The Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), a research ...books.irri.org/9789712202964_content.pdf · Resource-conserving technologies for diversified farming systems PL 3.3. Management

The Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), a research program of the CGIAR, represents for the first time ever a single strategic and work plan for global rice research. GRiSP brings together hundreds of scientists to embark on the most comprehensive attempt ever to harness the power of science to solve the pressing development challenges of the 21st century. Cutting-edge science is deployed to develop new rice varieties with high yield potential and tolerance of a variety of stresses such as flooding, salinity, drought, soil problems, pests, weeds, and diseases. Improved natural resource management practices will allow farmers to fully realize the benefits of such new varieties on a sustainable basis while protecting the environment. Future rice pro-duction systems are designed to adapt to climate change and to mitigate the impacts of global warming. Policies conducive to the adoption of new varieties and cropping systems will be de-signed to facilitate the realization of development outcomes. GRiSP will train future rice scientists and strengthen the capacity of advisory systems to reach millions of farmers. For impact at scale, GRiSP scientists collaborate with hundreds of development partners from the public and private sector across the globe. GRiSP was launched in 2010 and is coordinated by three members of the CGIAR Consorti-um—the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, the lead institute), Africa Rice Center (Afri-caRice), the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)—and three other leading agri-cultural agencies with an international mandate and with a large portfolio on rice: Centre de Co-operation lnternationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), L’lnstitut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). Together, they align and bring to the table consortia, networks, platforms, programs, and collaborative projects with over 900 partners from the government, nongovernment, public, private, and civil society sectors.

The responsibility for this publication rests solely with the Global Rice Science Partnership. cc Global Rice Science Partnership 2013

This publication is copyrighted by GRiSP and is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License (Unported). Unless otherwise noted, users are free to copy, duplicate, or reproduce and distribute, display, or transmit any of the articles and to make translations, adaptation, or other derivative works under specific conditions spelled out at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0.

Mailing address: Dr. Bas Bouman, GRiSP program director, c/o IRRI, DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philippines Phone: +63 (2) 580-5600 Fax: +63 (2) 580-5699 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.grisp.net

Suggested citation: GRiSP (Global Rice Science Partnership). 2013. GRiSP: Partnership in motion. Los Baños (Philippines): International Rice Research Institute. 29 p.

Cover photo: Bas Bouman, IRRI.

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Contents

Preface iii

1 GRiSPsynopsis:objectives,themes,andproducts 1

2 KeyGRiSPpartnershipprinciples 1

3 TheevolutionofpartnershipsalongGRiSP’simpactpathway 4

4 Keypartnertypes 6

4.1 GRiSPfoundingandcoordinatingpartners 6

4.2 Nationalagriculturalresearchandextensionsystems 7

4.3 Strongnationalresearchsystems 7

4.3.1 Brazil 7

4.3.2 Russia 7

4.3.3 India 7

4.3.4 China 8

4.3.5 Egypt 8

4.4 Advancedresearchinstitutesindevelopedcountries 8

4.4.1 Japan 9

4.4.2 France 9

4.5 Civilsocietyorganizations 10

4.6 Theprivatesector 10

4.7 CGIARcenters 11

4.8 Internationalorganizations 11

4.9 Farmers 12

5 Purpose-drivenpartnerships 13

5.1 Regionalconsortiaandnetworksfordevelopment 15

5.1.1 IrrigatedRiceResearchConsortium 15

5.1.2 ConsortiumforUnfavorableRiceEnvironments 16

5.1.3 TemperateRiceResearchConsortium 16

5.1.4 LatinAmericanFundforIrrigatedRice 17

5.1.5 HybridRiceDevelopmentConsortium 17

5.1.6 Africa-wideRiceTaskForces 18

5.1.7 Africa-wideRiceSectorDevelopmentHubs 18

5.1.8 RiceResearchandTrainingCenterforCentralandWestAsia 20

GRiSP: Partnership in motion

ii

5.2 Globalconsortia,networks,andplatforms 20

5.2.1 InternationalNetworkfortheGeneticEvaluationofRice 20

5.2.2 InternationalNetworkforQualityRice 21

5.2.3 PhenotypingNetwork 21

5.2.4 C4RiceConsortium 21

5.2.5 InternationalRiceFunctionalGenomicsConsortiumandtheOryzaSNP

Consortium 22

5.2.6 InternationalRiceBlastNetwork 22

5.2.7 SustainableRicePlatform 23

5.3 (Large)Time-boundprojects 23

5.3.1 Stress-TolerantRiceforAfricaandSouthAsia 23

5.3.2 CerealSystemsInitiativeforSouthAsia 24

5.3.3 GreenSuperRice 25

6 SomenewGRiSPinitiatives 25

7 Alignmentwithregionalandcountrypriorities 25

7.1 Country-levelalignment 25

7.2 Internationalandregionalforaanddevelopmentorganizations 26

Acronymsandabbreviations 28

Box1. Farmerparticipatoryresearchfordevelopment 12

Box2. Participatoryvarietalselection 13Box3. Participatoryimpactpathwaysanalysis 15

iii

Preface

TheCGIARResearchProgramforRice,knownastheGlobalRiceSciencePartnership(GRiSP),isapartnershipcoordinatedbysixresearch-for-developmentorganizationsthatbringtogetherover900partnersfromtheacademic,public,private,andcivilsocietysectorswithastakeinthericedevelopmentsector.Itisnoteworthythatthe“P”intheGRiSPacronymstandsfor“partnership”andnotfor“program.”EmbeddedwithinGRiSParemany“subpartnerships,”suchasconsortia,networks,platforms,andtime-boundprojects.SomepartnershipsaredecadesoldandnowalignedwithGRiSP’smissionandobjectives,whileotherpartnershipshavejustrecentlybeenestablishedtoserveaspecificpurposealongGRiSP’simpactpathwaytowarddevelopment.Allpartnersare,inonewayoranother,boundtogetherbyacommonmissionofpovertyalleviation,ricefoodsecuri-ty,andenvironmentalsustainabilityandprotection.Somepartnersworkonaglobalscale,whileothersworkinparticularwatersheds,villages,orsmallcommunities.Somepartnersworkatthegrass-rootslevel,tryingtoimprovethelivelihoodsofsmallholderricefarm-ersthroughhands-onparticipatoryaction,whileothersworkwithricegenesinadvancedlaboratoriesincountrieswherenoriceisevenproducedorverylittleiseaten. Howdoesonebringtogetherover900partnersfromsuchawidebackgroundinagloballycoordinatedapproachtoriceresearchfordevelopment?Whatarethepartner-shipmechanismsandstructuresthatoperateunderGRiSP?HowdotheGRiSPcoordinat-ingpartnersalignGRiSP’sstrategyandactivitieswiththoseofrice-growingnationsandwithregionalmultinationaldevelopmentbodies?ThisdocumentattemptstogivesomeanswerstothesequestionsandtoshedlightonthefunctioningofthemanypartnershiparrangementsunderGRiSP.Itservesasastock-takingexercisefromwhichlessonscanbedrawntoimproveGRiSPasaglobalpartnershipmechanismintheyearstocome.ThisdocumentalsoservesasaninputtotheGCARDRoadMap,1andtheGRiSPpartnershipsdescribedhereinfollowuponthecommitmentsmadeattheSecondGlobalConferenceonAgricultural ResearchforDevelopment(GCARD2),PuntadelEste,Uruguay,in2012.

BasBoumanDirector,GRiSP

1TheGCARDRoadMap,Transformingagriculturalresearchfordevelopmentsystemsforglobalimpact,2011.GFARSecretariat,FAO,Rome,Italy.

iv

1GRiSP: Partnership in motion

2 KeyGRiSPpartnershipprinciples

TheGlobalRiceSciencePartnershipstrategizesandalignsthericeresearchfordevelopment(R&D)agen-daofsixmajorR&Dorganizationswithaninternation-almandateandwithalargeportfolioonrice:threemembersoftheCGIARConsortium—theInternationalRiceResearchInstitute(IRRI,theleadinstitute),AfricaRiceCenter(AfricaRice),theInternationalCenterforTropicalAgriculture(CIAT)—andthreeotherleadinginternationalagriculturalagencies:CentredeCoop-erationlnternationaleenRechercheAgronomiquepourleDéveloppement(Cirad),L’lnstitutdeRecher-chepourleDéveloppement(IRD),andtheJapanInternationalResearchCenterforAgriculturalSciences(JIRCAS).ThesesixinstitutionsarethefoundingandcoordinationpartnersofGRiSP.Together,theyalignandbringtothetableconsortia,networks,platforms,programs,andcollaborativeprojectswithover900partnersfromthegovernmental,nongovernmental,public,private,andcivilsocietysectors(Fig.2.1).Onaglobalscale,GRiSPactsasanoverarchingumbrellaand“organizingprinciple”forriceresearchforde-velopment.Allpartners,insomeway,contributetoGRiSP’sgoals,objectives,productdevelopments,andimpactpathway,beitatalocal,national,inter-national,orgloballevel.GRiSPfacilitatesinteractionamongpartnersacrosstheglobenotonlythroughitscombinedresearchagendaandR&Dactivitiesbutalso

1 GRiSPsynopsis:objectives,themes,andproducts

TheCGIARResearchProgramforRice,knownastheGlobalRiceSciencePartnership(GRiSP),providesasinglestrategicplananduniquenewpartnershipplatformforimpact-orientedriceresearchfordevel-opment(www.cgiar.org/rice-grisp/).ItstreamlinesthericeresearchfordevelopmentactivitiesofCGIARandalignsthemwithmorethan900riceresearchanddevelopmentpartnersworldwideto

• Increasericeproductivityandvalueforthepoor.• Fostermoresustainablerice-basedproduction.• Helpricefarmersadapttoclimatechange.• Improvetheefficiencyandequityoftherice

sector.GRiSP’smission,inaccordancewiththatofCGIAR,istoreducepovertyandhunger,improvehumanhealthandnutrition,reducetheenvironmentalfootprint,andenhancetheecosystemresilienceofricepro-ductionsystemsthroughhigh-qualityinternationalriceresearch,partnership,andleadership.Itaimstoachievethismissionthroughfosteringhigh-quality,impact-orientedresearchanddevelopmentactivitiesinaglobalcontext.Thekeyentrypointforachievingthismissionisthesubstantialincreaseinthepro-ductivityandresourceefficiencyofriceproductionsystems.Thiswillenablefarmerstoenteravirtuouscircle,allowingthemtoalsoinvestmoreindiversifica-tionandsustainablemanagementpractices. GRiSPactivitiesareorganizedinsixresearchanddevelopmentthemes(Table1.1).Undereachtheme,so-called“productlines”aredefinedasfamiliesofproductsordeliverablesthatprovideglobalorregion-aloptionsfornext,intermediate,andfinalusersalongtheimpactpathway.ExamplesofGRiSPproductsarenewlydiscoveredgenesandQTLs,prebreedinglines,varieties,naturalresourcemanagementtechnologies,informationsystemsanddatabases,decisionsupportsystems,andpolicyadvice.Product-orientedinterdis-ciplinaryactivitiesarecarriedoutwithpartnerstode-velopinnovativeproductsandfacilitatetheiruptake.Productscanbeglobalorregionalintheirtargetedusage,andarebasedonevidenceforlargeimpactpotential. Fig. 2.1. Number and type of GRiSP partners as of September 2010; the

inner circle provides a breakdown by partner roles (research vs. bound-ary partners). The outer circle provides a classification by organizational categories. About 48% of the GRiSP partners mainly play a role as re-search partners, whereas 47% are mainly development partners and 5% are other boundary partners.

2

Table 1.1. GRiSP themes and product lines (PL).

Theme1:Harnessinggeneticdiversitytochartnewproductivity,quality,andhealthhorizons PL1.1. Ex situconservationanddisseminationofricegermplasm PL1.2. Characterizinggeneticdiversityandcreatingnovelgenepools PL1.3. Genesandallelicdiversityconferringstresstoleranceandenhancednutrition PL1.4. C4 riceTheme2:Acceleratingthedevelopment,delivery,andadoptionofimprovedricevarieties PL2.1. Breedinginformatics,high-throughputmarkerapplications,andmultienvironmenttesting PL2.2. Improveddonorsandgenes/QTLsconferringvaluabletraits PL2.3. Ricevarietiestolerantofabioticstresses PL2.4. Improvedricevarietiesforintensiveproductionsystems PL2.5. Hybridriceforthepublicandprivatesectors PL2.6. HealthierricevarietiesTheme3:Ecologicalandsustainablemanagementofrice-basedproductionsystems PL3.1. Futuremanagementsystemsforefficientricemonoculture PL3.2. Resource-conservingtechnologiesfordiversifiedfarmingsystems PL3.3. Managementinnovationsforpoorfarmersinrainfedandstress-proneareas PL3.4. IncreasingresiliencetoclimatechangeandreducingglobalwarmingpotentialTheme4:Extractingmorevaluefromriceharveststhroughimprovedquality,processing,marketsystems,

andnewproducts PL4.1. Technologiesandbusinessmodelstoimprovericepostharvestpractices,processing,and

marketing PL4.2. Innovativeusesofricestrawandricehusks PL4.3. High-qualityriceandinnovativerice-basedfoodproductsTheme5:Technologyevaluations,targeting,andpolicyoptionsforenhancedImpact PL5.1. Socioeconomicandgenderanalysesfortechnologyevaluation PL5.2. Spatialanalysisforeffectivetechnologytargeting PL5.3. Aglobalriceinformationgateway PL5.4. Strategicforesight,prioritysetting,andimpactassessmentforriceresearchTheme6:Supportingthegrowthoftheglobalricesector PL6.1. Innovationinlearningandcommunicationtoolsandextensioncapacitydevelopment PL6.2. Effectivesystemsforlarge-scaleadoptionofricetechnologiesinSouthAsia PL6.3. Effectivesystemsforlarge-scaleadoptionofricetechnologiesinSoutheastandEastAsia PL6.4. Effectivesystemsforlarge-scaleadoptionofricetechnologiesinAfrica PL6.5. Effectivesystemsforlarge-scaleadoptionofricetechnologiesinLatinAmericaandthe

Caribbean


Fig.2.2.GRiSPorganizesfieldvisitsandstudytoursacrossthecontinentstoallowpartnersfromdifferentorganizationalbackgroundstointeractandexchangeideas.Here,thedeputydirectorgeneraloftheDepartmentofCropProductionoftheMinistryofAgricultureandRuralDevelopmentofVietnam(right)meetsascientistfromtheUruguayanNationalAgriculturalResearchInstitute(INIA)duringaGRiSPfieldvisitinUruguay,2012.

throughworkshops,conferences,studytours,andfieldvisits(Fig.2.2).

