Rice Today Volume 4 number 2

8/14/2019 Rice Today Volume 4 number 2

1/40

ISSN 1655-5422

www.irri.org

International Rice Research Institute September 2005, Vol. 4 No. 2


2/40


3/40

contentsVol. 4, No. 2

International Rice Research InstituteDAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, PhilippinesWeb (IRRI): www.irri.orgWeb (Library): http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.orgWeb (Rice Knowledge Bank): www.knowledgebank.irri.org

Rice Todayeditorialtelephone (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725;fax: (+63-2) 580-5699 or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: [email protected]

cover design George Reyes, Juan Lazaro IV

publisher Duncan MacintosheditorAdam Barclayart director Juan Lazaro IVdesigner and production supervisor George Reyes

deputy editor Leharne Fountaincontributing editors Gene Hettel, Bill Hardynews editor Juanito GoloyugophotographerAriel Javellanacirculation Chrisanto Quintanaprinter Primex Printers, Inc.

Rice Todayis published by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the worldsleading international rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines and withofces in 11 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprot institution focused onimproving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers,particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies. For more information, visitthe CGIAR Web site (www.cgiar.org).

Responsibility for this publication rests with IRRI. Designations used in this publication

should not be construed as expressing IRRI policy or opinion on the legal status of anycountry, territory, city or area, or its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers orboundaries.

Rice Todaywelcomes comments and suggestions from readers. Potential contributorsare encouraged to query rst, rather than submit unsolicited materials. Rice Todayassumes no responsibility for loss or damage to unsolicited submissions, which shouldbe accompanied by sufcient return postage.

Copyright International Rice Research Institute 2005

A time of revolution .......................................... 4

Recent developments in rice research haveset the stage or an exciting uture

the web of rice ...................................................... 5

With 40 million web pages on rice, how can you

separate the rice rom the cha?

news ......................................................................... 6

Milestones in rice research

Soap opera wins World Bank prize

Research oers drought hope

Drought inicts a heavy toll

Tsunami damage less than expected

IRRI-India workplan

Climate change pessimism

Long road to genetically modifed ricecommercialization

Chinese rice consumption

Early China boosted by rice?

Accolades or hybrid pioneer

Hybrid happenings

New digital chlorophyll meter to help optimizeertilizer

Former IRRI director general passes away

Keeping up with IRRI sta

Achievements

Donors corner ................................................... 13

Paving the way orward through research: TheSwiss Agency or Development and Cooperationsupports agricultural research that helps the poorand disadvantaged achieve ood security andenvironmental sustainability

DreAms beyonD Drought................................. 14

For the rural poor, drought delivers heartbreak andtears communities apart but promising newresearch can help rice armers and their amiliesavoid devastation

Drumming up success ....................................... 22

An improved way o planting rice is increasingarmers incomes and strengtheningcommunities in Bangladesh

A hybriD pioneer ................................................. 28

Over the past 3 decades, Sant Singh Virmani the man who put hybrid rice on the mapin tropical Asia has ought a winningbattle to help eed the hungry and poor

unlocking the genetic vAult .......................... 32

Buried deep within the International RiceGenebank are little pieces o genetic

treasure but how do we fnd them?

builDing A bet ter rAt trAp .............................. 34

Amid the spectacular mountains o thenorthern Philippines, an improved rat trapis helping armers prevent rodents romdevastating precious rice felds

books ..................................................................... 36

Novel ways to share knowledge: Innovationsin Rural Extension describes new andcreative ways to share knowledge with armers

rice fActs .............................................................. 37

Does rice research reduce poverty in Asia?Improved technologies can have anenormous impact

grAin of truth .................................................... 38

Successul technology adoption needssupport rom both armers and governments


4/40


5/40

Rice TodaySeptember 2005

The web of rice

S

earch for rice on the Internet

and youll get around 40 million

results. Among this multitude

of Web pages, there are plenty on thestaple grain that feeds over 3 billion

people. But to nd them, youll have to

navigate around pages discussing U.S.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rices

latest foreign policy comments, the

research coming out of Rice University,

and tribute pages to author Anne Rice,

among many others. So how can you

nd the best resources about rice on the

Web? In short, how do you separate the

rice from the chaff? Checking out the

Web pages featured here is a good start.

Learn ab riceThe U.S. Rice Producers Association

has created Rice Romp (www.riceromp.

com; pictured at right) for teachers and

students. Although it focuses on rice

production in the USA, it also contains

more widely relevant information. The

site offers games and learning modules,

and students can select their school

level from kindergarten through to

nal-year high school. There is a choice

of study areas covering mathematics,

science, health and social studies. After

completing all the study areas for a given

school level, students are ready to play

Rice Rampage, a rice trivia game. The

site also contains teaching resources for

each study area, across all school grades.

Rice cllabrainsThe Internet is a natural place for

scientists to collaborate in rice research

by sharing resources and information

and making their research available

to others. The Rice Rise InformationSystem (http://rise.genomics.org.

cn/rice/), hosted by the Beijing Genomics

Institute, houses up-to-date, integrated

information resources for rice genomes.

Other sites offering researchers similar

analytical tools and data include TIGR

Rice Genome Annotation (www.tigr.

org/tdb/e2k1/osa1), hosted by the

Institute for Genomic Research, and the

Korea Rice Genome Database (http://

bioserver.myongji.ac.kr/ricemac.html).

Rice indsriesFor the latest news on rice prices, market

conditions and the world rice industry,

check out Oryza.com (www.oryza.com).The site provides daily market information

and instant news updates, and has features

to help industry participants connect

with the world rice community. There are

forums on a range of topics from

trends in the rice milling

industry to new technologies

and research in farm

management. Other features

include an industry calendar,

statistics and an extensive

glossary of rice terminology.

Another industry site, Rice

Online (www.riceonline.com)

contains information on rice

prices, industry news and a

searchable industry directory.

Rice industry sites

from a range of countries

offer information about the

environments and conditions

of rice production around the

world. These include the USA Rice

Federation (www.usarice.com), California

Rice Research Board (www.carrb.com), and

the Australian Rice Growers Association

(www.rga.org.au). Rice Farming magazine

(www.ricefarming.com) provides articles

about research and industry news

relevant to rice farmers in the USA.

Rice and develpmenThe Association of South East Asian

Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan

and Korea has formed the East Asia

Emergency Rice Reserve (www.eaerr.

org) to provide food aid for assistance in

disaster areas and to alleviate poverty.The United Nations Convention on

Trade and Development hosts a Web site

that houses economic information about

a number of commodities

Lon live the International Year of RiceThe International Year o Rice 2004 (IYR) saw an explosion o Web-based resources

centered on rice. Although IYR has passed, its message is as relevant as ever.The Food and Agriculture Organization o the United Nations, ocial home to

IYR, continues to host its IYR Web site at www.ao.org/rice2004. The site covers

inormation on culture, nutrition, livelihood, economics, science and gender. There

are interesting acts about rice or kids, rice recipes rom around the world and

stunning photos rom the IYR global photography contest: Rice is Lie.

The Global Education Web site (www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au) provides teaching resources

on a number o global issues, including rice. Follow the homepage link to Rice or inormation about

IYR plus a range o teaching modules. Teachers on the Web host an IYR site (www.teachers.ash.org.

au/jmresources/rice/year.html) that contains links to pages on growing rice, history o rice, nutrition

and rice around the world, as well as lesson plans, quizzes and games. Australias EdNA online houses

an IYR page (www.edna.edu.au/edna/page2394.html) that has links to numerous IYR and general

rice Web sites.

and crops, including rice. The site offers

a synopsis of international market and

rice policies of the main rice exporters

and importers at http://r0.unctad.org/

infocomm/anglais/rice/ecopolicies.htm

And of course dont forget

the International Rice Research

Institutes own site, www.irri.org.

Also see www.irri.org/science/

links.asp for links to the Web sites

featured here plus many more.


6/40

NEWS


Its been an extraordinary few monthsfor rice research as scientists continue tounravel some of the secrets of the staple thatfeeds half the world. The nalized sequenceof the complete rice genome was scheduledto be published just afterRice Today wentto press in August, helping to further open

the door to improved rice varieties that canbetter help the poor and hungry. Other sig-nicant advances include a new version ofGolden Rice with much more beta-carotene the building block of vitamin A and thesequencing of the rice blast genome.

Five years ago, many hailed the discoveryof the original strain of golden rice as a break-through for the estimated 500,000 childrenaround the world who go blind each year

because of vitamin A deciency. However, therice contained insufcient beta-carotene to

meet childrens vitamin A requirements.The April 2005 issue of Nature Bio-

technology reported that Syngenta scien-tists have now developed a new strain ofGolden Rice that contains around 20 timesmore beta-carotene. The achievement camethrough replacing the daffodil gene original-ly added to Golden Rice with a counterpartgene found in maize. Syngenta is making thetechnology freely available to public researchinstitutions in developing countries.

Despite strong enthusiasm from manyquarters, concerns about biotechnologyand genetically modified foods continueto be raised. A report by BBC environmentcorrespondent Richard Black stated that,

Not everyone believes golden rice is thebest answer to Vitamin A deciency. Someagricultural experts and environmentalgroups say aiming for a balanced diet acrossthe board would be a better solution.

