national rice research
institutes in Bangladesh and the
Philippines joined with Helen Keller
International (HKI), a leading global
health organization that reduces
blindness and prevents malnutrition
worldwide, in a new effort to further
IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
prize money, a diploma, and a
commemorative artwork. The prize
money is going towards IRRI’s rice
research and training work. The award
was formally presented in June. Also
see the BBVA Web site.
IRRI gives top rice varieties to Filipino farmers at annual field day
As part of its long-standing and
ongoing support for the Philippine
Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan, IRRI held
its annual farmers’ field day on 28
February to share the latest and
best-performing IRRI rice varieties to
help Filipino farmers produce more
rice. More than 600 participants,
mostly farmers (photo 8), toured IRRI
postharvest technologies, and rice-
maize cropping systems. These
farmers and their respective local
government officials came from seven
provinces—Laguna, Batangas, Cavite,
Quezon, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, and
Occidental Mindoro—of the Southern
Tagalog region.
IRRI DG in India: Addresses annual rice research meeting
the future poses more challenges
with less land to cultivate and fewer
people inclined to take up agriculture
as an occupation, besides adverse
climatic changes, governments and
the scientific community need to
focus on new strategies to raise food
production,” he said.
The meeting also focused
on East India to grow rice. It was
pointed out that traditional areas
such as Punjab and Haryana reached
stagnation and East India promises
a good alternative with abundant
availability of water.
IRRI signs 2011–14 work plan with Indonesia
Senior officials and scientists of the
Indonesian Agency for Agricultural
Research and Development (IAARD),
other agencies of the Ministry of
Agriculture, and other institutions
of the national agricultural research
and extension systems (NARES) of
Indonesia met with IRRI representatives
(photo 10) on 20–21 January in
Jakarta and Bogor. They reviewed and
assessed the progress of the 2007–10
collaboration and also discussed,
developed, and signed the Indonesia-
IRRI Work Plan for 2011–14. A
highlight of the meeting was the
launching of Nutrient Manager for
Indonesia.
G20 agricultural ministers declare support for rice
In June, Agriculture ministers who
met in the lead up to the G20
Summit in Paris later in October
declared their
support for
rice research
and the need
for better trading environments
for rice and other commodities.
The Ministerial Declaration, Action
plan on food price volatility and
agriculture stated: “We recognize the
importance of rice for food security,
as the main crop consumed in Asia
and increasingly in Africa. We stress
the importance of strengthening
rice research and development and
the dissemination of its outcome
and relevant cultivation technique to
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to see the latest rice varieties and
learned of ways to help them deal
with problems in their rice fields.
IRRI showed “climate-change-ready”
rice varieties, hybrid rice varieties,
IRRI DG Robert Zeigler (at right in
photo 9 with Swapan Datta, deputy
director general of ICAR) attended
the 46th Annual Rice Research Group
meeting at the Directorate of Rice
Research (DRR) in New Delhi. On 9
April, he pointed out that investments
in agriculture were far too low and
needed to be doubled in the next
couple of decades to maintain what
the global community had achieved
so far in terms of food security. “As
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IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
conditions, and generate higher
incomes to overcome poverty and
improve food security.
Rice consumers worldwide can
now look forward to eating “green”
rice (photo 14) with the launch of an
initiative that will set environmentally
sustainable and socially responsible
rice production management
standards.
“There are many different
sustainable technologies and practices
for rice—the world’s most important
food crop that feeds half the planet,”
said Mr. James Lomax, from the United
Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) that initiated the SRP. “The
trouble is, we need a way to deliver
and upscale these practices,” he
added. “The Sustainable Rice Platform
is an exciting opportunity to promote
resource-use efficiency and sustainable
trade flows in the whole of value chain
of the global rice sector.”
Orissa to tour flood-hit areas (photo
13). The group also stopped at the
Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI)
in Cuttack. While there, Dr. Zeigler
mentioned the release of many rice
varieties, including Swarna-Sub1 and
Sahbhagi Dhan, as among the good
outcomes of the long-term partnership
of IRRI and CRRI.
Sustainable Rice Platform launched
The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)
initiative, which was launched
in conjunction with a workshop
on 29–30 November at IRRI
headquarters, in the presence of
some 25 organizations, will elevate
rice production to a new level by
helping farmers –whether subsistence
or market-focused—boost their rice
production, keep the environment
healthy, facilitate safer working
breeding programs towards more
targeted product development, which
will allow us to develop new rice
varieties faster and more efficiently
through applying new breeding
strategies and tools.
IRRI BOT meets in April and September
The IRRI BOT met at headquarters,
11–15 April, with a full slate of
activities and in New Delhi, 12–14
accelerate production and productivity
growth in rice-producing countries,
particularly in Asia and Africa, through
among others the CGIAR, IRRI,
GRiSP, and the Coalition for African
Rice Development (CARD).” In
response to the report, IRRI DG Robert
Zeigler, said, “We are pleased to see
that rice was given prominence—
because it is the food for more than
half the planet, the staple food
in Asia and for most of the world’s
poorest people.”
New PBGB head arrives
After a global search, IRRI announced
in July the appointment of Eero
A.J. Nissilä
(photo 11)
as the head
of PBGB and
leader of
GRISP Theme
2: Accelerating the develop-ment,
delivery, and adoption of improved rice
varieties. Eero hails from Finland where
he started his career in the mid-
1980s as a research assistant for
the Agricultural Research Centre
of Finland. Since his arrival later in
2011, Dr. Nissilä has been providing
leadership for transforming rice
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October (photo 12). In New Delhi,
the Board focused on ensuring food
security in India through the IRRI-India
partnership, in which K.V. Thomas,
minister of state (independent charge)
for food and public distribution,
Government of India, was the chief
guest.
