ripple jan mar 2009
TRANSCRIPT
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ripple s oducd by th igatd rc rsach Consotum (irrC) wth suot fom th Swss Agncy fo DvomnCooaton (SDC). Th irrC omots ntnatona nks among scntsts, manags, communcatos, and fams n owgatd c nvonmnts.
April 2006, Vl. 1, N. 2
www.irri.org/irrc/
Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Rice Research forIntensied Production and Prosperity in Lowland Ecosystems
January-March 2009, Vol. 4, No. 1
International Rice Research Institute
SDC funds Phase 4
of the IRRC
In this issue
Ripples of change ..........3Intensifying rice and maize
production in BangladeshDriving the vehicle of
changeIRRC produces video
on mongaWaves of action..................6IRRI-ACIAR Sulawesi
project moves aheadSnapshots of 2008Water saving benefts An
Giang and beyond
Profiles .......................................9Dr. Savarys prescription for
crop healthSri Lankas champion in
overcoming weedy rice
Publications & upcomingevents ...................................11
More generations of rice consumers have more reasons to smile as the IRRCs fourth phase begins thisJanuary 2009. (Photo by T. Mendoza)
The Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) approved a
credit proposal in October 2008 for
funding Phase 4 of the Irrigated Rice Re-
search Consortium (IRRC). Phase 4 be-
gins in January and will end in December
2012. The SDC will provide US$3.9 mil-
lion for the IRRC to act as an innovation
> continued on page 2
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platform for improved pro-
ductivity of lowland irrigated
rice. Complementary funding
of specic work groups will
be provided by the Asian
Development Bank; a con-sortium of the International
Fertilizer Industry Associa-
tion, the Internat ional Plant
Nutrition Institute, and the
International Potash Institute;
and the UK Department for
International Development.
The coordination unit of the
IRRC also has funding from
the Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Re-
search for adaptive research
on integrating IRRC tech-nologies in eastern Indonesia.
The vision of the IRRC
Phase 4 is to provide a plat-
form of technologies readily
available to a regional com-
munity of users in Asia to en-
able them to access options to
improve their livelihoods and
obtain the increases in rice
production required to main-
tain food security in Asia.
A key priority in Phase
4 will be the development
of a series of innovation
platforms that each cover
at least 10,000 hectares and
will be linked to national
priorities. These platforms
will facilitate the diffusion of
technologies at the district,
provincial, and national levels
and will be structured around
action research. The aim is
to stimulate the engagement
of policy advisers, farmersand farmer groups, non-
government organizations
(NGOs), the private sector,
and teaching institutions.
In line with the recom-
mendations of the external
review panel of Phase 3, the
IRRC Phase 4 will con-
solidate its activities at fewer
sites. The emphasis will be
in Southeast Asia. However,
activities in South Asia and
the Peoples Republic of
China that are at an exciting
stage will continue, such as
direct-seeded rice and alter-
nate wetting and drying in
Bangladesh. We will have an
increased emphasis on scaling
up (inuencing policy) and
scaling out (wider dissemina-
tion of technologies to end
users). We will also place
strong emphasis on strength-
ening the capacity of national
extension systems, NGOs, and
public-private sector partner-
ships that are pro-poor.
Five work groupsin Phase 4Five work groups
(WG) will constitute
Phase 4 of the IRRC:
(i) Productivity and
Sustainability WG: with a
focus on improved nutri-
ent and crop management
practices at the eld and farm
level for increased prot-
ability in rice farming.
(ii) Water-Saving
WG: with a focus on in-
creased productivity under
water-scarce conditions.
(iii) Labor Productivity
and Community Ecology WG:
with a focus on improving la-
bor productivity, including ef-
fective community action for
managing weeds and rodents.
(iv) Postproduction WG:
with a focus on improving
postproduction techniques
and access of farmers to
market information on rice.
(v) Crop Health WG:
with a focus on crop pro-
duction management (e.g.,
crop rotation and fallowmanagement) and host-plant
resistance for managing
insect pests and diseases.
Phase 4 of the IRRC will
hit the road running with
planning and implementa-
tion workshops in Thailand
and Myanmar in January and
in Vietnam in February. We
look forward to an excit-
ing 4 years ahead that will
build on the strong partner-
SDC funds Phase 4...from page 1
ships and advances obtained
over the past 4 years.
I take this opportunity
to thank the members of the
IRRC Steering Committee
for their excellent support
and contributions during
Phase 3. I also express my
deepest appreciation for the
efforts and commitment of
the many national mem-
bers of the IRRC who have
made the consortium such
a success over the past 4
years. It is youthe scien-
tists, extension staff, private
sector partners, and policy
specialistswho make thissuch a dynamic consortium
across 11 countries in Asia.
We look forward to your
continued and strengthened
participation dur ing 2009-12!
On behalf of the IRRC
management team here at
IRRI, I wish everyone a
successful and joyous 2009.