Amongthemorethan900partnersinvolvedinGRiSP,threemajortypesofpartnersaredistinguished,althoughtheirrolesoftendovetailandoverlap.

• Research partnersplayanactiveroleinresearchandproductdevelopmentinGRiSPThemes1–5,andarethusco-accountableforsuchproducts.Researchpartnersareinfluencedbydevelop-mentpartnersandGRiSPbeneficiariesinfocus-ingtheirresearchandproductdevelopmenttomeettheneedsoffarmersandotherstakehold-ersinthericevaluechain(sothatGRiSP’sgoalsandobjectivesaremet).

• Development partners maybeinvolvedinmoreadaptiveresearch(localadapters)and/orplayasignificantroleinthedisseminationandadop-tionprocess(disseminators).Typically,develop-mentpartnersareinfluencedbyGRiSPresearchpartnerstomobilizeresourcesforscalingoutGRiSPproducts,whereastheyexertinfluenceontheresearchpartnersinproductdevelopmentchoicesanddirection(seeabove).Developmentpartnersdonotnecessarilyreceivemuchfund-ingfromGRiSPandneedaccesstoconsiderableextraresources(typically10-foldtheleveloffundingforproductdevelopment)forreach-ingmillionsoffarmers(andotherbeneficiaries)andhaving“impactatscale.”ThemajorityofpartnersinGRiSPTheme6aredevelopmentpartners,forwhichsuccessinoutscalingnew

informationandtechnologieslargelydependsontheresourcestheymobilize.

• Other partners maynotbedirectlyinvolvedindeveloping,adapting,ordisseminatingGRiSPproducts,buttheyareinneedofinformationonGRiSPanditsoutputsforvariouspurposes.Theyinclude,forexample,policymakers,internationalorregionalassociationsororganizations,me-dia,developmentfunds,regionaldevelopmentbanks,donors,andpoliticalorganizations.

Developmentandotherpartnersmayalsobereferredtoasboundary partners,thatis,partnersthatarenotdirectlyaccountablefordevelopingGRiSPproducts,butthatplayamajorroleindeliveringdevelopmentoutcomesandimpactatscale.GRiSPistheumbrellapartnershipthatintegratesresearchanddevelopment(boundary)partnersintoonecommonframeworkwithjointlyacceptedgoalsandobjectives. BeneficiariesofGRiSP’sR&Dproductsandser-vicesareultimatelythestakeholdersalongthericesupplychain,fromfarmers,millers,processors,andtradersallthewayuptoconsumers.Theycanalsoincludeproducersofinputs(suchasmachineryandpostharvesttoolsandequipment)andofservices(suchasprovidersoffarmoperationssuchaslandlev-eling,harvesting,etc.)andbuyersandtradersofout-puts.Intermediatebeneficiariesareactorsthatplayaroleinlocally“enriching,”adapting,andpassingoninformation,products,andservicestoendusers,suchasadvisoryservicesandextensionagents,andlocalknowledgepartners.ExamplesofspecificbeneficiariesofproductsfromTheme6arepolicymakers,devel-opmentbanks,donors,andpoliticalorganizations.BeneficiariesaretypicallyinvolvedintheprocessofproductdevelopmentanddisseminationofGRiSPandthusareoftenpartofpartnershiparrangements. GRiSPpartnershipsarebasedontheprincipleofequality,andGRiSPstrivestowardminimumfinancialinterdependencies.Inequalpartnerships,partnersfindeachotherincommongoalsandobjectives.TheyfirstbringtheirownactivitiestothetablethatarealignedwithGRiSP’soverallandcommonlyagreed-uponR&Dagenda.Theseownactivitiesarefundedbyacombinationofwhatcanbeseenas“core”institutionalorprogramfundingandspecificgrantprojects.ForIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIAT,corefundingderivesprimarilyfromtheCGIARWindowfundingmechanism.Fortheseinstitutes,thisCGIARWindowfundingtypicallyvariesfromabout25%to45%of

NeilPalmer,C

IAT

4

theirtotalGRiSPbudget(thisnumbervariesovertheyears),whereasbilateralgrantsprovidetheremain-ing.ForCirad,IRD,andJIRCAS,corefundingderivesfromnationalgovernmentfunds.Themorethan900GRiSPpartnersallhavetheirownspecificcorefund-ingarrangements(dependingonwhethertheyaregovernment,privatesector,NGO,etc.),andgenerallyreceiveadditionalfundingthroughtheirinvolvementinbilateralgrantprojectswithoneormoreofGRiSP’scoordinatingpartners.GRiSPalsosetsasideapor-tionoftheCGIARWindowfundingtosupportGRiSPpartnersonspecificcross-cuttingactivitiessuchasworkshops,partnershipbuilding,capacitybuilding,andjointnew-frontierresearch.Intotal,around30%oftheGRiSPbudgetcoordinatedbythethreeCGIARcentersflowsthroughtonon-CGIARpartners.Becauseofthesheercomplexityofsuchatask,themonetaryvalueofGRiSPactivitiescontributedbythethreenon-CGIARcoordinationcenters(Cirad,IRD,andJIRCAS)andbythemorethan900otherpartnershasnotbeenmadeexplicit.

Fig. 3.1. Generalized impact pathway of GRiSP. Products of research (left-hand side) are tested, adapted, and promoted by GRiSP’s research and development partners, and taken up by the ultimate beneficiaries such as farmers (but also other actors along the rice value chain) to produce in-termediate development outcomes and ultimately impact at scale (right-hand side). Through the actions of the development partners, the number of farmers benefiting from GRiSP’s products increases from several hundred early in the product development phase (e.g., those farmers participat-ing in pilot projects) to millions after products have been locally adapted and made responsive to local farmers’ preferences. The impact pathway is not a linear process, and the many underlying feedback loops and interactions are omitted for simplicity.

Genes, varieties,managementtechnologies,informationgateway, models,data tools,capacity, etc.

Productslocallyadapted andpromoted bypublic, NGO, and private sector

Productsadopted byfarmers, valuechain actors,policymakers,other stakeholders

Increased production ofnutritious rice

Increasedresource-useefficiency

Improved foodsecurity

CGIAR-leveloutcomes

Science partnerships

Theme 1 ------ Themes 2, 3, 4 -------------------------------------- Theme 5 Theme 6

GRiSP

Products ImpactIntermediate development outcomes

Farmers:

Timeline

1,000s 10,000s 100,000s Millions

Development partnerships

Improved nutrition andhealth

Reduced ruralpoverty

Increasedsustainability

Stable andaffordableprice of rice

3 TheevolutionofpartnershipsalongGRiSP’simpactpathway

GRiSPisimplementedthroughavarietyofpartner-shiparrangementsthatevolveinsizeandcompositionacrosstheimpactpathwayfromproductdevelopmenttohavingimpactatscale(Fig.3.1).Typically,thepart-nershipshareof“pure”researchpartnersdecreasesgoingfromupstreamresearchandbasicproductdevelopment(ontheleftoftheimpactpathway)todisseminationanddelivery(ontherightoftheimpactpathway),whilethepartnershipshareofdevelopmentpartnersincreases.Itisimportant,however,thatbothtypesofpartners,alongwithvarioustypesofben-eficiaries,beincludedatallstagesalongtheimpactpathway(especiallyinthedesignphaseofproductdevelopment)toensurerelevancetostakeholders’needs. Thedevelopmentanddeliveryofsubmergence-tolerantricevarietiesisagoodexampleofevolvingpartnershipsalongtheimpactpathway(Fig.3.2).


Year2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Partners NARES(2) NARES(8) NARES,NGOs,FO,seedco.(22)

NARES,FO,NGO,seedco.,NFSM,stategovs.,industry(54)

100public-andprivate-sector partners

>130public-andprivate-sector partners

Activities Seedmulti-plication

Evaluation Evaluation,demonstration

Release(June),seedmultipli-cation

Dissemination,adoption,impactassessment

Seedamount

2kg 100kg 3->15t >1,000t 10,000t 40,000t

No.offarmers

700 5,000 >100,000 4million

Fig. 3.2. Timeline of major scientific achievements with upstream research partners in the discovery of the submergence-tolerance gene SUB1 and in the development of submergence-tolerant rice (top); timeline, activities, seed multiplication, and number of farm-ers adopting submergence-tolerant varieties in India during the outscaling phase (bottom) (see text for explanation). FO = farmer organization; NFSM = National Food Security Mission, India.

ThisexamplealsoillustratesGRiSP’saccountabilitytoitsmainbeneficiaries,thericefarmers.Fordecades,farmersinmarginalandresource-poorareashavebeenleftbehindintheprocessofruraldevelopmentbecausethehigh-yieldingvarietiesoftheGreenRevolutionwerenotfitfortheirharshenvironments.Forexample,salinity,uncontrolledsubmergence,ordroughtsseverelyreducedtheyieldpotentialofthenewGreenRevolutionvarieties.Despitethedevelop-mentofresponseoptionssuchasimprovedwatermanagementandshort-durationvarietiesthatcouldescapedroughtsorfloods,farmerskeptaskingforstress-tolerantvarietieswithhighyieldpotential.Inresponse,despitethesupposed“intractability”of

suchtraits,scientistskeptsearchingforstresstoler-anceinthegeneticmakeupofrice.PartnershipsintheseearlydecadesincludedchieflyCGcentersandadvancedresearchinstitutesindevelopedcountriesthatworkedonthefrontierofdevelopmentsinmo-lecularbiologyandbiotechnology.Eventually,thesesciencepartnershipswereabletoidentifyQTLs,andlaterspecificgenes,thatconfersubmergencetoler-ance,anddevelopedmarkersandthetoolsofmarker-assistedselectiontobreedthesegenesintopopularmega-varietiesgrowninthetargetdomain.Atthatstage,thepartnershipcompositionshiftedtoincludemorenationalbreedinginstitutionsinthetargetenvironments(inthiscase,easternIndiaandBangla-

Farmer’ssubmergence-tolerantlandracescollected;FR13A

Genebankscreened;FR13Aidentified

Semidwarf&submergencetol.combinedFirsthigh-yieldingdwarfvarieties

1950 1978 1990 2000 2010

1995:Sub1mappedtochr.9Finemapping&markerdevelopmentstarted

2002:SwarnacrossedwithIR49830-7(Sub1)

2006:Sub1-A geneconferringsubmergencetolerance

2008:Sub1-A modeofaction:inhibitsresponsetoGA

2010:TwoSub1varietiesreleasedinBangladesh

2009:Swarna-Sub1releasedinIndia,Indonesia;IR64-Sub1inIndonesia,Philippines

2006:Swarna-Sub1 developedbymarker-assistedbackcrossing

6

desh)todevelopandtestlocalvarieties.Farmerswereinvolvedthroughparticipatoryvarietalselection(PVS)intheirownfields.Withthedevelopmentoflocallyadapted,submergence-tolerantvarieties(so-called“scuba”or“underwater”rice),thepartnershipstartedtoincludemorenationalseeddistributionsystems,privateseedcompanies,NGOs,farmerorganizations,andcommunityseedbanksystems.Thesetypesofpartnersarecrucialindeliveringtheseedsofthesenewvarietiestothemillionsoffarmerswhoneedthem,and,wheresuchpartnersdidnotexist,GRiSPembarkedonfacilitatingtheircreation,forexample,throughbusinessmodeldevelopment.Themainpartnershipmechanismsfordeliveryatscalewere/aretheConsortiumforUnfavorableRiceEnvironments(section5.1.2),theSTRASAproject(section5.3.1),andtheCSISAproject(section5.3.2). Inconclusion,whereasthebasicbackgroundresearchstartedwithpredominantlysciencepartner-shipssometimeinthemid-1970s,nowsome3.5mil-lionfarmersIneasternIndiaandBangladeshbenefitfromnewlydevelopedsubmergence-tolerantricevarietiesthroughpredominantlydevelopmentpart-nerships(Fig.3.3).UnderGRiSP,partnershiparrange-mentswererecentlyextendedintoAfricatoinclude(orsetup)localbreedingandseeddistribution

partnerstodevelopanddisseminateAfricansubmer-gence-tolerantvarieties.Breedersandscientistsarenowalsodevelopingthenextgenerationofstress-tol-erantvarietiesinwhichgenesthatconfertolerancetodifferentstressesarecombinedintothesamevariety.Anexampleofthisso-called“two-in-one”isthepyra-midingofgenesfortoleranceofsubmergenceandofsalinitytodevelopvarietiessuitableforareasthatgetinundatedwithsalinewater(e.g.,incoastalzones).

4 Keypartnertypes4.1 GRiSP founding and coordinating

partnersGRiSPismanagedandcoordinatedbyitsfoundingpartners,IRRI,AfricaRice,CIAT,Cirad,IRD,andJIRCAS,throughtheirequalparticipationinGRiSP’sProgramPlanningandManagementTeam(eachpartnerhasonerepresentativeatthelevelofdeputydirectorgeneralforresearchoratthelevelofdirectororresearchprogramleadership).Sections4.4.1and4.4.2 provideadescriptionofthespecificpartnershiproleofCirad,IRD,andJIRCAS.Otherpartnerscontributetoplanningandimplementationprocessesthroughvariousmechanisms,suchasparticipationonGRiSP’soversightcommitteeandonthemanysteeringand

Fig. 3.3. Submergence-tolerant variety Swarna-Sub1 (left) growing in a farmer’s field in Uttar Pradesh, India, alongside a local variety (right) after 12 days of inundation.

Abde

lIsm

ail,IRRI


Fig. 4.1. An Embrapa rice breeder in Uruguayana, Brazil, demonstrates new rice breeding lines. GRiSP facilitates the exchange of germplasm across continents.

advisorycommitteesofthevariousprojects,consor-tia,andnetworksthatareembeddedwithinGRiSP(seesection5).