Before the meeting, some BOT
members, led by Chair Emerlinda
Roman, Robert Zeigler, IRRI DG, and
Achim Dobermann, IRRI DDG-R, visited
IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
2001, with the objective of minimizing
damages to life and properties in
the event of calamities such as
earthquakes, floods, typhoons, and
fires.
“This contribution will go a
long way in our efforts to be a good
neighbor in the Los Baños and Bay
communities,” said Robert Zeigler, IRRI
DG. “Beyond our research, IRRI helps
local residents gain livelihood skills
through training, good medical access
through missions, as well as solid-
waste management seminars.”
New home for SSD
Between February and December,
Drilon Hall (the former Ladies Dorm)
underwent a major renovation—inside
and out—to become the new home
of IRRI’s Social Sciences Division (SSD).
Upon completion in December, a
rainbow appeared overhead (photo
16). Video time lapse of sorts
showing progress of the facelift
over the 11 months. Photos on
flickr.
The SRP founding members are
private sector companies Kellogg’s,
Mars Foods, and Louis Dreyfus and
the Asian Institute of Technology/
CIRAD. Other participants in the
launch were representatives from
Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia;
CropLife Asia; Syngenta; DuPont Crop
Protection; Jolibee Foods Corporation;
AidEnvironment; and the German
International Cooperation (GIZ).
IRRI receives $38K grant from UPS Foundation
In December, IRRI received a
contribution of $38,000 from the
charitable arm of United Parcel Service
(UPS), the UPS Foundation (photo 15).
The donation is supporting a training
engagement program, an IRRI-led
neighborhood emergency services
called NEST—short for Neighborhood
Emergency Services Team.
A neighborhood-reliant
emergency preparedness is the aim of
the NEST program, which started in
Other notable activities, media cover age, events
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Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. The
project was a national program by
the Indonesian government to spread
technologies and management
practices that would increase rice
production and secure its supply. It
was a collaboration between IRRI and
the Australian Centre for International
Agricultural Research (ACIAR), in
partnership with the Assessment
Institute for Agricultural Technologies
(AIAT) and the Indonesian Center for
Rice Research (ICRR).
Partnerships for community seed-banking of stress-tolerant rice in the Himalayas
The Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments (CURE), through
its working groups for the uplands
2nd annual C4 meeting
On 5–7 January, 64 scientists from
advanced institutions around the world
presented the results of their cutting-
edge research on C4 rice during a
3-day meeting of the C4 Rice Project
Consortium (photo 17). The meeting
was held at IRRI to discuss progress in
various aspects of the project, which is
making good progress in the discovery
of key anatomical genes for breeding
C4 rice.
IRRI and ACIAR wrap up Indonesia project
Indonesian partners and IRRI staff
gathered to report on the outputs and
outcomes of the project, Increasing
productivity in South and Southeast
Sulawesi, on 16–19 January in
IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011
(ICRR), the Directorate of Seed
Development, and the agriculture
agency of selected provinces.
Cambodian partners promote IRRI postharvest technologies
Cambodian partners are promoting
IRRI’s postharvest technologies to
farmers and other end users. This
was brought up during the annual
planning meeting of the Asian
Development Bank-IRRI postharvest
project on 6–7 February in Siem Reap
(photo 20), and on subsequent field
visits within Cambodia. An overview
and drought-prone rice ecosystems,
has established partnerships with the
International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD),
based in Kathmandu, Nepal, for
testing stress-tolerant rice varieties that
will make mountain farming in the
Himalayan region more resilient and
adapted to the changing climate. This
was one of the outputs of the ICIMOD
workshop (photo 18) on enhancing
the resilience and adaptive capacity
of the marginalized poor farmers
in the region on 18–20 January in
Kathmandu. These new partnerships
are in line with the technical
innovation services component of
CURE that draws up learning from
previous activities to be shared with
other country partners, particularly the
IFAD investment projects.
Training of trainers in Indonesia on community seed banks for upland rice
A training course for trainers on
establishing community seed banks
(CSB) was held on 26–28 January at
the Indonesian Center for Food and
Crops Research and Development
(ICFORD) in Bogor. Attending were
16 participants (photo 19), including
researchers, breeders, technical
staff, and seed production staff from
ICFORD, the Assessment Institute
for Agricultural Technologies (AIAT),
Indonesian Center for Rice Research
of the project was presented during
the meeting by project leaders Martin
Gummert and Meas Pyseth. Those
involved in project implementation
planned activities for 2011–12 and
discussed project monitoring and
evaluation, developing business
models, creating a communication and
advocacy strategy, and the Cambodia
Postharvest Learning Alliance.
IRRI, a symbol of hope for the poor
people of Bangladesh
Mohammad Nazrul Islam, director
general of the Rural Development
Academy (RDA) in Bogra, Bangladesh,
described IRRI as a symbol of hope for
the poor people of Bangladesh in his
opening speech for the Community
Radio Workshop in Bogra, 28 February
to 2 March. The workshop (photo 21)
was jointly organized by RDA and the
Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia
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institutions and private organizations
from different countries engaged in
hybrid rice research and development.
Rice production training workshop held in Mozambique
A workshop, 12 steps to successful
rice production, was held at Umbeluzi
Research Station in southern
Mozambique on 28 March–1 April
(photo 24). It was the first week-long
rice production workshop to be run
in the country by the Mozambique
National Institute of Agronomic
Research and IRRI. Twenty-two
participants from extension, research,
and the private sector were taught
different practical rice production
techniques during the course.
Phase 2 of STRASA Project jumpstarts
The Stress-Tolerant Rice for
Africa and South Asia (STRASA)
Project completed its Phase 1
activities, banking on a strong base
and insecticide use—developing
sustainable interventions, structures
and policies was held on 15–16 March
in Bangkok, Thailand (photo 23). The
objectives were to bring together an
interdisciplinary multinational group
of agricultural policymakers and
develop a framework for analyzing
the pesticide supply chain; understand
insecticide use and rice planthopper
problems in rice production; gather
data and critically appraise the
problem and related economic, social,
structural, and political issues; and
develop sustainable interventions to
address the issues.
