agricultural development Tag

Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines – A two-week hands-on training program on biotic stress resistance evaluation concluded at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on October 31, 2024, with 19 researchers and scientists from 9 countries including the USA, Italy, Vietnam, India, South Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

The training aimed to equip participants with practical skills in identifying, collecting, isolating, and evaluating the damage caused by major rice pests and diseases. The immersive program included lectures, laboratory exercises, and field visits, designed to enhance participants’ understanding of resistance evaluation techniques crucial to their research.

Former IRRI Senior Scientist for Plant Pathology Genetics and Biotechnology Division Dr. Casiana Vera Cruz highlighted the importance of resistance strategies for managing diseases and pests. She stated that effective screening protocols are vital for successful resistance programs, especially when collaborating with rice breeders. “Resistance to diseases and pests is one of the most economical, safe, and environmentally friendly methods of managing these challenges,” she explained.

Dr. Hans Bhardwaj, Research Director and Head of IRRI’s Rice Breeding Innovations, underscored the necessity of standardized and harmonized screening protocols. “This course provides the practical skills and knowledge needed to conduct effective evaluations that ensure reliability and consistency across global research efforts.” He also emphasized the value of networking, noting that the professional relationships developed during the course would benefit their future work.

The training featured expert-led sessions on a range of topics, including rice diseases, insect pests, pathogen collection, media preparation, and especially pathogen inoculation and pest infestation techniques. Dr. Van Schepler-Luu, the primary expert for the course, led the program, with invaluable contributions from resource persons across several IRRI groups, including the Plant Pathology and Host Plant Resistance, Entomology, and Biotic Stress Resistance Evaluation Center (BSREC). Participants gained hands-on experience with pathogen isolation, insect nematode rearing, and pest damage evaluation in greenhouse settings.

Participant feedback was highly positive, with many highlighting the practical value of the hands-on training. Ms. Subah Soni, a graduate student researcher from the University of California, Davis, USA, described the course as an “accelerated learning experience” that helped her gain confidence in handling rice pathogens and pests. Ms. Maricel Torres, Assistant Scientist at IRRI, emphasized how the training would help her support farmers in identifying early signs of pests and diseases while applying eco-friendly control methods.

Given the success of this year’s program, the IRRI Education team plans to offer the course again in 2025.

Interested in designing a similar course for your organization? Email us at education@irri.org

CGIAR Excellence in Agriculture (EiA) Initiative for Sustainable Intensification and Climate Change launches the EiA Open Learning Portal to transform agricultural education through digital solutions. The learning portal was developed through the collaboration between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) through its educational arm, IRRI Education. Through this, EiA aims to share agronomic solutions to help smallholder farmers make informed decisions and manage farm risks.

The EiA Open Learning Portal is part of Open Learning, one of the Initiative’s three main strategies for creating a Global Agronomy Village, along with the Comprehensive Agronomy Solutions Hub (CASH) and EiA Events.

The portal boasts an introductory set of 13 self-paced and standalone micro-courses, ranging from 30 to 45 minutes each. These courses cover CGIAR’s key thematic areas: climate change, gender equality, and food security. Key topics include climate change drivers, adaptation strategies, customized digital agronomy advice on crops like cassava, gender-focused content, and effective agronomic practices that highlight the importance of inclusivity in agricultural services.

“We aim to make agronomic education more accessible, interactive, and impactful.”, said Dr. Anilyn Maningas, Head of IRRI Education. “This portal enables learners to engage with content at their own pace through interactive, self-paced micro-courses available online for free. These courses offer actionable insights into critical topics like climate change adaptation and gender-responsive agronomy.”, she continued.

The EiA Open Learning Portal will serve as a space for collaboration for researchers, students, and instructors through its discussion forums. “In Vietnam, agriculture often takes a backseat for the younger generation, but I’m committed to changing that.”, shared Huu Diem Ha Nguyen, a Direct Seeded Rice Consortium (DSRC) – Vietnam Use Case Member. “The [Gender-responsive Researchers Equipped for Agricultural Transformation] GREAT course … emphasized the importance of gender equality in agriculture, a cause I’m passionate about. Women should have the opportunity to work in any field they choose, and this course has strengthened my resolve to advocate for equal opportunities in agriculture.”

