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NEWS http://ricenews.irri.org
Rice prices spiral upward; no end in sight Export prices for rice
US$/ton
580 US 2/4%
Thai 100%B
rice-dependent countries are becoming securing adequate supplies.
Viet 5%
increasingly anxious. Amid growing Weather- and pest-related prob- 530
Pak Irri-25%
signs of civil unrest due to rising food lems have also helped force prices Thai A1 Super
prices in general, national leaders are up. Insect and disease outbreaks in 480
hustling to ensure rice supplies for their Vietnam, flooding and a major cyclone
populations. in Bangladesh, flooding in Indonesia, 430
To guarantee domestic supplies drought in the Philippines and Austra-
and keep local prices down, the world’s lia, and record-breaking cold weather 380
two largest rice exporters, Thailand in Vietnam and China—events that are
and Vietnam, have capped exports expected to increase in frequency and 330
below previous years’ levels. India has severity with climate change—have all
set a $1,000-per-ton minimum export affected global production. Higher oil 280
price—effectively limiting exports to prices are both increasing the cost of
premium basmati varieties—and China food production and prompting many 230
is taxing grain exports in an effort to farmers to switch to biofuel crops,
keep staple foods in the country. further reducing the area planted to 0
Aug-07
Dec-07
Feb-07
Apr-07
Feb-08
Jun-07
Oct-07
In February, Philippine President food crops.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took the “The [rice] price will have to rise
unprecedented step of asking Vietnam to the point where rice can compete, Source: FAO Rice Price Update March 2008
to ensure rice supplies. In March, financially, with fuel crops,” said Vichai
Thailand and Vietnam agreed to let Sriprasert, former president of the Thai International Rice Research Institute
the Philippines draw from their stocks Rice Exporters’ Association. “I believe (IRRI). “Longer term demand-supply
in the Association of Southeast Asian the domestic price of rice will triple, imbalance is clearly indicated by deple-
Nations’ emergency reserve. Thailand and will reach $1,000 per ton on the tion of stock that has been going on for
announced in late March that it would export market, just to catch up with several years—we have been consuming
reserve some of its stockpile to be sold oil prices.” more than we have been producing.”
to consumers at cost price. The Philip- The price increase is also hitting The current price rise is set against
pine government has even asked fast- aid agencies, such as the United Nations a background of ever-increasing pop-
food restaurants to offer half portions World Food Program (WFP), which are ulation sizes and stagnating yield
of rice to prevent wastage. being forced to scale down their opera- growth, compounded by a long-term
Several factors are conspiring to tions at a time when—because of the withdrawal of government and donor
amplify the rise in prices. As rice land high prices—the people they help are support for public-sector agricultural
and irrigation water continue to be lost most in need of support. WFP officials research.
to industrialization and urbanization, warned in February that climbing food “Ultimately, however, achieving a
Asia’s burgeoning urban middle class, prices were pushing up the agency’s supply-demand balance at a reasonable
especially in India and China, is de- budget requirements by several million rice price will require a steady invest-
manding more meat and dairy, which is dollars a week. ment in development and dissemina-
diverting production from food grains Although hoarding by traders may tion of new technologies and improved
to animal feed. Growing demand from have contributed to the problem, “this management practices to raise rice
Africa, where rice is an increasingly is not all about speculation,” said Sushil yields and lower the unit cost of produc-
important staple—Nigeria alone now Pandey, agricultural economist at the tion,” said Randy Barker, head of IRRI’s
Social Sciences Division.
Rising prices at a market IRRI Director General Robert Zei-
in Los Baños, Philippines. gler noted that, when the food crisis of
the 1970s struck, new high-yielding rice
varieties—products of the Institute’s
research after it was created in the
1960s—were already being distrib-
uted. “That success may have made
Jose Raymond Panaligan
Quiet genes for better rice Funding paradox for IRRI Gates Foundation steps up to support rice research
IRRI/WARDA
IRRI
have reported that many people have been forced onto a diet of wild roots,
yam, and sweet potatoes. Only one-fifth of the state’s monthly rice requirement is currently available.
after research investment in the 1960s on marginal land, are inevitably most Cotonou, Benin, and at the National
Worse, in early 2008, the rat plague moved into bordering areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar, increasing and 1970s underpinned lower prices Participants at the launch of the Africa component exposed—and most vulnerable—to Agricultural Science Center in New
fears of widespread food shortages. throughout the 1980s and 1990s. of the Gates Foundation project. poor soils, too much or too little rain, Delhi, India.
High-protein rice of poor and malnourished people in ing more than US$10 million in sales, negative at the 0.01% level of detection New journal molecular breeding, and comparative
By crossing cultivated rice, Oryza developing countries who depend on was “Mice love rice.” Unfortunately, is permitted to be shipped. U.S. rice Japan’s National Institute of Agrobio- biology.
sativa, with a wild species, scientists staple food for most of their nutrition. IRRI rodent experts confirm that this exporters hope that the change will help logical Sciences (NIAS), in collabora-
in the U.S. and India have developed is all too true. them re-establish the EU market. tion with Springer Publishing Co., Aroma boost patented
high-protein rice, according to a study Rodent ringtones recently announced a new international Researchers who identified a compound
reported in the 23 January issue of the Former IRRI information technology Euro import regulation eased Chinese honor for IRRI scientific journal, RICE, which aims to responsible for aroma in rice have been
American Chemical Society’s Journal head Paul O’Nolan has alerted Rice The European Union (EU) no longer IRRI has been named as a recipient of fill a glaring void in basic and applied awarded a U.S. patent for a method they
of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Today to an article in the 2 February requires member states to test upon the Chinese International Award for plant science publishing. The journal, subsequently developed for increasing
Crossing IR64, a popular cultivated issue of The Economist. The story, arrival all imports of U.S. long-grain Science and Technology. The award, due to be launched in mid-2008, will fragrance. The team, from Thailand’s
variety, with wild O. nivara resulted about the Internet in China, discusses rice for the presence of the genetically recommended jointly by the Chinese be the world’s only high-quality serial Kasetsart University, was granted the
in rice with a protein content of 12.4%. the prevalence of mobile phones and modified Liberty Link (LL) Rice601 Ministry of Agriculture and hybrid rice publication for reporting advances in patent—also filed in Australia, China,
This is 18% and 24% more protein, the profits being made by selling ring trait. The new regulation requires only expert Yuan Longping, recognizes the rice genetics, structural and functional Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Vietnam,
respectively, than the parents. Protein tones and jokes for a few cents each to that the rice be tested prior to ship- Institute’s efforts in scientific research genomics, comparative genomics, India, France, and the European Patent
enrichment in rice could help millions millions of people. A recent hit, generat- ment from the U.S. Only rice that tests and training for Chinese agriculture. molecular biology and physiology, Office—in November 2007.
A chim Dobermann, an
inter nat iona lly recognized
agricultural research scientist with
national and international awards.
Dr. Dober mann received his
Ph.D. from the Institute of Tropical
F ormer IRRI principal scientist Sant
Virmani has won a Padma Award,
given to Indian citizens to recognize
Michael Bosch, senior
many years’ experience working with Agriculture, University of Leipzig, distinguished public contributions. Dr. advisor for Germany’s
rice in Asia and Europe, has been Germany. A f ter working at IRR I Virmani, recognized in the science and Advisory Service on
appointed as IRRI’s new deputy director from 1992 to 2000, he moved to the engineering category, was among 71 Agricultural Research
for Development, with
general for research. Already at IRRI as University of Nebraska (Lincoln) in the eminent Indians who received Padma Rice Today in front of
leader of the Institute’s program on U.S. and rapidly rose to the rank of full Awards on 25 January 2008. Swayambhunath stupa,
Sustaining productivity in intensive professor. During his time in Nebraska, Niranjan Baisakh, former IRRI one of the most ancient
and holiest Buddhist
rice-based systems: rice and the he maintained strong research linkages Ph.D. scholar and postdoctoral fellow in sites of the Kathmandu
environment, Dr. Dobermann began with East, Southeast, and South Asian PBGB, has won a Tipton Team Research Valley in Nepal.
his new role on 1 April 2008. colleagues. Award from the Louisiana State
After beginning his career as a soil T.P. Tuong, who served as interim University Agricultural Center, along
scientist, Dr. Dobermann expanded deputy director general for research with his colleagues from the Center’s
his research interests to cover a rich following the departure of previous School of Plant, Environmental, and
array of crop and social sciences. He deputy director general for research Soil Sciences. The team was recognized
is a Fellow of the American Society of Ren Wang, returns to a senior research in December 2007 for its work in
Agronomy and Soil Science Society of role in IRRI’s Crop and Environmental developing coastal plants to aid in
America, and recipient of numerous Sciences Division. coastal reclamation projects.