Consortium on hybrid rice R&D meets
The fourth annual
meeting of the Hybrid
Rice Research and
Development Consortium (HRDC)
was held 21–23 March at IRRI. The
annual event brings together public
(CSISA). “IRRI’s direct contributions
in terms of rice varieties and new
technologies have improved the lives
of the people of Bangladesh,” Mr.
Islam said as RDA Bogra prepares to
establish its own community radio. He
also noted the vital role of the mass
media in 21st century Asia.
GRC holds first field tour
The T.T. Chang Genetic Resources
Center (GRC) invited research staff
on its first-ever field tour held on
7 March. There was an amazing
turnout of visitors, who were given
an opportunity to view the wonderful
world of rice genetic resources,
particularly of the cultivated varieties.
Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, GRC
head, gave a short introduction (photo
22) before visitors walked through the
field, where they beheld rice plants
that were the regeneration of some
accessions, advanced generations of
recombinant inbred lines from Oryza
SNPs, and some genetic stocks.
Training on rice seed production held in Tanzania
A hands-on training course on rice
seed production was held at the IRRI
research farm in Bagamoyo, Tanzania,
on 7–10 March. The course was held
especially for researchers from east
and southern Africa (ESA). Training
involved 20 participants, including
four female candidates, mostly
researchers and a few extensionists
from public and private organizations
in Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda,
Mozambique, and Tanzania.
BMGF team visits IRRI project sites
A team from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation (BMGF), led by Prabhu
Pingali, deputy director for agricultural
policy and statistics, visited BMGF-
funded and IRRI-implemented project
field sites in Bangladesh on 8–9
March. The team visited the field sites
of three projects: Village Dynamics in
South Asia, Stress-Tolerant Rice for
Africa and South Asia (STRASA), and
Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia
(CSISA) in Mymensingh and Tangail
districts.
Rice planthopper meeting held in Thailand
A Consultation and planning
workshop: Rice planthopper problems
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development of Good Agricultural
Practices (GAP) for rice in Asia. The
meeting was held in Bangkok,
Thailand, 3–5 April, and was attended
by 25 representatives from seven
Asian countries and 11 IRRI staff
members (photo 26). “It was an
exciting symposium because different
sectors have now taken on GAP to
ensure food safety and to strengthen
sustainable production for fruits and
vegetables—and more recently for
rice,” said Bas Bouman, head of IRRI’s
Crop and Environmental Sciences
Division. “IRRI, with its consortia
on irrigated and unfavorable rice
environments and their national
partners, has an important role to play
in facilitating the delivery of research
in a form which will be readily adopted
by farmers and other end-users.”
CURE holds 10th Steering Committee meeting
The Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments (CURE)
concluded its 10th Steering
Committee Meeting in Kathmandu,
Nepal, on 20 April. Gathering around
65 participants from CURE’s 10
member-countries in Asia (photo 27),
this meeting facilitated the sharing of
lessons learned, challenges faced, and
plans for 2011.
The 2-day meeting started off
with a field visit to a spring paddy rice
field in Kunta Bensi, Kavre District,
where participants had the chance
to interact with male and female
with advances made in developing
varieties tolerant of abiotic stresses
and their widespread dissemination
and adoption over the last 3 years.
An inception meeting and planning
workshop (photo 25) was held during
the first week of April at the National
Agricultural Science Centre (NASC)
Complex in New Delhi, India, officially
launching STRASA’s Phase 2 (Feb
2011–Dec 2013). A strong network
with NARES partner institutions from
the participating countries make
up the STRASA project to ensure
its effective implementation and
coordination. The Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation is the major donor for
STRASA Phase 2.
GAP for rice in Asia
A symposium funded by the Irrigated
Rice Research Consortium (IRRC)
and co-organized by the Thai Rice
Department considered in detail the
farmers and get to know first-hand
their experiences and insights on rice
farming.
“Farmers in this district have
been successful in raising their rice
productivity and growing other
economically viable crops to improve
their livelihoods. They get strong
support from the district agricultural
officers. Their experiences provide
lessons that other countries can
adapt to make their farming more
sustainable,” David Johnson, CURE
coordinator, said.
Research in drought-prone lowlands in Southeast Asia boosted
Well-adapted rice varieties with
improved drought tolerance, together
with management options to raise
productivity, will be made available to
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farmers in the drought-prone lowlands
in Southeast Asia through a recently
launched project.
The project, Improving
livelihoods and overcoming poverty
in the drought-prone lowlands in
Southeast Asia, seeks to contribute
to livelihood improvement and
poverty reduction in Cambodia,
Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and the
Philippines, with the activities within
the Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments (CURE).
Representatives from the five
partner countries came together in
a planning meeting on 21 April in
Kathmandu, Nepal, and identified
focal areas for activities. These
comprised a framework for the
development, validation, outscaling,
and upscaling of technologies and
information, and identification of
linkages for widespread adoption.
IRRI MAGIC Team unveils genetic diversity
The project for developing novel
Multiparent Advanced Generation
Intercross (MAGIC) populations in rice
held a field tour at the IRRI farm on 26
April to showcase the wide array of
genetic variation being expressed for
important traits in advanced MAGIC
materials (photo 28). Started in 2007
by a team of IRRI scientists (Hei Leung,
R.K. Singh, Ed Redoña, and Glenn
Gregorio and researchers Nonoy
Bandillo, Rea Muyco, Anna Sevilla,
Irish Lobina, and Cesar Caspillo), four
types of MAGIC populations are now
in various phases of development:
(1) a MAGIC indica set composed of
1,400 S3 lines; (2) a MAGIC indica
plus set with 2,000 S1 lines; (3) a
MAGIC japonica with 567 S1 lines;
and (4) a MAGIC Global set in the S1
generation.
