News & Events

The annual Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) course, offered by IRRI Education, began on Monday, May 29, with the participation of 20 graduate students and early career researchers from Asia, Africa, and North America.

The RR2P is an intensive three-week course that aims to provide participants with an appreciation of the changes and challenges in the rice industry from production to market and knowledge on research issues of IRRI and its partners/collaborators, advancements in rice breeding, and structuring effective collaboration within the international research community.

In her message during the course’s opening ceremony, Joanna Kane-Potaka, IRRI Deputy Director General for Strategy, Engagement and Impact, emphasized the significant advancements in rice science, particularly at IRRI, that are expected to play a crucial role in mitigating climate change. “It’s a particularly exciting time and I hope you think about this. Don’t just think about the technical parts of the science behind rice, think about what you are going to contribute to some of the biggest global issues right now. Rice, being a staple for 50% of the population, is absolutely huge. So when you work in one of the biggest crops in the world, you can have the biggest impact”, Potaka addressed the participants.

Meanwhile, Gopesh Tewari, Head of IRRI Education, welcomed the participants to IRRI and gave a brief background and overview of the course, emphasizing that this is one of IRRI Education’s flagship course offerings. Recognizing the diverse backgrounds of the participants, Tewari urged them to engage in meaningful interactions and mutual learning. Above all, he emphasized the importance of engaging with the resource persons, who are esteemed experts in the field of rice science.

In the following weeks, the participants are expected to understand the basics of rice production, become familiar with the diversity among rice varieties, appreciate research and development issues related to food security, acquire hands-on skills relating to rice production and breeding, as well as understand how to structure effective international collaborations. These sessions will be done through a mix of classroom lectures, group discussions, and hands-on field activities.

Aside from visiting IRRI fields and laboratories, the participants will also have the opportunity to visit several agricultural institutions and companies to learn how some challenges to global food resources are addressed by different agencies and institutions based in the Philippines.

Since 2008, IRRI Education has been delivering the RR2P course to graduate students and early-career researchers around the world with the ultimate aim of creating a new generation of plant scientists that are well-networked within the international community.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

The International Rice Research Institute-South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) is conducting a 3-day Capacity Development Training Program, from 29th – 31st May 2023, for Farmers of Bihar as a part of IRRI-Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) Collaboration under the Climate Resilient Agriculture Program.

A total of 40 farmers are undergoing the program, which focuses on rice production practices aimed to develop farmers ‘ capacity and equip them with the necessary skills to enhance their productivity in a sustainable manner.

The opening ceremony was graced by Dr. Peter Craufurd, CSISA Project Leader, CIMMYT, Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, IRRI-SARC, Mr. Gopesh Tewari, Head – IRRI Education, IRRI, Dr. Ajay Kumar Mishra, Associate Scientist, IRRI, and Dr. Ajeet Kumar, Research Associate, KVK, Supaul.

Dr. Sudhanshu, emphasizing the capacity development training, asked the farmers to make the most of it and pass on the learnings of this program to fellow farmers back home. Dr. Peter Craufurd highlighted the work of CIMMYT on Maize and Wheat and called upon the farmers to take this opportunity to question and learn in a participatory manner.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

The face-to-face component of the Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) Course under the DA-IRRI SERVE Project welcomed 45 participants at IRRI Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna for a 5-day training on various rice research and production topics and areas of concern on May 22 to 26.

Joined by 32 staff from different Department of Agriculture regional field offices and attached agencies, 7 participants from various local government units (LGUs), and 6 instructors from different state universities and colleges (SUCs), the training aimed to provide supplemental knowledge and learning to the participants through field visits, short lectures, community exposure, and immersion with distinguished rice scientists and experts.

“This will not be an easy week for you (participants) because we have a lot of activities to do to test if natuto nga ba kayo sa online (course). I would like you to take this opportunity to ask the hard questions to your resource persons. This is your chance to interact and masagot yung mga hindi nyo pa alam,” said Dr. Madonna Casimero, IRRI Senior Scientist and DA-IRRI SERVE Project Leader.

