Rice Today Vol. 6, No. 3

8/9/2019 Rice Today Vol. 6, No. 3

1/37

Rice and climate changeWhat will happen, and what's to be done?ISSN 1655-5422

www.irri.org

International Rice Research Institute July-September 2007, Vol. 6, No. 3

RATS!The damage they do

The delicious worldof quality rice

MApSpeciA

Raroundthwor


2/37

Published quarterly, Outlook on Agriculture addresses an internationaland interdisciplinary readership. Each issue includes refereed papers,opinion pieces and commentary on recent scientific, political andeconomic developments. Special attention is paid to:

food policy and strategic developments in food production; the role of agriculture in social and economic development; agriculture and human health; and environmental impacts and strategies.

Subscribing institutions include universities, government departments,international organizations, consultancies, and scientific and technicaldepartments in major industrial companies.

Submissions: The editor welcomes submissions to Outlook onAgriculture. Notes for authors are available on the IP Website(www.ippublishing.com). Articles should be double-spaced, printed on

one side of the paper and sent in triplicate, with a disk specifying thesoftware used. Papers are refereed before publication. Please sendsubmissions to: Dr David Lister, c/o IP Publishing Ltd, Coleridge House,45 Coleridge Gardens, London NW6 3QH, UK. Dr Lister may also becontacted directly at [email protected] or on tel/fax +44 193484 4163.

To subscribe or to request a free sample copy, contact: TurpinDistribution Ltd, Stratton Business Park, Pegasus Drive, Biggleswade,Bedfordshire SG18 8TQ, UK. Tel: +44 1767 604957. Fax: +44 1767601640. E-mail: [email protected].

Subscription prices for the 2007 volume (four issues):

USA $389.00; Euro Zone 380.00; Rest of World 252.00.

www.ippublishing.com


3/37

contentsVol. 6, No. 3

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

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

cover photoAriel Javellana

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

contributing editors Gene Hettel, Bill Hardy, Meg MondoedoAfrica editor Savitri Mohapatra (Africa Rice Center WARDA)environment editor Greg Fanslowphoto editorAriel Javellanaphoto researcher Jose Raymond Panaligancirculation Chrisanto Quintanaprinter Primex Printers, Inc.

Rice Todayis published by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the worldsleading international rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines and withofces in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprot institution focused onimproving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers,particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies. For more information, visitthe CGIAR Web site (www.cgiar.org).

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

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

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

Copyright International Rice Research Institute 2007

On e ove:Traditional rice varieties

rom Laos, like this

one, are usually highly

glutinous, resulting in their

characteristic stickiness. See

the story on pages 16-17.

EditOr ial ................................................................ 4Sacred ceremonies and political will

NEws ........................................................................ 5A new generation, a new revolution

Agreement to boost rice production in Indonesia

Rice Camp 2007

Gates Foundation looks at rice in China

Temperate Rice Research Consortium launched

Rice market at a glance

IRRI Filipino sta recognized

Scientic inrastructure vital or helping the poor

PEOPl E ..................................................................... 9Achievements

Keeping up with IRRI sta

cOPiNg with climatE chaNgE ........................ 10Climate change threatens to aect rice production

across the globe. What is known about the likelyimpacts, and what can be done about them?

ricE quality risiNg ........................................... 16The rst coming together o a new international

network o cereal scientists has laid the oundationor major advances in rice grain quality

NEw bOOks ........................................................... 18Charting new pathways to C4 rice

Rice: a practical guide to nutrient management(2nd edition)

Rice Genetics V

maPs ...................................................................... 19The where and how o rice

lEttiNg a huNdrEd flOwErs blOOm ........... 22As director or research at the International Rice

Research Institute, Ren Wang was instrumental instrengthening both international partnerships andresearch capacity

PushiN g thiNgs fOrward ............................... 26Agricultural economist Mahabub Hossain retires rom

international work to pursue his dream or his homecountry o Bangladesh

fOrgiNg a ricE PartNErshiP fOr africa .... 30When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion!so

goes a well-known Ethiopian saying. This couldbe an apt description or the new partnershipbeing orged among international research centersto address sub-Saharan Aricas enormous ricechallenge.

fErti lE PrOgr Ess ............................................... 32The past 20 years have seen an evolution in

researchers understanding o how to best applynitrogen ertilizer to rice. That knowledge is nowbeing passed on to armers.

PrEPariN g fOr thE rat racE ........................... 34A rare species o fowering bamboo puts rodents in a

eeding and breeding renzy that threatens aminein the Indian state o Mizoram

ricE facts ............................................................. 36O rice and rats

Rats and mice do untold damage to rice crops andstocks across the globe. Here, Rice Todaypresentsthe acts on the rodent scourge.

graiN Of truth ................................................... 38The aerobic rice reality


4/37


5/37

NEWS http://ricenews.irri.org

Rice TodayJuly-September 2007

A new generation, a new revolution

An exciting new program justlaunched in Asia is encouragingsome of the worlds brightest youngscientists to consider careers helpingdeveloping nations, instead of takingjobs focused on the developed world.

Many recent scientic advancessuch as the sequencing of the ricegenome in 2004have already begunto help poor farmers overcome suchage-old problems as drought, ooding,and high levels of salinity. Much of thisprogress was achieved in advancedresearch institutes in developed nationsby researchers far removed from theproblems poor farmers face in the eld.The 3-weekRc: rsarch to productoncourse, launched last month at theInternational Rice Research Institute

(IRRI) in the Philippines, is one of therst attempts to deal with this issue.Many young scientists working

in developed nations are increasinglyisolated from the very people in poorernations who could really benet fromtheir work, Susan McCouch, one ofthe leaders of the new course and aprofessor in the Department of PlantBreeding and Genetics at CornellUniversity, said. We want to changethis, and encourage good youngscientists, wherever they are, to think of

themselves as a newg e n e r a t i o n o f revolutionariestaking the latestscientic knowledgea nd u s i ng i t t oimprove the lives ofthe worlds poor.

In the 1960s,young scientists fromall over the worldtraveled to Asiato help launch theGreen Revolution via the developmentof new agricultural technologies forAsian rice production. Since then, fewerand fewer young people have chosencareers in agricultural research in thedeveloping world, sparking concerns of

slowing progress and stagnation.Sponsored by the National ScienceFoundation in the United States, theUnited Kingdoms Gatsby Foundation,and IRRI, the new course attracted 26participants from 12 nations, with halfcoming from the U.S. and EuropeanUnion and half coming from rice-growing countries in Asia and Africa.The program also seeks to reverse theone-way trafc of recent decades thathas seen thousands of young scientistsfrom the developing world taking jobs

in the developed world.Participants learned the basics of

rice production, were shown the latestin rice research, and given hands-on experience in such areas as ricebreeding and fertilizer management.

Megan ORourke, a 27-year-oldmother of three doing her Ph.D. inecology and evolutionary biology atCornell University in the U.S., saidit was the rst time she had workedin a developing nation and seen theeconomic conditions rst-hand. It hasreminded me that I began studyingagriculture because of its essentiaplace in supporting lives and societies,she said.

IRRI plans to run the same coursenext year.

Indonesian efforts to avoid foodshortages by increasing r iceproduction have been boosted by thesigning of a new agreement to help thenations millions of poor rice farmerswith new technologies.

Senior ofcials and scientists ofthe Indonesian Agency for AgriculturalResearch and Development, and otheragencies of the Indonesian Ministry

of Agriculture, signed the 3-yearagreement with IRRI on 23 March2007 in Jakarta.

Indonesia, the worlds fth mostpopulous nation, has been strugglingfor several years to increase its riceproduction. Shortages could triggerprice rises and cause severe hardshipfor the nations poor.

The Indonesian government wantsto see an additional 2 million tons of

Agreement to boost rice production in Indonesia

rice produced in 2007, followed by 5%growth in national rice production eachyear after that.

With world rice productiongrowing at less than 2% annually, itsincreasingly difcult for countries toboost production beyond 23%, IRRIsDeputy Director General for ResearchRen Wang explained.

But with global rice prices at a

10-year high after doubling in the past2 years and world rice reserves at a30-year low, there is pressure on rice-importing countries such as Indonesiato achieve self-sufficiency. The newagreement between Indonesia and IRRIfocuses on three key areas: supportfor the Indonesian governmentsRice Production Increase Program,collaborative research, and humanresource development.

Support efforts will include thedevelopment of improved varietieswith high yield potential, grain qualityand resistance to pests; a nationastrategy and framework for hybridrice; and improved rice varieties thatcan tolerate submergence, droughtand low-temperature damage in high-elevation areas.

Collaborative research will include

the strengthening of research capacityfor the development and safe use oftransgenic rice in Indonesia, improvinggrain quality and the nutritionavalue of rice, and special emphasis ondrought, disease resistance, and poorsoils.

Capacity building will focus onpostgraduate degree training, on-the-job training, scientist exchange, shorcourses, and in-country training.


6/37



4th International Meeting on Rice

The Rice Research Institute (IIArroz)and the Agro-industrial Group ofCattle and Rice, under the auspicesof the Agriculture Ministry of Cuba,have announced the 4th InternationalMeeting on Rice, to be held on 2-6June 2008 at the Havana InternationalConference Center. The meeting will run concurrently with the 1stInternational Workshop of Millers anda rice expo. The meetings objectivesinclude discussions on the transfer ofsustainable technologies and updates

and evaluations of rice knowledge,especially relating to rice production inLatin America and the Caribbean. Keythemes will include plant breeding andphytogenetic resources, technologiesfor managing rice cultivation, cropprotection, physiology and nutrition ofthe rice plant, and harvest and industrialgrain processing. Look for more detailsin future issues of Rice Today.