The MAGIC procedure involves
crossing ‘founder lines’—eight each of
the best indica and japonica varieties
recommended by breeders due to
their tolerance to a suite of biotic
and abiotic stresses, good plant type,
and high yield, among other desired
traits—and sequentially producing
4-way and 8-way intercrosses in
succeeding generations. See related
story in this annual report.
IRRI signs Cyber Village project agreement with PhilRice
On 4 May, IRRI, the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice)-Batac,
and the municipal government of
Batac, Ilocos Norte, signed a letter
of agreement (LOA) (photo 29). It
implemented the project, Enhancing
knowledge exchange and decision-
making among rice stakeholders
through the development and
promotion of location-specific rice
knowledge products and delivery
systems, known as the Cyber Village
Project (CVP)-Phase 2. Through the
project, the effectiveness of computer-
based information and knowledge
dissemination to rural farmers and
extension workers at the whole
municipal level is being studied.
Africa component of STRASA project launches second phase
The Africa component of the Stress-
Tolerant Rice for Africa and South
Asia (STRASA) project launched Phase
2 at AfricaRice in Cotonou, Benin,
on 9–10 May. About 50 participants
attended (photo 30), including
AfricaRice and IRRI scientists, NARES
scientists, seed producers, and
representatives of NGOs from 18
African countries. During the inaugural
ceremony, AfricaRice Deputy Director
General Marco Wopereis welcomed
participants and NARES partners and
congratulated STRASA by citing the
project’s achievements to date.
CURE conducts seed systems training in Laos
On 23–27 May, the CURE held
a trainers’ training course on
community-based seed systems (CBSS)
in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The training
course was designed to develop
capacity among CURE development
partners on community-based seed
systems. “Seed security means food
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security,” said CURE Coordinator David
Johnson. “In upland areas, the seed
supply concern is not only in terms of
quantity; quality is essential as well.”
Breeders’ workshop and ICIS training held in Tanzania
The 5th Rice Breeders’ Workshop and
ICIS Training for Africa, held 23–27
May in Kyela, Tanzania, updated 25
participants (photo 31) on progress
with breeding lines selected from
previous workshops, involved
participants in evaluating and selecting
their preferred breeding material in
the field, and trained participants
on how to use the International
Crop Information System. This is the
second time the regional rice breeding
nursery workshop was conducted in
Tanzania and was held in the major
rice-growing region of Kyela, famous
for its high-quality rice preferred across
the country.
IRRI scientists speak in ASEAN Food Security Conference
IRRC coordinator Grant Singleton (2nd
from right in photo 32) and business
model specialist Alfred Schmidley
made presentations on natural
resource management in rice and
postharvest initiatives, respectively, in
separate sessions during the ASEAN
Food Security Conference, Improving
access, advancing food security, held
in Manila on 18–19 July.
One Corporate System process
alignment meeting in Malaysia
Representatives from three CGIAR
centers met on 7–14 June in Penang,
Malaysia, to align their business
processes in preparation for the
implementation of One Corporate
System (OCS) in these centers. OCS
is an initiative of nine CGIAR centers
and the new Consortium Office to
build and implement a common
management information system.
The system will focus on strong
project management capabilities as
well as finance, human resources, and
procurement. IRRI was represented
in the Penang meeting by Norman
Macdonald (OCS Steering Committee
member), Marco van den Berg (IT, OCS
hosting), Melba Aquino (budgeting
and reporting), Sunil Jhunjhunwala
(FG5 and full cost recovery), Corinta
Guerta (project management), and
Eric Clutario (IRRI OCS coordinator).
Mike Jackson, former IRRI director
for program planning and
communications, joined the meeting
to facilitate project management
discussions.
Dr. Singleton presented a talk,
jointly authored by Bas Bouman,
CESD head, on how research on
natural resource management (NRM)
of rice can help tackle food insecurity
over the next two decades. The
presentation focused on new and
emerging NRM technologies that
promote environmentally sustainable
increases in rice production. Mr.
Schmidley discussed initiatives of the
IRRI-Postharvest Unit made through
technologies, learning alliances, and
fostering institutional partnerships.
International Network for Quality Rice meets in Bangkok
Sixty members (photo 33) of
the International Network
for Quality Rice (INQR) met
in Thailand on 17–19 August to review
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Administration in Suwon, Korea.
Nineteen participants from 12
countries were exposed to global
challenges facing rice research and
development and identified and
analyzed components of successful
rice technology transfer cases,
including research-extension linkages
as exemplified in Korea and across
Asia. They also looked at how to
improve technology promotion and
delivery of knowledge and skills
through various interactive and
participatory learning methods. Green Super Rice Project reviewed
A review of the Green Super Rice
(GSR) project for Asia was held in IRRI
on 27–29 August at IRRI headquarters
(photo 35). Reviewers assessed project
gains and produced a basis to further
create opportunities to maximize its
final impact in the project’s target
countries. In particular, participants
projects, write a joint publication, and
train a younger generation of scientists
in conference skills such as chairing
sessions and presenting research
papers. INQR members from eastern,
southeastern, southern, and central
Asia, as well as South America, Africa,
and Australia, attended the meeting,
which consisted of 2 days of scientific
presentations on understanding
different rice quality traits, and two
workshops. 4th phase of IRRC reviewed
The Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) welcomed a
team of external reviewers at IRRI
headquarters on 2–7 September. The
team assessed the Consortium as it
nears the end of its fourth phase.