The face-to-face component provided the participants with lectures and hands-on activities on important rice science topics such as rice plant morphology and growth stages, digital farming technologies, rice varieties and ecosystems, and major rice insect pests and diseases.

The participants also had the opportunity to visit key rice research and production facilities such as the IRRI Genebank, Post-Harvest and Mechanization, Plant Growth Facility, and Centralized Post-Harvest Operations.

On the fourth day of the course, the participants were also immersed in the rice farming community of Victoria, Laguna to assess and evaluate their local rice industry through different participatory research methods and approaches.

“This training not only enhanced my knowledge and skills related to rice science and rice production but also provided an avenue for me to be more collaborative, enhance my critical thinking ability, and make me more appreciative of the new technologies and efforts of IRRI and other institutions for the betterment of rice farming communities,” expressed John Joward Martillana, Agricultural Technologist from LGU Pitogo, Quezon Province and a participant of the course.

The participants also find the entire course rewarding and expressed how it has helped them to become better agents of change in their respective fields and communities.

“The experience is rewarding. My exposure to the community provided us with an idea of what innovations and research to work on. We learn the value of teamwork through interacting with other participants. This training increased our knowledge, strengthened our practical skills, and changed our attitudes towards rice farming,” stated Sheyll De Leon, Instructor from Bulacan Agricultural State College and one of the six participants from SUCs.

The course concluded on May 26 with the recognition rites of the 45 completers which was attended by SERVE Senior Technical Consultant Mr. Julian Lapitan, and virtually via Zoom by the Director of DA Agricultural Training Institute Engr. Remelyn Recoter, and the Research Development Division Unit Head and Technical Lead of the Rice and Research Development Division of the DA Bureau of Agricultural Research Mr. Patrick Cabrera and Mr. Glenn Dimayuga, respectively.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

Twenty-One researchers and extension workers from Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam have successfully completed the Rice: Postproduction to Market training organized by IRRI Education.

The training ran from May 8-12 and covered the critical issues and challenges in reducing post-production losses, including identifying losses at all points in the post-production chain; evaluating technology options for harvesting, threshing, drying, storage, and milling of paddy; and learning how to use methodologies and tools to assess local post-harvest chains, mapping of actors, and use of a business plan for introducing or scaling out suitable technology options.

“From beginning to end we received very valuable points from our resource persons, scientists, and professors. These are very valuable for us to implement in our countries”, remarked Ms. Deepika Priyadaeshani Weerasinghe Weerasangiliyalage from Sri Lanka.

Another participant, Mr. Isagani Verallo Boholano from the Philippines, shared that despite being diverse in degrees and background, all of them gained practical applications during the training which they can share to the rice farmers and other stakeholders.

In his message during the closing ceremony, Dr. Il-Ryong Choi IRRI’s Country Representative in Korea encouraged the participants to apply what they learned during the training and share it with their colleagues in their countries. “This training was a great opportunity for you to acquire systemic knowledge and skills on how to adopt the standardized postharvest practices in the actual situation in order to minimize crop losses throughout the whole production chain”, said Dr. Choi.

The training was implemented through the joint collaboration of IRRI and the International Technology Cooperation Center (ITCC) Rural Development Administration (RDA).

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

The sixth and final rollout of the Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) Online Training Program under the DA-IRRI SERVE 2 Program concluded last Friday, May 5.

After successfully complying with the course requirements of the 5-week online course, 49 participants from different DA RFOs and attached agencies, SUCs, and LGUs have been identified as course completers.

In her message to the completers, IRRI Senior Scientist and SERVE 2 Project Leader Dr. Madonna Casimero congratulated the participants for persevering through the online course alongside their full-time work at their respective offices.

“We are glad that you are all able to complete the course successfully. We thank you for your dedication to learn and be more knowledgeable about Rice: Research to Production. We hope that your learnings from this training will be beneficial and essential to the work that you are doing,” said Casimero.