Grant [email protected]
DRY AND PAINLESS. Innovative farmersprevent backache by sitting in basinswhile pulling seedlings for transplant-ing in Bone, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.(Photo by D. Casimero)
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W
hile getting maize
and rice to the
dining table has
never been easy, it is muchharder nowadays as farm-
ers face more challenges to
produce these basic commodi-
ties. Prices of fertilizer have
reached an all-time high, wa-
ter supply is dwindling, and
soil has become less and less
fertile from decades of use.
These are some of the
reasons for holding the
workshop titled Sustainable
intensication of rice-maize
systems in Bangladesh, jointlyorganized by the International
Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), the International
Maize and Wheat Improve-
ment Center (CIMMYT), and
the Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute (BRRI) on 9-10
November 2008 at BRRI in
Gazipur.
The joint project, led by
IRRI-CIMMYT scientist Dr.
Jagadish Timsina, will be
supported by the Australian
Centre for International Ag-
ricultural Research (ACIAR)
for 5 years. Multiple partner-
ships will be built for stra-
tegic and adaptive research
and technology transfer on
rice-maize systems in four
districts in Bangladesh.
The national partners in
the project include govern-
ment organizations (GOs)
such as BRRI, the Bangla-desh Agricultural Research
Institute (BARI), and the
Bangladesh Academy for
Rural Development and
nongovernment organiza-
tions (NGOs) such as the
Bangladesh Rural Advance-
ment Committee (BRAC)
and the Rangpur-Dinajpur
Rural Services (RDRS).
The workshop was
ofcially launched by Mr.
M. Abdul Aziz, secretary
of the Ministry of Agri-
culture. He highlighted the
relevance of the project in
Bangladesh, and thanked
ACIAR for funding support
and all international and
national partners for team-
ing up to achieve the food
security goal of the country.
Dr. Zainul Abedin, IRRI
representative for Bangla-
desh, welcomed the par-
ticipants in the workshop.
Dr. Achim Dobermann,IRRI deputy director general
for research, and Dr. John
Dixon, director of the Impact
Assessment and Targeting
Unit of CIMMYT, delivered
their messages by video.
Other key speakers dur-
ing the opening session were
Mr. M. Harun-ur-Rashid,
chairman of the Bangla-
desh Agricultural Research
Council and director general
of BARI; Dr. M. Nur-E-Elahi,
BRRI director general; Dr.
M. Hossain, BRAC execu-
tive director; Dr. Ken Sayre,
CIMMYT agronomist for
South and Central Asia;
and Dr. Paul Fox, research
program manager of the Crop
Improvement and Manage-
ment Program of ACIAR. Dr.
Hamid Miah, IRRI liaison
scientist for Bangladesh, of-
fered thanks to all concerned.
The technical sessions
covered various papers relatedto project objectives on con-
servation agriculture, site-
specic nutrient management,
development and evaluation
of excess-moisture-tolerant
maize hybrids, and methods
of socioeconomic studies.
Later, project participants
discussed the objectives and
activities of the project and
the expected outputs, rened
the milestones, and prepared
a detailed work plan for
each objective. The project,
emphasizing both research
and technology delivery and
impact, is considered unique
as it is jointly managed by
IRRI and CIMMYT with di-
verse partnerships from GOs
and NGOs in Bangladesh.
Given the problems
that modern agriculture
faces, intensifying rice and
maize production is one
way to keep up with the
ever-growing demand in theworld market. Intensifying
production means imple-
menting sustainable ways
of growing more rice and
maize using less inputs such
as fertilizer and pesticides.
With the right people
and organizations, Bangla-
deshi farmers and consum-
ers are in for better times.
Carlito [email protected]
and Lorelei de la Cruz
Intensifying rice and maize productionin Bangladesh
Ripples of Change
NO MORE HUNGER. Food security in tight times can be achieved by integrated efforts to intensifyproduction. (Photo by G. Singleton)
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Driving the vehicle of changeposthavst tanng n lao pDr
T
he main crop of
the Lao Peoples
Democratic Republic(PDR) is rice, grown on
the fertile oodplain of
the Mekong River. About
80% of the countrys arable
land is devoted to rice
farming. But, despite this
dependence on rice, the level
of mechanization in rice
farming and postharvest
activities in Lao PDR is
still low, and manual power
dominates farm operations.
Furthermore, tractors,harvesters, and mechanical
dryers are not efciently used
and maintained by research
centers and farmer groups.
Training for progressThus, postharvest train-
ing was held at the Thasano
Crop Multiplication Research
Center, Savannakhet Prov-
ince, on 27-31 October 2008,
to create awareness on the
effective use of agricultural
machinery and improved
postharvest management
options. Organized by the
countrys National Rice
Research Program, the train-
ing also brought together
farmer groups, research-
ers, and private sector
staff to discuss postharvest
issues and how they can
improve rice productivity.