4.2 National agricultural research and extension systems

Thenationalagriculturalresearchandextensionsystems(NARES)havebeenthekeypartnersofIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIATfordecades,primarilythroughcollaborativeprojects,networksandconsortia,andscienceandextensioncapacitybuilding.NARESpartnersrangefromthosethatemergefromnationalconflicts(suchasLiberia)andthusrequiremajorassis-tancetothosewithstrongnationalriceR&Dcapabili-tiesinAfrica(e.g.,Egypt),Asia(e.g.,China,India),andLatinAmerica(e.g.,Brazil).NARESarekeypartnersinGRiSPasitsactivitiesareconductedtoalargeextentthroughtheiractiveinvolvementinresearchprior-itysettingandimplementationofR&Dactivitiesontheground.MostpartnershipswithNARESandothersectorsareimplementedthroughGRiSP-embeddedregionalnetworks,projects,andconsortia,which,throughtheirsteeringcommitteescomposedofawiderangeofpartners,alsoplayanimportantroleinsettingpriorities,overseeingGRiSPresearch,andlink-ingitwithnationalsystemsandinvestments.

4.3 Strong national research systems Thenationalresearchsystemsintheso-calledBRICcountries(Brazil,Russia,India,andChina)arevastandhavemaderapidadvancesinrecentyears.InAfrica,EgypthasexcellentriceR&Dcapacitythathasresult-edinthehighestaveragericeyieldintheworld,andthisexperienceneedstobetappedinirrigatedrice-basedsystemsinsub-SaharanAfrica.Hence,thesecountriesplayanincreasinglystrategicroleinGRiSP.

4.3.1 BrazilKeypartnersforGRiSPinBrazilaretheEmpresaBrasileiradePesquisaAgropecuária(Embrapa—theBrazilianAgriculturalResearchCorporation)andtheInstitutoRioGrandensedoArroz(IRGA),andvariousselecteduniversities.CollaborationwithEmbrapafo-cusesonfunctionalgenomics(Theme1);breedingofstress-tolerantvarieties(Theme2;Fig.4.1);improvinguplandsystems,includingaerobicricegrowninrota-tionwithothercrops(Theme3);valuechainsolutions(Theme4);andinformationplatforms(Theme5).GRiSPstrivestoextendthecooperationwithEmbrapaintheAfrica-BrazilAgriculturalInnovationsMar-

ketplace.IRGAspecializesinintensive,mechanizedirrigatedriceproductionundertemperatecondi-tions.CollaborationwithIRGAfocusesongermplasmandstaffexchange,varietaldevelopment(includinghybridrice),managementconceptsandsolutionsforecologicalintensification(Theme3),andoutscalingofagronomicbestmanagementpractices,includingextensionstrategiesandlearningalliances(Theme6).

4.3.2 RussiaRiceareainRussiaisrelativelysmall.PartnershipswithGRiSPconcentrateongermplasmimprovementfortemperatericesystemsandtrainingofyoungRus-sianscientistsatIRRI.Russia,throughtheAll-RussianRiceResearchInstitute,alsoplaysaleadingroleintheTemperateRiceResearchConsortium(section5.1.3),andisanewdonortothisconsortium.

4.3.3 IndiaIndiaisoneofthemostimportantpartnercountriesforGRiSP.Atpresent,some170partnershipsexistbetweenIRRIandIndianinstitutionsandorganiza-tions.Theseincludeover40researchinstitutionsbelongingtotheICAR(IndianCouncilforAgriculturalResearch)system(e.g.,DRR,CRRI,CSSRI,IARI),uni-versities,andothers.Ontheotherhand,some130activepartnershipsonadaptinganddisseminatingnewtechnologiesandinformationinvolveothergov-ernmententitiessuchastheNationalFoodSecurityMission,theNationalSeedCorporation,manystateagriculturalandotheruniversities,thedepartmentsofagricultureof11Indianstates,about25district-levelextensioncenters(KrishiVigyanKendras;KVK),25

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grass-roots-levelNGOsandfarmers’associations,andnearly40smallandlargeprivatecompaniesinvolvedinseeds,machinery,andotherinputs.ManyofthesearelocaldevelopmentpartnersparticipatinginrecentregionalinitiativessuchasSTRASA(section5.3.1)andCSISA(section5.3.2),withemphasisonnewdeliverysystems.GRiSPthusplaysasignificantcatalyticroleforenablingnewmultisectorpartnershipsinIndia,supportingotherandusuallymuchlargergovernmentinvestmentsinthedevelopmentofthericesector.ICARwillactasanodalpointforGRiSPresearchactivi-tiesinIndiaandhasidentifiedGRiSPproductlines(PLs)1.2,1.3,2.2,2.3,2.4,2.5,3.1,3.2,3.3,3.4,and5.1asareasofmajorinterestforresearchcollabora-tion.ThroughIRRI,GRiSPwillholdregularreviewandplanningmeetingswithICARandotherkeyresearchpartnersinIndiatoprioritizeresearch,ensureac-tiveparticipationofIndianscientistsinspecificGRiSPproducts,andimprovefundingandsupportmecha-nismsforcollaboration(section7.1).Moreover,ICARisalsointerestedinparticipatinginternationally,forexample,throughstaffexchangeandsecondingscien-tistsandotherprofessionalstafftoAfricaandotherregions,forwhichGRiSPmayprovideanappropriatenewumbrella.Sciencecapacity,includingsandwichscholarships,internships,andshortcourses,isalsoamajorcomponentofGRiSP–Indiacollaboration.

4.3.4 ChinaChinahastheworld’slargestriceresearchcapacityandisincreasinglyengagedinricesystemsdevelop-mentworkoutsideChina.Nearly40Chineseresearchinstitutions,universities,andotherentitiescollabo-ratewithGRISP,particularlyinareassuchasgenedis-coveryformolecularricebreeding(PL1.2and1.3);C4 rice(PL1.4);thedevelopmentofstress-tolerantvari-etiesandhybridswithhighyieldpotential(PL2.4and2.5);water,nutrient,andpestmanagementconceptsandtechnologiesforecologicalintensificationanddiversification(PL3.1and3.2);ecologicalengineer-ingforbiologicalcontrolofpests(PL3.1);andclimatechange(PL3.4).Chinawillalsocontributesignificantnewinfrastructuretoglobalgenotypingandpheno-typingefforts,notablythroughtheChineseAcademyofAgriculturalSciences(CAAS),theBeijingGenomicsInstitute(BGI),andtherecently(2012)establishedCAAS-ShenzenInstituteofBreedingandInnovation(CSIRI).TheChinesemolecularricebreedingnetworkwillleadthedevelopmentofnewGreenSuperRice

varietiesandmakethoseavailabletopartnersinAsiaandAfrica(PL1.3,2.1–2.5;section5.3.3).Chinaalsoplaysasignificantroleincapacitybuilding,includingsandwichscholarshipsforChineseandforeignstu-dents(betweenChineseuniversities/institutionsandIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIAT).Onesuchprogram,sup-portedbytheChineseScholarshipCouncil,alreadyex-istswithIRRI.Moreover,theNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChinawillissueannualcompetitivecallsforresearchproposalsfocusingonselectedGRiSPproducts.Eachyear,twonew3-yeargrantswillbeawardedtojointresearchteamsofChineseandIRRIorotherGRiSPscientists.

4.3.5 Egypt Egyptisexpectedtoplayaleadroleinhybridricede-velopmentinAfrica(PL2.5)andincapacitybuildingattheRiceTechnologyTrainingCenterforricescientistsandextensionstaff(PL6.1and6.4).Egyptwillalsobeinvolvedindevelopingnewirrigatedrice-basedsys-temsrespondingtowaterscarcityandclimatechange(PL3.1and3.4).

4.4 Advanced research institutes in developed countries

PartnersfromthissectoraremainlyinvolvedasdirectresearchpartnersinGRiSP,particularlyinthemes1–5.GRiSPcurrentlyhascollaborativeresearchactivi-tieswithover130suchinstitutionsinEurope,NorthAmerica,Asia,andAustralia.Theirmainroleliesinconductingbasicresearchthatisbeyondtheca-pacitiesandcomparativeadvantagesofotherGRiSPpartners(see,forexample,theC4RiceConsortium,section5.2.4).MobilizingtheseinstitutionswithinGRiSPisofgreatimportancetodeliveronanticipatedscience-basedinnovations.Mostofthepartnershipswiththeseinstitutesarethroughbilateralgrantproj-ectsandarespecifictocertainGRiSPproducts,butsomearealsoinvolvedinupstreamresearchnetworksthatincludeadvancedresearchinstitutesfrombothdevelopedanddevelopingcountries.Asexamples,below,wedescribethestrategicrolesofJapanandFranceinGRiSP,whichbothhaveaninternationallyorientedriceR&Dsystem.FranceandJapanhavecontributedgreatlytothedevelopmentofGRiSPandplayacoordinatingrolethroughCirad,IRD,andJIRCAS(sections4.4.1and4.4.2).


4.4.1 JapanJapanisastrategicpartnerforGRiSPbecauseithasoneofthelargestriceresearchanddevelopmentsys-temsintheworld,withalonghistoryofoutstandingachievements.NumerousJapanesericeresearchersworkinternationally,includinginprojectswithIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIATaswellasinlong-termbilateralricesectorinvestmentsinmanycountriesofAsiaandAfrica. JIRCAS,anincorporatedadministrativeagencyun-dertheMinistryofAgriculture,Forestry,andFisheries(MAFF)ofJapan,isafoundingandcoordinatingpart-nerofGRiSPandactsasagatewayforGRiSPtotheJapanesericeresearchcommunity.JIRCASactsasthesecretariatoftheGRiSPCoordinatingCommitteeinJa-pan.ThemissionofJIRCASistoimprovetechnologiesforagriculture,forestry,andfisheriesindevelopingregions.Itconductsanumberofjointresearchproj-ectsonanequalfootingwithcollaborativepartnersin25countriesofAsia,Africa,andLatinAmerica.Amongthemorethan100JIRCASresearchers,23workonim-portantriceresearchissuessuchasmolecularbiology,breeding,agronomy,modeling,watermanagement,foodscience,andsocioeconomics(asof2010).TheimprovementofriceproductioninAfricaalsohashighpriorityforJIRCASasitplaysamajorroleinCARD(Co-alitionforAfricanRiceDevelopment),togetherwithIRRIandAfricaRice.ExistingandnewmechanismswillbeemployedtoenhancecollaborationwiththewiderJapanesericeresearchcommunityandthusconnectitsstrengthsinadvancedresearchtoproductsbeingdevelopedinGRiSPforpoorricefarmersworldwide.Thisincludes(1)participationinjointGRiSPactivities/projects,(2)advancedresearchfundedandconductedprimarilyinJapanbutwithalinktoGRiSP,and(3)researchcollaborationthroughtheexchangeofstaffandgraduatestudents.GRiSPcooperateswithabout15Japaneseresearchanddevelopmentorganizations,institutions,anduniversities.KeyareasforresearchcollaborationwithJIRCAS,variousotherresearchin-stitutesbelongingtothenationalagriculturalresearchsystem(e.g.,NIAS,NIAES,NARO-NICS),andJapaneseuniversitiesarefunctionalgenomics(PL1.2–1.4);molecularricebreedingforabioticandbioticstresstolerance(PL2.2–2.4);temperatericesystems,includ-ingtheTemperateRiceResearchConsortium(PL2.4);climatechange(adaptationandmitigation,PL3.4);newproductsfromrice(PL4.2and4.3);andsocioeco-nomicresearch(PL5.1and5.3).

4.4.2 FranceInFrance,CiradandtheIRDarefoundingandcoor-dinatingpartnersofGRiSPandactasthegatewaytothelargerFrenchnationalagriculturalresearchandextensioncommunity.Ciradworkswithdevelopingcountriesandregionalandinternationalorganizationstotackleinternationalagriculturalanddevelopmentconcerns.Itsoperations,fromfieldtolaboratoryandfromalocaltoglobalscale,arebasedondevelopmentneeds.Its800scientistshavejointoperationswithmorethan90countries.CiradprovidesthenationalandglobalscientificcommunitieswithextensiveresearchandtrainingfacilitiesinMontpellierandinseveralplatformsoverseas.Riceisthefirsttargetcrop(commodity)forsome60Ciradscientists,ofwhom25areoutpostedinAfrica,Asia,andLatinAmerica.AsamemberofAgreenium,CiradisalsothegatewayformobilizingotherFrenchagriculture-relatedresearchandhighereducationinstitutionsforthebenefitofricescience.InGRiSP,Ciradanditspartnersmainlyfocusonricebreedingandtheassociated“-omic”sciences(Themes1and2);unifiedframeworksforanalysisoftheenvironmentalimpactofriceproduc-tionsystemsandtheiradaptationtoclimatechange(Theme3);sustainablewaterandlandmanagement,conservation-agriculture-basedricecroppingsystems,andmodelingtoolsatvariousscales(Theme3);grainqualityissues,andinnovativeuseofriceco-products,including“greenchemistry”(Theme4);andinfor-mationsystemsandanalysisofpublicpoliciesanddynamicsofricecommoditychains(Theme5). IRDisapublicscienceandtechnologyresearchin-stitute,reportingtotheFrenchministriesinchargeofresearchanddevelopmentcooperation.Itisstronglyinvolvedinthenationalresearchsystem,includinguniversitiesandotheradvancedresearchinstitutes(INRA,CNRS,INSERM).Workingthroughoutthetrop-ics,IRDconductsthreemissions(research,training,andconsultancy)inclosecooperationwithitsnumer-ouspartnercountriestocontributetotheeconomic,social,andculturaldevelopmentofthecountriesoftheSouth.IRDhasoutpostedstaffatCIATandhasim-portantfacilitiesandequipmentindedicatedresearchcentersinFranceandinFrenchoverseasterritories,andalsoin22intertropicalcountries.IRDhasalongresearchexperienceinriceinthedomainsofgeneticresourcepreservationandevaluationmainlyinAfricaandincollaborationwithCGIARcenters.InGRiSP,IRD’scontributionfocusesonThemes1and2,particu-

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larlythedevelopmentofinterspecifichybridizationandprebreedingforgenediscovery,genomeanalysisofAfricanricespeciesO. glaberrima,andcloningofgenesofinterest,withemphasisonpathogenresis-tancegenes.