The sixth rollout is the last installation of the RR2P online training program offering of the DA-IRRI SERVE 2 Project. Selected top-performing participants from all of the six online rollouts will be invited to participate in the one-week face-to-face training at the IRRI Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna on May 22 to 26, 2023.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

The 6th Coordination Committee meeting of the International Rice Research Institute – South Asia Regional Center (IRRI SARC) was held on 20th April 2023 at IRRI SARC, Varanasi, UP. The program saw the participation of Dr. Jean Ballie, Director General, IRRI, Mr. Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, India, Mr. Pankaj K. Yadav, Joint Secretary, India, Ms. Wahida Akter, Secretary, Bangladesh, Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Joint Secretary, Nepal, Dr. Devesh Chaturvedi, Add Chief Secretary, UP, Mr. Manoj Kumar, Director, National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC), Dr. Jongsoo Shin, IRRI Representative for Asia, Dr. T.R. Sharma, Deputy Director General (CS), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Dr. Md. Baktear Hossain, Director, SAC & Dr. Paresh Verma and Director Res, Bioseed.

Dr. Jean Ballie, Director General, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) appreciated the cooperation of the Government of India and assured the active participation of the Institute in the field of agricultural research. Dr. Sudhanshu Singh, Director, IRRI-SARC apprised the participating members about various research and training activities of the institute and also presented the details of future plans.

Mr. Gopesh Tewari, Head-IRRI Education represented the CEIRD (Centre of Education, Innovation and Research for Development) unit, operating under IRRI Education and IRRI South Asia Regional Centre. Mr. Gopesh showcased the progress made in the previous year and laid down the plan of action for this year.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

A 2-day training course on project cycle management for research for development and extension was organized by IRRI Education last April 17-18 2023.

IRRI recognizes that project cycle management is a crucial aspect of any Research for Development and Extension (R4DE) initiative as it serves as the foundation and roadmap to foresee processes from project ideation to achieving its goals. To succeed in any R4DE project, it is essential to design a seamless and systematic process where objectives, inputs, outputs, and activities are operationalized to achieve societal development.

The 2-day training covered the basics of project management and IRRI’s project management processes, from guiding principles, to managing the project budget, writing project reports, and project presentations. For the duration of the training. the participants were highly involved in project report writing workshop and discussions with IRRI’s experts.

“I believe that after this very brief crash course, you will be more informed about the processes that we follow within IRRI and this will help you in the implementation of [your] programs at the broader level into the IRRI research framework” Mr. Gopesh Tewari said in his welcome message to the participants. “In the future, we are planning to have some sefl-paced modules and once that is available, I think that is going to be a supplementary material for all of you which you can continually access from the Learning Management Systemso you can strengthen your skillset on project management”, he added.

“This training has helped me a lot as someone who does research here in IRRI [the training] makes me into a more holistic researcher. In the future, if I get the opportunity to prepare proposals, I know what to expect, how to handle my projects, and how to ensure that the limited resources are used properly”, participant Mr. Johanne Mendoza remarked.

“I consider myself very lucky to be part of this wonderful program.To our resource persons, we really thank you. This is my first time being in this kind of environment it’s really given me a lot of insights how to manage research grants in a holistic approach” another participant, Mr. Afeez Oluniyi Shittu shared.

Ten IRRI Seed Grants awardees from IRRI Headquarters and country offices attended the training which was delivered using hybrid mode, with participants joining both onsite and online.

For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

We are still on track!

Refined to be implemented for five weeks, the sixth rollout of the Rice: Research to Production (RR2P) under the DA-IRRI SERVE 2 Project is already in its fourth week.

Joined by 60 participants from different DA RFOs, SUCs, and LGUs across the country, the RR2P Course is currently covering its Cluster 6: Rice Research for Development. Under this cluster are the modules on on-farm participatory adaptive research, gender research, and the development of capsule research proposal.

“This course is better than any of the other online courses that I previously attended because everything here is learner-friendly, providing sufficient explanations and illustrations in the modules,” said Jason Soria, a participant from LGU of Quezon, Isabela.