But the Golden Rice HumanitarianBoard, which oversees developments in theplants technology, emphasized that the crop

was never intended to be the sole solution to

vitamin A deciency and that Golden Ricecould contribute to a better overall diet.

Researchers now have invaluable newinformation in the battle against the ricefungal disease known as rice blast (Mag-

naporthe grisea) following the sequencingof its genome by a team of scientists led byRalph Dean of North Carolina State Univer-sity, heading the International Rice BlastGenome Consortium. Rice blast, considered

one of the most destructive diseases of rice,can completely wipe out young seedlingsand destroy grain in older plants.

Milestones in rice research

the award from then World Bank PresidentJames Wolfensohn), along with NguyenHuu Huan of the Vietnam Ministry of Ag-riculture and Rural Development, and VuHuu Ky Ba of the Voice of Ho Chi Minh, wereawarded the prize at a May 25 ceremony in

Washington D.C.

Soap opera wins World Bank prize The new environmental radio programwill build on the success of earlier IRRI-ledradio projects (see www.irri.org/radio) and

will promote environmental sustainability inrice ecosystems using entertainment-educa-tion principles. More than 100 new episodes

will feature environmental health in rice eco -systems, including soil health, crop residue

management, natural biological control con-servation and reduction of farm chemicals.The project team will join social scientists,ecologists and creative writers to create aninformative, entertaining and motivationalradio soap opera. The programs messages

will be reinforced through activities such aslocal competitions, printed materials and

video, ultimately expanding the radio audi-ence to 10 million farm households.

This project will establish a uniqueplatform for partnerships between andamong scientists, creative writers andextension staff to develop stories that willmotivate farmers to use environmental bestpractices, said project leader Dr. Heong.

The prize includes US$131,800 to sup-port project implementation. The win wasalso reported in the 9 June issue ofNaturein a story titled Soap opera reaps prize forits clean message.

Aradio-based environmental educationprogram has been awarded one of 31 World Bank Development MarketplaceAwards for 2005. Developers of the En- vironmental Radio Soap Opera for RuralVietnam project, IRRIs K.L. Heong andMonina Escalada (pictured above receiving

Blst-ctdric plts

NaNcycastilla(2)

cgiar


7/40


Research offers drought hope

New research funded by the RockefellerFoundation and conducted by IRRI onthe impact of drought in rural India is one ofthe rst major efforts to fully understand theeconomic consequences of drought in Asia,especially in relation to rice. The researchresults, detailed in the report Economic

costs of drought and rainfed rice farm-ers coping mechanisms in eastern India,coincided with severe drought in several

Asian countries.IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler

noted that despite droughts devastatingeconomic and social costs, drought-alle-

viation research is relatively underfunded.He points out that, despite this, public riceresearch in Asia is developing a range ofnew technologies and strategies to help poorfarmers combat drought.

What we need to do now is make surethese technologies get fully developed and

Lands inundated with salt after lastDecembers Indian Ocean tsunami arerecovering faster than expected, accordingto a recent study by the United NationsFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO).Despite fears that the salt-logged lands

would remain unsuitable for most types ofcultivation in the long term, the FAO sur-

vey shows that 81% of the 47,000 hectaresof agricultural land damaged by tsunami

waves in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives,India and Thailand can be used for cultiva-tion this year.

But Daniel Renault, FAO coordina-tor for agriculture in tsunami-affectedcountries, warns that other problems stillthreaten farmers livelihoods. An Associ-ated Press report quotes him as saying that,

Tsunami damage less than expected

Many elds have been covered by soil sedi-ment and trash and have been damaged bymassive soil erosion. In addition, there is ashortage of labor for cleaning and cultivat-ing elds. Many farmers also lack capitaland tools to resume production.

Meanwhile, the tsunami prompted theInternational Crops Research Institute forthe Semi-Arid Tropics and the M.S. Swami-nathan Research Foundation to join forces.

The institutes are screening crop varietiesfor salt tolerance, selecting varieties throughcommunity participation, establishing localseed banks, and rehabilitating tsunami-af-fected soil and water systems. IRRI has alsoprovided seeds of salt-tolerant rice varieties

that have been held in the institutes Inter-national Rice Genebank.

Drought inicts a heavy toll

Media reports earlier this year broughnews of drought-stricken countriesacross Asia. Several news agencies, including Bloomberg and Agence France Press

reported that half a million people in Cambodia are struggling with food shortages due toprolonged drought. An April report by Indianonline news service Kerala Next quoted TaMom, chief of Paing Lovea village in one ofthe kingdoms hardest hit provinces, as saying that, The drought is so bad these lastmonths that we have lost our entire harvestIts a disaster.

Also quoted was World Food ProgramCountry Director, Thomas Keusters. Expressing concern over the droughts long-term consequences, Keusters reportedlysaid that more people die of hunger thanof AIDS, T.B. and malaria combined. Sothere is no doubt that if the people are in a

poor nutritional status, they are much more

vulnerable to all sorts of illnesses. Vietnams Thanh Nien News reportthat rice crop area in the countrys MekongDelta is set to be reduced by more than130,000 hectares due to drought. Deputy

Agriculture Minister Bui Ba Bong is quotedas saying that, the coming summer-autumncrop in the Mekong Delta is very importantmuch more than in previous years.

A story from news agency Reuterquoted a report on drought in the China

Daily. Vast stretches of cropland aredesperately parched due to inadequateirrigation from dry rivers and reservoirs,

said the newspaper. Drought in China hasreportedly left more than 9 million peoplefacing drinking-water shortages.

Meanwhile, the Associated Pressbrought news of a less conventional attempto tackle drought. Female rice farmers insouthwestern Nepal are reportedly plowingtheir elds at night in the nude to pleasethe rain god. A 35-year-old farmer, AmbikaTharu, was quoted by theHimalayan Timesnewspaper as saying, My mother-in-lawsaid the god would be pleased and makerainfall if women till the land naked.

reach the farmers who need them so they will have a better chance of avoiding thepoverty and hardship drought can so easilycause, said Dr. Zeigler.

Drought-ghting approaches includenew rice varieties that are better adapted todry conditions and new irrigation water, soilfertility and weed management strategies.

For more on drought, see Dreams beyonddroughton pages 14-21.

Tsmi-ctdld i Sri Lk

MarkBell


8/40

NEWS


The Indian Council of Agricultural Re-search (ICAR) has entered into a newworkplan agreement with IRRI to supportand facilitate its national rice research ef-forts over the next 3 years. The agreementfocuses on genetic enhancement or the de-

velopment of improved rice varieties, natu-ral resource management focusing on envi-ronmental sustainability, and training andtechnology transfer. The agreement aims tomake the latest technologies and ideas easilyavailable to Indias rice farmers and ensure

IRRI-India workplan that other rice-producing countries benetfrom the best Indian research.

Some of the new technologies that IRRIhas been working on with ICAR and other

partners in Asia include the development ofa submergence-tolerant version of the popu-lar Indian rice variety Swarna; the develop-ment of rice varieties with improved levels ofnutrition, including rice with higher levels of

vitamin A; new fertilizer strategies for farm-ers; and the continuing development of theIndian version of the Rice Knowledge Bank,the worlds rst digital extension service for

farmers and extension workers.

Commercialization of genetically modi-

ed (GM) rice in China has again fea-tured prominently in recent news reports,

with the country eld-trialing three typesof GM rice that are candidates for com-mercialization.

Although no varieties have been giventhe commercial go-ahead, theSouth China

Morning Post(SCMP) reported on 9 Julythat mainland farmers are continuing togrow GM rice against both Chinese law andthe advice of concerned critics.

TheSCMPquoted farmer Tian Zihai ofHubei province, who claims he grows about0.7 hectares of GM rice a year, selling some

and saving the rest for his family to eat. Ihave eaten it for 4 years with no problem atall, he reportedly said.

The article recalled a December 2004Newsweek report that quoted Zhang Qifa ofthe Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciencesand Central Chinas Huazhong AgriculturalUniversity, who conducted Chinas largestfield trials on GM rice. Professor Zhangreportedly said that farmers living near theGM test areas in Hubei grew and ate suchrice without any side effects and that a local

company sold GM rice seed to local farmers.

This prompted Greenpeace to launch aninvestigation, collecting rice samples andsending them to Germanys GeneScan labo-ratory for testing. According to Greenpeace,the tests proved the rice was identical to therice researched by Professor Zhang.

The article went on to say that theChinese Ministry of Agriculture refused toaccept the test results. Its biosafety ofce

vice director, Fang Xiangdong, reportedlycalled for extreme caution, emphasizingthat legal action would be taken in the faceof concrete evidence.

Meanwhile, the New York Times re-

ported on 16 April the concerns of someChinese growers and foreign specialistsover the selling of GM rice on the openmarket in Chinas Wuhan region and insmall villages in Hubei province. The paperquoted a Greenpeace spokesperson as say-ing, If biotech rice has found its way intothe food system here, China has becomethe rst place in the world where a majorcrop, in this instance rice, is being directlyconsumed by humans and without regula-tory approval.