Moving on
biotechnology to develop high-yielding production specialist at IRRI (1974-
Keeping up with IRRI staff In March 2008, IRRI bade farewell plant resistance in rice stem borer
to Philippe Hervé, molecular biologist management, also left in December.
O
n Monday 21 January 2008, collections maintained by centers He added, “For long-term starts with a scientist asking the not accessible to anyone except the impossible to protect against all
flight LH3134 left Manila, of the Consultative Group on survival, seeds need to be stored seed bank to supply the types of depositor. To realize the potential threats, which is why Svalbard is
Philippines, for Oslo, Norway, International Agricultural Research at low temperature. This is most rice required for their research,” benefits of crop diversity, our farmers, one—but only one—of the essential
counting more than 35 million (CGIAR)—were shipped to Svalbard. economical in a place like Svalbard, said Dr. Sackville Hamilton. scientists, and breeders must be able elements of a global system for the
grains of rice among its cargo. IRRI’s contribution included where the ambient temperature is The immeasurable value of seed to use the seed easily. Seed banks efficient and effective conservation
Headed not for Scandinavian dinner the first box placed in storage by low and the insulation is high.” banks has been seen many times such as IRRI’s must therefore be and use of crop diversity.
plates, these grains would continue on Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Further, he said, the risks in the past. One notable example maintained at locations around the “For such an important collection,
to the Norwegian island of Svalbard, Stoltenberg and 2004 Nobel Peace faced by IRRI and Svalbard are is the use of Cambodian rice world where they are most needed.” we have to take all risks, no matter
north of the Arctic Circle, only 1,000 Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai not just independent but almost varieties stored in IRRI’s genebank IRRI’s collection is itself how remote, into account,” he said.
kilometers from the North Pole. during the vault’s opening ceremony mutually exclusive. It is almost to re-establish Cambodia’s rice protected to the highest possible “For example, news of political
The seeds, from the International on 26 February 2008. Prime inconceivable that any risk could industry after it was devastated standards. The facility is raised unrest is common in the capital
Rice Genebank of the International Minister Stoltenberg described simultaneously destroy the during years of civil strife in the above flood levels and is designed city Manila, and in the southern
Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the vault, which cost around US$9 two copies of the collection. 1970s, when a starving population to withstand an earthquake of up to island group Mindanao. Might this
represented 70,180 samples of million to build, as “a Noah’s Ark ate the nation’s seed stocks. 7 on the Richter scale or a nuclear political activity one day escalate
traditional and modern rice varieties for our biological heritage.” Svalbard Global Seed Vault: “The CGIAR collections are accident in a warship in Manila to threaten IRRI? It is unlikely
and their wild relatives bound for The facility—dubbed the the numbers the ‘crown jewels’ of international harbor 60 km away. IRRI has two but who knows? We are close to an
T
the newly constructed Svalbard “doomsday vault” by the world’s he vault is located 120 meters into the agriculture,” said Cary Fowler, levels of electricity backup—one set inactive volcano, Makiling. Might
Global Seed Vault. In total, more media—is owned and administered rock, ensuring that the vault rooms executive director of the Global Crop of generators for the whole Institute this volcano one day erupt again?
than 200,000 crop varieties from by the Ministry of Agriculture and will remain naturally frozen even if the Diversity Trust, which covered the and one specifically for the genebank. Might we suffer a force-10 earthquake
Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Food on behalf of the Kingdom of mechanical cooling system fails or if costs of preparing, packaging, and To address the risk of equipment one day? The evidence suggests not
external air temperatures rise because of
the Middle East—drawn from seed Norway and was established as a climate change.
transporting CGIAR seeds to the failure, the Institute maintains in the near future, but even expert
service to the world community. The distance from the front door of the backup systems, for example, using volcanologists and seismologists
The Nordic Gene Bank will operate portal building to the back of the vault is two compressors for cooling, so that, cannot guarantee zero risk, and they
the facility and maintain a public 145.9 meters. The width of each vault is if one fails, the second takes over. cannot make long-term predictions.”
online database of samples. 9.5–10 meters and the height is 6 meters. Spare parts of all key operational Among the VIPs and dignitaries
Each vault is approximately 27 meters
Constructed in the permafrost long.
components are kept on-site. at the vault’s opening, Eulogio “Tay
of the Svalbard mountains, the The vault has the capacity to store 4.5 “The high standard of Gipo” Sasi Jr., a 64-year-old Filipino
vault is designed to store duplicates million seed samples. Each sample contains construction and protection was rice farmer, represented the people
of seeds from seed collections an average of 500 seeds, so a maximum of confirmed during the devastating without whom all the seeds in the
around the globe. Ruaraidh 2.25 billion seeds can be stored. The seeds Typhoon Milenyo of October 2006, world would be of little use. “I hope
will be stored at minus 18 degrees Celsius
Sackville Hamilton, head of the in specially-designed four-ply foil packages
which caused severe damage to that the knowledge that goes with
I
was a key item on the
agenda of the rice policy
Most countries research to increase rice productivity Story and photos by Bob Hill amounted to a one-horse race, and, sellers’ market the likes of which
forum at IRRI viewed the is needed to address this imbalance.”
nternational rice trading is not a as the 2007 harvest began to roll in they had never experienced before.
world market The importance of research into
business for the faint-hearted. from the fields, Thailand’s exporters Local and export prices were soaring,
I
as “thin and unstable,” meaning technologies that boost productivity
Thailand’s exporters knew began their wheeling and dealing, even as they struck their deals to
ncreasing rice productivity is that a relatively small percentage of was underscored by Randy Barker,
that well. They also knew, when with buyers clamoring at the door. deliver in three or four months’ time,
the only long-term solution total rice produced is bought and head of IRRI’s Social Sciences
they prepared in November “You can only make money if when they still had to buy the rice
that can provide high returns sold internationally, and that export Division. “Even before the spike
2007 for what was supposed to be a you speculate properly,” says veteran they had just sold. In some cases,
to farmers while keeping prices are prone to large swings. of prices in the 1970s, high-yield
boom year ahead, that prices were exporter and former president of the the small profit margins they were
the price of rice low for poor Thus, governments mostly seek a variety technology was well under
likely to rise. Little did they realize Thai Rice Exporters’ Association happy to accept disappeared within
consumers. This was the consensus high degree of self-sufficiency. way to widespread adoption,” said
how steep that rise would be. Vichai Sriprasert. “At the time of a few hours. Then, they could only
of participants at the Forum on Given this broad scenario, Dr. Barker, who emphasized that
Poor weather and domestic the deal, we expect to make $5 watch in despair as the spiraling
rice policy research: key issues policy tools to promote the rice effective research and development
supply concerns had severely a ton. Nobody has 100% of the prices battered at their solvency. In
from national perspectives, held industry in different countries were requires long-term planning.
restricted competition on the world’s stock in hand. We hope to buy the order to honor their commitments,
at the International Rice Research discussed. The policy research One implication of this, according
markets from Vietnam and India, rest. If I end up making $1 per some were forced to buy milled rice
Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños, agenda identified during the forum to Leo Sebastian, executive director
Thailand’s main export rivals. ton, then I’m happy with that.” at a ruinous US$200 per ton more
Philippines, on 18-19 February 2008. included assessment of allocation of the Philippine Rice Research
China, Egypt, and Australia had also It was their forward-orders than they had agreed to sell it.
The forum, held in the midst of of resources for research and Institute, is the need for increased
rice-price rises not seen since the development, analysis of comparative investment in agricultural research.