In spite of the refinement in terms of course duration and implementation, the participants still express fascination with the course and its management.

 “The experience, so far, is really great. I didn’t expect to accomplish such things in a very limited time. I am having fun on every topic because it provides an additional idea in rice production,” expressed Gian Paolo Saripada, a participant from DA-RFO 7.

More so, participant Hephzibah Ramos-Barraca from DA-RFO 12 expounded on how grateful she is to become a participant in the course.

“I’m so grateful that I have become one of the participants in the RR2P training course. I learned greatly about rice production, from farm planning to the rice value chain. Because of this training, I have gained knowledge about rice and crop management,” said Ramos-Barraca.

The sixth rollout is set to end by the 14th of April. Meanwhile, the planning for the face-to-face component of the RR2P course is currently underway. The face-to-face component is expected to be participated by the active participants from all rollouts of the course. For inquiries, you may email education@irri.org.

Last 15-16 March, IRRI Education organized training on Digital Knowledge and Tools for Precision Farming attended by 29 staff from the Philippine Department of Agriculture Regional Field Offices and attached agencies, State Universities and Colleges, and Local Government Units.

This training aims to provide an overview of available digital knowledge and tools for precision farming as it relates to the rice value chain, its advantages, and the potential in maximizing benefits for researchers, rice farmers, producers, and consumers. The course challenged the participants to examine the inefficiencies along the different components of the value chain that can serve as entry points where digital knowledge and precision farming tools can be applied to address challenges.

In his opening message, Julian Lapitan, Senior Consultant at DA and Technical Adviser at IRRI, reminded the participants of the importance of an avenue or vessel for an innovation to be effective. More so, the importance of bringing these innovations to the intended beneficiaries.

“Our government keeps on investing in capacity development, and this project, we call it SERVE, is a funding from the Philippine government coursed through IRRI so that IRRI with all its prestige and world-class facilities will be able to train Filipino people. You, as I’ve said, are the avenues and vessels. And we want you to develop more your capacities in helping our intended beneficiaries.”

Ending his message, Lapitan, urged the participants to use the learnings that they will gain from the training for a much greater purpose, that is, having an impact on society.

For three days, participants learned about the available technologies and their application in the rice value chain, such as WeRise, RCM, MOET, PRIME, RiceDoctor, and Rice Knowledge Bank; the use of digital agriculture tools in collecting farmer and field information for decision making; and integrating digital knowledge and precision farming tools.

The capacity development training was conducted under the IRRI-DA collaborative project, Strengthening the Capability of the National Research, Development, and Extension Partners for Research, DeVelopment, and Extension of Climate Ready Information and Technologies to Rice-based Farming Communities in the Philippines (SERVE).

Learn more about IRRI Education (education.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).

IRRI Education welcomes 20 undergraduate students from the G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT) to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Headquarters, Philippines for their month-long study visit.

The study visit aims to expose students to the various agricultural innovation and technologies that will help them familiarize themselves with and appreciate agriculture. Throughout the duration of their program, the students will learn about rice and the current trends and technologies in production and management globally and at IRRI and how these technologies are transferred to farmers. As part of the program, they will visit the different laboratories and facilities in IRRI, such as the Genebank, Seed Health Unit, Genotyping Services Laboratory, and Plant Growth Facility, to name a few. They will also learn how some challenges to global food resources are addressed by different agencies and institutions based in the Philippines, hence they will be visiting several agricultural companies around the Philippines, enabling them to understand other institutions’ various technologies and entrepreneurship models. At the end of the program, the students will prepare a video presentation and present their project proposal on their chosen innovation that is applicable in their home country based on the learnings and experiences that they have gained from the program.

The study visit is organized under the Institutional Development Plan – National Agricultural Higher Education Project (IDP-NAHEP) funded by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which aims to enhance the quality and relevance of the agricultural higher education system in India.

Last year, IRRI Education also organized a similar study visit for GBPUAT students.

Learn more about IRRI Education (education.irri.org) or follow us on social media and networks (all links down the right column).