China is tapping its state reserves to ad-

dress its rice supply shortfall during the2005-06 marketing year. In its June ricemarket monitoring report, the Ministry of

Agriculture indicated that the demand forrice outstripped supply despite a recovery inproduction in the previous marketing year.The ministry is optimistic that Chinas 2005rice acreage will increase as farmers areexpected to step up their rice planting dueto a minimum purchase price policy.

Long road to genetically modifed rice commercialization Chinese rice consumption

A

rchaeological evidence uncovered innorthern China suggests rice and maize

not only millet, as earlier thought wereimportant sources of food in early China.The discovery was made by anthropologistsfrom the University of Toronto, who believethe successful cropping combination was thelikely stimulus for rapid growth in the earli-est cities in northern China, starting as far

back as 2400-2000 B.C. Lead anthropologistGary Crawford claimed that the early riceproduction, in combination with millet and

wheat, could help explain the foundation ofChinas current huge population.

Early China boosted by rice?

Climate change pessimism

Astudy presented at the UKs Royal Soci-ety in April painted a gloomy picture forthe effect of climate change on food produc-tion. The paper, presented by a team fromthe University of Illinois Departments ofPlant Biology and Crop Sciences, states thatcurrent projections of global food security

under the global atmospheric change antici-pated for the second half of this century arelikely over-optimistic.

Newly developed technology allowedthe researchers to test the effect of global

warming and elevated carbon dioxide (CO 2)levels on open-air crop areas much largerthan had previously been possible usingcontained chamber studies. Chamber stud-ies, which are known to be unreliable, hadpredicted that the yield-boosting effects ofmore CO2 would to some extent offset the

yield-reducing effects of higher tempera-tures. However, the study results showed

that for the worlds major staples rice,maize, wheat and soybean the yield in-crease due to CO2 was only half as great asearlier chamber studies had shown.

Team member Steve Long was reportedbyNew Scientistas saying that, We needto seriously re-examine our predictions offuture global food production, adding thatcrop output is likely to be far lower thanpreviously estimated.

MangaLa RaI (left) dRbrt Zilr, dirctrsrl , rspctily,

ICaR d IRRI, si t wwrkpl rmt i J.

icar


9/40


aLLIanCe geTS RoLLIng:Tr iititis will pt wy rwrd r t wallic btw IRRI dt Itrtil Miz dWt Imprmt Ctr.T iititis r: w jitprrm r itsi rmisystms i asi; sil i-

d crp irmti systmr ric, wt d miz w itrtd crl irmt-ics ctr; d itrtdcrl systms kwld-sri prtl r xtsiwrkrs d til prrms.ec ctiity rfcts ctim rm bsic rsrct prcticl pplictis. Tallic ls mpsizs tcmplmtritis miz,ric d wt i prtbility,triti, mics d rm-i systms. Prticipts t

allic mti t IRRI iapril r pictrd t right.

Hybrid happenings

Agricultural policymakers, researchersand scientists from 13 countries, plusrepresentatives from the Asian Develop-

ment Bank (ADB), the Food and Agricul-ture Organization of the United Nations,IRRI, nongovernment organizations andthe private sector converged at the ADB

headquarters on 6-8 June for the RegionalWorkshop for Development and Dissemina-tion of Hybrid Rice Technology.

Workshop participants discussed keyresults achieved so far and the challengesfaced by hybrid rice programs in improvingfood security in Asia. Also considered werethe roles of government policies, public-private sector partnerships and promotion

Recently retired IRRI principal scientistand plant breeder Sant Virmani iswidely recognized for his role in the devel-

opment and dissemination of hybrid ricetechnology throughout tropical Asia. Inrecognition of this, he has been awarded the2005 Monsanto Crop Science Distinguished

Career Award from the Crop Science Societyof America, to be presented in September.

Dr. Virmani was also recognized by theGovernment of India during the 40th RiceResearch Group Meeting on 6-8 April inBangalore and by the Indian Seeds Industry

Association and Seedsmen Association ata 13 April ceremony held at the AcharyaN. G. Ranga Agricultural University inHyderabad.

At the 3rd national Workshop onHybrid Rice, held on 7 June in Manila,

the Philippine Department of Agriculturegave Dr. Virmani a plaque of gratitude

for more than 25 years spent developinghybrid rice technologies suited to thePhilippines.

Following his retirement, Dr. Virmaniplanned to continue at IRRI as a consultantunder the project Sustaining Food Securityin Asia through the Development of HybridRice Technology, from 6 July to 31 August.To learn more about his distinguished ca-reer and discover the ups and downs thatmark the history of hybrid rice in the tropics,seeA hybrid prioneer on pages 28-31.

Accolades for hybrid pioneer

K

wang-Ho Park of the Korea Na-tional Agricultural College in

Seoul has developed a new digitalchlorophyll meter (pictured) that willallow researchers, extension workersand farmers to precisely measure arice elds total nitrogen content andrecommend the amount of urea to

be applied. Excess application of ni-trogen can cause plants to lodge (fall

over) and can lead to environmentalpollution and pest infestation. Thenew device can also be applied to

vegetables and fruits.

New digital chlorophyll meter to help optimize fertilizer

of hybrid rice technology.The 3rd Philippine National Workshop

on Hybrid Rice was held in Manila on 7-9June. Focusing on the theme Harnessing

Hybrid Rice Technology through PolicyAdvocacy, the workshop determined policydirections in sustaining the use of hybridrice in the Philippines.

Hybrid rice is already grown on more

than half a million hectares across ve statesin India. The area is this year expected torise to 0.8 million hectares, according to areport on the rice industry Web site Oryzacom. Hybrid rice seed production gener-ates an estimated $118 million in annuarevenue and yields obtained from hybrid

varieties are 1-1.5 tons per hectare higherthan nonhybrid varieties.

BoggsPa

NaligaN


10/40

NEWS

10 Rice TodaySeptember 2005

Sturdier rice plantsScientists in Japan and China have devel-oped a rice plant that better resists lodging(falling over) in bad weather. Motoyuki

Ashikari of Nagoya University and HitoshiSakakibara of the Plant Science Center in

Yokohama discovered that plants contain-ing a gene that expressed low levels of aparticular enzyme produced 23-34% moregrains per plant than control plants. Moreseeds, however, can make plants top-heavyand susceptible to lodging. The scientistscombined plants that produced more grains

with those that had a gene favoring shorterplant height. The paper, published in the24 June issue ofScience, also explains thatthe scientists genome-scanning approach

could be used to identify genes for diseaseresistance and stress tolerance.

Successful project shines onBangladeshi nongovernment organization

AID-Comilla has secured funding from theUS Agency for International DevelopmentsIntegrated Pest Management Collaborative

Research Support Project to continue thework of the IRRI-led Livelihood Improve-ment Through Ecology (LITE) project. LITEshowed that applying insecticide to riceelds was essentially a waste of time andmoney and led to thousands of Bangladeshirice farmers eliminating insecticide useand reducing their fertilizer applicationsto optimal levels. Unsprayed crops had thesame or greater yields than sprayed crops,and farmers saved money and reducedharm to their health and the environment

(seeReason to cheer on pages 12-17 ofRice

Today Vol. 3, No. 4).

Environmental Agenda on the webIRRI has launched the BETA version of itsEnvironmental Agenda Web site, GreenRice.net, which will provide a wide range of com-munication tools and access to informationabout rice and the environment. Users canregister to receive updates and can sendcomments to the site development team.The site also showcases the IRRI Environ-mental Agendas seven key areas of concern:

poverty and environment, farm chemicalsand residues, land use and degradation,

water use and quality, biodiversity, climatechange, and use of biotechnology. Visit thesite at www.greenrice.net.

New CGIAR donorMalaysia has become the newest donor tothe CGIAR, starting this year with an initialcontribution of US$300,000 to the Inter-national Plant Genetic Resources Institute,the WorldFish Center and IRRI. Malaysias

funding to IRRI will help support research

activities in crop improvement and theenvironmental sustainability of rice produc-tion systems.

Environment and livelihoodMore than 150 people from 20 countriesattended an international conference on En-

vironment and Livelihoods in Coastal Zoneson 1-3 March in Bac Lieu, Vietnam. IRRI,the International Water Management In-stitute (IWMI), the WorldFish Center, CanTho University, and the Peoples Committee

Robert D. Bob Havener, IRRI interimdirector general in 1998, passed awayon 3 August at his California home, aged75. Although his 8-month stay at IRRI wasonly brief, he had a big impact, steeringthe institute through a difcult period and

winning the hearts of its staff. Mr. Havener(pictured above rightin 1998 with,from left,then Head of Public Awareness Robert Hug-gan, Head of Communication and Publica-tions Services Gene Hettel and then Deputy

Director General for Research Ken Fischer)was a champion of international agriculturalresearch, having devoted more than 50 yearsof his life to agriculture for development. Healso worked as interim director general of theInternational Center for Tropical Agriculturein 1994-95 during a time of crisis. In 1978-85,he was director general of the InternationalMaize and Wheat Improvement Center,

which, under his leadership, became recog-nized as the leading center in its eld.