Pakistan price riseDespite rapidly rising rice prices, the

Pakistani government has no plansto impose a ban on rice exports.Sikandar Bosan, federal minister forfood, agriculture, and livestock, toldthe Pakistani Daily Times in May 2007that a combination of rice shortagesin other South Asian countries and arise in Pakistani production has ledto a boost in exports, which rose from267,000 tons in March to 284,000tons in April. The higher prices are

prompting Pakistani traders to export

rice that would otherwise have beensold on the local market, leading toincreased domestic prices. According toRice Exporters Association of PakistanChairman Aziz Mania, rice smugglingis also affecting local prices.

Indian plan to boost grainsIn May 2007, Indian Prime MinisterManmohan Singh announced anew scheme to increase food grainproduction. This 25 billion rupee(US$614 million) investment aims to

increase food grain production by 20million tons by the end of 2009, andthereby avoid spiraling imports. Riceproduction will be boosted in two keyareasthrough an additional 5 millionhectares of land to be brought underirrigation, and by increasing the areaplanted to high-yielding hybrid rice varieties to 10 million hectares, fromthe current 1 million, by 2012.

Ag ministers Mekong meeting Agriculture ministers of the Greater

Mekong Subregion (GMS) met on 9-11April 2007 in Beijing to review progressin the regions cooperation in agriculture,endorse the Strategic Framework forSubregional Cooperation in Agricultureand Core Agriculture Support Program(CASP), and discuss the implications forthe GMS of new trends in agriculture.IRRI coordinator for the GMS GaryJahn, representing the ConsultativeGroup on International Agricultural

Research (CGIAR), noted that CGIAR

centers are able to contribute to the vekey components of CASPfacilitatingcross-border agricultural trade andinvestment, promoting public-privatepartnerships for sharing agriculturalinformation, enhancing capacity inagricultural science and technology,establishing emergency responsemechanisms for agricultural and naturalresource crises, and strengtheninginstitutional linkages and mechanismsfor cooperation.

New rice DNA mapResearchers at the University ofDelaware and Ohio State University,USA, have used new technology toconstruct a comprehensive expressionatlas of the rice genome. As well asidentifying individual genes, the newmap indicates regions of nongene DNAthat are expressedthat is, transcribedinto RNAand may therefore play aregulatory role in the cell (genes aretranscribed into RNA, which is thentranslated by the cell into proteins;

some RNA is not translated but insteadplays a role in the regulation of cellularprocesses). The study, discussed byAntoni Rafalski in the April 2007 issueofNatur Botchnology (Taggngth rc transcrptom), increasesresearchers knowledge about thefunctionally active regions of DNAbetween genes and will thus help cropbiotechnologists develop improved ricevarieties.

Rice Camp 2007

Twenty high school students rom Thailand and the Philippines attendedIRRIs second annual Rice Camp on 23-28 April 2007. The camp is a untraining course that teaches participants about the basics o agricultureand rice research. First held in April 2006 (seeA rice uture or Asia in RiceTodayVol. 5, No. 3), Rice Camp exposes participants to current trends in ricescience and rice arming, oers hands-on experience in eld and laboratory

work, creates awareness o the importance o rice research, and promotesrice science as a uture career. It is also a chance or the students to sharecultural dierences and similarities. Participants drove a tractor, planted rice,collected and identied insects, tasted dierent varieties o rice, and more.Rice Camp 2007 was supported by IRRI, the Thai Rice Foundation under RoyalPatronage, and the Philippine Rice Research Institute.

Ariel JAvellAnA


7/37


Adelegation from the Bill andM e l i nd a G a t e s F o u nd a t i o nled by Bill Gates, cofounder of theFoundation and chairman of MicrosoftCorp., and Raj Shah, director of the Agricultural Development Programof the Foundation, visited the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS)-IRRI Joint Lab on RiceMolecular Breeding and Geneticsheaded by IRRI molecular geneticistZhi-Kang Li on 18 April 2007.

The delegation met with Dr. Liand his team at CAAS, where Dr. Ligave presentations onRc brdng nChnacurrnt status and prospcts,the concept of Super Green Rice,and progress in the China National

Gates Foundation looks at rice in China

Molecular BreedingN e t w o r k , a n e w breeding strategyto combine gened i s c o v e r y w i t h variety developmentinitiated at IRRI in1998 and coordinatedby Dr. Li.

Mr. Gates showedgreat interest anddiscussed severaltopics , inc ludingmolecular markers,t h e r i c e g e no m esequence, gene expression, and ricebreeding, with Dr. Li. The group also visited the National Key Facility for

Crop Gene Resources and GeneticImprovement and the China NationaCrop Genebank.

Dear Rice Today,

I write with hat in hand in admirationo the Aussies. Skimming through theAprilJune issue o Rice Today, I ndon page 7 (Australian rice doldrums)the extraordinary report o the nationalrice production or last year o 1,048million tons (roughly twice the outputo the remainder o the world). Whileit has declined some 80% or this year,126 million is nothing to sneeze at. Iremain humbled by this achievement

and depressed to consider that I laboreddecades in the Americas to raise productionby a ew measly million tons.

Peter Jennings

Latin american FundFor irrigated rice

Rice Today apologizes or the error, whichwas in no way caused by parochialismon the part o the Australian editor. Thecorrect fgures are 1.05 million tons in2006-07, with 0.126 million tons predicted

or 2007-08.

The Temperate Rice ResearchConsortium (TRRC) was launchedduring an international planning workshop on temperate rice on 2-4 May 2007 in Suwon, Republic ofKorea. More than 90 scientists from12 temperate rice-growing countriesin Asia, Europe, and North Americaattended the workshop, which wascoordinated by IRRI with financialsupport from the National Instituteof Crop Science, Rural DevelopmentAdministration (RDA), Korea.

The TRRC aims to strengthennational agricultural research andextension system (NARES) partnershipsfor technology development, validation,and dissemination for improvementof rice production and productivity

Temperate Rice Research Consortium launchedi n t e m p e r a t e e n v i r o n m e n t s ;strengthen capacity building amongTRRC partners; develop and shareimproved germplasm and technologiesfor problem solving and sustainabletemperate rice production; and improvegrain quality, nutritional value, andpostharvest technology.

In a welcome address, RDAAdministrator Kim In-Sik emphasizedthe importance of temperate rice inworld food production and the needfor improvements in production, stressresistance, grain quality, and nutritionalvalue to feed a rising population. IRRIDeputy Director General for ResearchRen Wang spoke on the need to reducethe big gap in the yield potential oftemperate rice between developed and

Reader's Letter

developing countries.Participants focused on major

issues of temperate rice and identiedresearch priorities and strategiesfor four major working groups: yieldpotential and grain quality, bioticstress (blast), abiotic stress (cold), andresource-use efficiency (water andnutrients).

AdAmb

ArClAy

Zhi-kang li (left) sowsB gtes (center) dPro. Sm W, deptdrector eer, isttteo Crop Sceces Reserc,CaaS, rod te CaaS-iRRi Jot lb.


8/37



Th e F o o d a n d A g r i c u l t u r eOrganization of the United Nations(FAO) reported in the March 2007 issueof the FAO Rc Markt Montor thatestimates of world paddy (unmilledrice) production in 2006 have beendowngraded to 629 million tons, a cutof 2 million tons. This gure is 4 milliontons lower than the record high of 2005.The decrease is thought to be largelydue to smaller crops in Asia, whichwere damaged by insects and irregularmonsoon rains. Production also fell inLatin America and the Caribbean, but

Rice market at a glance

Te wers te 200 awrds Prorm or iRRi Fpo st wererecozed dr te istttes Bord o Trstees meet o 1apr 200. Pt psoost Eve Scedo-E (pctred, left),Crop d Evromet Sceces Dvso (CESD), wo te awrd orOtstd Scetc acevemet, d CESD reserc tecc Ed-r amooz (pctred, right, recev s wrd rom Bord Crkejro Ots d Drector geer Robert Zeer) wo te awrdor Otstd Reserc Spport. Te awrd or Otstd adm-strtve Spport ws sred b st members o te Pt Breed,geetcs, d Botecoo Dvso or ter wor orz teFt iterto Rce geetcs Smposm (M, 19-23 novem-ber 200) d te iRRi-id Oce st or ter wor ep toorze d r te 2d iterto Rce Coress (new De, 9-13October 200). Ms. Scedo-E ws cose or er wor o food to-erce rce d Mr. amooz ws recozed or s reserc projecto cres atc Servces lbortor smpe tropt dep mprove te bs opertos.

IRRI Filipino staff recognized

World-class scientic facilities playan increasingly important role inhelping poor nations overcome poverty,food insecurity, and new challengessuch as the impact of climate change.

The need for such infrastructurewas highlighted at the annual meetingof the IRRI Board of Trustees (BOT)in the Philippines on 16-18 April 2007.IRRI has spent several million dollars

over the past 5 years upgrading its mainlaboratories to keep them up to worldscientic standards.