1970s, aimed to identify key policy advantage in rice production in “Impact of technologies is a
issues relevant to the rice industry different countries and rice-growing driver of increased rice production,
from the perspective of national environments, policies to provide whether a country exports or
systems, prioritize the identified adequate returns to farmers while imports,” said Dr. Sebastian.
policy issues for research, establish keeping the rice price low for “But everybody is saying that
a network of rice policy researchers, consumers, provision of safety nets investment in agricultural research
and develop a collaborative for the poor, and reorganization of is small or limited—and something
arrangement for conducting policy agriculture for greater efficiency. needs to be done about this.”
research on high-priority issues. Although the current rising Dr. Pandey said that the
Senior policy researchers from rice price was seen as beneficial Institute has identified technological
Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, for farmers who grow a reasonable and policy opportunities and
Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, surplus that they can sell on the challenges for addressing the
Thailand, and Vietnam) and Africa market, poor farmers with small rising rice prices. “We are tackling
(Mozambique and Tanzania) or no surplus and poor urban the issue head-on by developing
attended the forum along with consumers will continue to lose and promoting interventions
representatives of the Africa Rice out if the price continues to rise. to increase the productivity of
Center (WARDA), the Food and Mahabub Hossain, executive the rice industry,” he said.
Agriculture Organization of the director of the Bangladesh Rural The forum participants agreed
United Nations, and the private Advancement Committee, pointed to establish a network of rice
sector. Sixteen papers were presented out that marginal farmers—who policy researchers to facilitate
on various aspects of rice policy, and are net buyers of rice—are also rapid exchange of ideas and
a panel discussion on the implications hurt by increasing fertilizer and information. The network will
of rising rice prices was held. pesticide costs, which are climbing develop linkages with the existing
The participants largely agreed in line with rising energy costs. agricultural policy networks in Parboiled rice is loaded at a riverside dock in
that rice is seen by most governments According to forum organizer Asia and Africa. Proceedings Bangkok. It will be hauled down the Chao Phraya
as a “political” commodity although Sushil Pandey, who leads of the forum are expected to be River to the Gulf of Thailand, to be loaded aboard
cargo ships bound for Africa.
the national perspectives on rice IRRI’s Rice Policy and Impact published by the end of 2008.
T
he winds started to pick poor. People scrape by from season If you’ve never been to
up during the afternoon of to season, trying to grow enough Bangladesh, you may not know how
what should have been a rice to feed themselves and maybe flat the country is. Apart from hills
normal Thursday in southern sell a little if they’re lucky. It’s a in the southeast and northeast, the
Bangladesh. There had been warnings precipitous existence: one failed crop, land rarely gets more than a few
of a storm, somewhere out in the Bay one big flood, and it can send people meters above sea level. The country is
of Bengal, heading toward the coast. spiraling into destitution. And, at effectively an enormous delta formed
But the people of Chornajir Village this level of poverty, the channels by the confluence of the Ganges,
didn’t think things would get too bad. of communication, which should Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers
Besides, there was work to bring news of floods and storms, and their tributaries, which catch
be done in the fields and the don’t always work like they should. the Himalayan snowmelt and wend
nearest shelter was a long walk Cyclone Sidr, a category-4 their way toward the Bay of Bengal.
away, especially for the young brute with peak winds of 250 Hundreds of rivers and streams
children. If it rains, so be it. kilometers per hour, slammed into crisscross their way out to sea, the
Hopefully, the crops will be OK. the southern Bangladesh coast end result being an entire country
As evening approached, though, in the evening. By the time the that floods like a bathtub if it rains
it became clear that 15 November villagers of Chornajir, around 20 too much. Add to that a cyclone-
2007 would not be a normal kilometers inland, realized this was induced tidal surge and you start to
Thursday. Chornajir, like most of more than a common storm, it was understand how devastating a major
the villages in Patuakhali District, is too late to get to the shelter safely. storm can be here. In 1970, a cyclone
killed up to half a million people—one
of the largest single disasters in
Millions of southern Bangladeshis
human history. In 1991, another
were forced into makeshift huts after cyclone killed more than 130,000. In
Cyclone Sidr destroyed their homes. terms of the cost to human life, Sidr
was not as brutal, causing the deaths
of around 4,000 people (though still
a major disaster by any definition).
Fortunately, it struck at low tide, so
the surge was not as powerful as it
might have been. And, despite the
communication breakdowns that left
Nasiruddin Khan harvests what is left of his Chornajir residents in grave danger, a
rice crop after it was devastated by Cyclone Sidr
in November 2007.
great number of people made it to one
of the many cyclone shelters that have
greater frequency because of climate others, including BRAC, are helping farmers to grow boro rice,” explains and help with land preparation. If storage facilities that can withstand Tolerant varieties will at least give
change—Institute scientists Dr. affected families get back on their Dr. Saleque. “In Barisal District, draft animals weren’t killed in the flooding, can buffer Bangladeshi a good start to the next season.”
Ismail, Dr. Johnson, Zainul Abedin, feet. It is an enormous task. BRRI and only 40% of the rice area (107,000 cyclone, their feed was most likely farmers against future catastrophe. According to Dr. Johnson, an
and M.A. Hamid Miah traveled BRAC both jumped in immediately hectares) is planted to boro rice.” lost. As a result, many farmers have “For this kind of disaster, it’s important role in IRRI’s research
to southern Bangladesh on 14-16 to distribute seeds, but getting hold One major constraint, says either lost or ceased to keep animals. very difficult to design varieties is to reduce the vulnerability of
December 2007. They were joined by of enough was proving difficult, with Dr. Saleque, is that farmers Although any rice crop hit that can withstand this kind of rice production systems and,
representatives from the Bangladesh around 20,000 tons required to meet must be organized. For example, directly by a full-force cyclone is sure devastation—even human beings are through that, the vulnerability
Rice Research Institute (BRRI), the expected shortfall. Abu Saleque, water allocation is a problem, to be damaged, new varieties with not able to do that,” says Dr. Ismail. of people’s livelihoods.
the Department of Agricultural principal scientific officer and as is the practice of allowing sufficient tolerance of submergence, “But you can develop certain traits “We saw a gradient from those
Extension, and two nongovernmental head of the BRRI Research Station livestock to graze on aman crop salinity, and flooding—but with that can mitigate the effects. We can areas that were seriously affected
organizations—Action Aid and in Barisal District just north of residue—farmers would need to higher yields than currently also see what varieties are available to areas that were less so,” he
SPEED Trust—working on the Patuakhali, says that, to cover losses coordinate to ensure that animals grown local varieties—need to be that can be used immediately after says. “One hope is, if improved
IRRI-coordinated Food Security due to Sidr, BRRI is helping farmers don’t eat newly planted boro rice. developed, tested, and out-scaled the flood, because we expect to materials are available with greater
for Sustainable Household to grow transplanted aus rice. If the coming rice seasons are in southern Bangladesh and other see residual salinity, high iron, tolerance of some of the stresses
Livelihoods (FoSHoL) project. “BRRI is supplying boro seeds to to be successful, the bare minimum cyclone-prone areas. Subsequent and other changes in surface soil caused by an event like this, the
All groups, along with several farmers and is also encouraging more needed by farmers is seeds, fertilizer, increased production, combined with due to debris brought by seawater. proportion of the area that is
seriously affected will be smaller.”
Dr. Hossain points out, however,
Local residents Some things even a cyclone cannot stop—local
reported that the that the Sidr aftermath also
boys play cricket in front of large river barges
storm surge produced that were washed hundreds of meters inland by offers an opportunity to improve
by Sidr reached halfway the cyclone’s storm surge. livelihoods in the long run. “At times
up this palm tree on the
southern Bangladesh of crisis, that’s the time to suggest
coast. new ideas to farmers,” he says.
During the IRRI scientists’ visit
in December 2007, discussions were
predominantly about action—seed
distribution, next season’s crop
preparation, research to develop
technologies to minimize losses
after the next cyclone, and so on.
Importantly, says Dr. Abedin, these
are not the types of action that will
create dependence: they are ways
to not only get people back on their
Rice exposed to Sidr’s winds and feet, but also keep them there.
flooding was heavily damaged, like “Cash relief,” he says, “is
this example belonging to a farmer
(left) from Isladi Village. something people will use today. But
they need something for tomorrow.”
Rice Today April-June 2008, Vol. 7, No. 2 Unloading rice at Manila Harbor: for the Philippines—the world's largest rice importer—high prices spell clouds on the horizon.