A team from Vietnams
Nong Lam University (NLU)
and the Center for Agricul-
tural Energy and Machinery
conducted the 5-day training
course for 19 participants
from Vientiane, Savannakhet,
and Champasak provinces.
Day 1On the rst day, Dr.
Tran Van Khanh from NLU
introduced the principleson operating and maintain-
ing the tractor and agri-
cultural machinery such
as moldboard plows, disk
plows, disk harrows, rotary
tillers, seeders, and spray-
ers. Participants were also
taught how to operate and
adjust some components of a
Chinese tractor, rotary tiller,
and 3- and 7-disk plows.
Day 2Harvesting methods and
operation and maintenance of
mini combine harvesters were
introduced on the second day.
Participants practiced driving
the harvester around the yard.
Day 3It was an all-day
hands-on training on the
third day, with participants
driving the mini combineharvester in the eld and
practicing on harvesting
and measuring losses.
Day 4The fourth day mostly
focused on drying, introduc-
ing the main components of,
and showing how to adjust
and operate a at-bed dryer.
Participants were also intro-
duced to the advantages of
the laser-controlled levelingmachine, calculating earth-
work quantity, estimating
operating time, and operat-
ing the machine itself.
Day 5Participants continued
testing the at-bed dryer and
tried using the laser-leveling
machine on the last day. The
day ended with a wrap-up
of the training course.
Participants found the
training useful since most
of them were dealing with
postharvest issues for the
rst time. They expressed
their gratitude to the National
Agriculture and Forestry
Research Institute for
providing training on rice
postharvest management
systems. The farmers
group specically wantedto buy some parts of the
dryer because they would
like to modify the dryer
and replace some parts with
materials they can nd in
their own communities.
They saw the benets tha
can be derived from using a
combine harvester, which,
at a capital cost of US$5,000
(including shipping cost
from Vietnam), can greatlyreduce the need for farm
labor. A combine harvester
can harvest 1 hectare in
1 day, while it takes 15
people to do the same job
manually. The farmers said
that competition for labor has
been stiff, with neighboring
country Thailand offering a
higher rate of $56 per day
during harvesting. This has
made Lao PDRs postharvest
operations more expensive,
with the current daily rate for
farm labor pegged at $34.
An evaluation revealed
that the participants improved
their postharvest capacities
as compared with their
background knowledge
LEFT TO RIGHT: Trainees get hands-on training on the operation and maintenance of the Chinese tractor JINMA-404; learn how to adjust a 3-diskplow; listen to a lecture on the mini combine harvester; and practice driving the harvester in the yard.
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at the start of the training
course. Follow-up activities
include setting up an
initially informal national
postharvest network.
By Trina Mendoza with reportsand photos from Khamouane
Khamphoukeo, Tran Van Khanh,Nguyen Thanh Nghi, Nguyen
Duc Canh, and Martin Gummert LEFT TO RIGHT: The trainees practice driving the mini combine harvester in the eld, familiarize themselveswith the valve for adjusting the hydraulic oil pressure of the harvester; and practice operating and adjustingthe at-bed dryer.
In Bangladesh, lifefor the rural poor is
hard enough at any
time. Thirty million
people suffer from hunger
each year. But life gets
harder in the north from
September to November,
when the hunger
months ormonga occur.
Monga affects many poor
people in ve districts
in the north, most of
whom rely on farm work.
Although there is food in
the market, many cannot
afford to buy because
they do not have enough
money. Many are jobless,
waiting for the harvest
of their transplanted
rice crop in December.
The Irrigated Rice Re-
search Consortium (IRRC)
aimed to capture the hard-
ships of people during mongaand the actions being taken by
partners to help alleviate the
seasonal food crisis through
a short video documentary.
Farmers were inter-
viewed, revealing the tri-
als they face and the many
ways they try to cope with
monga by pulling rick-
shaws; selling livestock,
poultry, logs and bananas;
and sewing garments.
The video highlights the
initiatives of a local alliance
called the Northwest Area
Focal Forum, comprising
government institutions andnongovernment organiza-
tions, including, among
others, RDRS, Intercoopera-
tion, GAUS, and Solidarity.
Together with the IRRC based
at the International Rice
Research Institute and the
Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute (BRRI), they are
promoting earlier harvests
through the use of shorter
duration rice varieties com-
bined with direct seeding
and weed control options.
In direct seeding, rice
seeds are sown directly
into an unooded eld. Theseeds can be sown dry or as
wet pregerminated seeds.
Sowing dry seeds using a
hand-drawn tool called a
lithao is becoming popular
with farmers in areas where
it is being tested. Another
option presented to farm-
ers is to sow wet germinated
seeds using a drum seeder,
which needs 5060% less
rice seed than broadcasting.