Looking ahead, the EiA Open Learning Portal will continue to expand its roster of courses, with plans to integrate advanced features like an AI chatbot and grow its course offerings to address emerging needs and trends in agriculture, still aligned with the key impact areas of CGIAR.

“While this initial phase has demonstrated its proof of concept, there’s more to learn and improve. Our commitment to continuous engagement and improvement ensures that we will address these challenges and improve the portal to better meet the needs of our users. By staying responsive to feedback and advancing our technology, we aim to refine our approach and further enhance the portal’s impact,” said Gaurav Jaiswal, Team Lead and Educational Technology Specialist of IRRI Education.

Developed in partnership with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and with contributions from other CGIAR Centers, this education platform is set to revolutionize agricultural education. The CGIAR centers supporting the EiA represent a global force for agricultural transformation and include AfricaRice, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), International Potato Center (CIP), International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).

Learn more about this training course and other programs offered by IRRI Education at education.irri.org

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through its capacity-building arm, IRRI Education, held a three-day training workshop on the Introduction to the CGIAR Innovation Packages and Scaling Readiness (IPSR) from September 18 to 20, 2024, at IRRI Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. The CGIAR IPSR course aimed to improve the efficiency and impact of research for development programs by encouraging critical reflection on how ready innovations are for scaling.

Participants are trained to design, implement, and monitor scaling strategies for cross-CGIAR initiatives. Project performance is tracked using the principles and tools of Scaling Readiness, a framework developed by CGIAR and led by Wageningen University and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), to support decision-making on the scaling of innovations. Through this, project members can identify bottlenecks, make informed decisions, and make strategic solutions thereby improving prospects for success at scale. Standardization of such processes allows initiatives to also track their contributions to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

IRRI Human Resource Partner for Learning and Development Angelica Valerie De Jesus, emphasized the need to put knowledge into action, urging participants to take the insights they gained back to their workplaces to share with others. She hoped this initiative would lead to meaningful change for IRRI, in partnership with CGIAR, in fulfilling its mission.

“Beyond developing innovations, we should also look into how these will benefit the institution’s main beneficiaries – the farmers.”, shared IRRI’s Project Development and Deployment Manager Rowena Castillo. She hoped this training would not be the last and that this initial encounter would lead to deeper learning opportunities in the future.

Over the course of three days, 13 IRRI employees involved in various CGIAR Initiatives engaged in sessions that focused on key topics such as the fundamentals of scaling innovation, innovation profiling, and scaling readiness. They participated in hands-on activities to assess innovation readiness and develop scaling strategies. Notable sessions included a presentation and panel discussion on the strategies and lessons from PhilRice’s scaling efforts, led by Dr. Jaime Manalo IV, Scientist II and Head of Socio-economic Division, along with workshops facilitated by Dr. Murat Sartas, Innovation, Scaling, and Impact Management Scientist for CGIAR and Wageningen University. The training culminated in group presentations, allowing participants to apply what they had learned and share their insights with one another.

Ms. Elizabeth Alcachupas, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, described the training as “an incredibly transformative experience.” She highlighted, “The training was not only well-structured but also deeply insightful, helping me develop skills in using the tools available on the CGIAR website. The trainers were knowledgeable and approachable, ensuring that complex concepts of scaling and innovation were easy to grasp through practical examples. I highly recommend IPSR training to anyone.”

Ms. Krystle Ambayec-Dino, Partnership and Capacity Building Coordinator, also expressed her satisfaction with the course, stating, “This course provided me with the knowledge and skills to better identify innovations, profile their readiness, and effectively package them for scaling up to the end users, thereby enhancing our efforts in research for development at IRRI.”
Following the success of the program and positive feedback from participants, the training team is exploring the possibility of offering the course again next year.

Learn more about this training course and other programs offered by IRRI Education at education.irri.org

The International Rice Research Institute and the Innovations for Poverty Action held a four-day capacity-building program for monitoring and evaluation, participated by 47 project development officers, project evaluation officers, and planning officers from
different government and non-government institutions.

The training conducted last 24-27 June 2024 at IRRI Headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines is one of the initiatives under the IRRI-IPA partnership that generally aims to further strengthen cooperation among lPA researchers and lRRI rice scientists. This training program aimed to enhance the monitoring, evaluation, and learning capabilities of both organizations while exploring the relationship between poverty alleviation and agricultural development.