As well as improving farmers’ incomes and productivity, water-
The main canal from IRRI’s Ruben Lampayan points at dry, fallow
Pantabangan Reservoir fields—a common sight in Central Luzon, where
irrigates around 90,000 water-saving technologies can help farmers grow
hectares in the Philippines’ dry-season crops.
saving technologies can also help to ease social tensions—but Central Luzon region.
squeeze
season if the soil remains flooded have enough water. Bas Bouman,
throughout the all-important water scientist and head of IRRI’s
flowering period. Up to a quarter Crop and Environmental Sciences
less water is needed and there is no Division, says that it was this
The big
drop in yield. Importantly, farmers understanding that drove not only
don’t need to make any other major the initial collaboration but also the
changes to the way they manage participation of other organizations
their crop (see also The benefits of such as state colleges and universities.
a hole in the ground, on page 29). “It started in 2000 with NIA
The practice, confirmed in and PhilRice on a very small scale,”
experimental fields, needed to be recalls Dr. Bouman. “Step by step,
Story by Adam Barclay, extended to real farms. So, IRRI more and more partners came on
photos by Raymond Jose Panaligan and PhilRice initially teamed up board—now, we can barely count
with NIA staff to introduce AWD the number of partners involved.
to farmers. Canarem seemed the Many of these attended a training
I
(left to right) Ramon Ganiban, Dario Antalan, and
Manuel Apolonio—president, treasurer, and secretary,
respectively, of the P-38 Irrigation Service Cooperative.
n 1998, the farming community higher-yielding, more reliable crops. As new members joined the For 3 years after the construction
of Canarem, 120 kilometers Sure enough, P-38 did improve cooperative, enticed by P-38’s of P-38, tensions and distrust grew
north of Manila in the Philippine things. Farmers had access to promise, each farmer’s wait between among the families of Canarem.
province of Tarlac, had reason more water and started growing an irrigations—which should have been Then, in 2002, two events
to celebrate. The Philippine additional dry-season rice crop each 7 days—grew to almost 2 weeks. In conspired to turn things around.
National Irrigation Administration year. But the celebration was muted. the dry season, the interval became First, with the rising cost of fuel,
(NIA) funded the construction of NIA paid in advance for the diesel so long that fields dried out and NIA announced it would no longer
a deep-well pump, designated P- that fueled the pump, with farmers the soil began to crack. Some of the pay for diesel, which had more
38, that would allow the farmers to repaying with a portion of their increasingly anxious farmers would than quadrupled in price since
irrigate their rice fields. Previously harvest at the end of the season. With sneak out at night and divert water P-38 began operating. Second,
dependent on rain or shallow a steady source of irrigation water into their own fields by placing holes a team of researchers arrived,
tubewell pumps, which often run dry, and no need to pay up-front fuel underneath their paddy dikes. Others hoping to introduce a water-saving
P-38 promised to help Canarem’s costs, farmers adopted a “too much turned to alcohol. Village officials technology known as alternate
several dozen farmers produce is better than not enough” policy. were called in to resolve conflicts. wetting and drying, or AWD (also
T
or vegetables. often watched by many farmers), and with good management and
ravel from the Bangladeshi often struggling to piece together 12-year-old children are sent to The IRRC team traveled to demonstrations and training, training, they were able to harvest
capital of Dhaka to the a single decent meal. At this time work for landowners. Boys receive Rangpur on 22-28 October 2007 to farmers’ field schools, other farmers’ about 4.7 tons per hectare.”
district of Rangpur in of the year, most of the people who about US$28 and food for a year capture the impact of direct seeding influence, and extension technicians. There is still much work to be
the country’s northwest rely on farmwork—around 70% of in exchange for hard labor in on monga mitigation. IRRI socio- These data, along with those of done to relieve the problem of monga
takes about 7 hours by an the adult population—in the greater the fields. The girls, restricted to cultural anthropologist Florencia Dr. Palis’s interviews, will give the by enabling farmers to harvest rice
increasingly rough road. In the course Rangpur District are jobless, waiting household chores, receive only food. Palis interviewed farmers and IRRC a better understanding of how earlier. Further farmer training
of that long journey, you get a feel for for the harvest of transplanted It does not help that northwest landless men and women in Rangpur, direct seeding and improved weed will be undertaken this year so that
this largely flat, waterlogged nation, rice in December. By the time the Bangladesh is transected by 21 rivers Nilphamari, and Kurigram districts. management can be spread effectively farmers themselves can become
teeming with around 150 million monga season comes, they have that regularly overflow, leaving One grief-stricken widow in to help improve farmers’ harvests. trainers in the community. The IRRC
people. Departing the crowded consumed all of their stored food and thousands of families homeless. Nilphamari said that her “life was The team also discussed with team will travel the road to Rangpur
urban streets of Dhaka, you leave opportunities for work have dried up. Floods usually arrive in August miserable and useless because she government and nongovernment again, and the tents and thatch huts
behind images of makeshift tents Most of the men migrate to and September, bringing with them had no work and no land to work agencies the potential of direct- will probably still be there. But, by
crammed between trees along the cities to find work pulling rickshaws, water-borne illnesses and hardship on.” Left with two daughters to seeding technology as a way to helping farmers make more of their
highway. Nearing Rangpur, you can transporting bananas and logs, that are only intensified by the take care of, remarrying was, in mitigate monga. They met with natural resources, simple, well-
see communities of tin houses. And or similar. But these prospects monga, which follows close behind. Bangladeshi culture, not an option. officials of the Department of managed technologies can go a long
in villages in neighboring Nilphamari are few and poorly paid. Often, To help ease the suffering Another woman had descended Agriculture and Extension (DAE) way to easing the misery of monga.
and Kurigram districts, families families buy livestock and poultry during monga and improve farm into a spiral of debt, borrowing and the district commissioner of
live in thatch huts, most of them before monga and sell them during productivity, the International successively from several NGOs Kurigram, who agree that planting Ms. Mendoza is a communication
without electricity or plumbing. These these trying months. Even 8- to Rice Research Institute (IRRI)-led to pay for each previous debt. early-maturing varieties is vital in specialist with the IRRC. Dr. Johnson is
simple dwellings represent home for Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Despite this misery, such mitigating monga, but also stressed a senior weed scientist in IRRI’s Crop
millions of Bangladesh’s poor. About (IRRC), the Bangladesh Rice landless women refused to lie down. a need for more seeds and training. and Environmental Sciences Division.
one-fifth of the nation’s population— Research Institute (BRRI), and Some formed groups to develop
around 30 million people—suffer local nongovernment organizations incomes during the monga period. In Rangpur, Bangladesh, direct-seeded rice can
from severe hunger each year. (NGOs) have teamed up. Together, Others borrowed money from help people avoid the hungry monga months.
Life for the rural poor, hard they are developing the means NGOs to hire a teacher for their
enough at any time, gets harder for earlier harvests through young children. Some sold poultry
in northern Bangladesh from late shorter-duration rice varieties and livestock and also took on lac
September to mid-November. It combined with direct seeding of production, supported by the NGO
is at this time that the annual rice and weed control options. Grameen Artto Unnayan Sangstha
irrigation
by Robert Hijmans
Geographer, IRRI Social Sciences Division
T
he availability of water is a fundamental
requirement for crop growth. In many
places, rainfall is scant or erratic and this
can diminish crop yield and strongly affect
the livelihoods of farming households. To
cope with this problem, farmers can use irrigation, the
artificial supply of water to increase crop production.
Because irrigation takes away some of farming’s
climate risk, farmers who irrigate are more likely to
further invest in their agricultural production—by
using more fertilizer, for example. It is therefore
particularly in irrigated areas where we find the intensive
agriculture associated with the Green Revolution.