The review evaluated the
progress and future direction of
the Consortium; identified areas to
strengthen, modify, and refocus to
enhance the IRRC’s mechanism and
activities; assessed the relevance and
quality of research and extension
done to meet farmers’ needs and
identify the gaps; and reviewed
the effectiveness of IRRI-NARES
collaboration and partnerships of the
IRRC with civil society groups and
the private sector. The review team
was led by Urs Scheidegger from
Switzerland; other members were
Karin Zbinden Gysin (Switzerland), Frits
Penning de Vries (Netherlands), and
Jonathan Banks (Australia).
CLUES office opened in Vietnam,
followed by refresher course and
planning meeting
To facilitate activities of the new
project Climate change affecting
land use in the Mekong Delta:
adaptation of rice-based cropping
systems (CLUES), funded by ACIAR,
a project management office was
inaugurated on 22 August at Can
Tho University (CTU) in Vietnam.
Attending the inauguration
were Reiner Wassmann (project leader,
IRRI, 2nd from right in photo 34), Le
Quang Tri (national project director,
CTU), Nguyen Hieu Trung (national
project coordinator, CTU), Abdelbagi
Ismail (IRRI senior scientist), Ben
Macdonald (research scientist, CSIRO),
Romeo Labios (IRRI consultant), the
six theme leaders and their team
members, and representatives from
the Department of Agriculture and
Rural Development (DARD) of An
Giang, Hau Giang, Omon, and Bac
Lieu provinces.
Later, on 14–16 September, a
refresher course on participatory
adaptive research was given to 28
CLUES project staff, including two
staff from GIZ Bac Lieu, a German
development cooperation, at CTU.
And then the first review and planning
meeting of the CLUES project was held
on 18–19 October at CTU. International rice technology course held in Korea
A 2-week international course on
rice technology transfer systems in
Asia began on 26 August at the
International Technology Cooperation
Center of the Rural Development
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First PestEval at IRRI
One-hundred twenty CESD staff
members and 21 from other units
participated in IRRI’s first PestEval on
28 September (photo 37). The event
showcased management practices
for common pests at the IRRI farm
and greenhouses. Participants moved
through five ‘stations’ where CESD
researchers shared their knowledge
on insects, the golden apple snail,
nematodes, rodents, and weeds
through exhibits and short lectures.
CESD head Bas Bouman noted
that some research groups presented
differing control practices—something
that he considers to be a challenge
and opportunity for CESD teams to
come up with a common message on
pest management. Community seed producers “sow” seeds for the future
In early October, a team of IRRI
scientists and NARES partners
assessed the strength of the GSR
breeding strategy and the products
in the pipeline both in China and
at IRRI. GSR was launched in April
2009 by the Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), with
IRRI and AfricaRice as partners, and is
funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation (BMGF).
Since its inception, the project
has successfully completed most
planned activities and largely
achieved its targeted milestones.
BMGF representative and reviewer
David Bergvinson congratulated the
team saying, “The project has done
remarkably well, particularly the
Asia component. I think you made
tremendous progress within a short
period of time and dealing with some
very complicated issues, i.e., get
germplasm legally out of China, which
was not a small feat and that itself I
think is a tremendous accomplishment
by this team.”
Use of laser-controlled field-leveling technology expands in Mozambique
Small-sized laser-controlled leveling
equipment has been introduced into
the rice fields of Mozambique. As
of early September, the IRRI team in
Mozambique had leveled more than 5
hectares of fields at Umbeluzi Research
Station in southern Mozambique
(photo 36) and later leveled another
4 hectares of its research fields in
Quelimane in central Mozambique.
“These fields are so level now
that they would be great for playing
football,” said Hochana Tembe, who
is in charge of field operations for
IRRI at Umbeluzi. He said this helps
control irrigation and run of water and
will also make planting much easier.
Joe Rickman, who coordinates IRRI’s
activities in East and South Africa
(ESA), said that in many parts of ESA,
especially Mozambique and Tanzania,
rice farmers do not even construct
bunds, let alone level the fields. Where
they do use bunds to control water,
the fields are very uneven and quite
small so that bunds can occupy 5-10%
of the effective cropping area.
Web community attend Web Labs
In September, a nine-part series
of workshops on various facets of
IRRI’s Web presence commenced at
headquarters. The Web Labs are a
series of lecture-laboratory sessions
covering theories/principles and how-
tos, respectively. They also provide a
venue for feedback and discussions
among IRRI’s Web community to refine
objectives of the IRRI Web site as
they relate to and feed IRRI’s presence
on the Web—on IRRI.ORG as well as
on social media, media repository sites,
collaborators, and other external sites.
Temperate Rice Research Consortium meeting
The All-Russian Rice Research Institute
(ARRRI) hosted the fourth Steering
Committee meeting of the Temperate
Rice Research Consortium (TRRC),
5–8 September, in Krasnodar, Russia.
Eighty-five scientists from 16 TRRC
member countries reviewed research
progress, evaluated research proposals
of the working groups for 2012,
discussed modalities for developing
coordinated research activities and
sharing improved breeding materials
among the members of the working
groups, and explored future funding
opportunities.
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Research and Development
(PCAARRD) and IRRI jointly hosted the
15th Annual meeting of the Council
for Rice Research Partnership in
Asia (CORRA), 24-25 October. The
meeting was opened by Patricio
Faylon, executive director of PCARRD,
and Robert Zeigler, IRRI director
general. Gracing the event was HE
U Myint Hlaing, union minister of
agriculture and irrigation of Myanmar.