IRRC produces video on monga
Farmersshared their suc-
cess stories, telling
how their families
lives are slowly
getting better
because of direct
seeding and shorter
duration varieties.
The video
footage was shot
in October 2007
during the monga
season and in
July 2008 during
the transplanting
period. Voice nar-
ration in Bengali
and Hindi will be
recorded early this
year to reach wider
Modern media such as video can potentially reach millions of people worldwide, andmake a difference in the lives of Bangladeshs rural poor. (Photo by T. Mendoza)
audiences. It is hoped that,
with this video, more people
will be aware of this seasonal
phenomenon, and more im-
portantly, they will appreciatehow technologies are help-
ing families overcome it.
Watch out for the video soon on
YouTube. For more on monga, read
RIPPLE Vol. 2, No. 4 (October-
December 2007), Vol. 3, No. 1 (Jan
uary-March 2008), and Rice Today
Vol. 7, No. 2 (April-June 2008).
Story and photo by Trina [email protected]
Driving the vehicle...from page 4
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IRRC-ACIAR Sulawesi project moves ahead
Barely a month after
the project launch in
October, Irrigated
Rice Research Consortium
(IRRC) researchers returned
to South and SoutheastSulawesi on 10-22 November
2008 to continue work on
raising rice productivity in
the two provinces. South
Sulawesi is the fourth largest
rice-producing province in
Indonesia, while Southeast
Sulawesi is seen as a
province with signicant
potential for expansion.
The Indonesian government
aims to improve rice
productivity in these areasto help reach the countrys
target increase of 5% per
year from 2007 to 2010.
To get an understanding
of how technologies are
communicated from
research to farmers, IRRC
communication specialist
Trina Mendoza met with the
directors, vice-directors,
and extension staff of the
Indonesian Center for
Rice Research (ICRR) in
Sukamandi, the Institute
Center for Agriculture
Technology Assessment and
Development (ICATAD)
in Bogor, and provincial
Assessment Institutes for
Agricultural Technology
(AIATs) in South and
Southeast Sulawesi. She
conducted an audit of
extension materials for
improved natural resourcemanagement (NRM) of
irrigated rice and looked at
the communication methods
and materials produced
for national initiatives.
These were made available
to extension workers at
the subdistrict level.
Many farmers visit ICRR
throughout the year to learn
about new technologies.
In 2008, more than 30,000
visitors went to ICRR, a
majority of whom attended
the National Rice Week in
October. Still, Dr. Hasil
Sembiring, ICRR director,
wants to further raise the
prole of ICRR by producing
a quarterly newsletter similar
to RIPPLE. Dr. Priatna
Sasmita, head of the Research
Dissemination Subdivision,
has been tasked to produce
the newsletter in 2009, with
inputs from Ms. Mendoza.
ICATAD is also keen
to boost its communication
capabilities. ICATAD staff
members Vyta Indrawan
and Erythrina accompanied
Ms. Mendoza to learn
about different strategiesof communication. Dr.
Erizal, ICATAD vice-
director for collaboration
and dissemination, happily
announced that they are
producing a newsletter called
SMARTS for distribution
to AIATs. They also started
creating information kits
similar to the extension kits
produced by the Philippine
Rice Research Institute. This
proves that cross-country
learning is working in
these countries. Dr. Erizal
added that they are also
interested in making videos
since most Indonesians
enjoy watching television
and see it as an important
source of information.
AIATs in South and
Southeast Sulawesi are
also actively disseminating
technologies to farmers. In
addition to leaets, videos,
and technology bulletins,
they organize meetings,
demonstrations in farmers
elds, training courses, and
workshops. Most activities are
linked with Prima Tani, an
outreach program launched in2005 that aims to accelerate
the transfer of agricultural
technologies to farmers.
In Southeast Sulawesi, the
AIAT regularly contacts the
local media, and its events
have been covered by local
newspapers, and radio and
television programs.
Meanwhile, project
scientist Donna Casimero,
who is now based in
Makassar, South Sulawesi,
traveled with IRRC
anthropologist Rica Flor to
the villages of Awolagading
and Ujung Tanah of Bone
District in South Sulawesi,
and Karandu and Bendewuta
of Wawotobi District in
Southeast Sulawesi. Dr.
Casimero followed up on
eld-benchmarking activities
in the village and guided
AIAT staff in setting up traps
for rodents and insects. She
assessed the eld conditions
in the villages and how they
can be improved. Farmer-
partners in the project
villages are excited as they
are currently trying out
IRRC technologies in theirown elds such as alternate
wetting and drying, the use
of trap barrier systems for
managing rats, and site-
specic nutrient management.