4.5 Civil society organizationsCivilsociety,includingnongovernmentorganizations(NGOs),farmers’associations,farmerclubs,andmanyothers,iswidelyinvolvedatthedownstreamendofriceproductionandvaluechainsandisanessentialpartnerfordissemination.Italsoplaysanimportantroleinprovidingfeedbacktoresearchersandpolicymakersonsettingtherightresearchandinvestmentprioritiesinordertomeetthedemandsofpoorwomenandmenfarmers.GRiSPcurrentlyhasactivepartnershipswithwellover100CSOsinmorethan20countries,mainlyasdevelopmentpartnersinThemes2,3,4,and6.SomeinternationalNGOs,suchastheWorldWildlifeFundandCatholicReliefServices,arealsoinvolvedinmoreupstreamaspectsofricedevelopmentandenvironmentalconcerns.Generallyspeaking,CSOshaveacomparativeadvan-tageinoperatingatthegrass-rootslevelandarethuswellplacedtoensurefullparticipationoffarmersandotherstakeholdersinGRiSPactivities.Theirparticipa-tioniscrucialtoachieveimpact.Suchorganizationsalsocomplementcapacitybuildingforavoiceatthegrassroots.ROPPA(theNetworkofFarmers’andAgriculturalProducers’OrganizationsofWestAfrica)hasobserverstatusatAfricaRice’sCouncilofMinistersandNationalExpertCommitteemeetings. GRiSPseekstoexpanditspartnershipswiththeCSOsector,includingglobal,regional,national,andlocalNGOs,farmers’associations,andothergroupsrepresentingtheagricultural,social,andenvironmen-talsector.InallGRiSPregions,GRiSPseekstoengageactivelywithleadingCSOsinimplementinggrass-roots-leveldevelopmentwork,ascapturedinTheme6.GRiSPwillseekmoreinteractionwiththeCSOsectoroneffectivemechanismsforprioritysettingandcollaboration.

4.6 The private sectorTheexpansionofthericeseedsectorisleadingtoanincreaseddiversificationofriceR&Dsystems.TheprivatesectorismakingsubstantialinvestmentsinspecificriceR&Dareassuchasgenediscoveryandmolecularbreedingforhybridricedevelopment,crop

protection,newmachinery,andriceprocessing/newproductsfromrice.Itisthusgeneratingintellectualproperty(IP)thatcouldalsobeofadvantagetothepublicsector.Moreover,privatecompaniesaredevel-opingandoperatingincreasinglysophisticatedcropadvisorysystemsanddeliverychannelsthroughwhichitmayalsobepossibletodisseminatepublic-sectorknow-how.Forexample,anumberoflargeinterna-tionalcompaniesinthebusinessofsellingseeds,ag-rochemicals,orfarmmachinerydisseminateGRiSP’salternatewettinganddryingtechnologytofarmersthroughtheirownadvisorynetworkstohelpthemsaveirrigationwater(Fig.4.2).Hence,newformalre-searchpartnershipsandcontractualrelationshipsareemergingamongthepublicandprivatesector.GRiSPpartnerscurrentlyincludeover110privatecompaniesororganizationsrepresentingdifferentareasoftheprivatesector.Morethan60%ofthosearesmalltomediumcompaniesoperatingnationallyorlocally,collaboratingwithinGRiSPonadaptinganddissemi-natingnewtechnologiesorinformationtofarmersandothers.ThesepartnershipscutacrossallGRiSPthemes,fromupstreamgenediscoveryresearchinTheme1topartneringwithnumeroussmalllocalcompaniesandentrepreneursondelivery(Theme6).Keymodelsforpublic-andprivate-sectorcollabora-tionwithinGRiSPfollow:

• JointbilateralresearchimplementedthroughScientificKnow-howandExchangePrograms(SKEP),focusingonresearchareasthatarepartoftheGRiSPmissionandareofmutualinterest,IPsharing,scientist-to-scientistinteraction,andcapacitybuildingforyoungscientists.SuchSKEPsdonotinvolvecommercializationagreements,thatis,theoutcomesofthisworkareavailabletobothparties.ExamplesincludeSKEPsbetweenIRRIandDuPont(Pioneer),BayerCropScience,Syngenta,andDevgen.

• Multilateral,public-andprivate-sectorconsortiawithinnovative,self-sustainedbusinessmodelsforsuchpartnershipsandmanagingintellectualpropertyintheinterestofallparticipantsandtothebenefitofpoorricefarmersandconsumers.AnexampleforthisistheinternationalHybridRiceDevelopmentConsortium(section5.1.5),whichconsistsof32seedcompaniesand32public-sectorinstitutions(asoftheendof2012).

• Licensingofintellectualpropertyfromthepri-vatesectortothepublicsectorandviceversa.


Thisisanemergingareaanditrequiresclearguidelines,includingforproductstewardship.GRiSP,inaccordancewiththeIPpoliciesoftheparticipatingcentersandinstitutions,supportsthedevelopmentoftransparentmechanismsforsharingofIPtothebenefitofpoorfarmersandconsumers.ThiswillalsoincludeguidelinesforjointlicensingofIP,incaseswhereseveralpartnersmayhavecontributedtoadiscoveryordevelopmentofaproduct.

• Localdeliverypartnershipsthatcapitalizeonexpertiseandnetworksfordeliveringproductsandserviceseffectivelyandefficientlytofarm-ers.Byworkingwithprivate-sectorpartnersonanonexclusivebasis,anotherchannelfordeliver-ingpublicresearchsolutionsisenabled.Insuchcases,GRiSPresearchpartnersprovideinitialtechnicalsupportandassistancewithcapacitybuildingfordeliveringnewtechnologies,where-asprivatecompanies,likeotherpartners,usetheirownresourcestodeliverthesetechnolo-giestofarmersandalsoprovidefeedbackforfurtherimprovement.InSouthAsia,forexample,GRiSPcollaboratescloselythroughtheCSISAandSTRASAinitiatives(sections5.3.1and5.3.2)withnumerousprivatecompaniesinvolvedinnewagribusinessforprovidingfarmservicesandknowledge—seedsandotherinputs,farmmachinery,customizedservices(cropestablish-ment,harvesting),marketinformation,facilita-tionoffinance,contractfarming,andothercommercialservices.

4.7 CGIAR centersBesidesIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIAT,severalotherCGIARcenterscollaborateinGRiSP,forexample:

• IFPRIparticipatesinresearchonfoodsupply-demandmodeling,adoptionstudies,cerealsys-temsinSouthAsia,aspectsrelatedtonutritionandnutritionallyenhancedcrops,valuechains,andpolicyconcerns(Themes2,3,4,and5).

• CIMMYT,ILRI,andIFPRIparticipateinresearchonimprovingcereal-basedsystemsinSouthAsia(CSISA,section5.3.2),includingdiversification(maize,pulses)andcrop-livestockinteractions(Themes3and6).

• WorldFishandIWMIcollaboratewithGRiSPinprojectsoncoastalzonesandotheraquaticsystemsthatinvolvericeandfishthroughthe

CGIARResearchPrograms“Water,Land,andEcosystems”and“AquaticAgriculturalSystems.”

4.8 International organizations GRiSPincludescollaborationwithinternationalor-ganizationsandcenterssuchasFAO,theCentre for AgriculturalBioscienceInternational(CABI),theInter-nationalCenterforDevelopment-orientedResearchinAgriculture(ICRA),andtheCoherenceinInformationforAgriculturalResearchforDevelopment(CIARD)movement.CollaborationwithFAOfocusesonriceinformationsystems(Theme5),knowledgemanage-mentfordisseminationandinnovativeICTapproaches(Theme6),andlarge-scaledisseminationofnewseedsandmanagementtechnologiesinAsiaandAf-rica(Theme6).CollaborationwiththeCIARDfocusesonvirtualextensionandcommunicationnetworks.CollaborationwithCABIfocusesonuniqueglobalICTproductsandcapacitybuildingforplanthealth(Themes3,5,and6).GRiSPcontributesricecontent

Fig. 4.2. A private-sector manufacturer of farm machinery advertises a transplanting machine (left panel) and disseminates information on the alternate wetting and drying technology using field-water tubes (right panel) to help farmers save water during an exhibition at Thailand’s First International Rice Science Conference, Bangkok.

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Box 1. Farmer participatory research for development

AnexampleofsuccessfulfarmerparticipatoryresearchfordevelopmentisprovidedbyGRiSP’sactivitiesinSulawesi,Indonesia,inacombinedACIAR-fundedprojectandtheIrrigatedRiceResearchConsortium.First,abaselinesurveywasconductedintargetvillagestodocumenttheknowledgelevelandsourcesofinformationoncropmanagementoptions,currentfarmingpractices,yieldlevels,andincomegeneratedfromriceproduction.Next,farmerplanningworkshopswereconductedtodiscussthefieldproblemsandagronomicconstraintsgatheredduringthesurveys,andtoidentify,discuss,andprioritizepossiblesolutions.Alternativetechnologiesforbenchmarkingandtestinginfarmers’fieldswereselectedthatincludedsavingwaterusingalternatewettinganddrying,integratedpestmanagementtocontrolstemborerandotherinsectpests,storingofriceseedsusingtheIRRISuperBag,directseedingofriceusingadrumseedercoupledwithappropriateweedmanagement,ecologicallybasedrodentmanagement,andtwoap-proachestofertilizermanagement.Attheendofeachcroppingseason,farmersparticipatedinameetingwiththesci-entiststodiscusstheresultsofthefieldtrialsandtodecideonthenextseason’sactivities.Newfieldtrialswereaddeddependingontheoutcomeofthesemeetings.Duringthesecondcroppingseason,season-longtrainingoffarmersonintegratedcropmanagementforhigh-yieldingandprofitablericeproductionwasimplementedfollowingthefarmerfieldschoolapproach.Afterevaluatingtheadaptedcropmanagementoptionsinthefieldtrialsfortwocroppingseasons,thefarmersdecidedthesewerereadyforintegrationinlargerdemonstrationplotsinthethirdcroppingseason.Afterthat,thefinalprojectmeetingwasconductedtosummarizetheoutcomesandtoplanforscal-ingupandscalingoutactivitiestootherregionsinIndonesia.

Source:Finalreport“IncreasingProductivityinSouthandSouth-eastSulawesi”ACIAR-fundedprojectSMAR2007/216,2011,ACIAR,Canberra,Australia.

toCABI’sPlantwiseinitiativeandplanthealthclinics.PartnershipwithICRAfocusesoncapacitybuildingforpersonsworkinginmultistakeholderplatformsfortechnologydevelopmentordissemination(Theme6).

4.9 FarmersRicefarmers(womenandmen)arethemostimpor-tantultimatebeneficiariesofGRiSP(alongwithotherstakeholdersinthericevaluechainsuchasmillers,processors,traders,andriceconsumersatlarge).GRiSPcollaborateswithfarmerorganizationsinsev-eralofitsprojectssuchasSTRASAandCSISA(sections5.3.1and5.3.2),andworksdirectlywithfarmersinmanyofitsdevelopment-orientedactivities(Box1).Atthebeginningofnewprojectactivities,farmersareinvolvedinneedsandopportunityassessments.

Indevelopingnewricevarieties,farmersandfarmingcommunitiesareinvolvedthroughparticipatoryvari-etalselection(PVS,inwhichwomenandmenfarmersexpresstheirpreferencefornewlinesontheirownterms;Box2).Farmerparticipatoryresearchispartandparcelofmostactivitiesaimedatdevelopingsuit-able,pro-poor,andgender-sensitivecropandnaturalresourcemanagementtechnologies(e.g.,nutrientmanagement,watermanagement,pestcontrol,etc.,inTheme3).Farmingcommunitiesareinvolvedindevelopingorfacilitatingcommunity-basedactivities,suchasseedbanks,community-basedrodentcontrolsystems,andcommunity-basedwatermanagement.InmanycountriesinAsia(e.g.,Bangladesh)andAfrica,womenarespecificallyinvolvedinpostharvestactivitiessuchasstoring,cooking,processing(par-

Farmers in Sulawesi discussing constraints and possible solutions with project agronomists.

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boilinginNigeria),andselling,andGRiSPactivitiesfocusondevelopingtechnologyoptionsthatsuittheirneeds(Themes4and6).

5Purpose-drivenpartnerships

GRiSPembedsalargenumberofpurpose-drivenpartnerships,suchasconsortia,platforms,networks,andtime-boundprogramsand(grant)projects.ManyofthesepartnershipspredatethefoundingofGRiSPwhilesomewereestablishedrecentlyasnewGRiSPinitiatives.Currently,GRiSPhasmorethan200time-boundbilateralgrantprojectsthateachinvolveanumberofpartnerswithwell-definedrolesandresponsibilities.Alltheseprojectsandpartnership

Box 2. Participatory varietal selection

Inconventionalvarietytestingprograms,breederschoosethericelinesorgeno-typesthatwilleventuallybeforwardedtonationalriceselectionprogramsforreleasetofarmers.Mostifnotallstepsinthetestingprocessarecarriedoutattheresearchstationandbreedersdecidewhichtraitsareimportant.Inthesystemofparticipatoryvarietalselection(PVS),however,farmersareinvolvedintheselectionofnewplantmaterialsdevel-opedfromplantbreedingprograms.Suchmaterialsusuallyincludereleasedcultivars,varietiesinadvancedstagesoftesting,andadvancedbreedinglines.InPVS,farmersaregivennear-finishedorfinishedproductstotestintheirfieldsandthentheygivefeedbacktothebreeders.PVStrialsareconductedon-farmandunderthecompletemanagementoffarmers,andhenceprovideinformationabouttheperformanceofnewvarietiesundertherealconditionsthatfarmersface.PVStrialsincludeformalstepsinwhichfarmersexpresstheiropinionsandpreferencesaboutthevarietiesunderevaluation.Farmers’opinionsaresoughtonbothproduc-tionandend-usetraits,usingtoolsthatcanemphasizethetraitsimportanttothem.