Senior official representatives
from 16 member countries, IRRI,
and PCAARRD attended (photo
39). The members recognized
the value of good-quality seeds
and agreed to support a better
mechanism for germplasm exchange
and characterization, intellectual
properties, benefit sharing, and
human resource capacity building to
enable member countries participate
in and contribute actively to varietal
development for Asia
Postharvest review workshop in Cambodia
A review and planning meeting and
workshop was conducted for the
IRRI-ADB Postharvest Project at Preah
Sihanouk Province, Cambodia,14–15
November. Forty extension staff
members of the Provincial Department
embarked on a week-long
documentation and collection
of information on the history,
organization, operations, spread of
seeds, and project outcomes of nine
seed producers’ and farmers’ groups
in Lamjung, Nepal (photo 38). Two of
these have already been constituted
into cooperatives operating as the
central repository of seeds collected
from the members of the other groups
that in turn sell the seeds to other
villages, and the other two are female
farmers’ groups producing rice seeds
and vegetables.
Farmers have estimated that their
cooperatives have already reached
some 3,000 farmers but they are
only able to meet roughly 10% of
the total demand. Digna Manzanilla,
Liza Raitzer, and Jose Ibabao of IRRI,
with partners from the Institute of
Agriculture and Animal Sciences
and the Nepal Agricultural Research
Council, conducted focus group
discussions, reviewed records and
documents, and interviewed key
informant farmers in the seven villages
of Lamjung, Tanahun, and Gorkha
districts.
15th annual meeting of CORRA
The Philippine Council for Agriculture,
Aquatic and Natural Resources
of Agriculture, private sector partners,
representatives of collaborating
government institutions, and staff
from the General Directorate of
Agriculture attended the meeting,
during which was discussed the
progress in and constraints to
implementation of the project.
The partners discussed plans
and conducted stakeholder analysis
to further refine scheduled activities
for 2012. The project’s current focus
is piloting appropriate and country-
specific postharvest technologies
to reduce rice postharvest losses.
Cambodia is one of the project
sites, along with the Philippines and
Vietnam. Strategies for BPH control
A group of scientists gathered at
IRRI on 23–25 November to develop
strategies for enhancing resistance
to brown planthopper (BPH) and
BPH-transmitted viral diseases. The
insect pest is known to have caused
severe damage in the past 5 years
in South and Southeast Asia, also
causing an epidemic of viral diseases.
It was attended by a transdisciplinary
research team with participants
coming from China, India, Indonesia,
Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam,
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Officials, ambassadors visit IRRI
On 21 January, His
Excellency Luca Fornari,
ambassador of the Italian
Republic to the Philippines
(photo 42), and Joseph
Kalingag, commercial
officer of the Embassy of the Italian
Republic to the Philippines, visited for
an overview of the Institute’s research
activities.
Hon. Dennis Araullo (photo 43),
assistant secretary of the Philippine
Department of Agriculture
(DA) and director of the
National Rice and White
Corn Program, visited
IRRI on 27 January to
learn more about IRRI’s research
and development programs and the
accomplishments of the DA-IRRI-
PhilRice partnership in the past year
in support of the Rice Self-Sufficiency
Program (RSSP). Secretary Araullo
came with five bureau directors of
the DA and nine rice program staff
members.
H.E. Stephen Lillie, ambassador of
the United Kingdom to the Philippines
(center in photo 44), visited IRRI on
22 March. He was accompanied by
Jesus Tambunting, former Philippine
Research Council Centre Inn, Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 13–14 December.
The workshop was attended by 65
participants from IRRI, India, Nepal,
the Philippines, Germany, and Vietnam
(photo 41). It included Bangladesh-
based scientists and representatives
from NARES partners, government,
nongovernment organizations, donors,
and foreign missions.
IRRI had previously developed a
technology called alternate wetting
and drying (AWD) that has been
validated by NARES institutes in
Bangladesh and other countries. In
Bangladesh, 30 liters of diesel were
saved per hectare, resulting in the
production of an extra half ton of
paddy per hectare. Scientists estimate
savings of US$106 million at the diesel
price of Taka 56 per liter over 4.8
million hectares of boro rice.
and Japan. Participants (photo 40)
presented about the status of the
planthopper problem in their countries
and an overview of ongoing activities
in their institutions and plans. By the
end of the workshop, the group had
drafted an outline for submission as a
new frontier proposal for GRiSP.
AWD workshop in Bangladesh
An international workshop, Alternate
wetting and drying for resource
conservation and reduction of
environmental pollution, was held
at the Bangladesh Agricultural
ambassador extraordinaire and
plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and Planters Development Bank’s
chairman and chief executive officer,
and Derek Page, director for trade
and investment, and Emma Leister,
senior trade and investment manager,
both from the Embassy of the United
Kingdom to the Philippines.
H.E. Christopher Thornley,
Canadian ambassador to the
Philippines (at left in photo 45 with
IRRI DG Robert Zeigler), visited IRRI on
12 May. He was accompanied by Atty.
James Trottier, counselor and head of
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political and economic relations and
public affairs, and his spouse, Liza
Linklater.
IRRI, BOT, and staff recognition in 2011
On 3 January, The Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel University of Agriculture and
Technology (SVPUA&T) in Meerut
honored IRRI Director General Robert
Zeigler (at left in Photo 46) by naming
its new soil- and plant-testing
laboratory after him. The university
named its new laboratory after Dr.
Zeigler to recognize years of its
collaborative work with IRRI.
On 20 January, Gurdev S. Khush
(at left in photo 47), member of the
U.S. National Academy of Sciences;
adjunct professor, University of
California, Davis; and former head of
IRRI’s Plant Breeding Genetics and
Biotechnology division, received the
Doctor of Science (honoris causa)
degree from Indira Gandhi Agricultural
University.
During Climate Week in the UK,
13–17 March, IRRI’s Scuba Rice
project, funded by the U.K.’s
Department for International
Development (DFID), won the award
for ‘Best Initiative by a Governmental
or Statutory Body. Flood-resistant
scuba rice can survive underwater for
up to 2 weeks and recover once the
waters subside. It responds to
complete submersion by effectively
becoming dormant, saving energy
until the floodwater recedes when it
can continue growing again. In this
way, it escapes drowning.