Former IRRI director general passes away At a memorial service on 8 August atIRRI, Director General Robert Zeigler gave amoving tribute, noting that one of the manythings Mr. Havener will be remembered foris his effort in establishing the InternationalCenter for Agricultural Research in the Dry

Areas (ICARDA) in the 1970s.He is seen as the founding father of

ICARDA, said Dr. Zeigler, and reveredthroughout the Middle East as someone

with great compassion and commitment tothe region, and someone who has made agreat contribution.

irri


11/40

11Rice TodaySeptember 2005

sion along with Kumi Yasunobu, whocomes to IRRI from Japan.

Recently joining IRRI as postdoctoralfellows are Xuemei Ji (PBGB), Bert Col-lard (PBGB) and Chitra Raghavan (Ento-mology and Plant Pathology Division).

Entomologist Gary Jahn has movedto Laos to serve as IRRIs new projectmanager for the Swiss Agency for Develop-

ment Cooperation-funded Lao-IRRI RiceResearch and Training Project. He will alsoact as IRRI representative and coordinatorfor the Greater Mekong Subregion andhas taken over management of the AsianDevelopment Bank-funded Linking Exten-sion and Research Needs with InformationTechnology (LEARN-IT) Project, which will

build electronic linkages between regionalresearch and extension agencies.

International Research FellowM. Zai-nul Abedin (SSD) is now based in Ethiopia

as a farming systems specialist.International Programs Management

Ofce and the Training Center Head MarkBell has left for Davis, California, along withspouse Renee Laftte, crop physiologist inthe Crop, Soil and Water Sciences (CSWS)Division. Dr. Latte has taken up a job inthe private sector after 8 years working ondrought research at IRRI. Dr. Bell, whocontinues to act as a consultant to IRRIsRice Knowledge Bank, also received on

April 20 a Gratitude Plate from the RuralDevelopment Administration of Korea for

of Bac Lieu cosponsored the conference,which focused on the management of inlandcoastal zones affected by salinity intrusion,

with emphasis on conicting resource uses.About half the worlds population dependson coastal resources for industry, trade,recreation and their livelihood. Participantsalso recognized the importance of protect-ing coastal zones from shock events like theDecember 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Managing rice landscapesParticipants from India, Laos, Nepal and

Vietnam met with representatives from theInternational Fund for Agricultural Devel-opment (IFAD) and IRRI on 18-20 April forthe inception and planning workshop onthe IFAD-supported project on Managingrice landscapes in marginal uplands forhousehold food security and environmentalsustainability. The project aims to improvethe livelihood of upland farmers while con-serving fragile natural resources throughidentifying, validating and disseminatingimproved rice-based agricultural technolo-

gies suited to upland farmers diverse liveli-hood strategies.

Rice technology transfer systemsThe Rural Development Administration(RDA) of Korea and IRRI signed a Letter of

Agreement on 20 April, formally extendinguntil 2009 the two organizations existingcollaboration in implementing the Train-ing Workshop on Rice Technology TransferSystems in Asia the rst of its kind in theregion. This years course is scheduled for

4-17 September at the RDA campus in Su-

weon, Korea. RDA provides funding supportfor all participating national agriculturalresearch and extension systems while IRRIprovides course materials, key resourcepeople and facilitators.

Money for AfricaThe IRRI Board of Trustees is allocating upto US$1 million to support the Institutesstrategic initiatives in certain key areas andcountries, with the rst priority being thedevelopment of a major program in Africa.

IRRI Senior Scientist Vethaiya Balasubramanian will be IRRIs Africa Coordinator.

Future collaborationIRRI and Australias Charles Sturt University, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 25 April. IRRI became an afliateinstitute of the university, setting the stagefor future collaboration in rice researchand training.

Asian labor out-migrationTrends in Asian modernization have found

men taking advantage of the growing jobmarket in the rural nonfarm economy. Asa result, women are being left behind tomanage the farms. This observation surfaced when participants from AustraliaBangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand

Vietnam and the Philippines met at a 26-27April conference at IRRI on Impact of laborout-migration on rice household economy

with emphasis on gender issues. Led byIRRI Gender Specialist Thelma Paris, theconference focused on the prevalence and

Keeping up with IRRI staff

The China Jillian University in Hangzhouhas appointed IRRI entomologist K.L.Heong as visiting professor to the Univer-sitys School of Life Sciences. Dr. Heong

will work with the Schools Dean, ProfessorYu Xiaoping, to develop new curricula and

research themes that will focus on environ-ment and sustainable development.

Philippe Herve recently joined thePlant Breeding, Genetics and Biotechnol-ogy (PBGB) Division. He comes to IRRIfrom Crop Design, in Belgium, where he

worked as a plant and cell biotechnologyproject leader.

Rakish Kumar Singhhas joined PBGBas an international research fellow to work onthe salinity project and research funded by theChallenge Program on Water and Food.

Grant Singleton of Australias Com-monwealth Scientic and Industrial Re-

search Organisation has been selected asthe new Irrigated Rice Research Consortiumcoordinator. He was scheduled to begin

work at IRRI in September.Nobuya Kobayashi has joined PBGB

to take on responsibility for the IRRI-JapanCollaborative Research Project.

Economist Deborah Templeton, who previously worked at the AustralianCentre for International Agricultural Re-search, has joined the Social Sciences Divi-

his outstanding contributions to the Training Workshop on Rice Technology TransferSystems in Asia.

Swapan and Karabi Datta (PBGB

depart having both advanced rice biotechnology during their time at IRRI.

Matthias Wissuwa, internationaresearch fellow in CSWS has moved toTsukuba, Japan, to work at the Japan

International Research Center for Agricultural Science. Dr. Wissuwa made invaluablecontributions to the understanding of themolecular and physiological bases of nutrient deciency tolerance in rice.

Departing postdoctoral fellows are Devendra Dwivedi (PBGB) and HumnathBandari (SSD). Dr. Bhandari has since returned to SSD as a visiting research fellow.

Martin Kropff, IRRI agronomisand crop modeler in 1990-94, has been appointed rector of Wageningen University

the Netherlands. Prior to his appointmentwhich was scheduled to begin in September

Dr. Kropff was chair of the Crop and WeedEcology Group and director general of theUniversitys Plant Sciences Group.

Modaduu gupta, Assistant Director General

(International Relations and Partnerships) o the

WorldFish Center in 2003-04, is the winner o the

2005 World Food Prize. WorldFish is, along with IRRI,

one o the 15 centers that make up the Consultative

Group on International Agricultural Research.

Also...


12/40

NEWS


patterns of labor out-migration and theirimpact on livelihood, rice farming efciencyand gender roles.

Sri Lankan rice self-sufciency A recent report in Indian newspaper The

Hindu quoted Sri Lankan AgricultureMinister Anura Kumara Dissanayakesannouncement that Sri Lanka has becomeself-sufficient in rice production. Theminister reportedly said that the countrysper-hectare productivity had increased

from 3.82 to 4.1 tons, thanks to innovativemeasures such as the revival of an age-oldirrigation system, returning abandoned landto cultivation, and supplying quality inputsand subsidized fertilizers to farmers. SriLanka previously imported rice from India,Pakistan and Vietnam.

Unfavorable rice environmentsEighty participants from national agri-

cultural research and extension systems(NARES) and IRRI met on Lombok Island,

Indonesia, on 24-27 May for the FourthAnnual Steering Committee Meeting of theConsortium for Unfavorable Rice Environ-ments. The meeting served as the keypolicy-making and agenda-setting forumfor IRRIs research partnership with NARES

institutions that are conducting researchin the unfavorable rainfed ecosystems. Theconsortium is engaged in a 3-year programof collaborative research with NARES part-ners through the Asian Development BanksRegional Expertise Technical Assistance

program.

Private collaborationIRRI and the India-based Mahyco ResearchFoundation (MRF) signed a Memorandumof Agreement on 27 June. MRF is a privateresearch and development foundationfounded by Maharashtra Hybrid SeedsCompany Limited (Mahyco). Establishedin 1964, Mahyco focuses on plant genetic

research and hybrid rice seed production.The memorandum covers collaboration in

the areas of functional genomics for brownplanthopper resistance, capacity buildingthrough human resource development andtraining for marker-assisted selection, andexchange of germplasm.

Rice policy strategy for West AfricaExperts from Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria,Niger, the Economic Community of West

African States and the Africa Rice Center(WARDA) have agreed to form a ricepolicy research and advocacy platform

that will help develop policies to promotethe regions rice sector as well as developand implement a common agenda for ricepolicy research. They will also developmulticountry project proposals based onregional research priorities and jointlysource funds to carry out the projects. Theexperts agreed that local rice would never

become competitive unless favorable andconsistent policies and effective institu-

tional arrangements are developed andimplemented across the region.

IRRI Deputy Director General for Part-nerships William Padolina has beenawarded the prestigious 2005 ASEAN Sci-ence and Technology Meritorious Service

Award. The award, which Dr. Padolina was scheduled to receive on 11 August,

recognizes Association of South East AsianNations (ASEAN) senior ofcials and ad-ministrators for their efforts and signicantcontributions toward the promotion anddevelopment of regional cooperation inthe scientic and technological elds andthe upgrading of regional, scientic andtechnological capabilities.