While advanced scientic researchinstitutes in developed nations have a vital role to play in helping to solvesome of the developing worlds mostintractable problems, its essential thatwe also build, and continue to upgrade,scientific infrastructure in poorernations, BOT Chairman Keijiro Otsuka

Scientic infrastructure vital for helping the poor

said. And, its vital that institutessuch as IRRI have the resources tocontinually upgrade and renovate theirown labs and facilities; otherwise, theywill quickly become irrelevant.

As a result of the upgrading, theInstitute has re-opened three labs atits Philippine headquarters:

A mcroarray laboratory: firstset up in 2001, this lab became fully

operational in 2002 after an investmentof US$895,000 on new equipment andgenotyping instrumentation. It servesas a centralized facility supportingresearch and training to conduct geneexpression analysis, genotyping, genetagging and mapping, and marker-assisted breeding. It also providesaccess to the latest genomic tools toresearchers from developing nations.

A gran qualty and nutrton

laboratory: opened in December 2004after an investment of $1.2 million, thelab works with IRRI rice breeders andcereal chemists around the world toensure that new rice varieties reach thehighest possible standards in terms ofquality and nutrition.

A botchnology laboratory:opened in June 2006 after aninvestment of $1.7 million, this lab isa state-of-the-art, high-throughputtransgenic research platform to enable

developing countries to obtain newtechnologies and training. It alsoprovides a unique capacity to developpublic biotechnology products designedto benet those nations without accessto such facilities.

It will be a tragedy if the poor missout on the benets provided by our newscientific knowledge simply becausethey dont have the facilities to use itand learn from it, Dr. Otsuka said.

rose in Africa for the fth consecutiveyear. As expected, estimates of worldrice stockpiles at the end of the 2007season have been downgraded 2 milliontons to 103 million tons, due to thelower 2006 outlook.

Initial global forecasts for 2007predict a rise in production back to2005 levels. This assumes a return toaverage growing conditions, positiveprice expectations, and rejuvenatedinstitutional support.

FAOs forecast of world trade in 2007was raised to 29.8 million tons, nearly

1 million tons more than previouslyanticipated, and almost matchingthe 2005 trade record. The expectedincrease in trade largely reects greatersupply needs by importing countriesfacing production shortfalls.

As anticipated, rice export priceshave continued to climb. According tothe June 2007FAO Rc Prc Updat,the All Rice Price Index (set at 100 for1998-2000 prices) reached 121 in May2007, up from 115 in December 2006.Experts predict this trend is expectedto continue for at least this year.

JoSe rAymond PAnAligAn (2)


9/37

PEOPLE

9Rice TodayJuly-September 2007

IRRI Director for ManagementServices Kwame Akuffo-Akoto(pictured, abov) bid farewell to theInstitute after more than 5 years ofinnovative and productive service. He

provided IRRI with excellent nancialeadership, developing and promotingbest practices in duciary managementand nancial reporting. Mr. Akuffo- Akoto was instrumental in aligningthe nancial practices of IRRI and itspartner institutes supported by theConsultative Group on Internationa Agricultural Research with globastandards, and in formulating a singlenancial policy for the entire group.

Hung-Goo Hwang , seniorscientist seconded from Koreas Rura

Development Administration (RDA)leaves after 3 years of outstanding work in japonica rice breedinand strengthening of IRRI-RDAcollaboration through leadership inthe genetic improvement of japonicarice. Dr. Hwang is replaced in the PlantBreeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology(PBGB) Division byKyu-Seong LeeKumi Yasunobu, seconded from theJapan International Research Center forAgricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), left theSocial Sciences Division (SSD) in March

2007. She was replaced by JIRCASscientist Shigeki Yokoyama.ZahirulIslam, international research fellow inSSD, left in June 2007. Xuemei Ji hascompleted his contract as a postdoctorafellow in PBGB.

Also departing were Ren Wangand SSD Head Mahabub Hossain(see more about them in this issue ofRc Today). Randolph Barker wilserve as acting head of SSD.

The president of India, A.P.J. Kalam, who visited IRRI in February 2006,has nominated former IRRI DirectorGeneral and World Food Prize laureateM.S. Swaminathan (1982-88) for theupper house of the Indian parliament. Inan opinion column in IndiasHndustanTms, JSS Rural DevelopmentFoundation adviser M. Mahadevappaalso touted Prof. Swaminathan asIndias next president.

IRRI crop physiologist ShaobingPeng has been invited to be one ofve Changjiang (Yangtze River) ChairProfessors of Huazhong AgriculturalUniversity.

TiMe magazine (14 May 2007)has voted former Africa Rice Center(WARDA) breeder Monty Jones, from

Sierra Leone, as one of the worlds 100most influential people. In a profile written by Jeffrey Sachs, director ofColumbia Universitys Earth Institute,Dr. Jones was cited for leading thedevelopment of New Rice for Africa(NERICA), high-yielding varietiessuited to African conditions, which havedramatically helped improve Africanrice productivity, an achievement thatalso earned him the 2004 World FoodPrize. Read more about Dr. Jones inTh rc man of Afrca on pages 28-29

ofRc Today, Vol. 6, No. 2.IRRI Deputy Director General for

Research RenWang was recognizedon 19 May for his contributions to

Vietnamese agriculture and ruraldevelopment. At a ceremony in Hanoi,Bui Ba Bong, vice-minister of VietnamsMinistry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, honored Dr. Wang forhis leadership and commitment inensuring that IRRI helps poor ricefarmers and consumers improve theirlives in Vietnam, and for his unqualiedsupport for a more effective Vietnameseagricultural research and extensionsystem.

Guy Trbuil and FranoisBousquet, along with co-authorTayan Raj Gurung , have beenawarded the 2006 Ralph YorqueMemorial Prize by the editorial boardof the ecology and Socty Journalfor their article Companon modlng,

conflct rsoluton, and nsttutonbuldng: sharng rrgaton watr nth Lngmutychu Watrshd, Bhutan.The 500-euro prize was awarded for themost novel paper [ecology and Socty11(2):36] integrating different streamsof science to assess fundamentalquestions of the ecological, political,and social foundations for sustainablesocial-ecological systems. The field work for the study was carried outwhen Drs. Trbuil and Bousquet wereassigned to the IRRI-Thailand Ofce

in 2001-04.Former IRRI agricultural econo-

mist Prabhu Pingali was among 72new members and 18 foreign associates

inducted into the U.S.National Academy ofSciences in May 2007.Dr. Pingali, currentlydirector, Divisiono f A g r i c u l t u r a land DevelopmentEconomics, Fooda n d A g r i c u l t u r e

Organization of theUnited Nations, waselected in recognitionof his distinguisheda n d c o n t i n u i n ga c h i e v e m e nt s i noriginal research, w h i c h i n c l u d e s

work on technological change andagricultural development policy.

Achievements Keeping up with IRRI staff

REn Wang (center) receves pqe rom B BBo (left), vce-mster o Vetms Mstr oarctre d Rr Deveopmet, s iRRi sce-tst gr J oos o.

mArd


10/37

Rice TodayJuly-September 2007 Rice TodayJuly-September 2007

A

s if rice farming werenthard enough. It ispatently clear now thathumans have goneand made it a whole

lot harder. And, in auel irony, while the rich, developeduntries are the ones that haveoduced most of the greenhouse

ses that are causing climate change,will be the poorer countries in theopicsmany of them reliant once to keep their populations fromungerthat will be worst affected.

As Earth warms up, one ofe biggest concerns is the effect agricultureyet there has

been relatively little researchinvestigating the fundamentalquestion of how humanity willfeed itself in a changed climate.How will higher temperatures and

the attendant increased incidenceof extreme weather such asdroughts, storms, and oods affectagricultural production? What are

the implications for feeding theworlds burgeoning population,especially the billions of poor whorely on small-scale and subsistencefarming? And, of course, what

can we do to lessen the impact?To start answering these

questions,Rice Today spoke to

Reiner Wassmann, InternationalRice Research Institute (IRRI)senior climate scientist andcoordinator of the IRRI-led Riceand Climate Change Consortium.

Dr. Wassmann is seconded toIRRI from the Research CenterKarlsruhe (IMK-IFU) in Germany.

What is IRRIs past record on

climate change research and

what are the current activities?

IRRI has a long history of studyingthe effect of climate on rice. The rst

experiment on temperature effects onrice was conducted in 1961, one yearafter IRRIs inception. Remarkably, the

rst work on high carbon dioxide (CO2)concentrations affecting rice plants

was performed in 1971, long beforethe issue of climate change becameknown to a broader audience. Likewise,

the rst workshop dealing withclimate and rice dates back to 1974.

In 1991, IRRI started researchexplicitly examining climate change

impacts, namely, a project fundedby the United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency (U.S.-EPA), titled

Effects of UV-B and Global ClimateChange on Rice, which used open-top

chambers to study increased CO2 andtemperatures and included a modelingcomponent. More recently, IRRI

has dealt with temperature effectson rice yields in several researchactivities, including modeling workand analysis of high night-timetemperature effects, led by IRRI

crop physiologist Shaobing Peng.In 2007, IRRI established the

Rice and Climate Change Consortiumto assess direct and indirect

consequences for rice production, todevelop strategies and technologiesto adapt rice to changing climate,and to explore crop managementpractices that reduce greenhouse gas

emissions under intensive production.In the initial phase, our focus

is on improved resilience of the rice

crop to heat stress. To attaingoal, we are pooling some of research thrustsplant breeplant physiology, for example

we will add new tools for scr

and impact assessment. Morare now establishing monitorto test the effects of emergingmanagement trends (diversi

from rice-rice to rice-maize sfor example) that will alter cr

budgets of carbon and nitrogand thus signicantly attempreduce greenhouse gas emiss

Data gathered from these sitewill be used to develop predimodels and guide future rese

Climate change threatens to afect rice production

across the globe. What is known about the likely

impact, and what can be done about it?Flooded ric

th n at th r ra

th Phpgnfant amgnhu

Coping with

Climate Change


11/37

12 Rice TodayJuly-September 2007

Do higher temperatures and

cO2 levels afet rie yields?