In March, P. Stephen Baenziger,
Eugene Price Distinguished Professor in
the Department of Agronomy and
Horticulture, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)
and IRRI BOT member
(photo 48), won the
university’s Outstanding
Research and Creative Activity Award.
Prof. Baenziger, in 25 years at UNL,
has developed an international
reputation as a wheat breeder whose
research is helping to feed more
people and improve lives in Nebraska
and around the world.
Noel Magor, head of IRRI
Training Center and Program 6 leader
(at left in photo 49), was recognized
during the 7th International Integrated
Rice Duck Farming Conference in
Sylhet, Bangladesh, held on 5–7
March. Dr. Magor led an initiative for
an adaptive research project
conducted by the Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute and Friends in
Village Development Bangladesh
on integrated rice-duck farming. It was
a first in Bangladesh and was modeled
on the innovative system developed by
Takao Furuno, a Japanese organic
farmer.
In April, Roland Buresh, IRRI
principal scientist (photo 50), was
named a
laureate of the
2011 Norman
Borlaug Award
of the
International
Fertilizer
Industry Association. Dr. Buresh was
recognized for his work in
“transforming the scientific concept of
site-specific nutrient management to
innovative knowledge transfer tools
based on decision-support software,
the Internet, mobile phones and field
practices readily usable by rice
growers.” Then on 28 July, Dr. Buresh
was recognized for this accomplish-
ment during a testimonial dinner at
the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.
On 5 April, David Mackill, former
long-time IRRI rice breeder who has
subsequently signed up as an IRRI
consultant for 3 years (at left in photo
51), was given a plaque of
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conferred the honorary degree
(honoris causa) of doctor of science by
the Govind Ballabh Pant University of
Agriculture and Technology
(GBPUA&T) in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand,
India, during the 27th Convocation of
the University. Then, on 7 August,
the International Association for
the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS)
paid tribute to Dr. Zeigler by
presenting him with an International
Plant Protection Award of
Distinction during its annual meeting
in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was
recognized for his outstanding
contributions to international plant
protection; first for his research, then
for his work in agricultural
development and research leadership
and management contributions.
In May, Kshirod K. Jena, senior
scientist for plant breeding and IRRI
representative to the Republic of Korea
appreciation for his contributions to
rice research and development in
South Asia (India, Bangladesh, and
Nepal) and Africa. Also cited was his
strong commitment to rice
improvement for unfavorable rice
ecosystems and his pioneering efforts
as initiator and leader of the Stress-
Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia
(STRASA) project. Later in May, farmers
in West Champaran district in north
Bihar, India, honored Dr. Mackill, as
the “father of the SUB1 gene.”
In a special ceremony in DL Umali
Hall on 15 April, in the presence of the
members of the IRRI Board of Trustees,
the winners for the 2010 NRS Awards
were announced (photo 52): Rowena
Oane, for Outstanding Scientific
Achievement; Tara Chand Dhoundiyal,
for Outstanding Administrative
Support; and the Quality Evaluation
Team of the Grain Quality and
Nutrition Center (GQNC), for
Outstanding Research Support. The
GQNC Quality Evaluation Team is
composed of Mr. Juan Alzona, Mr.
Romulo Aquino, Mr. Teodoro Atienza,
Ms. Lilia Villanueva, and Mr. Dennis
Villegas. Photos of event
Sushil Pandey, senior scientist in
IRRI’s Social Sciences Division (at right
in photo 53), was recognized by the
Nepal Agricultural Research Council
(NARC) for his contributions to rice
research. The award was given to Dr.
Pandey in a simple ceremony held
during a dinner hosted by NARC for
the participants of the Consortium for
Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE)
Steering Committee meeting on 20
April.
In May, staff members in IRRI’s
Communication and Publications
Services (CPS) won two Gold Awards
(first place) in the Publishing Category
of the 2011 Critique and Awards
(C&A) Program of the Association for
Communication Excellence (ACE).
IRRI’s 2009 Annual Report won in the
Electronic Publishing Class and The
IRRI Pioneer Interview series,
conducted by CPS head Gene Hettel,
won in the Editing Class. The IRRI
Annual Report was recognized for the
third consecutive year in the ACE C&A
competition, which receives
submissions from the U.S. land grant
system and international institutions
around the world.
On 20 May, IRRI Director General
Robert Zeigler (left in photo 54) was
one of three persons of eminence
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internationally recognized on a topic
that continues to remain of
significance: science and technology
for food security and sustainable
management of the world’s major
cereal systems, including rice.
In October, Joyce Kikafunda
(photo 58), member of
the IRRI Board of Trustees,
was presented with a
Council Award as an
outstanding scientist by the African
Crop Science Society (ACSS). Prof.
Kikafunda is a member of the
Department of Food Science and
Technology at Makerere University in
Kampala, Uganda.
Kong Luen Heong, IRRI
entomologist (at right in photo 59),
was inducted into the TWAS, the
academy of sciences for the
developing world, on 21 November at
Academy headquarters in Trieste, Italy.
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(at left in photo 55), was presented a
prestigious award by the Rural
Development Administration (RDA).
He was cited for outstanding
contribution and service to the
development of agricultural research
and cooperation between RDA and
IRRI for nearly 10 years while based in
Korea. Dr. Jena developed a new
japonica variety, Anmi, using modern
rice breeding technology.
Sam Mohanty, IRRI economist
(photo 56), was presented the
prestigious Glory of India Award in
New Delhi on 16 July.
The award, given by
the Delhi-based India
International Friendship
Society, was handed to
Dr. Mohanty by Hon.
Bhishma Narain Singh, former
governor of Tamil Nadu and Assam;
Maj. Ved Prakash, All-India Congress
Committee member; T.S.