There are striking regional differences in the use
of irrigation (map). According to the data sources
used for this map,1 India and China each have about
20% of the world’s irrigated lands, and about 68%
of the world’s irrigated area is in Asia. Although
determining exact figures on this scale is impossible,
there is agreement about Asia's large share of global
irrigation. For example, the recent Comprehensive
Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture2
states that “over 60%” of the world’s irrigated land is in
Asia, and that about half of this land is used for rice. continent, and whether Green-Revolution-type combined the two most recent satellite data (Thenkabail et al). currently available or will be in the
According to the Comprehensive Assessment, there intensification could take place there without it. global irrigation data sources The relative strengths and future. This is important because
are currently about 300 million hectares of irrigated land There are many very dry areas in the world (less available. One is based on maps weaknesses of these two sources the future of irrigation is uncertain
worldwide—double the area in 1960. About 80 million than 250 mm of annual precipitation), but only a small of irrigation schemes (Siebert et are open to debate, but they have at in many areas. Groundwater is being
hectares (27%) of this irrigated land is used for rice proportion of this land is used for crop production. Where al), which may include areas that least one limitation in common: they depleted in many important rice-
production. Because rice receives more water than other it is used to grow crops, it tends to be irrigated. For could be, but may in fact not be, show only the presence or absence growing areas such as the Punjab in
crops, it uses some 39% of the world’s irrigation water. example, in Egypt, more than 90% of agricultural land irrigated, the other is based on of irrigation, not how much water is India. Tube-well irrigation, which has
Asia also has a large share—about 48%—of the is irrigated. However, only 30% of the world’s irrigated boomed in India and Bangladesh,
world’s crop land. But this alone does not explain the area is in areas with less than 500 mm of rain per year has become much less profitable
difference in the extent of irrigated areas: about 28% of (Figure 1). Another 30% is in areas with between 500 and because of the increased cost of
Asia’s crop land is irrigated, versus 9% for the rest of the 1,000 mm per year. The remainder is in areas with higher fuel. Demand is also growing for
world. Only 5% of the crop land in Africa is irrigated. rainfall. The majority of irrigated rice land in Asia receives nonagricultural water use, such as for
Much of this is in very dry areas such as the lower Nile more than 750 mm of rain per year. In these areas, clean drinking water from wealthier
Valley; unlike in Asia, there is very little irrigation irrigation provides either additional water during the and larger urban populations (see
in zones with 500 to 1,000 mm annual irrigation. rainy season and the opportunity for dry-season crops. the Comprehensive Assessment
The low level of irrigation in Africa raises Detailed geographic data on the extent of crop land for a recent in-depth analysis).
the questions of whether there should be more and irrigation are an important source of information So, we need to know more.
investment in irrigating the crop lands of that for studies of agriculture and development. Here, we More importantly, though, we need
rice production technologies that
1
Sources: Crop land: GLC2000 (www-gvm.jrc.it/glc2000/); Wood et al, IFPRI Agricultural extent v2, IFPRI. Irrigation: Siebert et al 2005. Global map of enable farmers to use water more
irrigated areas version 3. University of Frankfurt and FAO; Thenkabail et al 2006. An Irrigated Area Map of the World (1999) derived from Remote efficiently and rice varieties that are
Sensing. Research Report 105. IWMI. Precipitation: Hijmans et al 2005. International Journal of Climatology 25:1965-1978; www.worldclim.org. more tolerant of drought—not only in
2
Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. 2007. Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Figure 1. The percentage of global crop land that is irrigated, and the distribution Africa, where irrigation is scarce, but
Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture. Earthscan and IWMI. www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment. of the world's irrigated crop land by annual rainfall. also in more heavily irrigated Asia.
U
been worried ever since severe in the use of resistant varieties in
strains vary from location to
nique to Africa, rice yellow RYMV epidemics broke out in complement with measures such as
location—proved a major challenge
mottle virus (RYMV) has West Africa—the main rice belt in direct sowing, removal of alternative
for scientists because a rice variety
become the continent’s most sub-Saharan Africa—in the 1990s, hosts on which virus populations
that is resistant in one location
rapidly spreading disease primarily because of the adoption of can survive during the off-season,
R. Raman
may be susceptible elsewhere.
of rice since it was first discovered intensive rice cultivation methods, and control of the insect vectors.
Over the past few years,
in Kenya in 1966. It has the potential including irrigation, monocropping, In response to strong demand
however, scientists have made
to devastate lowland and irrigated and high-yielding but highly from West African countries that
several important advances.
rice throughout Africa, contributing susceptible Asian rice varieties. were badly affected by the RYMV
A rapid tool for diagnosing 3-year project on marker-assisted been trained to use the laboratory
to food scarcity in areas where The disease is transmitted by epidemic, WARDA took the lead in
RYMV using antibodies (an immune selection (MAS) with support from equipment. To further increase the
rice is an important staple food. insect vectors, such as beetles and the mid-1990s to conduct research
response from animals and plants in the U.S. Agency for International biotechnology capacity of Africa,
“Unfortunately, all rice varieties grasshoppers, or mechanically on the disease on a regional basis,
response to virus particles) has been Development to train national staff students from Benin, Burkina
traditionally grown in irrigated through injury to plants during building on the RYMV resistance
developed and shared with project of four West African countries— Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Niger are
conditions and in lowland areas of hoe-weeding or transplanting in screening work of the International
partners. Several RYMV strains Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and The doing their Ph.D. studies on RYMV
Africa are susceptible to RYMV,” the presence of virus particles. Institute of Tropical Research.
were identified and characterized. Gambia—in the application of MAS under WARDA’s supervision.
says Africa Rice Center (WARDA) The symptoms of RYMV-affected As a result, a regional research
Rice varieties with resistance to techniques to transfer the gene with According to Marie-Noelle
plant pathologist Yacouba Séré. plants are stunted growth, mottled strategy to address RYMV was
RYMV have been identified and RYMV resistance to popular rice Ndjiondjop, WARDA molecular
“It is therefore a major threat to yellow leaves, reduced number developed and implemented with
sent to national partners for testing. varieties. (MAS involves linking a biologist, who is heading the project,
more than 3 million hectares of of tillers, and sterile grains. support from the UK Department for
Most importantly, a few sources of desired gene with a marker so that it this is the first time that national
rice in sub-Saharan Africa.” The best hope for significantly International Development, using
high resistance to RYMV, such as can easily be bred into a rice variety.) programs in the project countries
Gigante, a traditional low-yielding Thanks to this innovative have had access to laboratories
rice variety from Mozambique, and project, WARDA’s national partners equipped for this sort of science.
several indigenous African varieties are benefiting in several ways. The “The legacy of this project,”
have been identified. Resistant resistance gene rymv1 has been says Dr. Ndjiondjop, “will be
lines were obtained through successfully transferred into various the availability of laboratories
backcrossing, some of which have West African popular varieties furnished with the equipment
already been adopted by farmers. that were previously susceptible to necessary to apply molecular
As conventional breeding is RYMV and rice seeds bearing the biology techniques to rice breeding,
slow and lacks precision, WARDA rymv1 allele have been produced as well as trained national staff
scientists are working in close from the best lines. These seeds who can apply these techniques
partnership with advanced research have been multiplied to produce across many different crops.”
institutes to fast-track the process of enough seed for distribution to For the trainees—such as Ms.
developing RYMV-resistant varieties project countries for evaluation and Ken Bugul Jaiteh, research technician
using molecular biology techniques. use in national breeding programs. from the National Agricultural
One of its important partners in Perhaps most significantly, the Research Institute, The Gambia—the
this area is the Institut de recherche project has substantially boosted project has been valuable in building
pour le développement (IRD) in participating countries’ research national research capacity in
France, which has identified a gene, capacity. Eight scientists from biotechnology. This will help them
rymv1, that confers RYMV resistance the project countries underwent identify and adapt the technology to
and molecular markers associated intensive hands-on training in the their country’s needs and constraints.
with it. A marker is a segment of DNA use of molecular techniques in their The potential benefits of the
linked to an allele (a version of a gene) plant breeding programs. Functional project are expected to go far beyond
The reaction of different rice varieties to a
highly virulent form of RYMV collected at Parakou,
that controls an important trait and biotechnology laboratories have the four project countries to reach all
can easily be detected in the lab. been established in each of the four the African countries that grow rice
Yacouba SÉrÉ
T
number of varieties developed from jasmine and basmati rice, identify (FOOD-CT_2006-036220).
he publication in 2005 of protein, connect a glucose molecule of rice quality, an obvious application crosses with KDML105, and that had
the rice genome—the sum to a growing chain of starch, or join for metabolomics is to try to solve obtained the same fragrance gene, all
META-PHOR project
total of genetic information together to make the key aromatic some of the mysteries of aroma. Even contained less 2AP than KDML105. coordinator Robert Hall.