Two entries with IRRI ties won majorawards in a success story competitionsponsored by the Swiss Agency for Develop-ment and Cooperation (SDC) for countriesin its East Asia Division.Three Reductions,Three Gains Program to improve envi-

ronment and livelihood of millions of ricefarmers in Vietnam received 2nd prize and

Genuinely Lao the story of the projectthat revolutionized rice production in Laos(pictured at right) won 3rd prize. You canread them at www.irri.org/media/impact/three1.asp and www.irri.org/media/impact/laos1.asp, respectively.

For his 33 years of outstanding volun-teer efforts and service,IRRI Communica-tion and Publications Services Head GeneHettel received the 2005 Service Award ofthe U.S.-based Association for Communica-

tion Excellence in Agriculture,Natural Resources, and Lifeand Human Sciences during itsannual meeting in San Antonio,

Texas, in June.The Philippine Society

of Agricultural Engineers(PSAE) named IRRI AssociateScientist Ruben Lampayan

as 2005 Outstanding Filipino Agricultural Engineer in thefield of Irrigation Researchand Development during the55th PSAE Annual NationalConvention in General SantosCity in April.

IRRI Senior ScientistThelma Paris received theHonorary Fellow Award fromthe Federation of Crop Sci-ence Societies of the Philip-

pines (FCSSP) during its 18thScientific Conference held

in Cagayan de Oro City inMay. IRRI Assistant ScientistMarianne Samson won theconferences best paper com-petition in the downstreamresearch category.Benets ofreal-time N-fertilizer management during

four years in two long-term experimentswas coauthored with E.V. Laureles, W.M.Larazo and R.J. Buresh from IRRI and H.C.Gines from the Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute (PhilRice).

Assistant Scientist Teodoro Migo won

Achievements

the Best Paper Award (weed science) at thePest Management Council of the PhilippinesConference at PhilRice, Nueva Ecija, in May.The paperResponse of lowland rice weedsto submergence and the effect of herbicidedose was co-authored by O.S. Namuco, A.M.Mortimer and D.E. Johnson.

PhotoByPeterFredeNBurg


13/40

DONORS CORNER


The driving policy and guidingprinciples of the Swiss Agencyfor Development and Coop-

eration (SDC) aim to help partnercountries overcome endemic povertyand to achieve food security and envi-ronmental sustainability. To managethis support efciently, SDC promotesgrowth among the most disadvan-taged groups in society by helpingthem improve production, manageenvironmental problems and provide

better accessto educationand basichealth care.We recognizethat the focusof developmenttoday is onachieving com-munity-levelimpact throughbetter-harmonized programs andprocedures, and actively assess-ing impacts against the aims of theUnited Nations Millennium De-velopment Goals and World BankPoverty Reduction Strategies.

SDCs key mandate is to improvethe living conditions of the rural poor,who represent 80% of the worlds850 million chronically or acutelymalnourished people. This mission in-volves advancing sustainable agricul-ture for food security, livelihood im-provement and pro-poor growth. The

major challenge ahead will be to meetgrowing food demand with limitedland resources, and without sacric-ing natural habitats or causing furtherdeforestation and loss of biodiversity.

New approaches to agricultureconfront producers in an increas-ingly liberalized market, in whichthere is unequal access to assets andlimited participation in decision-making. SDC believes research andknowledge can pave the way forward.

We recognize that the agriculturalsector will grow and improve itsefciency only if research deliversappropriate results along with practi-cal and locally adapted solutions.

Within this focus, SDC supportsthe International Rice Research In-stitute (IRRI) and other ConsultativeGroup on International AgriculturalResearch (CGIAR) centers, and hasbeen an active member of the groupsince its inception. The CGIARs

research isone impor-tant link ina chain ofknowledgegenerationfor develop-ment. SDCssupport foragriculturalresearch

goes hand-in-hand with buildingcapacity in human resources andstrengthening institutions. This sup-port is based not only on the researchfocus, but also on whether appropriatepartnership arrangements and imple-mentation mechanisms exist. Andwhile we do not try to turn researchinstitutions into development agents,we believe the targets of research the poor and disadvantaged mustalways remain in sight. Research fordevelopment is about exchangingknowledge and building ownership,

and this requires focused, procientpartner institutions that are dedi-cated to improving life for the poor.

SDCs support for the CGIARsystem is threefold. First, unre-stricted grants to core center-specicprograms and the CGIAR ChallengePrograms have remained steady overthe past few years at US$10 millionper year. Second, projects based inspecic target countries receive asimilar amount. Third, to maintain

a critical mass of expertise in agri-cultural research for development,SDC helps build networks betweenSwiss research centers and those ofthe CGIAR, and provides resourcesfor the Junior Professional OfcerProgram. In total, SDCs commit-ment to the CGIAR approaches

$20 million annually, making SDCthe groups 8th-largest donor.

IRRI is an important partner ofSDC, particularly in Asia. The Lao-IRRI Rice Research and TrainingProject and the Asia-wide IrrigatedRice Research Consortium (IRRC)are two typical examples of suc-cessful partnerships with a concreteimpact on food security and liveli-hoods. Tools developed by the IRRC,for example, are gaining tremendouspopularity among Asian rice farm-ers. In Vietnam, the impact of theBa Giam, Ba Tang (Three Reduc-tions, Three Gains) campaign isexpected to reach and improve thelivelihood of more than 12 millionrice farmers by decreasing theirdependence on insecticides. This,in turn, increases farmers incomeswhile reducing unnecessary healthhazards and environmental pollution.

Getting technologies into farmerselds requires researchers to work

closely with farmers and involve themin all steps of research, from analyz-ing their problems through to ndingnew technologies. The measure ofresearchers success should be theadoption rate of appropriate technolo-gies at the farm level, rather thannumber of publications or scienticrigor alone. In this vein, SDC willcontinue its support for research thatleads to tangible improvements in thelives of the poor.

Paving the way forwardthrough researchby Katharina Jenny

Dr. Jy is sir disr i t ntrlRsrcs d eirmt Diisi t Swissacy r Dlpmt d Cprti.


14/40


For the rural poor, droughtdelivers heartbreak and

rips communities apart but

promising new research can

help rice farmers and their

families avoid devastation

Dreams beynd

DRoughtby Adam Barclay

DRoughT tt cssric lds lik tis ls

rcs wm t trl ldistcs t d driki

wtr (inset).arielJavellaNa

huMNathBhaNdari


15/40


droughts impact is gradual, soit receives less attention frompoliticians and policymakers.Nevertheless, prolonged severedrought causes the breakdown oflivelihoods and rural economies andthe failure of social support systems.The impact is disproportionatelyhigh on poor householdsthat are less able to copebecause they do not ownor have access to theresources they need toescape the worst effects.

In 2004, widespreadsevere drought in much ofAsia not only resulted inagricultural productionlosses of hundreds of

millions of dollars but alsopushed literally millions of peopleinto poverty. In Thailand, droughthit 70 of the countrys 76 provincesand affected more than 8 millionpeople. Production loss from majorcrop failures covering 2 millionhectares is estimated at US$326million, resulting in a 3.9% decline inthe 2004 agricultural gross domesticproduct (GDP). More than half of therural population of Thailand relies on

farm income for their livelihoods. Thestory is the same all across developingAsia, where well over half thepopulation depends on agriculture.

Reports from numerouscountries have a depressing samenessto them. In 2004, the normally lushtropical southern Chinese island of

Hainan suffered its worstdrought in 50 years, with12 million hectares offarmland affected. Mediareports claimed that morethan 9 million Chinesefaced drinking-watershortages. Vietnamseight central highlandprovinces suffered theirworst drought in 28 years,

affecting around 1 millionpeople and causing an estimated $80million worth of crop losses. In March2005, Cambodian Prime MinisterHun Sen called for internationalassistance for a national campaign tohelp farmers who are short of water.Coping with recurrent drought is partof life for millions of Asias rural poor.

Just over two-thirds of India issusceptible to drought and more thanhalf of Asias drought-prone rice lands

the headlines dont screamat you from the front page.But their effect builds and, ifyouve followed the news fromacross Asia this past year or

so, you will understand the scale ofthe problem. Drought doesnt havethe immediacy of a tsunami or aood, but it can kill just as effectively.Its method is slow, insidious and,in the end, more painful, grindingpeople slowly into the dust thatlies where crops once stood.

Essentially, drought is anextended period of substantiallylower-than-usual rainfall, leadingto a shortage of water for domesticuse and agriculture, and ultimatelyto nancial, physical and social

hardship. And it happens over andover again in Asia, where around afth of all rice area is drought-prone.

The consequences of droughtread like a description of theapocalypse: decline in foodproduction, hunger, malnutrition,disease epidemics and other healthproblems, famine, displacement ofpeople, loss of assets, starvation the list goes on. Where oods andtyphoons inict instant damage,

te cnseqences

f dr read

like a descripin

f e apcalypse

leharNeFouNtaiN


16/40


are located in eastern India alone.Drought is one of Indias foremostconstraints to increased and stableagricultural production. The lastcentury has seen the country rockedby severe droughts in 1918, 1965,

1972, 1979, 1987 and 2002. Withagriculture contributing around aquarter of Indias GDP, severe droughtdirectly sties economic growth.