Ms. Flor trained
interviewers and guided them
in conducting a baseline
survey on the knowledge,
attitudes, and practices
Waves of Action
ENOUGH FOR ALL. The government of Indonesia is determined to raise rice production to attain self-sufciency. (Photo by T. Mendoza)
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Water-Saving Work Group Updates
of farmers with regard to
NRM for rice production,
and input-output costs offarmers. ICATAD staff
Istriningsih, Saefudin, Siti
Sehat Tan, and Ms. Indrawan
also accompanied Ms. Flor
to learn rst-hand how to
develop and conduct eld
surveys. Aside from AIAT
extension staff, students
from universities were also
trained as interviewers, since
the IRRC sees universities
and colleges as partners in
technology dissemination.
While farmers are
experimenting in their elds,
scientists are collecting
baseline data for use in
monitoring adoption andevaluating the impact of
the project. The audit of
communication materials
will also identify possible
new materials to be produced
to help farmers. A lot of
work needs to be done,
but with the energy and
enthusiasm of local partners,
the project poses an exciting
challenge that the IRRC
team is willing to take on.
Trina Mendoza and
Rica [email protected]
A mini-workshop on water-saving technolo-
gies for rice production was held at the Bulacan
Agricultural State College last 28 November 2008.
The workshop aimed to report the current status of
farmer-participatory development of aerobic rice in
the Philippine provinces of Palawan, Bataan, Bulacan,La Union, and Aurora. Work plans for the 2009 dry
season were also drafted by participants from state
universities and colleges, local government units, and
nongovernment organizations involved in the project.
Dr. Ruben Lampayan, Emma Quicho, and Lolit Adri-
ano of IRRI visited the University of Southern Philip-
pines in Davao City on 31 October 2008 to follow up and
discuss with MiSpace company staff details of the devel -
opment of an e-learning module on Water management
in irrigated rice: coping with water scarcity. The module
is expected to be completed in January for pretesting.
The proposed Administrative Order (AO) on Guide-
lines on mainstreaming water-saving technologies (WST)
in irrigated rice production systems in the Philippines
has now been endorsed to the Secretary of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture for nal comments and approval.
A planning meeting with Philippine Rice Re-
search Institute (PhilRice) partners was held on 9
December 2008 to nalize the 2009 work plan for
water-saving activities in the Philippines. The group
also gave updates on the alternate wetting and dry-
ing dissemination activities in the different national
irrigation systems in the country, and the future link-
age with the Philippine Rice Self-Sufciency Plan.
Dr. Ruben Lampayan gave lectures on water-
saving technologies during the Provincial Training on
Trainers (Philippine Rice Self-Sufciency Plan activity
for Region IV-A) in November and December 2008.
IRRI-ACIAR Sulawesi project ...from page 6
College students and extension workers practice interviewing afarmer after a training on conducting a baseline survey.(Photo by T. Mendoza)
Attention, young sci-
entists, mid-career agricul-tural scientists, and decision-
makers from developing
countries! A training course
will be held at the Interna-
tional Rice Research Institute,
Philippines, titledEcology
and sociology of management
of pests with emphasis on
rodents and weeds. It will be
held on 16-27 March 2009.
The training fee for
Training course on pestecology and management
international delegates is
US$2,200. This includes airfare, food, and accommoda-
tions. For local delegates
and inquiries on board and
lodging, please contact Ms.
Angie Maghuyop of the
IRRI Training Center at
+63(49)-536-2701 to 2705,
local 2538, or email her at
There are 20 slots available. Managing pests in the rice eld does not mean having to causeharm to the environment. Learn from the experts how to controlthem the ecologically friendly way. (Photo by G. Singleton)
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Snapshotsof2008
For some time now,
An Giang has been
Vietnams top province
in terms of rice production.
It helps that the provinces
leaders are progressive and
open-minded. They tookthe initiative of seeking
the assistance of the
International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) to stay in
synch with the latest rice
production technologies.
On 17-21 November
2008, 70 people from differ-
ent districts and provinces
underwent a training of train-
ers in An Giang. One of the
lecturers was Dr. To Phuc
Tuong, an IRRI scientist. Dr.
Tuong explained the pr in-
ciples of water saving and
how to use alternate wetting
and drying (AWD) technol-
ogy. AWD allows farmers to
produce rice using less water,potentially saving money.
Several issues were
raised in relation to AWD.
One major concern was
that, in many cases, farmers
do not own a water pump.
Instead, they have to pay
a pump owner for water.
But, in those parts, instead
of farmers paying for the
gasoline needed to pump
water, farmers are charged
a at rate per hectare,
regardless of how much water
they actually use. In these
cases, only the pump owner
benets from water saving. To
encourage farmers to adopt
AWD, farmers must negotiatewith pump owners to share
the benets of water saving.
The participants also
visited some farmers who
have adopted AWD. The
farmer-adopters expressed
their satisfaction with AWD,
citing the many kinds of
savings they enjoyed because
of the technology. AWD
also decreases lodging in
direct-seeded rice, further
increasing the yield.