in the rice plant, encoded in compound in fragrant rice. These Westerners who don’t grow up eating Why is aroma best in KDML105?
its DNA—provided a huge boost to processes, which are regulated or rice can discriminate between the This is the sort of question,
genetic research. But, as we try to find carried out in families of reactions, taste of Thai jasmine and Indian/ lurking in the dark space between
genetic answers to questions such as involve tens of thousands of small Pakistani basmati rice. Asians who genes and taste, that perplexes
why one variety tastes delicious but chemicals and compounds known as eat rice from the moment they can breeders and cereal chemists,
another tastes mediocre, we fall into metabolites, many of which chemists manage solid food, on the other hand, and disappoints rice farmers, rice
that dark space between genotype have never seen. The detection, can discriminate between basmati consumers, and rice traders.
and phenotype—that is, the unknown identification, and quantification grown in the Punjab and basmati But are such questions still
processes at the subcellular level that of these small compounds are the grown 50 km away, and between unanswerable? Metabolomics
are regulated by the genes, and that elements of a new science called jasmine rice grown in different could be the torch that illuminates
lead to the end result that humans metabolomics. Some of the small regions of Thailand. Besides jasmine that darkness, thus enabling us to
can see, feel, and of course taste. compounds dissolve in solutions and and basmati, well-trained palates can find some of the compounds that
left that night en route to his first job increasing reports of civil unrest due
as assistant professor of agronomy to unaffordable or unavailable food,
and soil science at the University of makes the 32-year-old comments of
Dr. Moomaw—then director general
Hawaii. Hawaii in 1956 was not yet a of the Asian Vegetable Research and
[U.S.] state, but still a territory—and Development Center in Taiwan—eerily
that in itself was new territory for us. prescient.
J
Agricultural technology will continue to solve problems. But can it keep up? That
Washington State crutches—and he was my lab partner. years older!—who had impressed very excited. We packed up and is what Robert Chandler, first director of both IRRI and the Asian Vegetable Research
im was the grandson of a A year passed and we didn’t pay me was interested in me. We were traveled by ship on the USS Hoover and Development Center (AVRDC), and George Harrar, former president of the Rockefeller
very famous pioneer in the much attention to each other. Then married almost immediately (within from Honolulu to Yokohama [Japan] Foundation), have been asking for 25 years. People cannot average their appetites—if your
field of soil science, Dr. Curtis he visited me in the summer of 1955, 6 months). He finished his very and Hong Kong prior to docking in technology fails for whatever reason at just one time, you have disaster on your hands.
The areas of the world where the threat of future hunger runs highest, I believe, are
Fletcher Marbut, who did when I was working at Yellowstone long research project, a study of Manila. We spent several weeks in the high-density, low-income nations, with relatively limited resources on a per capita
quality international work in National Park during a break from grazing and burning of pastures in the Manila Hotel while waiting for basis. India, Indonesia, and mainland China all face difficulties. Although there has been
South America, the Soviet Union, and my graduate studies. Suddenly, I the Columbia Basin Region; I did a our house to be finished and our less starvation, proportionately and in absolute terms, in this century than the last, it
Africa, as well as in the United States. household effects to be cleared. is possible that, with enough bad luck and bad planning, there could be as much by the
This was always on Jim’s mind and That was the beginning of some end of the century, or more.
it honed his interest in doing similar very exciting times for us. Since I Go to www.irri.org/publications/today/Pioneer_Interviews.asp for more observations on a variety of
research. Jim grew up on the Branch had already circumnavigated the topics by Dr. Moomaw, then AVRDC director general, excerpted from a 1976 interview conducted by
Experiment Station in Dickinson, globe with Jim (East Africa, Delhi, journalist Nick Eberstadt.
North Dakota, where his father, Calcutta, Bangkok, Hong Kong,
Leroy Moomaw [also an agronomist and Tokyo during a Fulbright year
and noted for his work with crested to and from Kenya), I was not so There were very few Americans me or for any of the American
wheat grass], was superintendent shocked by the poverty we saw in the at IRRI in the beginning, but there women [who came to IRRI with
for many years. Jim had a degree in Philippines when we first arrived. were many other nationalities and their husbands in those days].
botany (ecology), with a particular As a child, rice certainly was they were also excited to be a part
interest in applied agronomy not something that I ever thought of this new venture. However, in Going to Ceylon
involving soils, pastures, and grasses. of. My mother would serve it to me some respects, the women [spouses] [In 1967] IRRI received a grant
I met Jim at Washington State with cinnamon and sugar—rice with whom I interacted were often from the Ford Foundation for rice
University—Washington State College pudding. Now, thanks to IRRI, we quite lost and lonesome without research in Ceylon (today’s Sri Lanka)
in those days—in a class on soil think of it in an entirely different the extended families they were and Bob Chandler offered Jim the
microbiology. We were both graduate way. I’m very snooty about rice, accustomed to. The Chinese, the opportunity to lead the project. [At
students, but he had been there even today you see. I don’t want Ceylonese [Sri Lankan], the Indians first] I didn’t want to go. We had four
Gene Hettel
several years before I met him during to buy that old stock that’s in the came from cultures in which they little boys (ages 7, 5, 2 and a half, and
the 1954 fall [autumn] semester. market. I know some good Asian rice had strong support systems. Coming 1+) and I couldn’t see myself coping
He had come back from Alaska on Mrs. Moomaw wilhelm stands in front of IRRI’s long-term continuous cropping experiment, which her late stores in Dallas and New York and [to IRRI] was a much greater and I was worried about obtaining
crutches because he had “chopped” husband started in 1963. Currently in its 132nd crop, it is the most intensively cultivated experimental site where I live now [in Oklahoma]. sacrifice for them than it was for potable water, milk, good food, and
in Asia, and has provided important data on the effects of such a cropping system.
the wrong limb! He made an
Alvin W. Regier
from the mountains and hills. If upland diversity. A free pdf version is available at to provide a common platform for sharing
So, I really hadn’t come out of it until forests are denuded or thinned for any http://tinyurl.com/2waduw. knowledge and expertise on research,
I met Frank at Winrock. Finally, I reason—natural or human-induced, legal extension, production, processing, trade,
Carolyn with her brood (from left, Bill, Charlie, Martin, and John) in front of their house at IRRI on could say I’m still alive; I’m still here. or illegal—the water is not captured as Global rice and consumption, and related activities with all
22 January 1967. Later that year, they joined Jim in Ceylon as IRRI’s first outposted family. groundwater and may be lost to agriculture. agricultural trade stakeholders of rice. The knowledge base in
Dirty boots and rice widows This book explores these and many other liberalisation: this book will help meet the challenge of
Bob and Sunny Chandler were more complex interrelationships among the poverty producing more rice with greater efficiency
other basic necessities. In the end, Together with the resident Nigerian incredible people—inspiring, three systems from the viewpoints of those and welfare and profitability in a changing global
I agreed to go and we were quite a rice breeder, he developed the energetic, devoted, and generous. involved in the separate disciplines and from implications for environment.
an interdisciplinary stance. Implications South Asia
unit going into the IRRI program rice program and then became Bob had very little patience for trivia,
for policymakers are suggested. The book is Edited by M.A. Improving agricultural productivity in rice-
at Kandy [south-central Ceylon]. the farming systems leader. This however. He wanted everybody—all
available at the Asia Rice Foundation, College Razzaque and based systems of the High Barind Tract of
Most of the time, Jim was broadened his scope a lot to include the scientists—to get their boots 4031, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, phone E. Laurent; Bangladesh
in the field. He was all over that economics and soil and water dirty right away, be out in the field. +63 (49) 536-2285, asia_rice@agri.searca. published by the Edited by C.R. Riches, D. Harris, D.E. Johnson, &
island. He was so motivated to see management. Some of the people In fact, the story was he would go org. Commonwealth B. Hardy; published by IRRI; 215 pages; $16.
everything and to get as many rice
plots established as possible. He
whom he hired in the department
were just very, very good and very
around and look at the boots. If a
staff member hadn’t been in the field Rice black bugs:
Secretariat; 223
pages; £20 ($40). T he High Barind Tract of northwest
Bangladesh is
worked all the time and so I had my
own responsibilities taking care of
motivated—including Eugene
Terry [a future director general of
that day, there were questions. Of
course, Jim had no problem with that.