The 2002 drought ranks as oneof the most severe in Indias recordedhistory. More than half the countrysarea and around 300 million peopleacross 18 states felt its impact. Thelack of rain caused a 15% drop intotal food grains and a 19% drop inrice production 31 million tons

and 17 million tons, respectively compared with what was expectedbased on agricultural trends. TheIndian Department of Agriculture estimatedthat the 2002 drought

year resulted in a 3.2%decline in agriculturalGDP, a $9-billion loss inagricultural income andthe loss of a staggering1.3 billion person-days in rural employment due toshrinkage of agricultural operations.

What do these numbers actuallymean, though? First, you have toremember that India is home to morethan a sixth of the planets population

almost 1.1 billion, and rising. Soa little economic push here or shovethere can affect a lotof people. In just

three states in easternIndia, Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand and

Orissa, the 2002drought slashed farmhousehold income by40-80% and shoved13 million peoplebelow an already-

low poverty line. In short, a lotof people who werent doing toobadly became poor and a lot ofpoor people became a lot poorer.

Sushil Pandey, a senioragricultural economist at the

aS DRoughT tks its tll,mplymt r ricl-trl wrkrs ls dris p,

rci tm it icti-ity r mirti t citis it src r wrk.

te 2002 dr ranks

as ne f e ms

severe in memry


17/40


Drought is a major issue or rained

rice cultivation in eastern India.

In Chhattisgarh state in 2002-03,

or example, drought led to a halving

o rice production, hampering the rural

economy and orcing armers into debt.

Rice cultivation in this region is

oten perormed by direct seeding, rather

than transplanting. One drawback o

this technique is that weeds can be a

big problem. The chie method o weedcontrol in Chhattisgarh is through the

traditional practice o biasi, which is

heavily dependent on adequate and

timely rainall to impound about 10-

15 cm o water. Around 30-50 days

ater sowing, armers run a narrow plow

through the mix o crop and weeds. Al-

though disruptive or the seedlings, the

method keeps weeds under control, and

allows armers to redistribute seedlings

and ll any gaps. But a lack o enough

rainall can delay or even prevent biasi,and weeds soon out-compete the rice,

causing severe declines in yield.

One solution is to sow the rice in

lines using a seed drill a device that

opens urrows in the soil and drops

seeds into them with dierent weed

management strategies not dependent

on impounded water. The technology is

not new but, until recently, has not been

adopted in Chhattisgarh due largely to

a lack o access to seed drills and tra

tors. Now, IRRI and the Indira Ghan

Agricultural University, with unding ro

the International Fund or Agricultur

Development, are helping remove barr

ers to adoption by taking a more com

munity-oriented path. The research tea

recently helped arming communities s

up a hiring system and encouraged l

cal entrepreneurs to purchase drills an

tractors that could be hired out to othsmall armers.

Importantly, line-sown rice matur

up to 10 days earlier than biasi ric

Previously, armers grew varieties o di

erent durations, which were harveste

relatively late and at dierent times, pr

hibiting a second crop under residual so

moisture conditions during the otherwi

allow period. Cropping intensity has i

creased because the armers now sow th

same early-maturing rice variety, allow

ing production o a high-yielding varieo chickpea ater the rice harvest.

Line sowing is gaining populari

among armers and helping them to pro

duce higher yields and income. Managin

weeds in line-sown crops is easier to

as it isnt dependent on the high raina

required or biasi. Gaining access to lin

sowing technology has helped, but it

the cooperation o local communitie

that has really made the dierence.

International Rice Research Institute(IRRI), led a recent RockefellerFoundation-funded study into theimpact of drought titledEconomiccosts of drought and rainfed ricefarmers coping mechanisms ineastern India. He points out that

the impact at a national level tendsto be moderated because a wholecountry is rarely in drought at once,and areas experiencing a good yearwill to some extent buffer the hardesthit areas. If you take a look at theeffect on localized groups, though,you see a much bleaker picture.

When you zoom in on specicareas, you see the impact muchmore, says Dr. Pandey. Its possibleto have very little uctuation

FaRMeRS tr i t ill Kpsd,40 km rm t Cttisr cpitl Ripr,t sr tir drill-sdi xprics witscitists rm Idir gdi aricltrl

uirsity.

Communiy acion combas droughby Leharne Fountain

huMNathBhaNdari

leharNeFouNtaiN


18/40


FaRMeRS In ChhaTTISgaRh tll IRRIs hmt Bdri (seated atright) bt w drt s ctd tir lis d wt ty d ttry d cp. a wm ccks pblic tb wll (below) r drikiwtr. I t bckrd is prcd rm pd, wic i bttryrs prids wtr r dmstic s d listck.

huMNathBhaNdari


19/40

1

to get a sense o lie during an Indian drought,

let us examine the case o one armer.

Nandu Bhoi arms a hal-hectare block near

Datarengi village in the Raipur district o Indias

Chhattisgarh state. The areas soil retains very

little rainwater; crops here depend on consistent,

timely rains. It is an unorgiving place to eke outa arm living.

Despite droughts in 1997, 1998 and 2000,

Nandu managed to produce a little rice. Then,

in the 2002 monsoon season, the rains dried up

completely and he neither planted nor harvested

a single grain. Six years earlier, he had bought a

bullock to help with land preparation and to hire

out to other armers. In the absence o rain, Nandu

simply grazed his bullock in his barren rice eld,

but by 2002 there were not even enough weeds

to eed a single drat animal.

With his amily becoming hungrier and

his bullock ast losing weight, Nandu decided

to sell. Many o his ellow armers in similarly

dire circumstances were doing the same thing,

so prices or bullocks had hit rock bottom. He

received a paltry sum or the sickly beast but at

least it was one less thing to worry about. Unable

to produce ood himsel, though, Nandu became

more and more desperate, selling his arm tools

and some cooking implements.

When ood is in short supply in this part

o India, women are given whatever is let over

ater the men, the children and the elderly have

eaten. Nandus pregnant wie, Sulochana, had thus

become weak, barely able to gather the energy to

join the other arm wives oraging in the nearby

orest or ood. Most days, Sulochana was helped

by her 12-year-old-son and 10-year-old daughter.

Together, they would spend up to 12 hours each

day collecting rewood, timber, medicinal plantsand ood. Keeping a small portion or themselves,

they sold the bulk o it at the market, earning

around 50 rupees (US$1.15) per day.

The children no longer attended school

and although people harvest orest products in

nondrought years, the practice increases sharply

during drought, contributing to rapid depletion o

useul plants and severe deorestation. Foragers

also risk an unreliable market, low prices and

exploitation by middlemen.

With his options rapidly dwindling, Nandu

moved to Maharashtra, hundreds o kilometers

southwest o Raipur, to perorm manual labor at

a brick-producing kiln. To do this, he borrowed

Rs 1000 ($23) rom a local money lender, who

charged him 40% annual interest. In Maharashtra,

he worked a punishing 15-hour day or a paltry

Rs 50. Meanwhile, Sulochana gave birth to a5-week-premature boy who, underweight and

undered, died a week later.

In 2003 the rains inally returned to

Raipur and Nandu moved back to Datarengi to

re-establish his arm. Already owing money, he

had no alternative but to plunge urther into

debt. Having previously sold his bullock and arm

tools, he borrowed enough money to hire what

he needed to plant a rice crop. Forced to wait

or the equipment until its owners had nished

with it, Nandu planted his crop late, resulting

in considerable production losses. For the rst

time in years, though, he was able to provide his

amily with ood that he had grown himsel, and

so begin the long, hard journey to recovery. But

i another drought hits any time soon, Nandu and

his amily will nd themselves rapidly ground into

the dust once more.The story o Nandu Bhoi and his amily

represents the heartbreaking reality or an

enormous number o arm amilies across India

who continue to suer rom recurrent drought.

Poverty and debt eed on themselves and, when

the rains ail, already-struggling armers quickly

nd their circumstances spiraling out o control,

unwitting players in a potentially deadly chain

reaction.

tears in he dus

and loss of production at the

national level at the same time asmassive production losses 60-70% in the affected areas.

Although the direct impactof drought is production loss andconsequent income loss, this is onlythe start of a farmers problems.

The local economy in a ruralarea depends on agriculture, saysDr. Pandey, and if the local economyisnt functioning well, the otheremployment disappears. You have a

cumulative effect. The total economic

cost of drought is several-fold higherthan the value of the production loss,and farmers coping mechanismsare usually inadequate to prevent ashortfall in consumption, particularlyamong vulnerable groups. Whenpeople are unable to pay off theirloans, they go deeper and deeperinto debt, ultimately losing theirland and whatever else they own,and become completely destitute.

Sukraram Dhuru, from Raipurs

Kumarkhan village, sums things

by saying a 1-year drought createsa 5-year problem. Imagine, then,the ruin inicted by 2, or 3, or 5consecutive years of poor rains.Some farm families are simplypushed so far down they never maketheir way back up, condemned to asubsistence of monotonous, unskilledlabor, drudgery and malnutrition.