Source:ParisTR,ManzanillaD,TatlonghariG,LabiosR,CuenoA,VillanuevaD.2011.Guidetoparticipatoryvarietalselectionforsubmergence-tolerantrice.LosBaños(Philippines):InternationalRiceResearchInstitute.111p.

arrangementsarealignedwith,andcontributeto,theproductdevelopmentandoutcomesofGRiSP.NestedwithinGRiSP,however,eachofthesehasitsownsetofspecificobjectives,operationalframework,andfi-nancial(orfunding)arrangements.Somepartnershipsengageinrelativelyupstreamscienceandarelocatedontheveryleft-handsideoftheimpactpathway(Fig.5.1),othersaremainlydevelopment-orientedandarelocatedontheright-handsideoftheimpactpathway,whileyetothersareamixtureofbothandarelocatedinthemiddle.Inthissection,GRiSP’smainembeddedpartnershipsaredescribedtoillustratethediversityinpurposeandarrangementsofpartnershipsinGRiSP.Thislistisbynomeansexhaustivebutismeanttogiveaflavorofthediversityofarrangements.

Female rice farmers in Africa engaged in participatory varietal selection evaluate new rice germplasm “on their own terms.”

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Fig. 5.1. Indicative position of selected GRiSP networks, consortia, platforms, and large projects on the overall impact pathway.

Genes, varieties,managementtechnologies,informationgateway, models,data tools,capacity, etc.

Productslocallyadapted andpromoted bypublic, NGO, and private sector

Productsadopted byfarmers, valuechain actors,policymakers,other stakeholders

Increased pro-duction ofnutritious rice

Increasedresource-useefficiency

Improved foodsecurity

CGIAR-leveloutcomes

Science partnerships

Theme 1 ------ Themes 2, 3, 4 -------------------------------------- Theme 5 Theme 6

GRiSP


Farmers: 1,000s 10,000s 100,000s Millions

Development partnerships

Improvednutrition andhealth

Reduced ruralpoverty

Increasedsustainability

Stable andaffordableprice of rice


Irrigated Rice Research Consortium

Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments

Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia

Africa-wide task forces and development hubs

Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice

Hybrid Rice Research and Development ConsortiumInternational Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice

C4 Rice ConsortiumInternational Rice Functional Genomics ConsortiumOryzaSNPInternational Network for Quality RicePhenotyping Network

Sustainable Rice Platform

Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia

Temperate Rice Research Consortium


5.1 Regional consortia and networks for development

5.1.1 Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Establishedin1997,theIrrigatedRiceResearchCon-sortium(IRRC)providesaframeworkforpartnershipbetweenIRRI,NARES,andtheprivatesectorinAsiancountries(www.irri.org/irrc).TheIRRCstrivestoen-surethatAsianricefarmersinirrigatedenvironmentsbenefitfromtechnologiesarisingfromresearch.Itdevelopspartnershipstoidentifythenaturalresourcemanagementneedsofricefarmers,andsolutionstotheirproblems,andtofacilitatethedevelopment,ad-aptation,andadoptionofsuitabletechnologies.TheIRRC’svisionistoprovideaplatformoftechnologiestoaregionalcommunityofusersinAsiatoimprove

livelihoodsandincreasericeproductionneededtomaintainfoodsecurity.ItaimstoscaleoutsuccessfultechnologyoptionsinpartnershipwithNARESandotherstakeholders,strengthencapacityofNARESpartners,andfosterinnovativeresearchonnaturalresourcemanagementofirrigatedrice-basedcroppingsystems. Between2009and2012,theIRRCoperatedthroughsixthematicworkgroups:ProductivityandSustainability,Water-Saving,LaborProductivity,Post-harvest,CropHealth,andClimateChange.ThePost-harvestworkgrouphasbeenusingtheparticipatoryimpactpathwayanalysis(PIPA)approachtoidentifyandmobilizepartnersforoutscalingandupscalingofitsresearchresults(Box3).ThesteeringcommitteeoftheIRRCiscomposedofNARESrepresentativesfrom

Box 3. Participatory impact pathways analysis

Aparticularlypowerfulmethodtoidentifyandmobilizepartnersforresearch-for-developmentactivitiesisembeddedintheso-calledPIPA(participatoryimpactpathwaysanalysis)process(http://boru.pbworks.com/w/page/13774903/FrontPage):“A project’s impact pathway describes how the project will develop its research outputs and who outside the project needs to use them to achieve developmental outcomes and impact. Part of the process of developing im-pact pathways involves project staff and stakeholders working together to map how knowledge and research products must scale out and scale up to achieve the project’s development goals. PIPA begins with a participatory workshop where stakeholders make explicit their assumptions of how their project will achieve an impact. Participants construct problem trees, carry out a visioning exercise, and draw network maps to help them clarify their ‘impact pathways.’“Thenetworkmappingexerciseconsistsofidentifyingcurrentprojectpartners,butalsothosewhowouldneedtobebroughtintotheprojecttoplayvitalrolesinup-andoutscalingprocesses.Themappingprocesscanalsospecifytheroleseachpartnerisexpectedtoplay,andidentifymeansofengagement.

Postharvest PIPA Workshop. A group of value-chain stakeholders drawing a map of the postharvest network and discussing roles and responsi-bilities of each partner (left), and their final product (right) showing project partners and those actors that need to be influenced to achieve the long-term project goals.

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Asianmembercountriesanddonorrepresentatives(Fig.5.2).Itprovidesdirectionandguidancetotheconsortiumandisitsmainpolicy-makingbody. Bytheendof2012,theIRRCcomprisedmorethan30partnerinstitutionsinninecountries:Bangla-desh,Cambodia,China,Indonesia,LaoPDR,Myanmar,thePhilippines,Thailand,andVietnam.However,themainbilateralfundingfortheIRRCstoppedattheendof2012,anditwillbereorganizedasapartnershipplatformunderGRiSPtofacilitateknowledgeex-changeandcross-projectandcross-countrylearning.

5.1.2 Consortium for Unfavorable Rice EnvironmentsTheConsortiumforUnfavorableRiceEnvironments(CURE)isaregionalplatformforpartnershipsamonginstitutionsledbyIRRIandNARESfromSouthandSoutheastAsia(www.irri.org;clickonPartnershipstofindCURE).CUREfocusesonricefarmingsystemsinwhichlowandunstableyieldsarecommonplaceandextensivepovertyandfoodinsecurityprevail.ItisaplatformwithinwhichNARESandIRRIresearcherspartnertogetherwithfarmersandextensionwork-erstotacklekeyproblemsatsitesrepresentativeofthediverseecosystems.Itsstrategyinvolveson-sitefarmerparticipatoryresearchlinkingscientistsfromNARES,internationalresearchcenters,andadvancedresearchinstitutesusingamultidisciplinaryapproachfortechnologygeneration,validation,anddissemina-tion.

Fig. 5.2. Annual workshop and meeting of the steering committee of the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC), Vientiane, Laos, 2012.

CUREalsocloselycollaborateswithlocalgovern-mentunitsandnongovernmentorganizationstodisseminatetechnologiesoverawiderarea.CURE-facilitatedresearchisconductedwithinmultidisci-plinaryworkinggroups.Thesegroupsmeetregularlytoreviewandplanresearchactivities,identifyandtestsuitabletechnologies,prepareprojectpropos-als,monitorresearchactivities,andreportprogress.OversightforCUREisprovidedbyasteeringcommit-teewithseniormembersfromNARESpartnersfromtheparticipatingcountries. Attheendof2012,themembershipofCUREcomprised26institutionsin10countries:Bangladesh,Cambodia,India,Indonesia,LaoPDR,Myanmar,Ne-pal,thePhilippines,Thailand,andVietnam.

5.1.3 Temperate Rice Research Consortium TheTemperateRiceResearchConsortium(TRRC)aimstoovercomeproductionconstraintsintemperaterice-growingareasthroughcollectiveresearchefforts(www.irri.org;clickonPartnershipstofindtheTRRC).Theconstraintsaddressedincludebothbioticandabi-oticstresses,yieldpotential,grainqualityandnutri-tion,andwaterandnutrientmanagement.TheTRRCwasfoundedtocollaborateonresearch,training,andtechnologygenerationactivitiesdesignedtomeetmu-tuallyagreeduponobjectives.Itspecificallyaimsto

• Provideaninternationalplatformandmecha-nismthatsupportsresearchandstrengthensthe

JoelJa

niya,IRR

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partnershiptopromotetheapplicationofsuit-abletechnologiesandinformationtoimprovesustainablericeproduction.

• Serveasaplatformforidentifyingandprioritiz-ingconcernsoftemperatericeresearchintem-perateenvironmentsandhigh-altitudeareasinthetropicsthatgenerateinternational/regionalpublicgoodsforimprovingrurallivelihood.

• ProvidelogisticalsupportandcoordinateNARES-IRRI-ARIstrategicresearchcollaboration.

• Promoteresourcesharingandinformationex-changeamongpartners.

TRRC-facilitatedresearchisconductedwithinfourthematicworkinggroupsthatmeetannuallytoreviewandplanresearchactivities,identifyandtestsuitabletechnologies,monitorresearchactivities,andshareprogress. Attheendof2012,themembershipoftheTRRCcomprised18nationalandinternationalinstitutionsfrom16countries:Australia,Bhutan,Chile,China,Egypt,Japan,Kazakhstan,Korea,Nepal,thePhilip-pines,Russia,Spain,Tanzania,theUnitedStates,Uruguay,andUzbekistan.TheTRRCisguidedbypoliciesestablishedbythesteeringcommittee,whichapprovestheTRRC’soperationalpolicies,workplans,andbudgets,andmonitorstheimpactoftheTRRC.Thesteeringcommitteeconsistsofhigh-leveladmin-istrators/scientistsofNARES,IRRI’sdeputydirectorgeneralforresearch,andrepresentativesofmajorsponsoringorganizations.

5.1.4 Latin American Fund for Irrigated RiceTheLatinAmericanFundforIrrigatedRice(FondoLatinoamericanoparaArrozdeRiego;FLAR)wasestablishedin1995bytheconcertedeffortsofvariousriceproducers’associationsfromBrazil,Colombia,Venezuela,andCIAT(www.flar.org).InFLAR,riceproducers’associations,millingandseedcompanies,andnationalpublicresearchprogramscometogetherwiththeobjectiveofprovidinginnovativeandtech-nologicalsolutionstotheneedsofricefarmersandthericeindustry,andtoimprovetheproductionofirrigatedriceinLatinAmerica.Itsmainobjectiveistoincreaseirrigatedriceproductioninasustainableway,consideringparametersofequality,geneticdiversity,economicalandtechnicalefficiency,profitability,andlowerunitcosts.FLARworksnotonlyonricebreedingandgermplasmexchangebutalsoonthedevelop-mentofotherintegralpartsofthesystem,including—

butnotlimitedto—cropmanagementtechnologies,postharvest,alternativeuses,andgrainquality. FLARinvolvesallthoseentitiesthatsharethemissionoftheFund.Eachnewmembercountryisrepresentedbyoneinstitutionofthericesector.Thisinstitutionisresponsibleforensuringtheparticipationofotherentitiesworkingtopromotericeresearch,technologytransfer,riceproduction,andmarketing.Besidestherepresentativesofthericeinstitutions,thosericeresearchorganizationsthatshareFLAR’smissionandrelatedactivitiestosupportricedevelop-mentarewelcometojoinFLAR. Attheendof2012,FLARcomprised27institu-tionsfromboththeprivateandpublicsector,fromArgentina,Bolivia,Brazil,Colombia,Chile,CostaRica,theDominicanRepublic,Ecuador,Guatemala,Guyana,Honduras,Mexico,Nicaragua,Panama,Peru,Uruguay,Venezuela,andCIAT.

5.1.5 Hybrid Rice Development ConsortiumWorldwide,about13%ofallricegrownishybridrice—varietiesinwhichseedsofthefirstgenerationofcrosseshavehigheryieldpotential—commerciallymarketedtofarmers.Sincetheinitialreleaseofhybridriceinthemid-1970sinChina,IRRIanditsnationalpartnersinAsiahaveledresearch,development,anduseofhybridricetechnologyinthetropicsforal-most30years.Manylargemultinationalandsmallernationalseedcompaniesarenowengagedinhybridricebreedingandcommercialization.Thus,thepublicsectorshouldnowfocusonfosteringpublic-privatepartnershipsinwhichpublicinstitutionsconcentratemoreonprebreeding,basicresearchonkeytraits,information,andcapacitybuilding,whereascommer-cializationismainlydonebysmallandlargeprivateenterprises,whichneedtohaveequalaccesstonewtraits,hybridparentallines,pilothybridvarieties,information,andothertechnologiesdevelopedbythepublicsector. Forthisreason,theinternationalHybridRiceDe-velopmentConsortium(HRDC)wasestablishedbyIRRIin2008asanewmodelforpublic-privatepartnerships(www.irri.org;clickonPartnershipstofindtheHRDC).Itscurrentmembership(December2012)standsat32private-sectorand32public-sectorinstitutions.Private-sectormembersoftheHRDCprovidethede-mand-drivenfeedbackforIRRI’shybridriceresearch,butalsothefinancialsupportneededforsustainingit,incollaborationwithIRRI’snationalpartners.Theyre-

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ceivetheproductsofthisresearchthroughfee-based,nonexclusivelicensingmechanisms,whereasthepublicsectorcontinuestohavefreeaccess.ThishasallowedIRRItodoubleitshybridricebreedingcapac-ity.HRDCmemberscanalsoparticipateassponsorsofspecificprojectsandseekbilateralcollaborationwithIRRIthroughScientificKnow-howandExchangePrograms(SKEPs),whichfocusonjointresearchandcapacitybuilding.GRiSPwillextendsuchpartnershipswiththeaimofprovidingfarmerswithmoreandbet-terhybrids,qualityseed,andknowledgeandservicesprovidedbyboththeprivateandpublicsector.Inthisway,GRiSPwillalsocontributetotheemerginghybridricesectorinAfricaandLatinAmerica. InLatinAmerica,hybridricehasthepotentialtoincreaseproductivitybutitneedstomeethighgrainqualitystandards,haveahighyieldpotential,andbeadaptedtoconditionsofdirectseeding(bothseedandgrainproduction).Forthispurpose,theHybridRiceConsortiumforLatinAmerica(HIAAL)wascreatedin2012byCIATand13FLAR(section5.1.4)members.EachFLARmemberrepresentsonecountry.SomeofthemarepublicinstitutionssuchasIRGAfromBrazil,INIAfromUruguay,INIAfromChile,andINTAfromArgentina;othersareseedcompaniessuchasCopraS.A.andPilagáS.A.fromArgentina,HaciendaElPotrerofromPeru,SenumisafromCostaRica,SecosaandConagrofromPanama,andGenarrozfromtheDominicanRepublic;andothersarefarm-ers’organizationssuchasFedearrozfromColombia,ACAfromUruguay,FundarrozfromVenezuela,ANARfromNicaragua,andtheConsejoMexicanodelArrozfromMexico.IntheHIAAL,CIATisresponsiblefortheinitialdevelopmentofparentallinesandexperimentalhybrids,andthepartnersareresponsiblefortesting,release,seedproduction,andcommercialization.Toencouragetheuseofelitelocallyadaptedproprietarylines,aroyaltiessystemwasestablishedthatrecogniz-esthecontributionfromeachparentinahybrid.Eachmemberoftheconsortiumpaysanannualfeeaccord-ingtothesizeofthericesectoritrepresents.Fromthispayment,amemberreceivesanannualnurserywithexperimentalhybrids,F1seedsfortheinitialstagesoftesting,parentalseedsforlocalproductionofF1seedsinthecaseofnear-to-releasehybrids,andtrainingonhybridbreedingandseedproduction.