Several Vietnamese
water management specialists
also attended the training, so
they can serve as resource
persons when the need
arises in the future.The participants made
work plans to implement the
technologies they learned
in their own districts and
provinces. They targeted
so many hectares for these
technologies per year. This
way, the benets of An
Giangs success should spread
to other rice-producing areas.
Lorelei de la Cruz
Water saving benefits An Giang and beyond
Rat trapping, Lao PDR, JanuaryDiscussions, Lao PDR, January
Rat hunting, Vietnam, April
Weeding, Myanmar, February
Water workshop,Philippines, March
Nutrient Manager training,Indonesia, April
Village market boards,Cambodia, April
Airtight cocoon storage,Cambodia, May
Stakeholders meeting, Lao PDR, JuneResearch-to-impact workshop,
Philippines, September
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Dr. Savarys prescription for crop health
Ever wondered what a
scientists life is like?
Dr. Serge Savary of
the Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) intimates:Its a lot of work. Its at least
60 hours of work per week,
and Im not counting, really.
There is no break at all , ever.
Yet, the 57-year-old
French plant pathologist
willingly devoted his life
to his eld. Born in Addis
Ababa, the capital city of
Ethiopia, Dr. Savary grew
up with the desire to work
for the developing world. He
explains, Everybody knowsthat the world is unequal,
that there are poor people in
the world. So, its a voca-
tional thing for me, work-
ing not only for myself.
Learning the ropesAt 22, while working at
ORSTOM and the Research
Institute for Development
(IRD) in Montpellier, France,
Dr. Savary got his agricultur-
al engineering degree in the
Ecole Nationale Suprieure
dAgronomie, also in Mont-
pellier. Contrary to
the popular notion
that agricultural
engineering is all
about machinery,
Dr. Savary explains, In
France, it goes far beyond
machinery. It covers econom-
ics, agronomy, social sci-
ences, plant health, molecularbiology, food processing,
and microbiotechnology.
Dr. Savary spent 9 years
in Cte dIvoire, doing vari-
ous research activities such
as a systematic inventory
of plant diseases, particu-
larly those of vegetables and
legumes. His work often
took him to many countries
in West Africa to work with
colleagues he learned much
from. At the end of his stay in
Cte dIvoire, he was offered
a fellowship at Wagenin-
gen Agricultural University
in the Netherlands, wherehe nished his doctorate
in phytopathology. Plant
pathology involves biology,
mathematics, microclimatol-
ogy, physics, social sci-
ences, economics, chemistry,
and plant physiology, he
said. Again, theres a lot
of integrated sciences and,
therefore, that makes it an
exciting eld of education.
The specialistDr. Savary rst crossed
paths with the International
Rice Research Institute
(IRRI) in 1991. His early
analyses of rice diseases, in-
sect pests, and weeds, as well
as crop management, led to a
joint research between IRRI
and the IRD: My research at
IRRI offered me the unique
opportunity to work with
outstanding support staff
(from whom I learned what I
know about rice) and excep-
tional scientic personalities.
Modeling careerEight years later, Dr.
Savary was doing modeling
halfway around the world, but
not the glamorous kind. Thehardworking scientist was
in Costa Rica from 1999 to
2002 studying how to manage
diseases on farms in the trop-
ics using simulation modeling
and experiments on planta-
tions. His team worked on
biocomplexity, which, simply
put, refers to the complex pro-
cesses, adaptations, and in-
terplay of the many elements
present on tropical farms.
Blazing a trail forthe French
Surprisingly, in France,
plant disease epidemiology
had neither been taught in the
universities nor were there
advanced-level books on the
eld in French. So, Dr. Savary
took up the challenge of de-
veloping courses and course
materials, as well as teaching
both large and small classes.
Although he found it difcult
to teach students who had no
background in crop protec-
tion, Dr. Savary knew
it had to be done.
And, when some of
his students became
interested in plant
protection, plant pathology,
and plant disease epidemiol-
ogy, he found this new experi-
ence extremely rewarding.
Making history withhealthy crops
Today, Dr. Savary is back
at IRRI. He heads the new
Crop Health Work Group of
the IRRC, formed as part of
the Consortiums fourth phase,
which started in January.
In the rare times that
Dr. Savary is not at work, he
reads history books. So, its no
surprise that he uses histori-
cal events as an analogy to the
issues on crop health today.
Imagine being a doc-
tor in the UK in the 1800s
during the Industrial Revolu-tion, he said. Biology was
just emerging. Many diseases
were being discovered, many
of them related to the way
of life, the quality of nutri-
tion or water, and working
conditions. A medical doctor
then faced dramatic, often
widespread, public health
situations. Today, doctors
in the UK face completely
different situations, but they
have a better understanding ofsocial systems, of the health of
elderly people, as well as the
psychological effects of health.
What crop health is fac-
ing today is relatively similar.