taxonomy, ecology,
and management of
invasive species
R ice has long been one of the protected
commodities in world trade. Now,
the probable significant liberalization of
an area of low and
erratic rainfall with
limited irrigation
four sons. All of a sudden, we were WARDA, the Africa Rice Center, Agronomy is the field. We admired
the only ones [IRRI people in Ceylon 1987-96]. It was a big department both of them greatly and I learned Edited by R.C. Joshi, trade in rice is likely to have huge welfare potential. Research
A.T. Barrion, and L.S. implications for many countries dependent described in this
and almost the only Americans!] with respected Nigerian staff too. so much from Sunny. Apart from
Sebastian; published on its production and trade, particularly book has led to
and so everybody who was coming Then, Jim was offered the my mother, she had more influence those in South Asia. This book explores
by PhilRice; 800 cost-effective ways
through, of course, either stayed outreach director position. He on me as a developing, maturing pages; Philippines the poverty and welfare implications of of increasing the
with us or we entertained them. accepted and traveled all over young woman than anyone else in P2,500, developed this liberalization for India, Bangladesh, productivity of both
That was really fun for me. It was a Africa putting in programs. I don’t my life and that holds true today. countries $102, developing countries $52. Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and identifies the rice and winter
very, very nice 2 years that we spent
there. It wasn’t easy, but it was nice.
think he ever got to South Africa;
he traveled mostly in the middle
part of Africa. It was dangerous in
Yes, we [the spouses of the
early IRRI international staff] were
rice widows. I think Bob Chandler
T his book includes ecologically sound
management approaches to rice black
bug (RBB) outbreaks, country reports of RBB
effects on different groups within poor rice-
dependent developing countries. For more
information: Commonwealth Secretariat,
rabi crops in the
Barind. The improved
practices that have been validated by farmers
Into Africa many respects, mostly traveling in actually coined that phrase. And invasions, and clarifications of confusing RBB Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London SW1Y are knowledge-intensive. The challenge
After Ceylon, I was disappointed that a small plane. It was very nerve- that’s what we called ourselves. taxonomy. This reference manual reinterprets 5HX, UK; phone +44 (0)20 7747-6342; fax now is to make this information widely
we didn’t come back to IRRI. I wanted racking for me. Internal travel while He was an empathetic man and old problems and introduces new ecological +44 (0)20 7839-9081; email publications@ available to farmers in the Barind so that the
techniques for RBB management. The book commonwealth.int; www.thecommonwealth. reliability and productivity of agriculture in
to come back. I wasn’t all that keen on we were in Nigeria was really very recognized our plight, but IRRI
comes with a searchable DVD containing more org/publications. Available in the USA from this marginal cropping area, as well as food
going to Africa. We had arm-twisting difficult because the roads were scientists, often away from home for Stylus Publishing LLC, PO Box 605, Herndon,
than 300 articles on RBB from experts around security and income from agriculture, can be
sessions in New York with [Richard] so bad. So, I didn’t get to do very long periods, had a job to do and we the world, dating from as far back as 1864 up VA 20172-0605, USA; increased. The book discusses the application
Bradfield [IRRI agronomist, 1963-71] much traveling in Africa myself. appreciated and supported that. to 2006. Orders: email phone +1-703-661- of validated technologies to the High Barind
and the Rockefeller people who talked prri@philrice.gov.ph 1581 or 1-800- 232- Tract and similar drought-prone environments
us into the job. We knew that it was Still alive Go to www.irri.org/publications/today/ or visit http://tinyurl. 0223; fax +1-703- in Bangladesh and identifies opportunities
important. We knew that this new Without Frank Byrnes [IRRI’s first Pioneer_Interviews.asp to read the full com/2su32m. 661-1501; email and requirements for enhancing the scaling-
institution [the International Institute communications specialist, 1963-67], transcript of the Carolyn Moomaw interview styluspub@aol.com; up of these technologies in extension
of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)] I would have lost contact with the in which she discusses more of her family’s Descriptors for wild www.styluspub.com. programs.
needed what Jim could offer, and in international life after Jim died [of a life at IRRI headquarters and in Ceylon, and cultivated rice
the end we decided that we would do brain tumor at the age of 55 in New gives her no-nonsense impressions of (Oryza spp.) Science, technology, To order IRRI-published books, visit www.irri.org/
Published by Bioversity and trade for peace publications/catalog/index.asp#order. You can also
it and we went to Nigeria [in 1970]. York] in 1983. He’s the one that made other pioneer IRRI staff and their families,
International with and prosperity: find, read, and order all IRRI books at Google Book
Jim enjoyed IITA. He first a real effort to keep me informed and describes how attitudes in Asia
Proceedings of
the International Rice Search (http://books.irri.org).
went there as the rice specialist. of what was going on at IRRI. His and Africa are completely different.
I
were hazardous, they often lacked 0.6
n the late 1960s, newly developed, production, and encourage safer pesticide smuggling. In addition, the knowledge of proper pesticide 2.0
high-yielding rice varieties pesticide management practices FPA allowed the use of legal generic- management. As part of the PPP,
1.5 0.4
launched the Asian Green (these initiatives are collectively brand pesticides, resulting in lower the FPA thus encouraged pesticide
Revolution, which rapidly pushed referred to here as the 1992-96 costs that reduced the attraction companies to improve their safety 1.0
up yields and allowed rice production pesticide policy package, or PPP). of cheap, but illegal, pesticides. information and implemented a 0.2
to keep pace with population growth. However, even with the best In the 2007 survey, 93% of hazard awareness campaign aimed 0.5
In the Philippines, as in many political will, getting millions of the farmers said they could no at teaching rural health officers
other countries, widespread use of farmers in a developing country to longer find the banned chemicals to recognize and treat pesticide 0.0 0.0
1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1988 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006
pesticides expanded in step with adopt new regulations is difficult. in the marketplace, and 90% said poisoning cases. Dealers, farmers, Year
the new varieties. This was largely To determine whether or not the they no longer use the banned and Department of Agriculture field Trends in pesticide use and frequency of application, Central Luzon (1966-2000), Laguna (1966-2000), and
due to concerns that crop losses regulatory policy changes made pesticides. Further, more than personnel were trained in the safe Nueva Ecija (1979-2006).
from pest infestation would negate a real difference on farms, IRRI 99% of the chemicals being used handling of pesticides, and their
the benefits of planting modern conducted a survey of rice farmers by the respondents were registered judicious use was promoted through a
rice varieties. Even the release of in 2007 in Quezon, Nueva Ecija, and for use in rice production in the mass media campaign and integrated due to, pesticide poisoning before Therefore, some of the fall in quantity
pest-resistant varieties did little to Laguna provinces. The survey results Philippines, even though 29% of the pest management workshops. and after the introduction of the PPP of pesticides used and number of
curb the growing use of pesticide were compared with corresponding respondents said that they would Data collected before and after (Table 2). These data are not directly applications can be attributed to
during the 1970s and into the 1980s. data collected in 1989-91 surveys still use the banned pesticides if they the PPP show significant increases comparable because the number of the PPP-induced price increase. The
Indeed, the Philippine government undertaken before the policy changes were available despite recognizing in the number of farmers following regions covered in each study varies; 2007 IRRI surveys showed that, on
at the time promoted the wide and as part of IRRI-led research on the health and safety issues. recommended pesticide safety however, the incidence rates (the average, farmers in 2004 used one-
intensive use of agro-chemicals types and quantities of pesticide In sum, the survey results measures (Table 1). For example, in number of poisonings per 100,000 fifth the amount of pesticide they
among small farmers from 1973 to used, pesticide application and indicated that the FPA has largely 1988-89, only 2% of the farmers in people) fell from 3.27 in 1982-85 to used in 1991. Over the same period,
1986 under the Masagana 99 scheme. storage practices, incidence of been successful in promoting the Laguna and Nueva Ecija wore both 1.08 for the 5-year period 1991-95. frequency of sprays fell from around
By the 1980s, it was clear that farmer poisonings, and the overall use of less toxic pesticides. Of the long sleeves and long pants when Further, from the late 1980s to 2007, two applications per season to 1.4.