5.1.6 Africa-wide Rice Task ForcesInAfrica,NARESarekeypartnersinresearchprioritysettingandimplementationofresearchfordevelop-mentactivities.Collaborationisreinforcedthroughtheestablishmentoftaskforces,respondingtocertainpriorityareas.Taskforcesaimtobuildcriticalresearchmassregionallyandnationallyandadoptasystematiccollaborativeapproachtoriceresearchfordevelop-ment.Forexample,theAfrica-wideRiceBreedingTaskForcefocusesonthetwoaspectsofspeedinguptheprocessofevaluationforpotentialnewvarietiesandrebuildingAfrica’scapacityinricebreeding(Fig.5.3).Italsoanswersthecallforamultienvironmenttest-ingnetworkforAfricathatisanintegralpartofGRiSP.AfricaRicefacilitatesthesetaskforces. Thefollowingtaskforceshavebeenorwillbeestablished:

• RiceBreedingTaskForce(Themes1and2).• RiceAgronomyTaskForce(Theme3).• RiceProcessingandValueAdditionTaskForce

(Theme4).• RiceMechanizationTaskForce(Theme3).• RicePolicyTaskForce(Theme5).• GenderinRiceResearchandDevelopmentTask

Force(Theme5,cross-cutting).

5.1.7 Africa-wide Rice Sector Development HubsInAfrica,GRiSP’sresearchoutputs(products)willbeintegratedinRiceSectorDevelopmentHubs(“goodpracticeareas”)toachievedevelopmentoutcomesandimpact(Fig.5.4).RiceSectorDevelopmentHubsinvolvelargegroupsoffarmers(1,000–5,000)andothervalue-chainactors,suchasricemillers,inputdealers,andricemarketers.Thesehubsaretestinggroundsfornewricetechnologiesandfornewinsti-tutionalarrangements(contracting)betweenvalue-chainactors.Partnerspursuea“proofofconcept”approachtoricevalue-chaindevelopment,produc-tivityimprovement,andsustainablemanagementofnaturalresourcesinrice-basedsystems.Theobjectiveistoproducericeorrice-basedproductsthatrespondtoconsumerpreferencesinurbanandruralmarketsinquantitiesthatareofinteresttoricetraders,whowouldusuallyimportsuchproducts.Hubsrepresentkeyriceecosystemsanddifferentmarketopportuni-tiesacrosssub-SaharanAfricaandwillbelinkedtomajornationalorregionalricedevelopmenteffortstofacilitatebroaderuptakeofriceknowledgeandtech-


Fig. 5.3. Africa-wide Rice Breeding Task Force, as of November 2012.

Fig. 5.4. Rice Sector Development Hubs in Africa, according to rice ecosystem: lowland rice, upland rice, and mixed lowland and upland rice. Hubs as of November 2012.

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nologies.Careistakenthatwomenandyoutharenotmarginalized,but,onthecontrary,strengthenedintheprocessofricevalue-chaindevelopment.Atleast30RiceSectorDevelopmentHubswillbeestablishedacrossAfricaby2020. Civilsocietyorganizations(CSOs)suchasRéseaudesorganisationspaysannes&deproducteursdel’Afriquedel’Ouest(ROPPA)andEastAfricaFarmers’Federation(EAFF),andmajorNGOssuchasCatholicReliefServices,SasakawaGlobal2000(SG2000),andSonghaiwillbeinvolvedintechnologyadaptationandwide-scalediffusioninandbeyondtheRiceSec-torDevelopmentHubs,andwillprovidefeedbacktoresearchersandpolicymakersontechnologyperfor-manceandresearchandinvestmentpriorities.CSOshaveacomparativeadvantageinoperatingatthegrass-rootslevelandarethuswellplacedtoensurefullparticipationoffarmersandothervalue-chainstakeholders. Collaborationwiththeprivatesectormayinvolvecontributionstostrategicandappliedresearch,orto“proofofconcept”workintheRiceSectorDevelop-mentHubs.Thiswillincludecompaniesinvolvedinfarminputs(seeds,farmmachinery),creditprovision,processing,andmarketing.Privatecompanieswillalsoserveastechnologydiffusionchannels.Thiswillrequirenewformalresearchpartnershipsandcon-tractualrelationshipsbetweenthepublicandprivatesector,anddueconsiderationofissuesrelatedtointellectualpropertyrights.

5.1.8 Regional Rice Research and Training Center for West and Central AsiaRiceisanimportantfoodcropintheWestandCentralAsiaregionanddemandforriceisrisingfast.Since1980,riceconsumptionnearlytripledto9milliontonsin2009,whereastotalriceproductionthatyearintheareastoodataround5milliontonsonly.IRRIprojectsthatriceconsumptioninthisregionwillincreaseto12milliontonsby2020and16.6milliontonsby2035.Hence,thisregionisamongthefastestgrowingworld-wideintermsofricedemand. TheRegionalRiceResearchandTrainingCenterforWestandCentralAsia(RRRTC-WCA)wasestab-lishedinSeptember2010attheRiceResearchInsti-tuteofIran(RRII)toserveasaregionalhubforricescienceanddevelopment.TheRRRTCalsoincludessatellitenetworklocationsforriceresearchinpart-nershipwithotherkeycountriesintheregion.The

geographicfocusisontherice-producingcountriesofWestandCentralAsia:Afghanistan,Iran,Iraq,Kazakh-stan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkey,Turkmenistan,andUzbekistan.MostofthemarealsomembercountriesoftheEconomicCooperationOrganization(ECO;www.ecosecretariat.org),whichhasitssecretariatinTehran.Themissionoftheregionalcenteranditsnetworkofresearchactivitiesistoconductadvancedriceresearchandprovidetrainingtoricescientistsandpractitionersfromthetargetcountries,withanemphasisonnewproductiontechnologiesthatwillberequiredtoadaptriceproductionsystemsinthere-giontoclimaticextremesandclimatechange.There-gionalcenterisexpectedtobecomeagloballyimpor-tantfacilityforcropimprovement,cropandresourcemanagementresearch,climatechangeresearch,andtrainingwithinthelargerGRiSPcontext. TheRRRTCstructure consists of aTechnicalManagementCommittee(TMC),acoordinator,andanoffice.TheTMCwillbecomposedoffullyautho-rizedrepresentativesofallmembercountriesintheregionandarepresentativefromIRRI.TheTMCwillberesponsibleforoverallmanagementoftheCenter’sresearchandtrainingagenda.

5.2 Global consortia, networks, and plat-forms

Onaglobalscale,variousnetworksconnecthundredsofscientistsfrommanyinstitutionsandcountries,mostlyengagedinmoreupstreamresearchandproductdevelopment,thoughsomealsoincludeamoredownstreamdevelopmentcomponent.ManyofthempredateGRiSPbuthavebeenincorporatedintoGRiSP’sstructureastheydirectlycontributetoproductdevelopmentand/ortoproductdelivery.Abriefdescriptionofthemostimportantconsortia,networks,andplatformsfollows.

5.2.1 International Network for the Genetic Evalua-tion of RiceTheInternationalNetworkfortheGeneticEvaluationofRice(INGER)isaglobalmodelfortheexchange,evaluation,release,anduseofgeneticresourcesundertheInternationalTreatyonPlantGeneticResourcesforFoodandAgriculture(http://seeds.irri.org/inger).Establishedin1975,INGERisaconsortiumofNARESofrice-growingcountriesandinternationalagriculturalresearchcenters,includingGRiSP’scoordi-


natingCGIARcentersIRRI,AfricaRice,andCIAT.Since itsinception,INGERiscreditedforthereleaseof667varietiesin62countries,resultingineconomicben-efitsestimatedatUS$1.4–1.6billion.Specificobjec-tivesofINGERareto

• Maketheworld’selitebreedingandgeneticresourcesavailabletoallricescientistsfordirectuseorincrosseswithinbreedingprograms.

• Providericescientistswiththeopportunitytoassesstheperformanceoftheirownadvancedbreedinglinesoverawiderangeofclimatic,cultural,soil,disease,andpestconditions.

• Identifygeneticresourceswithresistancetomajorbioticstressesandtoleranceofabioticstresses.

• Monitorandevaluatethegeneticvariationofpathogensandinsectpests.

• Serveasacenterforinformationexchangeonhowvarietalcharacteristicsinteractwithdiverserice-growingenvironments.

Overtheyears,INGERhasbecomearegularcomponentandaconstantreliablesourceofelitebreedingmaterialfornationalandinternationalriceimprovementprograms.Onaverage,aboutathou-sandgeneticallydiversematerialsareevaluatedyearlyunderdifferentriceecosystems,andunderdifferentbioticandabioticstresses.Morethan600experimentstationsin80countriesparticipateintheseannualevaluations.

5.2.2 International Network for Quality RiceTheInternationalNetworkforQualityRice(INQR)aimstobringnewsciencetotraitsofquality,tostandardizethemeasureofeachtrait,andtoidentifynewtraitsofphysical,sensory,andnutritionalqual-ity(www.irri.org/inqr).ItsmembersincludeNARESandadvancedresearchInstitutesthatworkonricethroughresearch,qualityevaluation,breeding,orthemanufacturingofequipment(privatesector).Assuch,theINQRconnectsNARESresearcherswithmanyad-vancedresearchinstitutesandtheprivatesector. Attheendof2012,theINQRcomprised110membersoperatinginallmajorrice-producingcoun-triesoftheworld.

5.2.3 Phenotyping NetworkFuturemolecularricebreedingwilldrawfromvastpubliclibrariesofgenesandallelesforsecond-andthird-generationmarker-assistedbackcrossing(MAS)

toproducenewricevarietieswithimprovedtraits.Thoughgenotyping(thedescriptionofaplant’sge-nome)ismakingrapidadvances,rapidandlarge-scalephenotyping(thedescriptionofthe physicalappear-anceorbiochemicalcharacteristicsofplants)iscur-rentlythebottlenecktothediscoveryofusefulgenesandalleles.Nosingleinstitutioncanmusteralltheenvironmentsthatriceisgloballyexposedto,norallthetechnicalcapacityandresourcesneededtophe-notypethediversegermplasmthatmolecularbreed-ingwilldrawfromorproduce.Hence,thePhenotyp-ingNetworkwasestablishedunderGRiSPinMarch2010,withtheaimtodiscoverandcharacterizenewgenesandallelesinthegenomeofcultivatedricethatwillpotentiallycontributetoimprovingyieldpotentialandadaptationtoenvironmentalconstraints,includ-ingthoserelatedtochangingclimate.Toachievethisgoal,agreed-onpanelsofgenotypesrepresentingtheexistinggeneticdiversityarephenotypedinthefieldandincontrolledenvironmentsformultipletraitsofinterest,throughamultipartnerconsortiumcommit-tedtosharingresourcesandresults. Attheendof2012,theNetwork’smemberswereIRRI,CIAT,AfricaRice,Cirad,IRD,Embrapa,CAAS,Phil-Rice,CornellUniversity,andSyngenta.

5.2.4 C4 Rice ConsortiumTheC4RiceConsortiumhasthespecificobjectivetodevelopricethatoperateswithaC4photosynthe-sisprocessinsteadofitscurrentC3process(http://c4rice.irri.org).This“supercharging”ofthericeplantisexpectedtoincreaseyieldby25–50%andhencemakeahugecontributiontoincreasedriceproduc-tionandimprovethelivesofbillionsofpoorpeopleinthedevelopingworld.TheC4consortiumisagroupofmultidisciplinaryscientistsfromadvancedinstitutionsaroundtheworld,organizedinthefollowinggroups:

• Bioinformatics:TheaimofthisgroupistoprovideawebportalfortheC4consortiumtoallowfreeexchangeofinformationbetweentheresearchgroups,toactasarepositoryforinfor-mationgeneratedbytheconsortium,toprovideadatabaseofC4resourcesforusebytheconsor-tium,andtodevelopinterrogationtoolsforrapidanalysisofbioinformaticsdata.Thisgroupisalsoresponsibleforbioinformaticsandsystemsbiol-ogyanalysisofpubliclyavailabledataanddatageneratedwithintheproject.

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• GeneticScreening:ThisgroupaimstoidentifygenesassociatedwithC4photosyntheticproper-tiesbyscreeningmutagenizedsorghumplantsandlookingforrevertantstoaC3phenotypeandtoexaminegeneactivation-taggedlinesofriceforgain-of-functionC4properties.Variousphenotypingexperimentsarebeingused,includ-inganatomical,biochemical,andphysiologicalassaysthatcanberapidlyappliedtoalargenumberofplants.