Dr. Joanna Kane-Potaka, Deputy Director General for Strategy, Engagement, and Impact of IRRI, opened the program with a message, thanking IPA for initiating the collaboration. She emphasized that monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment will always be valuable at both the individual and management level, and how relevant the training is especially since IRRI will be implementing a new strategic planning process within the year.

Dr. Valerian Pede, IRRI’s Senior Scientist in Agricultural Economics and one of the course’s resource persons, echoed this sentiment. He emphasized that everyone should engage in monitoring and evaluation as it is crucial for demonstrating impact, particularly to donors, allowing them to understand the progress and success of the projects.

Aftab Opel, IPA’s Country Director for the Philippines, in his opening message, discussed the origins of the collaboration and the initial plans set by IRRI and IPA. He then outlined the expectations for the four-day program, highlighting the presence of various experts who would cover technical topics. He emphasized that the most critical takeaway is the importance of using the right data and evidence in their projects and programs.

Over the course of four days, the participants took part in 12 sessions that focused on emphasizing the importance of M&E in evidence-based policymaking and programming; exploring the relationship between agricultural development, poverty alleviation, and evidence-based interventions; and equipping them with practical skills and tools for conducting effective M&E in agricultural projects. The program also facilitated knowledge sharing and collaboration among participants towards sustainable agricultural development.

Aside from the synchronous and asynchronous discussions involving theoretical concepts, and practical and hands-on exercises, participants also had the opportunity to visit and tour some of IRRI’s facilities including the International Rice Genebank (IRG), the world’s largest repository of rice genetic diversity; the Lloyd T. Evans Plant Growth Facility (PGF), and the long term continuous cropping experiment (LTCCE), the world’s longest running experiment on triple rice cropping system.

At the end of the training, participants shared their experiences and key takeaways. Mr. Ronal Jeremy Antonio, Economics Consultant at IRRI noted “This is an effective training course if you want to learn the fundamentals and basic applications of M&E and is highly recommended for all professionals regardless of work and educational background”.

Another participant from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, Mr. Alvin Quiel Sabanal, expressed how the training will be useful in his work. “The hands-on exercises and case studies from different resource persons were valuable, allowing us to apply theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios. I especially appreciated the modules on Theory of Change which is important in my line of work.” He added, “I highly recommend this comprehensive course to project managers seeking a deeper understanding of the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of M&E. As my personal target outcome, I am eager to apply what I’ve learned to my current job, and I believe this training will significantly enhance my ability to deliver impactful projects”.

Alongside Dr. Pede, experts from IPA namely Ms. Karisha Cruz, Mr. Yuri Leomo, and Ms. Soumya Kochhar served as the primary resource persons for the training. Additionally, Dr. Maximin Kodjo from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Ms. Arushi Pankaj Dubey from UN Women; Dr. Lorna Sister, Dr. Juan M. Pulhin, from the University of the Philippines Los Banos; and Dr. Solomon and Svetlana Ms. Negroustoueva from CGIAR were invited to share their experiences in M&E and insightful case studies from the agricultural development ecosystem.

From the success of the program and based on the feedback from the participants, the training team from IPA and IRRI are currently discussing the possibility of offering the program annually.

About IRRI Education

IRRI Education is the educational and capacity-building arm of IRRI. Since 1962, IRRI Education has been imparting capacity development programs in various rice science and technology disciplines and offering diverse and global learning experiences for students, early career researchers, scientists, and other professionals. It operates with five service portfolios – Short and Long Courses, Scholars and Youth Engagement, Online Learning and Product Development, Knowledge Sharing, and Advisory around Capacity Development. These pillars underpin IRRI Education’s commitment to producing holistic and integrated learning solutions, addressing learning gaps and expectations with sound educational innovations.

Visit education.irri.org to learn more

About Innovations for Poverty Action

The Innovations for Poverty Action is a global research and policy nonprofit committed to reducing global poverty with evidence. With a network of partners and researchers, IPA designs and tests innovative solutions, supports partners in generating and using data and evidence and helps bring proven approaches to scale across the globe.

Visit https://poverty-action.org/ to learn more