Overall, much uncertainty stillexists about the true direction of theimpact of CO2 and temperature onrice yields. In the open-top chamberexperiment at IRRI in the early1990s, rice was grown at ambient and

elevated (doubled) concentrations ofatmospheric CO2. Plants were alsogrown at ambient and elevated (plus4 C) air temperature to study theinteractive effects of elevated CO2 andtemperature on growth and yield.

Over the 2 years of the study, theelevated CO2 + ambient temperaturetreatment increased total biomassby 40% and yields by 27% overthose achieved under ambientCO2 and temperature. Under thehigh air temperature treatment,

however, this stimulation decreased.Compared with ambient conditions,the combination of increased CO2and increased temperature resultedin a small increase in biomassand yield in the dry season and asmall decrease in the wet season.

The results of these studies arein line with so-called Free-Air CO2Enrichment (FACE) experimentsexamining the effect of increasedCO2 on rice. FACE experimentsallow researchers to increase CO

2

concentrations in the eldasopposed to in greenhouses orchambersand so offer a morerealistic assessment of the effecton plants. On the other hand,

there is no FACE system in tropicalcountries, so all our knowledgecomes from a limited numberof small-chamber studies.

IRRI crop modeler John Sheehydetermined that, as a general rule,for every 75 ppm increase in CO2concentration, rice yields willincrease by 0.5 ton per hectare,but yield will decrease by 0.6 tonper hectare for every 1 C increasein temperature. However, nobodyhas studied the interactionsbetween CO2 and temperatureunder controlled, realistic eld

conditions. The technology todo this is now available, and, iffunding can be found, IRRI hopesto develop an experimental systemin which both CO2 and temperaturecan be controlled in rice elds.

Will limate hange result in

higher or lower rie prodution?

One component of the U.S.-EPAproject dealt with modeling climatechange impacts on rice production.In a comparative approach, climatedata from three general circulationmodels (GCMs; a class of computermodels used for understanding theglobal climate and projecting climatechange) were coupled with crop yieldmodels. The bottom line of this studywas that the global yield forecastlargely depended on the GCM used;one GCM resulted in a predicted

net increase in rice yields (plus47%) while two GCMs predictednet decreases (minus 413%).Moreover, the range of differentclimate change scenarios effectivelydees a straightforward, single-gure prediction of future yields.

Uncertainty about global impactis caused by both GCMs and the cropsimulation models used for suchglobal predictions. In particular,we lack a good understanding of

aS POPulaTiOnS gROW, rctre ces cres compettorom te rb d dstr sectors or wter d d. Cmtece, wc s expected to ter te tm d octo or, s e to compod ts probem.

OPEn-TOP cmbers weresed iRRi std teer 1990s to vesttete eect o cresed CO2d tempertre o rce.


12/37


the complex interactions of CO2and temperature effects at theprocess level of plant physiology anddevelopment. Likewise, the combinedeffect of temperature and humidity isnot taken into account in the availablecrop models. All in all, there is muchscope and much need to improvethese models and also incorporatemechanisms that will allow us tomore reliably explore ways to adapt toclimate change, through, for example,genetic improvement of specictraits or shifting crop management.

How will limate hange

afet rie grain quality?

The quality and characteristics ofthe rice grain itself are likely tobecome one of the key parameters fordetermining the impact of climatechange. The trends for grain quality

take directions similar to those for thequantity of rice produced. In a studyconducted by Ph.D. student RachelleWard, under the supervision of IRRIcereal chemist Melissa Fitzgerald,elevated CO2 decreased chalk content.As high chalk content is generallyan undesirable trait, this meantthat grain quality was improvedby increasing the proportion ofmarketable grains. Despite this, themost damaging effects of climate

change on rice quality will occur fromhigher temperatures, which will affectseveral quality traits, including chalk,amylose content, and gelatinizationtemperature. The positive effects ofelevated CO2 do not compensate forthe overall decrease in rice qualityfrom the effects of global warming.

How will we ensure enough rie

prodution in the uture?

There is a lot of genetic variationacross varieties of both cultivatedrice (Oryza satva) and its wildrelatives. We are therefore optimisticthat IRRI will be able to developnew varieties that can cope withhigher temperatures. Scientists arealso condent that the resilienceof rice production systems toclimate extremes, such as oods

and droughts, can be improvedwithin certain boundaries.

While IRRI sees plant breedingat the heart of improvements inrice production, the efciencyof adaptive measures can beincreased signicantly byother efforts, including

Molecular marker techniques tospeed up the breeding process;

Geographic analysis ofvulnerable regions (where therice crop is already experiencingcritical temperature levels);

Regional climate modelingto identify future tiltingpoints of rice production(temperatures or CO2 levels above

which major yield losses areexperienced, for example); and

Site-specic adjustment in cropmanagement (shifting plantingdates and improved watermanagement, for example).At the same time, the envisaged

adaptation of rice productionto climate change will requiresubstantial funds to support vigorousand concerted efforts by national and

international research institutions.Climate change has recently receivedenormous attention in the mediaand in policy statements, such as theStrn Rvw on th conomcs ofclmat changwhich included asection on rice contributed by IRRIand theintrgovrnmntal Panlon Clmat Chang 4th AssssmntRport. All of these have identiedadaptation of the agriculturalsector as the key to limitingdamage. Despite this unanimousassessment of the importance ofresearch on adapting agricultureto climate change, adequatefunding has yet to materialize.

CliMaTE SCiEnTiST Reer Wssms reserc te mpct o cmtece o rce, s we s te mpcto rce o cmte ce.

aS ThE WORlD wrms p, se eves wrse, cs mjor probems ow-rce-row res.

continued on page 15

Ariel JAvellAnA (3)

irri


13/37

although rice production will be aectedby climate change, rice arming also hasthe capacity to ampliy the problem.

Because much rice is grown in fooded eldsunder anaerobic (oxygen-depleted) conditions,it is likely to contribute to global warming morethan any other crop. The chemistry o foodedrice soils means that they release signicantamounts o methane (CH4)a greenhouse gasabout 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide(CO2), and which accounts or a th o the globalatmospheres warming potential.

Methane is the nal product o the microbialbreakdown o organic matter. In rice soils, thesource o organic material can be residues othe preceding rice crop, root secretions romthe growing crop, or manure applied as ertilizer.The signicance o rice production as a cause orising CH4 levels in the atmosphere over the lastcentury was recently re-emphasized in a report bytheIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,which was released in May 2007.

However, some ways o managing riceproduction help reduce CH4 emissions. YasukazuHosen, a soil scientist seconded to theInternational Rice Research Institute romthe Japan International Research Center orAgricultural Sciences, is leading a project todevelop crop management strategies thatincrease the eciency o water use and thereorereduce the amount o water required, withoutsacricing yield. In principle, such a strategycan signicantly cut CH4 emissions.

Dr. Hosen and his team are assessing theenvironmental impact o existing water-savingtechnologies such as alternate wetting anddrying irrigation and aerobic rice (a productionsystem in which specially developed, high-yielding varieties are grown in well-drained,

Goodbye gas

nonpuddled, and nonsaturated soils). The teamsnext step is to analyze the eect on greenhousegas emissions o the timing o various aspectso crop management, such as nitrogen ertilizeapplication, irrigation, and incorporation o cropresidue into the soil during the allow period. Bygrowing the rice in specially designed chamber(see photos, above), the team can capture andmeasure gases emitted by the rice plant and itseld soil.

Although alternate wetting and drying has thepotential to reduce methane emissions rom riceelds, it is likely to result in increased nitrousoxide (N2O) emissions. N2O, also a greenhousegas, is more than 300 times as potent as CO2The trick is to ind a way to minimize theenvironmentally negative eects and maximizethe positive results.

Dr. Hosen and his team developed severaother hypotheses, including1. N2O emissions can be mitigated using

an appropriate combination o nitrogenapplication and irrigation timing.

2. When crop residue is incorporated into thesoil early in the allow period, it decomposesaster than when it is simply scattered onthe soil surace. This causes higher CO

emissions during the allow period, but loweCH4 emissions during the ollowing croppingperiod. Thus, the global-warming impact orice arming can be reduced with earlier cropresidue incorporation.Dr. Hosen cautions that it is premature to

make any solid conclusions, but early resultsare promising, with preliminary data indicatingmuch lower CH4 emissions but signicant N2Oemissions under alternate wetting and dryingAt the time Rice Todaywent to press, the eldexperiment was continuing, and a pot experimen(see photos, let) had been established to setguidelines or also reducing N2O emissions.


yuiChiFurukAwA(2)

yASukAzuhoSen(2)


14/37


Whats really going to happen?