indiscriminate use of pesticides could effects of pesticide use on the registered alternatives now available, spraying, compared with 85% in the percentage of farmers reporting The success of the PPP offers a
exacerbate, rather than alleviate, health of Philippine rice farmers. 61% are classified as Category II 2006. In 1988-89, 61% of the farmers pesticide illness fell by almost half. good example of the value of high-
pest problems. In addition, there was The primary policy advice arising (moderately hazardous), 28% as avoided smoking while spraying Although the aim of the 1992- quality, independent agricultural
growing evidence of the ill effects of from this research was to restrict and 63% avoided spraying into the 96 PPP was to bring about a change research. By contributing to the body
the injudicious use of toxic pesticides the use of hazardous pesticides Table 1. Pesticide management and safety prac- wind; by 2007, more than 90% of in the type of pesticide used (from of research on the health effects of
on both the environment and by imposing and implementing tices (% of farmers), Nueva Ecija, 1991 and 2006. the farmers had adopted these safety more hazardous to less hazardous) pesticide use, IRRI played a role
human health. Moreover, research bans on those pesticides that Nueva Ecija practices. The number of farmers and pesticide management (toward in bringing about policy changes
Preventive/safety measures
undertaken by the International Rice pose acute or chronic health (% of farmers reporting) who wash immediately after using safer application and storage that drove a reduction in the use
Research Institute (IRRI) showed effects or adversely affect the pesticides rose from 6% at the end methods) rather than the quantity of hazardous pesticides, improved
1991 2006
that farmers’ private health costs environment—a recommendation of the 1980s to 86% in 2006. used, the changes in quantity awareness of and adherence to
were greater than any economic that was reflected in the PPP. Avoid smoking while spraying 61 92 and number of applications are their safe use, and reduced the
benefits gained from using pesticides Avoid spraying into the wind 63 94 Pesticide poisoning of interest for two reasons. incidence of pesticide poisoning.
Avoid spraying when very hot 72 92
without appropriate health, safety, Changes in types of pesticide used (before 8:30 a.m.) Unsafe pesticide application, First, they provide a measure of The PPP also had an indirect role
and environmental knowledge Prior to the PPP, Philippine rice Eat or drink before spraying 9 78 storage, and disposal practices all changes in pesticide exposure not in reducing the overall amount and
and the attendant precautions. farmers commonly used pesticide Wash immediately after spraying 6 86 contribute to pesticide poisoning. necessarily due to the policy change. frequency of pesticide use. Thus,
Wash sprayer after use 83 84
In response, and in keeping classified as World Health Wash-water not thrown in 17 64 Sadly, however, the majority of As can be seen from figure above, the the PPP contributed substantially
with international protocols, the Organization (WHO) Hazard Class irrigation canal recorded cases are intentional. Of amount of pesticide used began to to an improvement in Filipino
government under President Fidel I (highly or extremely hazardous) Recap bottle after use 83 86 the 4,031 acute pesticide poisonings drop before the PPP was introduced. farmers’ health and well-being, and
Do not recycle empty bottles 17 34
Ramos (1992-98), through the and II (moderately hazardous). reported by government hospitals This drop may have continued, produced very large benefits in terms
Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority On 1 June 1994, the FPA banned from 1980 to 1987, 603 cases albeit at a slower rate, even if the of private health costs avoided.
Table 2. Deaths due to pesticide poisoning.
(FPA), instigated a new suite or restricted the use of all Class I resulted in deaths, and almost PPP had not been implemented.
of pesticide regulatory policies and some Class II pesticides. Despite 1982-85 1991-95 2000-01 two-thirds of these were suicides. Second, because the more Nelissa Jamora is an agricultural
and implementing guidelines. this, importation and use of banned A series of three studies led by hazardous pesticides are cheaper than economist in IRRI’s Social Sciences
Cases Deaths Cases Deaths Cases Deaths
These aimed to ban or restrict or restricted pesticides continued for the Philippine Department of Health their less hazardous counterparts, Division (SSD). Debbie Templeton
the use of commonly used but a number of years. In response, an 1,704 332 336 63 327 18 (DOH) showed a clear drop in both the PPP bans indirectly raised worked as an Impact Assessment
highly toxic pesticides in rice task force was formed to minimize the number of cases of, and deaths the cost of chemical pest control. Specialist in SSD from 2005 to 2008.
The revolution
by Kei Kajisa
keeps rolling
I
t has been well documented that the Asian Green School enrollment rates (%) by age group and average annual rainfall in Tamil
Revolution (GR), which began in the 1960s with the Nadu, India.
introduction of modern, high-yielding rice varieties, Middle Secondary Higher secondary
has contributed to poverty alleviation by reducing the real school school school
rice price on the world market by more than half without Years (11–14 years) (15–16 years) (17–18 years)
depleting producers’ profit. The poorest of the poor, such as High-rainfall Low-rainfall High-rainfall Low-rainfall High-rainfall Low-rainfall
urban laborers and rural landless and marginal farmers,
have benefited most from this price reduction because they 1993-1994 77 70 58 57 32 30
1999-2000 83 64 76 65 54 46
are net buyers who spend a large portion of their income
on staples. Source: Cost of Cultivation of Principal Crops, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.
Notes: The figures for primary-school age groups are not shown as universal primary education had been
An emerging consensus from recent research is that almost achieved in Tamil Nadu by the early 1990s. High-rainfall group: villages with annual rainfall greater than
the mean. Low-rainfall group: villages with annual rainfall less than the mean.
the GR had an impact on not only the generation of farmers
who directly benefited but also on multiple succeeding
generations. It has become clear that the GR produced long- However, there are concerns that such GR-led educational
term benefits much greater than those mentioned above, progress makes farm families in favorable areas wealthier,
including a reduction in childhood malnutrition, which but leaves the poor in unfavorable areas behind. Nevertheless,
affects people for their entire life and is thus considered the Tamil Nadu data, which also show that the income gap
more serious than adult malnutrition (also see Do rice prices between the high- and low-rainfall areas has narrowed,
affect malnutrition in the poor? on page 37 of Rice Today contradict this. What is happening?
Vol. 5, No. 3). The increase in nonfar m job
Another less-recognized benefit is opportunities in unfavorable farming
improved children’s education. Several The Green Revolution areas is also a key to income growth, given
recent studies, including one by the the disadvantages of farming such land.
International Rice Research Institute In particular, the expansion of unskilled
(IRRI),1 reveal that the GR vigorously
has produced or semiskilled job opportunities (jobs
enhanced schooling investments for in household goods factories or in
children—often considered a luxury long-term benefits the rural service sector, for example)
many poor cannot afford. Agricultural is important for the uneducated in
development catalyzed by the GR led unfavorable areas. And, to this end,
to an initial growth in farm income, much greater than there is evidence that the GR-driven
which accelerated parents’ schooling development of the agricultural sector
investments for their children, resulting contributes through increased demand
in further income growth via educated
previously thought for nonfarm products and services in
children’s participation in the relatively rural areas. Indeed, nonfarm industries
lucrative nonfarm sector. Thus, the GR contributed to faster are often established in agriculturally unfavorable areas a
poverty alleviation for the children of GR farmers. moderate distance from urban centers, where they can take
The Indian state of Tamil Nadu offers an example advantage of lower wage rates without losing their access to
of how the GR has increased schooling investment. For markets. Thus, the GR has had an indirect positive effect on
farmers in many parts of the state, farming depends on income growth in unfavorable areas.
rainfall-supplemented irrigation systems or direct rainfall. The link from the GR to the development of the nonfarm
Therefore, the GR increased farm income the most in areas sector and then to income growth in unfavorable areas
that received sufficient rainfall. The table (above right) shows therefore provides another example of a long-term indirect
that, as expected, areas with higher average rainfall (thus, impact. More research is required to confirm this link, but,
higher farm income) have achieved faster growth in school if confirmed, the long-term benefits of the GR would be
enrollment rates. boosted even further.
1
Keijiro Otsuka, Jonna P. Estudillo, and Yasuyuki Sawada, editors. Forthcoming. Dr. Kajisa is an agricultural economist in IRRI’s Social Sciences
Rural Poverty and Income Dynamics in Asia and Africa. Abingdon (UK): Routledge. Division.