Whats more, this sort of tragedyhappens again and again. It is bothencouraging and sobering to realize

WoMen FRoM PooR, drt-ctdslds i Cttisr cllct kdls rm t rst. Ty c mk littl my slli ts i t lclmrkt, bt t prctic, wic pks idrt yrs, ctribts t drstti.

huMNathBhaNdari


20/40

Drough wha is IRRI doing?

IRRI is developing a range of strategies to tackle drought. Read on for a

summary of some of the institutes key research.

Breeding for drough oleranceIRRI researchers have demonstrated that some rice

varieties (including some hybrids), are much more

tolerant than mainstream high-yielding irrigated

varieties to periods o soil drying during the critical

fowering and early grain-lling stages. Luckily,

this characteristic does not seem to undermine

yield under avorable conditions. Rice breeders can

nd the most drought-tolerant varieties through a

screening process wherein plants are deprived o

water around the fowering period, and then the

best-yielding candidates are selected. Since 2004,

IRRI has identied many varieties combining highyield when conditions are good with the

ability to produce yields o 2-3 tons per

hectare under conditions that are so

dry that many popular varieties produce

less than 1 ton per hectare. IRRI and

collaborators are studying the genetic

basis or this tolerance.

Aerobic riceRice breeders at IRRI are developing new

types o rice that combine the ability o

some traditional but low-yielding varieties

to grow in dry soils with the ertilizer

responsiveness and yield potential o

modern high-yielding varieties. The rstgeneration o this so-called aerobic rice

has been developed by crossing irrigated

high-yielding varieties with some o

the traditional types and selecting

the progeny under dry soil conditions.

Researchers in China and at the Brazilian Agricultural

Research Corporation pioneered this breeding

strategy. The resulting varieties are direct-seeded

into dry soil in nonfooded elds and managed like

a high-yielding wheat or maize crop. Irrigation is

applied i available and needed, but no standing

water is held in the elds.

Crop managemen sraegiesIRRI is researching a range o crop management

strategies that have the potential to reduce the

impact o drought. Dry direct seeding planting

seeds directly into nonfooded elds instead o

transplanting seedlings into fooded elds has

the potential to help armers avoid late season

drought, increase rice yield and gain opportunities

to grow extra crops. Researchers are also quantiying

drought eect on crop development, growth and

yield, then using the Oryza2000 crop modeling

system (co-developed by IRRI and Wageningen

University in The Netherlands) to simulate rice

growth under drought conditions. Such modeling

has already allowed scientists to analyze yield

constraints and explore management options to

increase the yield and stability o rained lowland

rice in Indonesia. Land leveling can help armers

use water more eciently. Studying how soil and

hydrological characteristics vary according to

topography and how this aects soil nutrients,

water availabil ity and yield will help researchers

develop improved, site-speciic management

strategies or drought conditions.

Deleion muansDeletion mutants oer an exciting way o exploring

the eect o unknown genes on drought tolerance.

IRRI scientists have created more than 40,000

deletion mutants where chemicals or radiation

were used to knock out random segments o the

chromosome. The resultant plants the deletion

mutants are then screened under drought stress

in the eld, or by applying drought-related plant

hormones in the laboratory, to identiy drought-

tolerant or drought-susceptible mutants. By careully

investigating dierent physiological characteristics

o the tolerant mutants a picture o the mechanisms

important or drought tolerance in rice is beginning

to emerge. Work is also under way to identiy which

deleted genes are responsible or this eect.

Physiological, anaomical and molecularbases of drough sensiiviyThe reproductive stage o rice is the most sensitive

to drought stress. Inadequate rainall during the

fowering and grain-lling stages can lead to large

yield losses in many leading rice varieties. One o

the reasons or reduced yields is that the panicle

(the fowering section o the rice plant) does not

ully emerge rom the lea sheath. For the panicle

to ully emerge, the plant needs to produce a

particular hormone (gibberellin). Under drought

stress, however, the plant decreases production o

gibberellin and increases production o a dierent

hormone (abscisic acid), which works in opposition

to gibberellin. This same phenomenon is responsible

or poor pollen release under drought conditions,

which also inhibits yield. IRRI scientists are

examining the genes that control the production

and release o these hormones, as well as the

corresponding proteins. Ultimately, researchers hope

to develop rice plants that maintain reasonable

yields under drought conditions.

Molecular breedingAlthough drought-resilient rice varieties

do exist, it has proved dicult to combine

drought tolerance and high yields. To link

these two traits, scientists at IRRI and the

Chinese Academy o Agricultural Sciences

interbred popular high-yielding varieties

with more than 100 varieties rom diverse

origins. This produced a large number o

breeding lines, which were then screened

or high yield under drought stress.

Researchers identied many lines whose

physical appearance and perormance

were similar to the popular varieties theywere derived rom, but with improved

yield in a range o drought environments.

These lines are now being eld-tested in

drought-prone environments in South and

Southeast Asia. This approach has also

helped scientists identiy many genes and parts o

the genome that infuence drought tolerance.

the Challenge Program on Waer and FoodThe Challenge Program on Water and Food is one o

several high-impact, collaborative research programs

that target major global and regional agricultural

issues. The Challenge Programs are an initiative o

IRRIs parent organization, the Consultative Group

on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

Ultimately, the Water and Food program will help

armers grow more ood with less water. IRRI is

leading the programs Crop Water Productivity

Improvement theme, which seeks to increase crop

water productivity to ensure ood security and

improve armers livelihoods without increasing

water used or agriculture over the amount used in

the year 2000. Researchers rom ve CGIAR centers

and several additional partners aim to achieve this

by developing water-eicient crops, improving

arming practices to optimize water use, and

promoting policies and institutions to help armers

gain access to new technologies.

aeRoBIC RICe ritis, lik tsbi trild t IRRI, c rw i

cditis r t dry r cmmlyrw mdr ritis.

garyatliN


21/40


that the worst consequences canbe avoided. We may not have theability to prevent drought, but wehave the chance to soften its effectsand give people who depend onagriculture a ghting chance.

The answer lies in threeinterconnected areas research,effective long-term drought-mitigation policies and reliefstrategies. There is an urgent needfor policies that give farmers accessto markets and affordable credit.Improved irrigation systems andsoil and water conservation, throughbetter approaches to managingnatural watersheds, can help easethe effects of drought. Access toimproved agricultural technologies

that increase productivity will helpfarmers diversify their incomesources, giving them opportunitiesto earn a living from more thanjust one type of crop and fromviable nonfarm activities.

Farmers need nonagriculturalincome so even when there isagricultural failure, they can earnmoney, explains Humnath Bhandari,a visiting research fellow at IRRI whocoauthored the India drought report.

Effective drought relief, such asemergency food supplies, is crucial,says Dr. Bhandari, but people onlyreceive assistance when a droughtactually happens. Millions of reliefdollars are spent but with little impacton long-term mitigation. Unless we

focus on long-term strategies, wewont nd a solution, but governmentsare now starting to realize howserious this issue really is.

In research, we nd thepotential for truly sustainableimprovements. IRRI has takenon a suite of different approaches,from breeding rice varieties thatare better able to tolerate droughtconditions, to improved crop andwater management strategiesthat help conserve and reducethe need for water (seeDrought what is IRRI doing?, opposite).

In combination with inadequatecoping mechanisms, drought notonly perpetuates poverty but alsodeepens it, forcing more peoplebelow the poverty line and draggingthose already there deeper down.At the same time, improvementsborne by research can have theopposite effect, nudging peopleback up into better circumstances.

What would happen, asks Dr.Pandey, if we could halve the riceyield loss suffered during droughtyears? This alone would preventabout 4 million people in easternIndia from falling into poverty.

Combine that with improvedpolicies, effective relief and betterinfrastructure, and you give farmersand their families a chance to keepwater in their elds, their crops aboveground and their heads above water.

JoBLeSS anD aPPRehenSIve, ppl wit xisly r rli t rri, wilrmrs tr t sll tir bllcks t wkly mrkt i oriss (below). a

drt-idcd rdsip rcs mr d mr rmrs t sll tiprdcti ssts, sc s rm imls, prics drp lwr d lwr

huMNathBhaNdari(2)


22/40


succes

sDrummingup

An improved way of planting rice

is increasing farmers incomes

and strengthening communities

in Bangladesh

Story and photography byLeharne Fountain


23/40


Almost 90% of the 11 millionhectares of rice that areplanted each season inBangladesh is transplanted

seedlings are grown in nurseriesthen moved to the eld. It is aheavily labor-intensive process,requiring nearly half-a-billion

person-days across the country. Inthe past, rural laborers abounded,but increasing labor out-migrationto city areas and a shift towardsalternative rural employment hasseen a severe shortage of handsavailable for transplanting rice.

This scarcity of farm workersis hurting Bangladeshi rice farmerson several fronts. The most obviousimpact is an increase in labor costs.Also, the optimal planting periodsfor the boro (dry) and aman (wet)

seasons are relatively short.A lack of workers

means not allfarmers can

plant theirrice on time.Delayedplantingleads to late-maturing rice,

increasingthe risk of crop

losses at the tailend of both seasons

due to hailstorms orooding from rain during

the boro season and due to drought

during the aman season. Thesefactors, combined with increasingcosts of other inputs and a falling orstagnant market price for rice, arediminishing the economic viabilityof rice production in Bangladesh.