The impact of climate change onrice yields will depend on the actualpatterns of change in rice-growingregions. Both higher maximum andhigher minimum temperatures candecrease rice yields due to spikeletsterility and higher respirationlosses, respectively (respiration isthe process by which cells or tissuesobtain oxygen and so generate energyfor their growth and maintenance).However, these productionlosses may be averted or at leastmitigated through the concertedefforts of agricultural researchand policies aiming to improverice varieties and accompanyingmanagement strategies.

At the same time, rice productionmay be threatened in some especially

vulnerable regions, such as thoseaffected by a rise in sea-levels.Some of Asias most importantrice growing areas are located inlow lying deltas, which play a vitalrole in regional food security andsupplying export markets. It isunclear to what extent the impact ofhigher sea levels can be compensatedfor by improved water control andwhat the costs and socioeconomicconsequences of these changes are.

However, what is clear is thatthe risks stemming from a sea-levelrisewhich is projected in the range

of 1085 centimeters over the nextcentury depending on the climatescenario usedare enormous forsome countries. IRRI geographerRobert Hijmans has constructeda map of Vietnam displaying therice area that is below 1 meter andbetween 1 and 5 meters above sealevel, respectively (see map, lft).With Vietnam so dependent onrice grown in and around low-lyingriver deltas, the implications of asea-level rise are ominous indeed.The Rice and Climate ChangeConsortium is currently cooperatingwith the Southern Institute forWater Resources Planning in Ho ChiMinh City, Vietnam, on an impactassessment of different sea-levelrise scenarios on hydrologicalconditions in the Mekong Delta,

the rice granary of Vietnam.Moreover, climate extremes

such as more frequent or moreintense droughts, cyclones, and heatwaves pose incalculable threatsto agricultural production. Giventhe signicance of rice as a staplecrop, IRRI will strive to incorporatea range of defensive traits intomodern rice varieties and to improvecrop management to develop moreresilient rice production systems.

ViETnaMS RiCE dstr depeds ev o ow- rm res te Meo d Red Rver dets.Retve sm creses se eve cod vedsstros coseqeces.

represents 10,000

hectares plantedwith rice

Each dot

Vietnam

an aERial ViEW o iRRi'sope-top cmber expermet

te er 1990s.

irr

Red RiverDelta

MekongDelta

Below 1 m

15 m

Elevation


15/37


Barbecue by pool todiscuss the future ofamylose is not yourtypical dinner invitation.

For most people, the rst part of the

request is probably very enticing,but the last part has the potentialto provoke responses of Ersorry,Im busy that night. But, if youreone of 75 cereal chemists andgrain-quality experts who receivedjust that invitation in April 2007,it promises a great night out.

The proportion of amylose (astarch) in the rice grain contributesto all traits of cooking and sensoryquality. Its future is therefore a

matter of great concern to theresearchers from more than 20countries who met on 17-19 April2007 during a workshop entitledClarng old hurdls wth nw

scnc: mprovng rc gran qualtyat the International Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI) headquartersin Los Baos, Philippines.

The workshop was part of amajor international initiative by theInternational Network for QualityRicewhich rst came togetherelectronically in 2006to try toboost the income of the worldsmillions of poor rice farmers and atthe same time provide consumers

with more nutritious, better tastingfood. The gathering was also thenetworks rst face-to-face meeting.

New scientic knowledge isallowing rice researchers to develop

better quality rice varieties thatcould fetch a higher price fromconsumers, especially increasinglyafuent rice consumers in Asia.

The main aim of the newInternational Network for QualityRice is to help rice breeders aroundthe world develop varieties withimproved quality traits such asbetter taste, aroma, and cookingcharacteristics as well as higherlevels of nutrition. Once provided

byDuncan Macintosh

The first coming together of a new

international network of cerealscientists has laid the foundation for

major advances in rice grain quality

Rie quality risingAriel JAvellAnA (2)

STiCky RiCE, prws, d wter cesttdmpsoe o te ormet rce

dses prepred or prtcpts t ter qt worsop.


16/37


Makes about eight servings

Patties1 cups cooked short-grain rice250 g minced chicken150 g small cooked prawns, shelled5 green onions, chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed2 teaspoons grated resh ginger1 small resh red chili, chopped1 tablespoon sh sauce2 tablespoons chopped resh coriander(cilantro) leavesCanola oil or shallow rying

yogurt Dipping Sauce1 cup plain (unsweetened) yoghurt1 tablespoons mild sweet chili sauce1 green onion, nely chopped1 tablespoon chopped resh coriander(cilantro) leaves

Process rice, chicken, prawns, green onions,garlic, ginger, chili, sauce, and corianderuntil just combined. Divide mixture intoeight portions, shape into patties, place ontray, and rerigerate or 2 hours.

Ater rerigeration, shallow-ry patties inhot oil until browned and cooked through;drain on absorbent paper. For dippingsauce, combine all ingredients in a bowland mix well.

to farmers, the new varieties areexpected to command a higherprice among consumers, especiallymany in Asia, who, as they becomewealthier, are seekingandpaying forbetter quality food.

Much of this research wouldnot have been possible 10 years ago

because we simply did not have theknowledge or the understandingof quality that we do now, RobertZeigler, IRRIs director general,said. It really is a very exciting timeto be involved in such research,especially because we can take thenew scientic knowledge generatedby activities such as the recentsequencing of the rice genome,and use it to improve the lives ofthe poor by providing either betterquality food or increased income.

Its very clear from the greatresponse we got to the workshopthat rice quality is becoming a veryhot topic in rice research almosteverywhere, the convener and headof IRRIs Grain Quality, Nutrition,and Postharvest Center, MelissaFitzgerald, said. Many of theissues we discussed may not haveeven been considered a few yearsago, but, with the recent advancesin molecular biology and excitingnew areas such as metabolomics,we can do things now that wecould only dream about before.

Metabolomics is the whole-genome assessment of metabolites(the molecules involved inmetabolism, which is the set ofchemical reactions that occur in

living cells), including the study of thechemical ngerprints that metabolicprocesses leave within cells.

During the workshop, the latestresearch was presented in severalnew areas, including breedingfor better quality and geneticallymapping specic quality traits inrice such as taste and aroma, thecooking and eating qualities ofrice and how to measure sensoryqualities more accurately, and therole of important substances suchas starches like amylose in cookingrice and how they are measured.

To give participants a breakfrom the intellectual rigors of the

workshop programand to make surethat theory was put into practicedinners and lunches showcasedrice dishes from around the world.Attendees were treated to gourmetmeals that included Europeanand Central Asian rice dishes, aswell as a banquet of rice in all itsSoutheast Asian gourmet forms.

IRRI has a strong foundationof previous rice quality research tobuild on, Dr. Fitzgerald said. We

needed that to ensure we made theright decisions as we move into anew era of rice quality research.

For many years, rice breedershave focused on developing varietiesthat would boost production andprovide some insect and weedresistance to help farmers reducetheir use of pesticides; qualitywas not a high priority. However,major new advances in riceresearch and Asias continuingeconomic development have createdimportant new opportunities.

These are the two key changesdriving the whole process andmaking this research area so

exciting, Dr. Zeigler said. If we canlink these two things togetherournew and improved knowledge andunderstanding of rice quality withafuent-consumer desires for betterricethen its possible we can alsohelp poor farmers improve their lives.

This would be an outstandingexample of using the latest inscience to improve the lives of thepoor, while satisfying the desiresof the afuent, he added.

Spicy prawnand chicken

pattiesSource:Australian Womens Weeklycookbooks, modied by MelissaFitzgerald, head o IRRIs Grain Quality,Nutrition, and Postharvest Center. Thisis one o the dishes cooked or theworkshop participants.

R E C I P E

JoSerAymondPAnAligAn

WORkShOP COnVEnERMess Ftzerd er b.


17/37


cn ne p o c4 e

(edited by J.E. Sheehy, P.L. Mitchell, and

B. Hardy; published by World Scientifc

Publishing, Singapore; 422 pages).

With unfavorable conditionsbrought about by climatechange and other environment-related issues, feeding the world inthe coming century will be no meanfeat. The situation offers an enormouschallenge to the rice researchcommunity, compelled to feedalmost half the worlds populationusing less water and nitrogen.

In Chartng nw pathways toC4 rc, 24 scientists blaze the trailtoward another Green Revolution,continuing the ght against hungerusing modern technology. Accordingto the authors, future substantialyield increases are likely only ifthe photosynthetic system of therice plant (known as C3) can beconverted to the more efcient C4photosynthesis of plants such as

maize. C4 plants use water twiceas efciently as C3 plants; nitrogenuse is 30% more efcient, and theyare generally more tolerant of hightemperatures. When achieved, C4rice will be the rst non-evolutionaryexample of reconstructing theprimary metabolism of a plant.

Showcasing alternative waysof achieving C4 photosynthesis,the book presents papers by cropmodeler John Sheehy (Why buld

a nw rc ngn and why startnow?), agricultural economistDavid Dawe (Scientifc research,povrty allvaton, and ky trndsn th Asan rc conomy), plantecologist Rowan Sage (Larnng fromnatur to dvlop stratgs for thdrctd voluton of C4 rc), and

other leading experts in the eld.Chartng nw pathways to C4

rc is scheduled for publicationin July 2007. To order or inquire,contact [email protected].

re: p e onen neen (2neon)(edited by T.H. Fairhurst, C.Witt, R.J. Buresh, and A. Dobermann;

published by IRR I; 136 pages; US$10).