We need to clearly understand
this coevolution between crop
health and production situa-
tions. Change is on the way,
and, inevitably, this will have
consequences for crop health.
But, we dont know what those
consequences are likely to
be. New technologies are also
associated with new prob-
lems. Im not saying that the
problems are becoming worse.
Im saying that the problems
are becoming different.
This is why work contin-
ues for plant pathologists like
Dr. Savary. In fact, his work
at the IRRC has just begun.
But, at a time when many
scientists are busy trying tomake a big impact with their
work, Dr. Savary prefers not
to be obsessed with impact
alone: One cannot imagine
having impact if the science
behind it is not good. Contrib-
ute rst to the science, then
you can expect impact.
Lorelei de la Cruz
Profles
For IRRCs new phase, Dr. Savary isset to conduct eld experiments andimprove the Rice Knowledge Bank.(Photo, IRRI archive)
Everybody knows that the world is unequal,
that there are poor people in the world. So, its a
vocational thing for me, working not only for myself.
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10re Janary-March 2009
Sri Lankas champion in overcoming weedy rice
Aside from water short-
age and oods, weeds
have become a major
problem in the rice elds of
Sri Lanka. More than 90%of the farmers practice direct
seeding in nonpuddled elds.
With the shift from trans-
planting to direct seeding, and
without the protective layer
of water, different hard-to-
manage weed species have
infested the elds. Weedy
rice, in particular, has become
a major threat to rice elds in
different parts of the country.
When rice becomes a weedWeedy rice is believed
to be either a natural hybrid
of cultivated (Oryza sativa)
and wild (O. rupogon and
O. nivara) rice species or a
result of de-domestication
of cultivated rice. It was rst
detected in Sri Lanka in 1992,
but there was no serious threat
then, says Dr. Anuru Abey-
sekera, senior weed scientist
and head of the Plant Protec-
tion Division at the Depart-
ment of Agricultures
Rice Research and
Development Insti-
tute (RRDI). In 2007,
however, in Ampara
and Puttalam dis-
tricts, many farmers
complained that they
could not cultivate
their elds because
of weedy rice, and
yield losses were es-timated at 30100%.
Now, the longevity
of seed viability of
weedy rice seeds col-
lected from different
areas in Sri Lanka
is being studied.
Dr. Abeysekera
rst came to the
International Rice
Research Institute
(IRRI) in 1985 for
a 2-month weed training
course. A specialist in botany
and biochemistry, she began
collaborative research with
IRRI in the late 1990s withweed scientist Martin Mor-
timer. In 2004, she started
working with Dr. David
Johnson under the Irrigated
Rice Research Consortiums
(IRRC) Phase 2, then with the
Weed Ecology Work Group
(now called Labor Productiv-
ity). The strong partnership
with the IRRC has since
then continued. From 2005
to 2007, she conducted eld
surveys and experiments atthe RRDI, studying weedy
rice, and comparing crop
establishment and weed
control practices to reduce
yield losses to weeds under
different rice environments.
As the national coordina-
tor for the herbicide testing
program in Sri Lanka since
1990, Dr. Abeysekera has
been instrumental in check-
ing and approving which
herbicides sent by chemical
companies can be used in
the countrys rice elds.
Farmers friendShe nds fulllment
in working with farmers,
visiting them in the elds
and asking them about yield
constraints. When I go to
the eld, I do not go as a big
boss but as a friend, she
says. Farmers like it when
researchers visit them. They
are very recept ive. They even
call me at home to ask about
their eld problems. Shebelieves that researchers must
go to the elds with extension
workers to further help share
technologies with farmers.
Her days are lled with
visits to the eld and admin-
istrative work in the ofce,
leaving very little time for
relaxation. This is why she
values her weekends with
family, cooking for her
23-year-old son, Chamara,
who goes home from theuniversity, and her husband,
Shelton, who is also RRDIs
Plant Breeding Division head.
During the interview, she
fondly remembers enrolling
her son in kindergarten in
an international school near
IRRI at the University of
the Philippines Los Baos,
where she obtained her PhD.
Now, she continues work-
ing with Dr. Johnson and
IRRI weed scientists Joel Jan-
iya and Ofe Namuco,
whom she considers
her long-time friends.
One upcoming project
is a video on weedy
rice management in Sri
Lanka, which has been
translated into English.
When asked about
her future goals for
her career, she shakes
her head and smiles.Her main priority is to
help the farmers. If
the farmer is happy,
reduces his losses due
to weeds, and gets
a good yield, then I
have done my duty.
Trina Mendoza
Dr. Abeysekeras hands-on approachearns farmers trust as she shares
her knowledge with them. (Photo byO. Namuco)
LONG-TIME FRIENDS. Dr. Abeysekera with fellow weed scientist Ofe Namuco in their eld ofexpertise. (Photo by S. Panimbatan)
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Upcoming events(JanuaryMarch 2009)
Training courseEcology and sociology of
management of pests with empha-
sis on rodents and weeds, Inter-
national Rice Research Institute,Philippines, 16-27 March 2009.