But a simple, inexpensive piece ofequipment has the potential to changethe face of rice farming across thecountry. The drum seeder (see photo,opposite) is a lightweight devicemade from high-density plastic witha cost of around US$40 and a life of

6-8 years. Originally designed by theInternational Rice Research Institute(IRRI), improvements by researchersand manufacturers in Vietnam havesubstantially reduced the weight, costand usability of the device. It consistsof six to eight cylindrical drumsalong a central axis. Each drum isstudded with holes through whichpre-germinated seeds drop neatly inrows on puddled soils as the drumseeder is pulled along. The drums aresupported by a large plastic wheel ateach end, allowing the whole systemto be easily pulled along by a singleuser at walking pace. Drum seedinghas already had success in Vietnamas a seed-saving strategy, but itscapacity to save labor is profound:while it may take up to 50 person-days to transplant 1 hectare of rice,

direct wet seeding with a drumseeder takes barely 2 person-days.

Bangladeshs rst drum-seedingtrial, conducted during the 2003aman season a collaborationbetween IRRI and the BangladeshRice Research Institute (BRRI),funded by the International Fund forAgricultural Development (IFAD) was a comprehensive success. Inthe trial, led by M. Zainul Abedin,Farming Systems Specialist in

A plAstic drum seeder h x gh a yna hng gna haa n a h ay h ang by a ng n k Fn a

Jy Gnza a akng a. m. Zan Abn (below left), h h -ng a, n-

v ab h hngy by Bangah tV chann ing a f ay n pabna. th a ha ay aa n ang aan ng hgh Bangah.


24/40


IRRIs Social Sciences Division,and implemented by BRRI ChiefScientic Ofcer Musherraf Husainand participating farmers, drumseeding resulted in an average18% higher yields and 6% reducedcosts compared with transplanting,and drum-seeded crops matured

an average 10 days earlier. Whatsmore, drum-seeded rice gave anaverage gross return 21% higherthan for transplanted rice. Thistranslates to more than double theaverage prot a boost of around$120-150 per hectare per crop.

All those involved saw thetechnology as cheaper, requiringless labor, producing higher yieldsand resulting in better plant growth.The only areas of concern werethe potential cost of acquiring a

drum seeder, uncertainty overavailability, and weed management.More recently, though, a follow-up IFAD-funded project, aimingto accelerate the adoption of thetechnology, has given IRRI andBRRI, with the assistance of

the Bangladesh Department ofAgricultural Extension (DAE),the chance to solve some inherentproblems and lead the spread ofdrum seeding in Bangladesh.

Dr. Abedin developed guidelinesfor technology adoption using acommunity participatory approach

to research and extension. One keyto the approach is a pre-adoptionanalysis that takes into considerationinstitutional, technical, policy,social and economic factors thatmay help or hinder adoption. Thismeans understanding an entirefarming community, not justindividual farmers. Many farmersgrow other crops in addition torice, so the approach must considerhow drum seeding will affect theirwhole farming system. The product

of a Bangladeshi farm familyhimself, Dr. Abedin emphasizesthe value of allowing farmingcommunities to make their owndecisions, and to recognize theyhave the ability to experiment, takecalculated risks and innovate.

Fifty-six groups across thecountry decided to try drum seedingduring the 2004 boro season, in thehope the technology would spreadout from these points. Establishinga drum-seeded crop requires earlierirrigation than does transplanting,so owners of tube wells each

of which usually irrigates severalrice farms were the rst peoplecontacted in each location.

Its useless, says Dr. Abedin, toget the farmers involved if they cantirrigate their crop at the right time,so it was crucial that we includedthe well owners. Understanding,and working within, the existingcommunity structures is essential.

Extraordinary paceNow, after just three growing seasons,

the popularity of drum seeding isspreading at an extraordinary pace.Some 4,000 Bangladeshi farmers inmore than 300 groups are alreadyusing the technology, with hundredsmore seeking access to drum seeders.

Dr. Abedin attributes thesuccessful adoption of drumseeding in large part to theprojects community participatoryapproach and, critically, the early


25/40


FArmer Jaa shkh (opposite) h -ng xnh chann i shykh saj ngh pabna f ay. lkng n a statemnster mrza Fakhrul isla Alagr

(in white), Brri d rahNa Ka (right of minister) and. Abn (left of Seraj).

establishment of research linkageswith development and policymakers, entrepreneurs and themedia. Ultimately, though, it comesdown to the farmers themselves.

It was the farmers whoexperimented with the technologyand were condent of success, even

in the face of skepticism, he says.The researchers were continuouslylearning from farmers and integratingthese lessons into the work plan.Farmers also trained other farmers.Working with groups of farmershelps establish ongoing, community-level monitoring and evaluation, andensures that drum-seeding successstories spread rapidly to neighbors.

The project abounds with storiesabout farmers like Abdul Aziz, fromGazipur district northeast of the

capital, Dhaka. Aziz soldiered on evenwhile neighboring farmers scoffed,believing he wouldnt harvest anyrice from his drum-seeded crop. At55 bigha, or just under 8 hectares (7

bighas equal 1 hectare), Azizs farmis large by Bangladeshi standards.He started growing drum-seededrice during the 2004-05 boro season.Previously, his entire crop wastransplanted, requiring 25 laborersper 5 bigha. For the same area, drumseeding required just a single laborer.

Aziz explains that on top ofthe labor savings, he increased hisyield by 0.5-0.8 tons per hectare,and he harvested 10 days earlierthan previously with transplantedrice. He has more money in hispocket and he intends to invest itoutside of rice farming, to increasehis earning capacity and diversifyhis income. Many of Azizs fellowGazipur farmers are now eager to

try drum seeding for themselves,and he is only too happy to share hisknowledge and experience andhis drum seeder with them.

Its a common theme: skepticalneighbors become true believers.Mohammad Ghiasuddin, who ownsa very small farm in Mymensingh

district north of Dhaka, has alreadyharvested three drum-seeded crops.After just one season, both he and hisneighbors, who had originally thoughthim mad, were convinced of thevirtues of drum seeding, and he toohas shared the technology with them.

In this way, from farmer tofarmer, the technology is spreading.


26/40


Field days, often attended byhundreds of farmers, give drum-seeding converts the chance toinspire others to try the technology.At a eld day in April 2005, threefarmers shared their experiences ofdrum seeding with a crowd of nearly400 farmers and extension workersfrom around Pabna, 240 km west ofDhaka. One of the speakers, JamalSheikh, described the experiment heand some fellow farmers performedto try and reduce both the needfor irrigation and the cost of landpreparation by adopting a zero-tillagetechnique that made use of residualmoisture in his eld from recedingoodwaters and which, in concertwith drum seeding, gained themyields at least 20% higher than for

transplanted rice. It is this spiritof innovation and determination

that has stirred pride in thosealready drum seeding and

inspired their counterparts.

Involving Bangladeshi policymakers in the adoption processprovided a major boost. From anearly stage, Dr. Abedin realizedgovernment support would becritical (see Grain of truth on page38). The team fostered relationswith the Bangladesh Ministry ofAgriculture and subsequently securedgovernment funding of 10 millionBangladeshi taka (US$156,000),which was mainly used to buyan extra 2,500 drum seeders.The government also pledged tosubsidize the cost of drum seeders forfarmers. The media have also beeninstrumental in increasing awarenessof drum seeding. Many people notonly rice farmers approachedBRRI and DAE for information ontrying drum seeding after seeingstories about the technology ontelevision or in the newspapers.

But there is still work to bedone. Research is still identifying

the varieties and areasmost suited to drumseeding, particularlytaking into accountland, soil and existing

cropping systems. Weedmanagement is also an issue,

as is the availability of the drumseeders, and the possible need

for adaptations. And althoughscarcity of labor is the primary

basis for using drum

seeding, in some areas the technologyhas the potential to displace jobs.

Researchers need to be awareof their social responsibility to seethat there is no serious effect on ruralemployment, cautions Dr. Abedin.However, the economic boost causedby drum seeding should create jobselsewhere to absorb displaced labor.

IRRI, BRRI and the DAEare currently in discussions withBangladeshi entrepreneurs interestedin manufacturing drum seederslocally, and two companies havealready manufactured prototypes.This sort of enterprise can helpthe availability of drum seedersmeet the rising demand.

Major shiftDrum seeding represents a majorshift from transplanting, and thereis a need to manage the changeand create an environment thatallows change nationally. Training

farmers and both government andnongovernment extension workersis of paramount importance. AnIRRI-led meeting in June 2005,attended by senior governmentofcials and high-level research,extension, nongovernmental,media and business personnel,established a 5-year plan fortransferring drum-seedingtechnology. Following this, thegovernment has given the go ahead

towel BusiNessmAN Haj shahabn (above) aah Brri, ag y ng n h an, a ng h hngy ha n h avn gaSoil and man. Fa mhaa Ghan (above right) an n n h - . Fng ay Fn aHnan Bab (below) y n h hah n ah an n h gna .


27/40


to the project team for an additionalinvestment of around 100 milliontaka ($1.56 million) to continuethe work to spread

Documents

Rice Today Volume 4 number 2