In the last 5 years, site-specic

nutrient management (SSNM)for rice has become an integral partof improving nutrient managementin many Asian countries. Nutrient

recommendationshave been tailoredto location-specic needsand promoted ona wide scale. Therst edition ofRc: a practcalgud to nutrntmanagmnt

(2002) quickly became thestandard reference for SSNM.

Over the years, SSNM hasbeen rened through research andevaluation through the IrrigatedRice Research Consortium.Conceptual improvements andsimplications have been made,particularly in nitrogen management.A standardized four-panel leafcolor chart has been produced,

with more than 250,000 unitsdistributed by the end of 2006.

The evolution of SSNM promptedthis revised edition of the practicalguide, to ensure consistency withnewer information provided onthe SSNM Web site (www.irri.org/irrc/ssnm) and local trainingmaterials. This edition will also betranslated into several languages,including Bangla, Chinese, Hindi,Indonesian, and Vietnamese.

The pocket-sized guideintroduces the concept of yieldgaps and underlying constraints.The functions of each nutrient areexplained in detail, with a descriptionof the deciency symptoms andrecommended strategies forimproved nutrient management.

The 47-page color annex provides apictorial guide to the identicationof nutrient deciencies in rice.

To make this 2nd edition aswidely accessible as possible, it isalso freely available to downloadfrom the Web in PDF (www.irri.org/publications/catalog/ricepg.asp).

re gene V(edited by D.S. Brar, D.J.Mackill, and B. Hardy; published by World

Scientifc Publishing; 350 pages; US$88).

Rice is now the model plant forgenetic research on crop plants.Those who work on rice do so notonly to help grow and eat it, but alsoto advance the frontiers of geneticsand molecular biology. Progressmade since the rst InternationalRice Genetics Symposium (IRGS) in1985 has made rice the organism ofchoice for research on crop plants,and the rice genome has becomea reference for other cereals.

This volume is a collection of thepapers presented at the 5th IRGSin Manila, Philippines, in 2005. Itreports the latest developments inthe eld and includes research onbreeding, mapping of genes and

quantitative traitloci, identicationand cloning ofcandidate genesfor biotic andabiotic stresses,gene expression,

and genomicdatabases andmutant inductionfor functional

genomics.To purchase the complete

electronic publication or selectchapters, go to http://tinyurl.com/2lyvl6. A paperback edition,to be sold only within thePhilippines, will be available atIRRI for $27 from late July.

NEW BOOKS www.irri.org/publications
http://tinyurl.com/2lyvl6http://tinyurl.com/2lyvl6


18/37

Rice is grownin more than100 countries.According tothe Food andAgricultureOrganizationof the UnitedNations (FAO),the global ricearea harvestedin 2005 was153 million

hectares. The amount of land used forrice is less, in the order of 127 million

hectares, because in some eldsfarmers plant two, or even three,rice crops each year. One hectareof double-cropped land thereforeprovides 2 hectares of rice area eachyear (areas referred to hereafterare harvested areas, as opposed toactual land areas). On this land,farmers produce 628,000,000,000kilograms of rough (unmilled) rice.This averagesout to about 95kilograms for eachperson on Earth.

Almost halfthe global ricearea is in Indiaand China and 89% is in Asia. Africaand the Americas each have a littlemore than 5%. The eight countrieswith the most rice area are all inSouth and Southeast Asia (India,China, Indonesia, Bangladesh,Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar,and the Philippines) and they have

80% of the global rice area.Rice production agroecosystems

are often classied according tothe dominant water regime. Forexample, rice elds are distinguishedfor being irrigated or rainfed, andfor being ooded or not ooded.Irrigated rice, typically grown on

bunded elds that retain water toassure ooded conditions, makes

up about 44% of the global ricearea. This is the dominant systemat high latitudes (both north andsouth), but also in southern Indiaand on the Indonesian island ofJava. Flooded rice is the mostproductive rice ecosystem, producingabout 75% of the global output.

Most of the rainfed rice elds arealso ooded for at least part of thegrowing season. This agroecosystem,commonly known as rainfedlowlands, comprises about 45% of

the global rice area and is particularlyimportant in eastern India andSoutheast Asia. The remaining 11% ofthe worlds rice area is grown in theupland ecosystem, which compriseselds that are neither ooded norirrigated. In Asia, this system hasdeclined considerably in Thailandand China, but is still important. Itis the dominant production system

in Africa and Brazil interms of area planted.

The reality is alwaysmore complex, withelds that are sometimesooded, or receive verylittle supplementary

irrigation. In parts of northernChina, for example, rice is grown as anormal (nonooded) eld crop, withsupplementary irrigation as needed,while some of the upland rice inBrazil receives water from sprinklerirrigation. It remains a challengeto adequately characterize rice

agroecosystems and obtain accuratestatistics about their distribution.

The map on the next two pagesreects the International RiceResearch Institutes (IRRI) currentbest estimates based on subnational-level production statistics in rice-producing countries. While IRRI has

a long history of compiling such datafor Asia,

1the Institute now considers

all rice-producing countries, incollaboration with the InternationalCenter for Tropical Agriculture,the Africa Rice Center, and theInternational Food Policy ResearchInstitute. The map for Africa is arst approximation, and consistencybetween the classications usedin Latin America and Asia needsimprovement. Meanwhile, thetechnology for this type of workis changing: a recent paper byXiangming Xiao and colleagues

2has

shown how time series of satelliteimages from the MODIS sensor canbe used to map ooded rice areas.

Knowing where and how rice isgrown is crucial for assessing threatsto and opportunities for production,and hence for determining researchneeds. For example, to estimate thepossible impact of a drought-tolerantrice variety on income and povertyalleviation, you need to know (alongwith many other things) how much

rice is produced in areas affected bydrought, what the current rice yieldsare, and how much yield increaseto expect from the new variety.Trends of detailed rice area andyield data can also help us betterunderstand ongoing patterns ofchange, and the implications for foodsecurity and research priorities.

Dr. Hjmans s a gographr n

iRRis Socal Scncs Dvson.

Knowing where and how

rice is grown is crucial forassessing threats to and

opportunities for production

The where and how o rieby Robert Hijmans

ArielJAvellAnA(2)

MAPS

Rice TodayJuly-September 2007 19

1. The work o the late Robert E. Huke, a proessor o geography at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, USA,and a visiting scholar at IRRI, has been particularly important and is the oundation or IRRI's current work.

2. Xiao X, et al. 2006. Remote Sensing o Environment 100:95-113.


19/37

TodayJuly-September 2007, Vol. 6, No. 3 Where and how rice is grown is crucial information for determining researc


20/37


and inuence traits) at the ChineseAcademy of Agricultural Sciences(CAAS) in Beijing. One of the mostexciting aspects of my work at IRRI,he says, was guiding new workin areas like functional genomicsto ensure it made a difference inthe lives of poor rice farmers.

On his next trip overseasthistime to KoreaDr. Wang was toestablish yet another consistenttheme to his work at IRRI: thistime, his commitment to helpingIRRIs partners in the nationalagricultural research and extensionsystems (NARES) of rice-producingnations. While in Korea, hesigned a new collaborative 2-year work plan that focused on 15individual research projects.

IRRIs many partnerships

and relationships with the NARESare vital not only to its researchbut also to its continuing ability toachieve impact and really make adifference in the lives of poor ricefarmers and consumers, Dr. Wangsays. My job was to identify thoseareas where IRRI could play a usefulrole, and those where it could not.

In addition to building ondecades of successful researchrelationships in Asia, Dr. Wang ledefforts to build new relationshipsin regions such as CentralAsia and Africa. However, hisbiggest challenges remained inSouth and Southeast Asia.

The rapid development ofmany NARES in Asia, especiallyin nations such as Korea, India,Thailand, and China, meant IRRIhad to change also, or be leftbehind, Dr. Wang says. Duringmy time at IRRI, several of thesenations have moved from being

simple research partners to actualdonors, so the whole relationshiphas fundamentally changed.

Fortunately for IRRI, Dr. Wanghad the experience to deal withsuch major changes. For most ofhis career, he has been surroundedby change and opportunity. Bornin 1955 in Taiyuan, the capital ofShanxi, Dr. Wang saw little ricewhile growing up and, it appeared,was never destined to enter the

world of agricultural research.

Shanxi is known as the coalcapital of China, containing aboutone-third of the nations coaldeposits. Because of its high altitudeand dry climate, little rice is grownthere, with the main crops beingwheat, maize, millet, sorghum,and potatoes. Dr. Wangs fatherwas a well-known and respectedvice governor of the province.

At 18, Dr. Wang started his rstjob, as a farm worker at the Linfen

Agricultural Research Institute inShanxi, where he worked for 3 years.Originally, he expected to go from thefarm into the construction industry,but was so taken by agriculturethat, fatefully, he went on to get hisrst degree, in plant protection,in 1978 from the Department

of Agronomy at the ShanxiAgricultural University in Taigu,60 kilometers south of Taiyuan.

From there, he launched hiscareer in agricultural research bytaking a job in 1979 as an assistantlecturer in agricultural entomologyat the same university. He then wenton to his masters degree in biologicalcontrol, which he completed in1982 from CAASs Institute ofBiological Control in Beijing.

Launching his international

career on a Rockefeller scholarship,Dr. Wang was one of the rstChinese students allowed to studyoverseas when he left to get hisPh.D. in entomology in 1985 fromthe Department of Entomology atthe Virginia Polytechnic Instituteand State University in Blacksburg,Virginia, in the United States.