MeetingsPlanning meeting at the
Rice Department, Bangkok,
Thailand, 8-9 January 2009.
Planning meeting and eld
visit, MAS-DAR, Myanmar,
12-16 January 2009.
Planning meeting, Lao PDR,
19-20 February 2009.
Stakeholder meeting and learn-
ing alliance for increasing rice
productivity in An Giang, Viet-
nam, 23-26 February 2009.
PostproductionWork Group
Stakeholder workshop at the Rice
Department in Bangkok, Thailand, 8-9
January 2009.
Monitoring of ongoing activities
and planning of IRRC Phase 4
activities with national stakeholders in
Myanmar, 11-22 January 2009.
Postharvest stakeholder analysis
in the Philippines, February-March
2009.
Postharvest stakeholder analysis
in Vietnam, March 2009.
Participatory Impact Pathway
Analysis workshop, Philippines, April
2009; Vietnam, May 2009.
Support to a PhilRice-Nong Lam
University activity for the transfer of
improved drying technology from
Vietnam to the Philippines.
Support to import mini combine
harvester prototype into Myanmar.
PublicationsBook chaptersBuresh RJ. 2008. Sustaining protable
crop and nutrient management
in paddy cultivation. In: Paddy
soils, wetlands and healthy
people. Proceedings of the12th International Symposium
on Soil Revitalization, 31
October 2008, Changwon,
Korea. p. 72-87.
Palis FG, Flor RJ, Singleton GR.
2008. Agricultural extension:
Institutional pluralism and
innovations worldwide,
Country: Philippines.
In: Saravanan R, editor.
Agricultural extension:
worldwide innovations. New
Delhi: New India Publishing
Agency. p 333-370.
International JournalsJacob J, Singleton GR, Hinds
LA. 2008. Fertility control
of rodent pests. Wildlife
Research 2008. p 487-493.
Chauhan BS, Johnson DE. 2008.
Germination ecology
of Chinese sprangletop
(Leptochloa chinensis)
in the Philippines. Weed
Science. 56:820-825.
Chauhan BS, Johnson DE. 2008.
Seed germination and
seedling emergence of nalta
jute (Corchorus olitorius)
and redweed (Melochia
concatenata): important
broadleaf weeds of the tropics.
Weed Science. 56:814-819.
Conference Proceedings
Chauhan BS, Johnson DE. 2008.
Inuence of tillage on patterns
of weed seedling emergence in
rice. In: Van Klinken RD, et al,
editors. 16th Australian Weeds
Conference Proceedings,
Cairns, Queensland,
Australia. Queensland
Weeds Society. p 448-450.
In Indonesia, the Assessment Institutes for
Agricultural Technology continued disseminating the
site-specic rice fertilization (SSRF) system in major
rice-growing provinces during the fourth quarter of2008. SSRF is based on scientic principles developed
through past collaborative research on site-specic nu-
trient management (SSNM) for rice. It is being dissemi-
nated to research and extension staff through a training
module and an interactive computer-based decision tool
namedPemupukan Padi Sawah Spesik Lokasi (PuPS).
This tool provides farmers with specic fertilizer guide-
lines designed for their own elds based on their own
responses to a set of easy multiple-choice questions.
In the Philippines, a computer-based decision tool
calledNutrient Manager for Rice was released on CD in
ve Philippine dialects in October 2008. TheNutrient
Managerprovides farmers with fertilizer guidelines for
their specic rice eld, variety, and growing condi-
tions. An extension worker assists them in answering 10
easy-to-answer multiple-choice questions, from which
the fertilizer guidelines are derived. By March 2009,
some 4,000 CDs should have been distributed across
the country. The principles used inNutrient Manager
are consistent with research ndings on SSNM for rice.
Also in the Philippines, a computer-based teach-
ing tool for undergraduate soil science and agronomy
courses in agricultural colleges and universities was
initially presented at a training workshop in Iloilo on
22 October 2008. The tool was subsequently revised
based on feedback from workshop participants. A beta
version namedNutrient Optimizer for Rice, which
helps identify the most protable integrated use of
organic and manufactured sources of nutrient for
rice, was released for evaluation in December 2008.
Productivity and Sustainability
Work Group Updates
Team
IRRC: Trina Leah Mendza, Grant Singletn,Lrelei de la Crz, Jennifer Hernandez
CPS: Tess Rla, Bill HardyCoNTRIBuTING AuTHoRS: Martin Gmmert,
Rland Bresh, Emma Qich,Khamouane Khamphoukeo,Tran Van Khanh, Nguyen Thanh Nghi,Nguyen Duc Canh, Carlito Balingbing,Rica Flor
Editorial and production tEam
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