Krishnamurthy, former chief election
commissioner of India; and Joginder
Singh, former CBI director.
On 22 August, IRRI received
one of the first Mobile Bayani Awards
for the development of the Nutrient
Manager for rice application, which
enables farmers and extension agents
to obtain site-specific fertilizer advice
using a simple mobile phone. Rowena
Castillo, Crop and Environmental
Sciences Division (CESD) assistant
scientist, accepted the award on
behalf of the development team.
In September, IRRI soil expert
and agronomist J.K. Ladha (photo 57)
received the 2011 International Service
in Agronomy Award from
the American Society of Agronomy
(ASA) for his work in research,
training, and extension—especially in
South Asia. Having more than 25 years
of experience in various fields such as
improving soil fertility, Dr. Ladha is
The honor was conferred on Dr. Heong
for his contributions to agricultural
sciences and sustainable development,
particularly for his transdisciplinary
work to integrate insect ecology with
psychology, communication, and the
social sciences to develop simple
heuristics and using entertainment
education and media to motivate
thousands of rice farmers to make
better decisions on pest management.
On 13 December, IRRI
recognized 129 employees for their
enduring commitment to the Institute’s
mission. These staff members, who
have contributed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30,
and 35 years of service to the Institute,
were given service awards. A special
lunch was also held on the same day
in honor of all employees who have
served IRRI for 25, 30, and 35 years.
IRRI board and staff updates
Departing international staff in 2011
included David Mackill, IRRI principal
scientist and long-time rice breeder at
the Institute over two periods (1982–
91 and 2001–10); Darshan Brar,
long-time IRRI plant breeder and most
recently Plant Breeding Genetics and
biotechnology (PBGB) head (1987–
2011); To Phuc Tuong, principal
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scientist and water management
engineer (1991–2011), CESD; Sushil
Pandey, senior agricultural economist,
Social Sciences Division (SSD)
(1993–2011); William Padolina,
deputy director general for operations
(1999–2011); Richard Bruskiewich,
senior scientist, Genetic Resources
Center (GRC); Melissa Fitzgerald,
senior scientist and head, Grain
Quality and Nutrition Center; M.A.
Hamid Miah, IRRI liaison scientist
for Bangladesh; Georgina Vergara,
postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Greg
Howell, plant physiology scientist/
consultant, PBGB; Nobuya Kobayashi,
senior scientist, PBGB; Daisuke Fujita,
postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Choi In
Bea, visiting research fellow, PBGB;
Shigeki Yokoyama, IRS (seconded from
JIRCAS); Kamala Gurung, postdoctoral
fellow, SSD; Jong-Hee Lee, visiting
research fellow, PBGB; Ming Li, visiting
research fellow, C4 Rice Center; Axel
Tonini, agricultural economist, SSD;
Serge Savary, crop health specialist,
PBGB; and Laetitia Willocquet, plant
pathologist, PBGB.
New international staff
arrivals in 2011 included Eero A.J.
Nissilä, head, PBGB; Adam Sparks,
postdoctoral fellow-GIS specialist/
plant pathologist; Leigh Vial, head,
Experiment Station (ES); Tobias
Kretzschmar, collaborative research
scientist, PBGB; Sudhanshu Singh,
postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Xiufang
Ma, visiting research fellow in PBGB;
Daisuke Fujita, visiting research fellow
(PBGB); Tsutomu Ishimaru, senior
scientist, PBGB; Nicholas Ketel, head,
Physical Plant Services; Sudhir Yadav,
postdoctoral fellow, CESD; Najam
Waris Zaidi, postdoctoral fellow,
PBGB; Mohammad Rafiqul Islam,
postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Michael
Dingkuhn, senior scientist II, CESD;
and Takuji Tsusaka, postdoctoral
fellow, SSD.
Passing on
Jose ‘Joe’ Marasigan,
technician in GRC since
1996 (photo 60), passed
away on 6 January at
St. Jude Hospital in Los Baños after
battling cancer.
Tom Hargrove, 66, long-time
IRRI editor and head of
Communication and
Publications Services
(1973–91) (photo 61),
passed away unexpectedly because of
a heart attack on 23 January in Texas.
He was a mentor, colleague, and
friend to many at IRRI, CIAT, IFDC, and
many other places around the world.
He was an amazingly prolific writer
and editor.
Agrifina Pascua, former
housekeeping and food attendant at
the IRRI Guesthouse
and cafeteria, under
Food and Housing
Services (FHS) (photo
62), died on 4 February
from lung cancer. She is survived by
her husband, Juanito, former FHS
cook, and their children, one of whom
(Jerwin) is on the staff at Riceworld
Bookstore.
Robert “Bob” Huggan, 79,
head of IRRI’s Information Center/
CPS (1993–97) and a
senior advisor, External
Operations (1997–98)
(photo 63), passed
away on 15 February
in Montpellier, France, after a
lengthy illness. Bob was an expert in
public awareness, donor relations,
appropriate dissemination of scientific
research results, R&D communications,
cross cultural communications,
and information management. He
is survived by his wife Isabel and
daughter Abbey.
Annemarie Lampe, wife of
former IRRI Director General Klaus
Lampe (photo 64), passed away on
20 June in Frankfurt,
Germany, at the age of
79. She is survived by
Klaus and their family
members Rainer and
Margaret Lampe; Sarah, Max, and
Kim; Barbel Lampe; and Milena, Clara,
and Antoine.
Juan Lazaro, Jr. (photo 65),
who passed away 11 July, was a
26-year IRRI veteran
who began his work
at the Institute as an
electronic mechanic
in August 1963. He
departed as a senior instrument repair
supervisor in November 1989. He is
survived by his sons Juan III and Juan
IV, who is head of Creative Services
in Communication and Publications
Services, and daughters, Mel and
Emie.
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