Next, he returned to China towork at CAAS, eventually rising toassistant director of the Institute of

JoSerAymondPAnAligAn

DR. Wang wt iRRiDrector geerRobert Zeer d(above) t s rewesemr Je 200.


21/37


Biological Control in 1993, when heleft to become deputy director of theInternational Institute of BiologicalControl at CAB International inthe United Kingdom until 1995.

He was then tempted backto China to become CAAS vicepresident, the post he was holding

when he was appointed head ofresearch at IRRI. Dr. Wang saysexperience has taught him that,as a manager of research, it ismore important have a broadunderstanding of many differentscientic areas rather than be anexpert in only one. If you have goodpeople, its important you let themtake the lead, he says. The difculttime comes when you are presentedwith many good ideas, and you as themanager have the resources to choose

only just a few and not everything.Dr. Wang says that while at IRRI

he tried to focus on two broad areasfor scientic advancement. The rstwas in the general area of germplasm

improvement and the second wasnatural resource management. Atthe same time, he was intent oncontinuing the Institutes efforts tostrengthen socioeconomic researchand provide policy support todeveloping countries. During mytime at IRRI, he says, we saw the

development of new facilities suchas the gene array and molecular

marker applications labwhichallows researchers to rapidly

analyze a large number of genes todetermine their functionand thecreation of the new crop researchinformation laba bioinformaticsunit, which allows the powerfulcapture, analysis, storage,integration, and dissemination ofbiological informationas a jointventure between IRRI and theInternational Maize and WheatImprovement Center in Mexico.

In the area of natural resourcemanagement, Dr. Wang oversawthe establishment of IRRIs rstever environmental council, whichprovides environmental policiesand ideas for not only the Institutes

research, but also its operations.In response to requests fromits NARES partners, IRRI alsostrengthened its focus on fragileupland areas, recognizing that

this was where many of Asiaspoorest rice farmers lived.

Typifying his commitment to the

Institutes goals in these areas, inJanuary 2001, Dr. Wang traveled

to Nepal to sign a memorandumof understanding between

IRRI and the NepalAgricultural Research

Council that led tothe development ofa detailed researchprogram for riceproduction in themountain kingdom.

ArielJAvellAnA(3)

DR. Wang d s st(from left) Do Robes,lc gme, d Vedherdez.


22/37


Later that same year, Dr. Wangled an IRRI team to China toestablish what has become the worldrice industrys premiere event, theInternational Rice Congress. Heldevery 4 years, the rst Congresswas held in 2002 in Beijing after agrand opening attended by the then

president of China, Jiang Zemin.Dr. Wang says one of the keys

to any success he had in China orelsewhere in Asia was the strongsupport he received from the rest ofthe IRRI management team. I wasvery fortunate to be hired by RonCantrell when he was IRRIs directorgeneral. He taught me much that Iwas able to use later on, he explains.

I rmly believe that oneof the secrets to success for anymanagement team, especially at a

research institute, is to be able toargue about issues on a professionalbasis, while still maintainingstrong personal relationships.Sometimes, this can be difcultin an Asian context, so it was veryhelpful to work at an internationalorganization like IRRI, which isbased in AsiaI have a lot to thankmy management colleagues for.

Dr. Wang says he also triedto place special emphasis on hisrelations with locally hired staff atIRRI. I was very proud to be invitedto become an honorary memberof the IRRI Filipino ScientistsAssociation. Its something thatI will always value, he says.

During Dr. Wangs term as DDG-R, the Institute faced a decline insupport from some key donors thatrequired a reduction in staff. It wasa difcult time, especially for thoseworking on the research side of IRRI.

Most of Dr. Wangs memories,

however, are positive. He wasalso at IRRI when one of the mostsignicant breakthroughs in thelong history of rice research wasannounced. The release of the rstdraft sequences of the rice genome,by the Beijing Genomics Instituteand Syngenta simultaneously in2002, and the nal sequencing ofthe rice genome by a Japanese-ledinternational consortium in 2004,made headlines around the world.

It also triggered a revolution intraditional rice research, the impactof which will be felt for years to come.

Theres been incredible progressin rice research, not just at IRRI, butall over the world, Dr. Wang says.That we can take all of this newknowledge and use it to improve thelives of the poor has made my time atIRRI a very rewarding experience andsomething that I will never forget.

Dr. Wang is leaving IRRI instrong research shape. Not only doesit have a new strategic plan for 2007-

15 calledBrngng hop, mprovnglvs, but the Institute has alreadybegun to implement a new medium-term plan for its research to meet thegoals of the overall strategic plan.

Although he is departing IRRI,Dr. Wang is not leaving agriculturalresearch. In fact, his next adventureextends his opportunity to inuencenot only IRRI but also its 14 partnerinstitutes of the Consultative Groupon International Agricultural

Research (CGIAR). As the CGIARsnew director, Dr. Wang functionsas the chief executive ofcer ofthe CGIAR system and heads theWashington, D.C.-based CGIARSecretariat. He also becomesa member of the World Bankssenior management under itsVice Presidency for Agricultureand Sustainable Development.

Dr. Wang says that he is excitedby the challenge posed by his newrole, and that his time at IRRI willnever be forgotten. I have a lot to

learn in my new job and need all ofIRRIs support and counsel, he says.

Let a hundred owers bloom,lt a hundrd schools of thoughtcontnd.This is perhaps one of thebest-known phrases to come out ofmodern China, but it also sums upnicely the success and managementphilosophy of a young man who setout from Shanxi more than threedecades ago to help make the worlda better placeand that he has.

DR. Wang exmes rce oeo iRRi's demostrto eds.


23/37


Two things stand out whenyou listen to MahabubHossain: his resolve instamping out global poverty

and his love for his country.After 15 years of excellencein

research, livelihood analysis, impactassessment, rice sector analysis,poverty mapping, providing policysupport to governments andinstitutions, and training developing-

country scientistsInternational RiceResearch Institute (IRRI) economistMahabub Hossain is ready to returnto Bangladesh with a mission.

Im taking an early retirement,says Dr. Hossain. I could stay hereuntil 2010, when Ill be 65, but Imleaving because I feel that I owesomething to my country. Bangladeshhas serious problems, the livingenvironment there is very poor, andIm leaving a good job and a good life

here at IRRI. But I want to set up aprivate-sector development studiesinstitutethat is my aim, to set up aninstitute and see if I can leave a legacyin Bangladesh. I am going back to mycountry to share what I have learned.

Dr. Hossains next move is to jointhe Bangladesh Rural AdvancementCommittee (BRAC), the largestnongovernmental organization in

Bangladesh and one of the largestin the world, as its executivedirector. BRAC, whose mission isto reduce poverty and empower thedisadvantaged, focuses on incomegeneration for the poor throughmicrocredit and employment inagriculture, and on skill enhancementfor the poor through better healthcare and education. In this role,he will have the chance to focushis decades of experience on theproblems facing his home country.

Dr. Hossain was born in 1945 in

a remote village in undivided Bengalunder British Indiaan area thatnow belongs to the Indian state ofWest Bengal. He and his family livedthrough the partitioning of Bengalby the British in 1947. The easternarea of Bengal, home to a Muslimmajority, went to Pakistan, becomingEast Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistanbecame Bangladesh after its civil warwith West Pakistan (now Pakistan).The Hossain family migrated to East

Pushing thingsforward

Agricultural economist Mahabub

Hossain retires from international

work to pursue his dream for his

home country of Bangladesh

by Meg Mondoedo

Ariel JAvellAnA (2)

Dr. Hossain,w hbd Fpbarong, pt

t irri.


24/37


Pakistan in 1949 during a time ofethnic cleansing targeting Muslims.In 1958, Dr. Hossain returned toWest Bengal to live with his maternalgrandparents and take advantageof the better schooling available. In1966, he returned to East Pakistanafter completing his bachelors

degree at Calcutta University.As a child in West Bengal,

India, Dr. Hossain did not dreamof becoming a social scientist. Myaim in life was to become a doctor,he says. But the school in myvillage did not offer science courses.They only had humanities, arts,and agriculture, not science. Mygrandparents, who brought me up,did not allow me to go to anotherarea to get a science education, sothat was the end of my aim in life. I

went to study humanities and thenI was attracted to history. It wasmy favorite subject. But somehow, Iended up majoring in economics.

As head of IRRIs Social SciencesDivision, Dr. Hossain providedleadership and tactical input to thedevelopment of IRRIs research andinstitutional plans. He led IRRIsresearch programs on rainfedenvironments, along with variousresearch projects, and networks suchas the Consortium for UnfavorableRice Environments. He also providedstrong leadership in organizing socialsciences research to meet IRRIspriority needs and, in the process,

developed astrong andharmoniousresearch team.

Dr. Hossainjoined IRRI in1992, after thethen Director

General KlausLampe told himabout the positionearlier. Duringthe RockefellerFoundationmeeting onbiotechnologyin 1990, herecalls, Iwas invited by Dr. Lampe for abreakfast meeting. He told methere was a position vacant at IRRI,

and that they had been lookingfor someone for about a year.

Following his interview, Dr.Lampe promptly offered him the job.

But getting Dr. Hossain onboard turned out to be a difculttask. In 1988, the Bangladeshigovernment appointed Dr. Hossaindirector general of the BangladeshInstitute of Development Studies(BIDS), the policy think tank ofBangladesh. He rose above manyof his seniors in the institution.