• MolecularEngineering:TheaimofthisgroupistogenerateresourcesthatallowcomponentsoftheC4pathwaytobeintegratedintorice.Thisinvolvesidentifyingpromotersthatgeneratemesophyll-orbundlesheath-specificaccumu-lationofproteins,investigatingwhethersmallRNAsareinvolvedincell-specificaccumulationofphotosynthesisproteinsinC4leaves,buildinguptheknowncomponentsoftheC4pathwayinrice,andmanipulatingexpressionofatranscrip-tionfactorknowntobeinvolvedincontrollingphotosynthesisgeneexpression.

• MolecularPhysiology:Thisgroupaimstochar-acterizeatamolecular,biochemical,andphysio-logicallevelthepreciseeffectsofmutation,geneactivation,andgeneinsertiononthephotosyn-theticfunctionofsorghumandriceplants.

Attheendof2012,theC4RiceConsortiumincluded17advancedresearchinstitutesfromninecountries.

5.2.5 International Rice Functional Genomics Consor-tium and the OryzaSNP ConsortiumTheInternationalRiceFunctionalGenomicsCon-sortium(IRFGC)wasformedin2003followingthepublicationofdraftsequencesoftworicesubtypesbytheInternationalRiceGenomeSequencingProj-ect(http://irfgc.irri.org).Theconsortiumfacilitatesresearchinpostsequencing“functionalgenomics”andestablishesanintegratedonlinenetworkofricefunc-tionalgenomicsdatabases.TheconsortiumincludesmemberinstitutesinChinaandIndia,aswellasIRRIandCIAT. In2006,theIRFGCinitiatedtheOryzaSNPCon-sortiumtoprovidethericeresearchcommunitywithextensiveinformationongeneticvariationpresentwithinandbetweendiversericecultivarsandland-races,aswellasthegeneticresourcestoexploitthatinformation(www.oryzasnp.org,www.news.colostate.

edu/Release/1175).WithOryzaSNP,theInstituteforGenomicResearch,PerlegenSciences,Inc.,andIRRIjoinforcestounlockthegeneticsecretsofrice,whichcouldhelpimprovericecropsandalleviatehungerandmalnutritionformillionsofpeople.Theconsor-tiumwillfocusonthegeneticbasisunderlyingimpor-tantagriculturaltraitssuchasthenutritionalvalueanddiseaseresistanceof21diverselines,orvariet-ies,ofricebyidentifyingandcomparingdifferencesinDNAsequences.Theconsortiumhasgeneratedalargefractionofthesinglenucleotidepolymorphisms(SNPs)presentincultivatedricethroughwhole-genomecomparisonsof 20ricegenomes,includingcultivars,germplasmlines,andlandraces.TheSNPdataareentirelypublicandcanbeusedtoidentifyacollectionofSNPsforundertakingwhole-genomescans.

5.2.6 International Rice Blast NetworkRiceblast(causedbyMagnaporthe oryzae)isoneofthemostdestructivericediseasesworldwide.Overtheyears,anewsetofdifferentialvarietieswithmonogeniclinesthatinclude23resistancegeneshasbeendevelopedandreleasedincollaborationbetweenIRRIandJIRCAS.Since2006,theJIRCAS-ledBlastResearchNetworkforStableRiceProductionhasusedtheselinestotrytoenhancethesustainabilityofriceproductionbymonitoringresistanceagainstblastdiseaseusingauniversal“differentialsystem.”Adifferentialsystemisabasictoolforunderstand-inghost-pathogeninteractions,whichconsistsofricevarietiescarryingasinglegeneforblastresistanceandblastisolatesdifferingincorrespondingavirulence/virulencegenes.TheBlastNetworkworkstowardthe

• Diversificationofstudiesonblastpathogensandresistanceinricevarieties.

• Developmentofnewdifferentialvarieties.• Selectionofstandarddifferentialblastiso-

lates.• Designofacommonevaluationsystemfor

pathogenicityofblastisolates.• Developmentofanewdesignationsystemfor

blastraces.• Identificationofnovelresistancegenes.

Attheendof2010,theBlastResearchNetworkconsistedofnineresearchcentersandoneuniversityfromsixcountries,China,Vietnam,LaoPDR,Bangla-desh,thePhilippines,andIndonesia,inadditiontofourinstitutes,IRRI,AfricaRice,theNationalInstitute


ofAgrobiologicalSciences(NIAS),andJIRCAS.ThisnetworkcollaborateswiththeTemperateRiceRe-searchConsortium(TRRC)(section5.1.3).

5.2.7 Sustainable Rice PlatformTheSustainableRicePlatform(SRP),launchedin2011,isaglobalmultistakeholderplatform,co-convenedbytheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme(UNEP)andIRRItopromoteresourceefficiencyandsustain-abletradeflows,productionandconsumptionopera-tions,andsupplychainsintheglobalricesector(Fig.5.5).TheSRPaimsto

• Developandpromoteasetofgloballyrelevantprinciples and best practices (oraglobal stan-dard)forsustainablericeproduction(includingpostharvestpractices).

• Developandpromotequantifiablesustainabilitytargetsthatsuitavarietyofagricultural,social,andenvironmentalconditionsandthatareat-tainableatthefarmandlandscape/watershedlevel.

• Developandpromoteasetofdecision-supportsystems(atoolbox)fortheassessmentofriceproductionpracticesagainstanarrayofbiophysi-cal,socioeconomic,andenvironmentalperfor-manceindicators.

• Developandpromotetheadoptionofthedevel-opedprinciplesandbestpractices(oraglobal standard)forsustainablericeproductionandthesustainabilitytargetsbyriceproducersandparticipantsinthewholericevaluechain.

TheSRPaddressesitsobjectivesthroughaprocessoflearningamongitsparticipantsanddiffer-entstakeholders.Thestandard incombinationwith

thetools andpracticesisintendedtogiveguidancetoproducersandotherparticipantsinthericevaluechainwillingtoadoptit.Inordertopromoteuptake,theSRPaimsatevolvingintoavoluntarymarkettransformationinitiativeaswellasintoadriverforthecreationofdifferentincentivestructuresinthepublicorprivatearena.Movingforward,theSRPwillbefullyalignedwithnational,regional,andinternationalprogramsinthericesector.Organizationscanadheretotheplatformbycommittingthemselvesformallytocontribute,eitherfinanciallyorinkind.Attheendof2012,memberswerefivegovernmentsandgovern-mentalbodies,10researchinstitutes/NGOs,andsixinternationalandthreeAsia-basedcompanies(trade,foodprocessors/manufacturers,inputsuppliers,andretail).

5.3 (Large) Time-bound projectsGRiSPincludesmorethan200bilateralgrantprojects.Here,abriefdescriptionisgivenofthreelarge(intermsoffinancialsize,volumeofwork,andnumberofpartners)researchfordevelopmentprojects.

5.3.1 Stress-Tolerant Rice for Africa and South AsiaTheprojectStress-TolerantRiceforAfricaandSouthAsia(STRASA)beganattheendof2007withIRRIincollaborationwithAfricaRicetodevelopanddeliverricevarietiestolerantofabioticstresses(drought,submergence,salinity,problemsoils)tothemillionsoffarmersintheunfavorablerice-growingenvironmentsinsub-SaharanAfricaandSouthAsia(www.strasa.org).STRASAwasconceivedasa10-yearprojectwithavisiontodelivertheimprovedvarietiestoatleast18millionfarmersonthetwocontinents.Theprojectis

Fig. 5.5. In a meeting co-convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IRRI in Los Baños, Philippines, in 2011, the members of the first advisory committee of the Sustainable Rice Platform sign the inauguration documents (left) and discuss sustainable rice technologies in the field (right).

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conductedin22targetcountries:Nigeria,Benin,Sen-egal,BurkinaFaso,Ghana,Guinea,TheGambia,Mali,Côted’Ivoire,GuineaConakry,andSierraLeoneinWestAfrica;Mozambique,Tanzania,Uganda,Ethiopia,Madagascar,Rwanda,Burundi,andKenyaineasternandsouthernAfrica;andIndia,Bangladesh,andNepalinSouthAsia.Thesecountrieshavemajorrainfedriceproductionareasthatareaffectedbyabioticstresses. IRRIandAfricaRiceusetheprincipleofworkingwithlocalandmultipleactorstoachievesustainableoutcomes.Theyoperatethroughcollaborationwithgovernment,nongovernment,andprivatebusinesspartners.Thepartnershipsarecountry-specific.InIndia,STRASAhasmovedbeyondresearchorganiza-tionsandhasdevelopedlinkageswiththeMinistryofAgriculture,stategovernments,mega-schemesofthefederalgovernment,internationalorganizationsandNGOsdealingwithfoodandlivelihoodsecurityandclimatechange,banks,public-andprivate-sectorseedcorporations,inputproviders,andfarmerorganiza-tions.Theprojectcurrentlyhasabout200partners,manyofwhichareinvolvedinseedproduction.Forexample,thereare129recognizedpartnersinseedproductioninSouthAsiaalone,allowingrapidoutscal-ingofnewseedsandinformationthroughmultiplechannels.Indirectanddirectco-investmentsbythesepartnersexceedthefundscomingintotheprojectfromthesupportingdonorbyfar.

5.3.2 Cereal Systems Initiative for South AsiaTheCerealSystemsInitiativeforSouthAsia(CSISA)startedinlate2008andwasdesignedasa10-yearprojecttoprovideanoverallstrategyandanewum-

brellaforcontributingnewscienceandtechnologiestoacceleratingshort-andlong-termcerealproductiongrowthinSouthAsia’smostimportantgrainbaskets(https://sites.google.com/a/irri.org/csisa).ItbuildsontechnologiesdevelopedandlessonslearnedfromtheRice-WheatConsortium,theIrrigatedRiceRe-searchConsortium(section5.1.1),andmanyotherinvestmentsinagriculturalR&Dbyboththepublicandprivatesector.Throughcreatingandfacilitatinginnovativepublic-andprivate-sectorpartnershipsinkeyhubs,theprojectbooststhedeploymentofexist-ingvarieties,hybrids,cropmanagementtechnologies,andmarketinformation.CSISAfocusesinitiallyonninehubsinareasofBangladesh,India,Pakistan,andNepalthatrepresentkeyintensivecerealproductionsystems.Thehubsprovideabasisforactivelearningaboutmechanismsforrapidadoptionandintensifica-tionofimprovedcerealseedandcropmanagementpractices,forunderstandingcriticalcomponentsofpublic-andprivate-sectorpartnerships,andfordevelopingbusinessplansandsupportingpoliciestostimulateprivate-sectorinvestments(Fig.5.6).Im-provedcultivarsandhybridsofmaize,rice,andwheatselectedunderconservationagriculturepracticeswillbedevelopedandmanagementconceptsforfuturecerealsystemswillbedesignedandevaluated,alongsidepolicyanalysisandadvocacy,andcapacitybuildingatalllevels. Attheendof2012,CSISAinvolvedmorethan250public-sector,civilsociety,andprivate-sectorpartnersinthedevelopmentanddisseminationofnewrice,wheat,andmaizevarietiesandhybrids,improved

Figure 5.6. Focus group discussions with farmers and CSISA project staff bring to light constraints to the adoption of improved rice technologies and identify means of overcoming them, which often include strengthening public- and private-sector engagement in technology delivery. Focus group discussions, Bangladesh, 2011.

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croppingsystems,resource-conservingmanagementtechnologies,improvedpoliciesandmarkets,andpublic-privatedeliverysystems.

5.3.3 Green Super RiceTheprojectGreenSuperRice(GSR)fortheresourcepoorofAfricaandAsia,ledbytheChineseAcademyofAgriculturalSciences(CAAS),aimstodevelopricevarietiesthatretaintheirstable,sustainableyieldpo-tentialevenwhengrownwithfewerinputsorunderunfavorableenvironmentalconditions(http://thegsr.org/).Riceproductioninsub-SaharanAfricaandAsiaisconstantlyunderpressureofvariouskindsofstresses,forexample,drought,submergence,salinity,limitednutrientinput,poorsoils,andpestinfections.RecentscientificadvancesachievedbyChinesericescientistshaveacceleratedthedevelopmentofnewvarietiesthatcanwithstanddrought,flooding,coldweather,andtoxicmineralssuchassaltandhighiron.GSRvarietiesarebredtoperformwellinthetoughestofconditionswherethepoorestfarmersgrowrice.Currently,106GSRvarietiesarereadyforexchangethroughtheInternationalNetworkfortheGeneticEvaluationof Rice(INGER,section5.2.1).Theprojectseekstodeliverthesevarietiestosmallholderfarm-ersineightcountriesinAfricaandeightcountriesinAsiatoanaccumulationof11millionhectaresoffarmlandinthetargetregions,andtoincreaseannualriceproductivityby13milliontonsinthesecountries.ThecountriesareLiberia,Mali,Mozambique,Nigeria,Rwanda,Senegal,Tanzania,andUgandainAfrica;Cambodia,Indonesia,LaoPDR,Vietnam,Bangladesh,Pakistan,andSriLankainAsia;andSichuan,Yunnan,Guangxi,andGuizhouprovincesinChina.TheGSRprojectwaslaunchedin2008,wasdesignedasa10-yearproject,andinvolves18advancedresearchinsti-tutesanduniversitiesinChinaand17NARESpartnersinAfricaandAsia.Italsosupportsthedevelopmentoftheprivatesector,especiallyhybridriceseedcompa-nies.

6SomenewGRiSPinitiatives

BesidesthecreationofnewpartnershiparrangementssuchastheAfrica-wideRiceSectorDevelopmentHubs(section5.1.7),theRegionalRiceResearchandTrainingCenterforWestandCentralAsia(section5.1.8),andthePhenotypingNetwork(section5.2.3),

GRiSPinitiatedafewothermechanismstopromote,facilitate,andstrengthenpartnerships:

• Afundtosupportnewpartnershipdevelop-mentactivities,primarilyintendedforinitializingorstrengtheningcollaborationbetweenGRiSPscientistsandpotentialnewresearchpartners.Fundsareavailabletoorganizeworkshopsorgroupmeetingstodevelopnewpartnershipideas,andforindividualtravelgrantstofacilitatecross-instituteandcross-countrylearning.