I told Dr. Lampe that theposition at BIDS was good for twoterms of 3 years each and I couldnot betray the trust that they gave

me, he recounts. But I assured himthat, after a year, I could decide if Iwanted to continue after completing

one term. Only then could I decideif I wanted to join IRRI. So thatwas my polite way of saying no.

Dr. Lampe took Dr. Hossainswords to heart, and, 1 year latertoDr. Hossains awecalled again tosay that the position was still vacant.

Dr. Lampe knew that I wasapproaching the end of my rst termas director general at BIDS, he knewI was going to decide whether I woulddo a second term, says Dr. Hossain.My thinking was that, obviously,the job at IRRI was good and noone should deny themselves a goodopportunity, particularly for bettereducation of their children. I askedDr. Lampe to write to my boss, SaifurRahman, the nance minister at thattime, who was also chairman of theboard of trustees of BIDS, in order tofacilitate my release from BIDS. Thatwas how my career at IRRI began.

Dr. Hossain later found out thatIRRI sought him so ardently because

of his rich background and hands-onexperience in assessing the impact ofagricultural technologies on incomedistribution and poverty. FromBangladesh, he had been a memberof the coordinating team of an IRRIproject investigating these issues inseven Asian countries. He also hada good grasp of policymaking andplanning, a skill that would proveinvaluable in helping IRRI carryout its mission to reduce povertyJo

serAymondPAnAligAn

Brr

Dr. Hossain wth a.P.J.K, pdt id, wh td irri Fbu 2006.

BanglaDesHi meDiat hw tt D. H' wk hh cut.


25/37


and hunger, improve the healthof rice farmers and consumers,and ensure that rice productionis environmentally sustainable.

Dr. Hossain has no regrets aboutdeciding to join IRRI. In 1985-87,while working at the InternationalFood Policy Research Institute, heperformed a detailed study on theimpact of the Green Revolutiontheintroduction in the 1960s and 1970sof modern, fertilizer-responsive, high-yielding rice varietiesin Bangladesh.

I knew how much IRRI

was contributing, so I thoughtthis was a very good institutionto work for, says Dr. Hossain.I knew that working at IRRIwould tremendously advance myknowledge of what was happening inagricultural development in Asia.

A contented look spreadsacross his face as he adds thathe enjoyed every minute of the15 years he spent at IRRI.

However, he is still very much

troubled by the global issues thatform daunting challenges forIRRI. As the population in Asiaslow-income countries continuesto increase, the goal of providingadditional food is becoming more andmore difficult to meet. Compoundingthe problems caused by growingnumbers of people is the increasing

shortage of land, water, and laborthat have been diverted fromagricultural to nonfarm activities.

The challenge is how to meetthe demand for rice, says Dr.Hossain. Every input is scarceand, as long as the populationcontinues to increase at an alarming

rate, that challenge remains.He adds that one of IRRIs pivotal

roles is to change the perceptionof donors from Europe and theUnited States that the Asian food-security problem is almost solvedand the remaining challenges canbe handled by the private sector.I think we need to convince ourtraditional donors that our job isnot yet done, he says. As a socialscientist, one of my responsibilitieslies in preparing a story that will

convince donors that more supportis needed for IRRI to do its job.

Dr. Hossains researchachievements are many and varied.Furthermore, much of his work hasbeen with social scientists from thenational agricultural research andextension systems (NARES)theinstitutions in the countries whereIRRI worksand so has helpedboost the research capacity andstrength of agricultural social scienceprograms throughout Asia. He hasconducted policy dialogues in severalcountries, including Bangladesh,the Philippines, and Myanmar.

By supervising the compilationand updating of IRRIs freelyavailable Rice Statistics Database(www.irri.org/science/ricestat)

HOSSAINPERSONALCOLLECTION

IRRI

DR. HOSSAIN, in hi s late 2 0s, in front of Cambridge University's ClareCollege, where he was a postgraduate student from 1972 to 1977. Thepassport photos on the right show his progression through the years.

DR. HOSSAIN is an economistunafraid to get his feet dirtyin the field.
http://www.irri.org/science/ricestathttp://www.irri.org/science/ricestat


26/37


which contains data on rice area,production, yield, import-exportgures, consumption, prices,land use, adoption of improvedvarieties, and costs and returnsin rice farmingDr. Hossainhas ensured public access toimportant information that hashelped ensure that rice researchhas been targeted and effective.

Dr. Hossains work, with NARESscientists, on household surveysto generate primary data on theoperation of the rural householdeconomy has greatly increasedresearchers and policymakersunderstanding of rural livelihoodsystems. He performed numerousimpact assessments, which haveexpanded and deepened the bodyof knowledge on such issues as

yield losses from pests and climaticstresses, IRRIs role in providing rice-breeding materials (such as seeds)to other countries, and the impactof rice research on the reductionof poverty. This last assessmentdemonstrated that indirect impactin terms of, rst, availability ofyear-round employment in ricefarming and agricultural growth-induced rural nonfarm activities,and, second, higher purchasing

capacity of staple food due to lowrice priceshas been substantial.

For Dr. Hossain, IRRI is notjust a research institute but ahumanitarian organization as well.If IRRI had not been here, he says,we would have seen severe foodinsecurity in many countries. IRRIhas done tremendous work to addressissues of food security. However,we should not be complacent; weare still engaged in a war againsttime. If IRRI had not existed, Iwould have seen many more peopledie of hunger in my own country,Bangladesh, which experiencedfamines in 1944 and 1974. IRRI isa household name in Bangladeshand many other countries in Southand Southeast Asia have benetedtremendously from IRRIs support.

After 15 years at IRRI, Dr.Hossain will dearly miss manythings. First and foremost are hisstaff. They are the best, he says.The national staff are the realcontributors to IRRIs achievements,while the internationally recruitedstaff may be regarded as medium-term visitors. Our external reviewersand participants at internationalmeetings and workshops are alwaysvery impressed by the organization

and, especially, the assistance anddedication of the secretaries andother support staff. I think thenationally recruited staff are thereal assets of the Institute. I willmiss my staff; they have become myfriends. We are like a family here.

Another thing that he will miss isthe traditional Filipino shirt knownas a barong. Initially, he wore abarong to blend in with the Filipinoculture but, over time, he grew tolove the comfortable shirt, whichis traditionally made from berderived from banana or pineappleplants. The only thing that I missis the pocket, he says with a smile.It has no pocket for a pen!

As he prepares to depart IRRI,Dr. Hossain keeps his dreams forthe Institute close to his heart and

mind. I want to see this instituteprosper further, he says. I hopethat, within the next few years,IRRI will be running with thesubstantial resources requiredto implement its mission.

With countless achievements,awards, and immense contributionsto IRRI and Asia, Dr. Hossainleaves with gratitude and a singlepiece of advice for everyone:Always push things forward.

Dr. Hossain wth ht irri' scscc D.


27/37


According to the latest guresfrom the Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United

Nations (FAO), paddy (unhulledrice) production in Africa hasgone up for the sixth consecutiveyear, reaching 21.6 million tons in2006, 6% above the 2005 total.

FAO attributes the record harvestto favorable weather conditions andthe positive effects of the adoptionof New Rice for Africa (NERICA)varieties developed by the AfricaRice Center (commonly knownas WARDA) and its partners.

Rice is successfully andeconomically produced in a wide

range of agroecologies in Africa.Advances have been made inunderstanding the dynamics ofrice production systems and indeveloping technologies designedfor African conditions.

However, many challengesremain, and smallholder farmersin sub-Saharan Africa continueto face a blitz of problems, manyof which are compounded by newchallenges such as climate change.

Demand for rice is soaringacross much of sub-Saharan Africaand 40% of this demand is beingmet by imports at a staggering costof about US$1.5 billion per year.

WARDAeconomistscaution that

Africa wouldbe ill-advisedto rely heavilyon rice importsfor its growingdemand,because only4% of world riceproduction issubject to trade,with most ricebeing consumed

in the country where it wasgrown. Moreover, global ricestocks are declining and somerecent predictions have rice pricesdoubling in the near future.

To effectively address some ofthese daunting challenges, WARDA isjoining forces with the InternationalRice Research Institute (IRRI) andthe International Center for TropicalAgriculture (CIAT by its Spanishacronym) as part of a new allianceaimed at creating a strong synergyfor rice research in Africa. The threeresearch centers are supported by theConsultative Group on InternationalAgricultural Research (CGIAR).

This research alignment seemsvery relevant to us because we workon the same commodity and thereare certain areas of collaborationthat have not been fully tappedbefore, said WARDA DirectorGeneral Papa Abdoulaye Seck.

Dr. Seck explained that some

of the agroecologies in Asia, LatinAmerica, and sub-Saharan Africaare alike and rice farmers indeveloping countries face manysimilar challenges. Therefore,a research alignment where thecomparative advantages of thesecenters are combined can have alarge-scale impact in Africa, he said.

Taking this into account, vethematic areas have been identiedfor joint research to boost the

Forginga ricepartnershipfor Africaby Savitri Mohapatra

r.v.rAmAn(3)

When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion!so goes a well-known Ethiopian

saying. This could be an apt description for the new partnership being forged among

international research centers to address sub-Saharan Africas enormous rice challenge.

irri BoarD memBerruth o d neriCa pt.

ProF. oniango (left) wthWarDa bd bTkd abt (center) dm Uz mkwu.

Documents

Rice Today Vol. 6, No. 3