• AfundforNewFrontiersResearchprojects,tobeawardedonacompetitivebasis.Thismecha-nismisusedtosupportinnovative,exploratoryresearchinhigh-priorityareasthatmayleadtobreakthroughsinexistingGRiSPproducts,orwhichmayevolvetowardbecomingfullnewR&DproductsofGRiSPinthefuture.ThisfundusesopencallsthataretargetedatadvancedresearchinstitutesandstrategicGRiSPpartners.

• TheGlobalRiceScienceScholarshipsaimtostrengthenGRiSPNARESpartnersbyofferingyoungagriculturalscientiststheopportunitytobeexpertsinascientificdisciplineandtohaveabroaderunderstandingoftheglobalissuesaffectingricesciencefordevelopment.Schol-arshipsarecompetitivelyawardedtoyoungprofessionalsandstudentspursuingadoctoraldegreeinricescienceandrelatedsystemsresearchinthefieldsofagronomy,cropphysiol-ogy,entomology,plantpathology,soilandwaterscience,plantbreeding,andthesocialsciences.

7 Alignmentwithregionalandcountrypriorities

7.1 Country-level alignmentTheGRiSPcoordinatingpartnersemployseveralmechanismstoalignGRiSPwithnationalricesectorprogramsandwiththeprioritiesandstrategiesofitsmainnationalR&Dpartners:

• InAsia,IRRIholdscountryplanningmeetingsevery3yearswithmostoftheAsiancountriesitcollaborateswithtoalignpriorities,agreeonjointgoalsandobjectives,monitorongoingjointactivities,anddevelopnewones.Thesemeet-ingsareusuallyorganizedthroughaprimary

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countrypartner(e.g.,CAASinChina,ICARinIndia)butcanincludemanyothersaswell.AnexampleofarecentplanningmeetingisthatbetweenIndiaandIRRIinNovember2012,wherejointactivitieswithseveralIndianNARESpartnerswereapprovedthataredirectlyalignedwithGRiSPproductdevelopment.

• InAfrica,theAfricaRiceCenterisanautono-mousintergovernmentalassociationof24membercountries(asofDecember2012),cov-eringWest,Central,East,andNorthAfrica.Itsobjectives,strategy,andresearchactivitiesarealignedwiththoseofitsmemberstatesandgetapprovedbytheAfricaRiceCouncilofMinisters(Fig.5.7).Animportantmechanismforcontinen-tal-levelreviewandplanningofactivitiesistheAfricaRiceCongress,whichtakesplaceeveryfouryears.Thereisgreatlyincreasedawarenessthatricehasbecomeastrategiccommoditytofueleconomicgrowthandtocontributetowardhungerandpovertyreductionacrosstheconti-nent.ManyAfricancountrieshaveembarkedonambitiousprogramstoboosttheirriceproduc-tioncapacity,mostofthemasaresponsetothe2008ricepricecrisis.AfricaRicehasprovidedtechnicalsupportto21countrieswithintheframeworkoftheCoalitionforAfricanRiceDe-velopment(CARD), andotherAfricaRicememberstatesnotmembersofCARD,toassistwiththedesignofnationalricedevelopmentstrategies.Thesestrategiesnowneedtobeturnedintoconcreteactionplanstoboostthericesector.

• InLatinAmerica,themainmechanismforcoordinatingandaligningriceR&Dwithcoun-tryprioritiesandstrategiesisthroughtheLatinAmericanFundforIrrigatedRice(FLAR)thatincludes15membercountries(section5.1.4).FLARmeetsonanannualbasistodiscusspriori-ties,monitorongoingactivities,anddevelopandapprovenewones.

7.2 International and regional fora and development organizations

GRiSPanditspartnersinteractcloselywithallmajorregionalforaandeconomiccommunitiesthathaveamajorinterestindevelopmentofthericesector.Itusestheseinteractionstoalignitsagendawiththoseoftheseforathatrepresentnationalandregionalin-

terestsanddevelopmentpriorities.Theseforaincludethefollowing:

• TheCouncilforPartnershiponRiceResearchinAsia(CORRA),establishedin1996toenhancetheeffectivenessofthevariouspartnershipmechanismsemployedinmeetingthechalleng-esoftheglobalriceresearchsystem(www.irri.org;clickonCORRA).TheCounciliscommittedtopromotingandsupportinginterdependence,reducingbarriers,andcollectivelychangingtheperspectivesofallpartners:researchworkersandadministrators,policymakers,anddonors—bothinsideandoutsidetheregion—astheybecomefullpartnersintheglobalriceresearchcommunity.ThemainobjectiveofCORRAistoguide,facilitate,support,andtherebystrengthenthepartnershipamongNARESinAsia,andbetweenNARESandIRRIandotherrelevantin-stitutions,inanefforttomeetthericeresearchneedsoftheAsianregion.MembercountriesarerepresentedbyseniorofficialsofselectedNARESinAsia(currently,thereare16membercountries).Countriesareselectedbasedontheimportanceofriceintheirnationalagricul-turalplansandfortheirrepresentationofriceecosystems.IRRIisrepresentedbyitsdirectorgeneral.CORRArepresentativesmeeteveryyeartodiscussissuesandchallengesfacingtheAsianriceindustry.Themeetingisalsoaforumwherecountryrepresentativesprovideimpor-tantinputsintothepoliciesthatinfluencethelivelihoodofricefarmersandconsumersandthericeR&Dagendaintheregion. CORRAhad

Fig. 5.7. The 28th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of AfricaRice, Banjul, Gambia, 22 September 2011.

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servedasthesteeringcommitteeoftheInterna-tionalNetworkfortheGeneticEvaluationofRice(INGER;section5.2.1)upuntil2010.ItnowactsasanadvisorybodyforGRiSPinAsia.

• RegionalforainvolvedinGFAR(e.g.,FARA,FORA-GRO,APAARIatthecontinentallevelandCORAFandASARECAinAfricaatthesubregionallevel).

• Higher-levelpoliticalbodiesanddevelopmentinitiativestargetingfoodsecurityandpoverty,suchasCAADP(NEPAD),CARD,ASEAN,SAARC,andAPEC.

• RegionalEconomicCommunities(RECs)suchastheEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates(ECOWAS).GRiSPdevelopsactivelinkageswithRECsinregionswherericeisconsideredaprioritycommodity(suchasinWestAfrica)toassistwithpolicyformulationandbuildingofriceresearchandextensioncapacity.

• InAfrica,collaborationwillalsobeestablishedwithnationalricecentersofexcellencewithintheframeworkoftheWorldBank-fundedWestAfricaAgriculturalProductivityProgram(WAAPP)inMaliandtheEastAfricaAgriculturalProductiv-ityProgram(EAAPP)inTanzania.

• Internationalandregionaldevelopmentfundsandbanks,includingIFAD,theWorldBank,ADB,AfDB,andIDAB.Manyofthosedirectlycontrib-uteasdonorstoGRiSPthroughtheCGIARfund-ingmechanismsandthroughbilateralprojects.Inadditiontothat,GRiSPmayalsoprovidetechnicalexpertiseandsupporttolarge-scalebilateralormultilateralinvestmentsoftheseagenciesinagriculturalsectordevelopmentinhigh-prioritycountries.

• In2008,theAllianceforaGreenRevolutioninAfrica(AGRA)andtheJapanInternationalCoop-erationAgency(JICA)tooktheleadtodevelopanewarchitecture—theCoalitionforAfricanRiceDevelopment(CARD,http://riceforafrica.org)—withtheaimtosetoutanoverallstrategyandaframeworkforactiontocontributetoachiev-inganAfricanGreenRevolutionthroughoneincreasinglyimportantcrop—rice.CARDaimstorespondtotheincreasingimportanceofriceproductioninAfrica,notby“re-inventingthewheel,”butbybuildingonexistingstructures,policies,andprograms ofAfrica’sNARES,theAfricaRiceCenter(AfricaRice),theComprehen-siveAfricaAgricultureDevelopmentProgramme(CAADP),andtheAfricaRiceInitiative(ARI).ItsgoalistosupporttheeffortsofAfricancountriestodoublericeproductiononthecontinentto28milliontonsperannumby2018.CARDsteeringcommitteemembersincludethreeofGRiSP’scoordinatinginstitutes—AfricaRice,IRRI,andJIRCAS(othersareAfDB,AGRA,FAO,FARA,IFAD,JICA,NPCA,andtheWorldBank).GRiSPworkscloselywithCARDtosupportthedevelopmentandimplementationofnationalricedevelop-mentstrategiesintheCARDprioritycountries.JICAwillbeakeypartnerforthedevelopmentofthericesector,particularlyinAfrica(Theme6),withanemphasisonextensioncapacitybuildingandsmall-scalemechanization.GRiSPwillpro-videtechnicalsupporttoCARDprojectsorwillimplementthemonbehalfoforwithJICAandnationalpartners.

GRiSP’scoordinatingpartnersaremembersoftheabovefora,haveobserverstatus,orattendregularorspecialmeetings.

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Acronymsandabbreviations

ACIAR AustralianCentreforInternationalAgriculturalResearchADB AsianDevelopmentBankAfricaRice AfricaRiceCenterAfDB AfricanDevelopmentBankAGRA AllianceforaGreenRevolutioninAfricaAPAARI Asia-PacificAssociationofAgriculturalResearchInstitutionsASARECA AssociationforStrengtheningAgriculturalResearchinEasternandCentral

AfricaASEAN AssociationofSoutheastAsianNationsCAADP ComprehensiveAfricaAgricultureDevelopmentProgramCAAS ChineseAcademyofAgriculturalSciencesCARD CoalitionforAfricanRiceDevelopmentCIARD CoherenceinInformationforAgriculturalResearchandDevelopment

InitiativeCIAT InternationalCenterforTropicalAgricultureCGIAR CGIARisaglobalresearchpartnershipforafood-securefuture.CIMMYT InternationalMaizeandWheatImprovementCenterCirad Centredecoopérationinternationaleenrechercheagronomiquepourle

développement(FrenchAgriculturalResearchCentreforInternationalDevelopment)

CORAF ConseilOuestetCentreAfricainpourlaRechercheetleDéveloppementAgricoles(WestandCentralAfricanCouncilforAgriculturalResearchandDevelopment)

CORRA CouncilforPartnershiponRiceResearchinAsiaCSISA CerealSystemsInitiativeforSouthAsiaCSO civilsocietyorganizationCURE ConsortiumforUnfavorableRiceEnvironmentsEAFF EasternAfricaFarmersFederationECO EconomicCooperationOrganizationECOWAS EconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStatesEmbrapa EmpresaBrasileiradePesquisaAgropecuária(BrazilianAgricultural

ResearchCorporation)FAO FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNationsFARA ForumforAgriculturalResearchinAfricaFLAR FondoLatinoamericanoparaArrozdeRiego(LatinAmericanFundfor

IrrigatedRice)FORAGRO ForodelasAméricasparalaInvestigaciónyDesarrolloTecnológicoAgro-

pecuario(ForumoftheAmericasforAgriculturalResearchandTechnol-ogyDevelopment)

GCARD GlobalConferenceonAgriculturalResearchforDevelopmentGFAR GlobalForumonAgriculturalResearchGRiSP GlobalRiceSciencePartnershipGSR GreenSuperRice(CAAS-IRRI-AfricaRiceproject)


HIAAL ConsorcioHíbridosdeArrozparaAméricaLatina(HybridRiceConsortium forLatinAmerica)HRDC HybridRiceDevelopmentConsortiumICAR IndianCouncilforAgriculturalResearchICRA InternationalCenterforDevelopment-orientedResearchinAgricultureIFAD InternationalFundforAgriculturalDevelopmentIFPRI InternationalFoodPolicyResearchInstituteIITA InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgricultureILRI InternationalLivestockResearchInstituteINGER InternationalNetworkfortheGeneticEvaluationofRiceINQR InternationalNetworkforQualityRiceIRD InstitutdeRecherchepourleDéveloppement(FrenchResearchInstitute

forDevelopment)IRRC IrrigatedRiceResearchConsortiumIRRI InternationalRiceResearchInstituteIWMI InternationalWaterManagementInstituteJICA JapanInternationalCooperationAgencyJIRCAS JapanInternationalResearchCenterforAgriculturalSciencesLAC LatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanMAFF MinistryofAgriculture,FisheriesandForestry,JapanNARES nationalagriculturalresearchandextensionsystemNEC NationalExpertsCommittee(24AfricaRicemembercountries)NEPAD NewPartnershipforAfrica’sDevelopmentNGO nongovernmentorganizationPL productlineinGRiSPROPPA RéseaudesOrganisationsPaysannesetdesProducteursdel’Afriquede

l’Ouest(NetworkofFarmers’andAgriculturalProducers’OrganizationsofWestAfrica)

RRRTC-WCA RegionalRiceResearchandTrainingCenterforWestandCentralAsiaSTRASA Stress-TolerantRiceforAfricaandSouthAsiaTRRC TemperateRiceResearchConsortiumWorldFish WorldFishCenter

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GRiSP’s Mission

GRiSP’s mission is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve human health and nutri-tion, reduce the environmental footprint, and enhance the ecosystem resilience of rice production systems through high-quality international rice research, partnership, and leadership.

Objectives

1: To increase rice productivity and value for the poor in the context of a changing climate through accelerated demand-driven development of improved varieties and other technologies along the value chain.

2: To foster more sustainable rice-based production systems that use natural resources more efficiently, are adapted to climate change and are ecologically resilient, and have reduced environmental externalities.

3: To improve the efficiency and equity of the rice sector through better and more ac-cessible information, improved agricultural development and research policies, and strengthened delivery mechanisms.

Global research themes

1: Harnessing genetic diversity to chart new productivity, quality, and health horizons.

2: Accelerating the development, delivery, and adoption of improved rice varieties.

3: Ecologically and sustainably managing rice-based production systems.

4: Extracting more value from rice harvests through improved quality, processing, market systems, and new products.

5: Enhancing impact through technology evaluations, targeting, and policy options.

6: Supporting the growth of the global rice sector.

CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers of the CGIAR consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.

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Documents

The Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP), a research ...books.irri.org/9789712202964_content.pdf · Resource-conserving technologies for diversified farming systems PL 3.3. Management