IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011

The following sections highlight

a cross-section of the significant

events, media coverage,

activities, and awards during 2011.

More details on these and others can

be found elsewhere on the DVD and

via archival links on the Web to more

comprehensive, all-inclusive details in

IRRI’s weekly online Bulletin, which

has been capturing IRRI’s institutional

memory since 2000.

2011—The year of GRiSP!

A workshop, Defining evaluation and

reporting processes for the Global

Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) as a

model Consortium Research Program

(CRP) of the CGIAR, 23–25 March),

kicked off the “Year of GRiSP” at IRRI

headquarters (photo 1).

Launched in November

2010, GRiSP is the strategic work

plan for global rice research to

contribute more effectively to solving

development challenges. It aims to

reduce poverty and hunger, improve

human health and nutrition, reduce

the environmental footprint, and

enhance the ecosystem resilience of

rice production systems through high-

quality international rice research,

partnership, and leadership.

Workshop participants discussed

key components and mechanisms for

the monitoring and evaluation (M&E)

plan, a Consortium-mandated early

step in the implementation of GRiSP,

which might also provide guidance for

other CGIAR CRPs and M&E done at

the CGIAR system level.

Lloyd Le Page, the first chief

executive officer of the new CGIAR

Consortium, attended the GRiSP

workshop. In an address to IRRI staff

on 24 March, he said, “IRRI has led

the way and set the standard with

the development of GRiSP as the first

approved and funded CRP, which

can be used as an example for the

CGIAR’s other CRPs.” He added that

the Consortium is working very hard

to make sure that the funding will be

coming as rapidly as possible.

During the first week of October,

major GRiSP players from around the

world gathered at IRRI headquarters

for a review of all GRiSP work in Asia

and for a GRiSP Global Forum.

Achim Dobermann, GRiSP

director and IRRI deputy director

general for research, expressed his

satisfaction at the progress so far of

GRiSP, stating that GRiSP had been

smoothly and effectively implemented

and opened up many new

opportunities for collaboration around

the world.

IRRI milestones during 2011 “All the pieces are in place and

GRiSP is functioning very well,” said

Dr. Dobermann, “People are starting

to realize the benefits of it—both

scientists and our partners and

donors.”

After the Forum concluded,

the GRiSP Oversight Committee

met and elected Professor Fusuo

Zhang from China Agricultural

University, Beijing, as the new GRiSP

Oversight Committee chair. Members

of the Oversight Committee and the

Program Planning and Management

Team are Beatriz Pinheiro, Jill Lenné,

Kei Otsuka, Masa Iwanaga, Osamu

Koyama, Robert Zeigler, Barbara

Becker, Stephen Baenziger, Paul

Mafuka, Achim Dobermann, Joe

Tohmé, Anthony Cavalieri, and Marco

Wopereis (photo 2). View a video

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of Dr. Dobermann’s assessment of

GRiSP progress in 2011.

Bill and Melinda Gates visit STRASA and CSISA sites in India

On 23 March, Bill and Melinda Gates

(at left in photo 3), co-chairs of the Bill

& Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF),

and party visited the research farms

of the Indian Council of Agricultural

Research (ICAR) in Patna. They

received briefings on the ongoing

activities of Stress-Tolerant Rice for

Africa and South Asia (STRASA) and

the Cereal Systems Initiative for

South Asia (CSISA), two important

projects generously supported by

the BMGF. U.S. Singh, South Asia

coordinator for STRASA, and M.

Srinivas Rao, CEO-CSISA, explained the

frameworks of their respective projects

to the BMGF delegation. Dr. Singh

pointed out that STRASA is working

with 254 partners in three countries

and that the Swarna-Sub1 variety,

which has been tested and released to

farmers in 2009, has shown excellent

performance in farmers’ fields, both

with and without flooding.

Bill and Melinda Gates showed

keen interest in the flood-tolerant

rice, anaerobic germination, and the

quantity of seeds being distributed

through minikits. They also discussed

issues such as the availability, planting,

fertilizer needs, and the eating quality

of the flood-tolerant variety Swarna-

Sub1 with visiting women farmers.

They expressed their appreciation of

the efforts of the two organizations

to make new varieties and sustainable

technologies available to farmers in

the region and for the opportunity to

interact with the scientists, partners,

and especially the farmers.

Vietnamese president visits IRRI

A partnership spanning almost half

a century was the backdrop of the

visit by the president of the Socialist

Republic of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang

(left in photo 4), to IRRI headquarters

on 27 October. IRRI DG Robert

Zeigler (right in photo 4), officials of

the Laguna provincial government,

and Philippine Agriculture Secretary

Proceso Alcala received President Sang

and his delegation. Dr. Zeigler briefed

the Vietnamese officials about IRRI’s

work with Vietnam.

“IRRI has become a familiar

name to the Vietnamese people,” said

President Sang, as he acknowledged

IRRI’s collaboration with the country

that started in 1963. “The Vietnamese

people, especially the farmers, invite

IRRI to Vietnam, and see what IRRI has

done for our country,” said President

Sang. “My government is looking

forward to a stronger and deeper

collaboration with IRRI.”

“IRRI and Vietnam have a long

history of partnership,” said Dr. Zeigler.

“The first IRRI-bred rice variety—IR8—

was called ‘Honda Rice’ in Vietnam

because many Vietnamese farmers

were able to buy a Honda motorcycle

with the extra income they made from

the rice variety.” View video of visit

View additional photos

Rice breeding brings billions to SE Asia (click art below for ACIAR video)

Southeast Asian rice farmers are

harvesting an extra US$1.46 billion

worth of rice a year as a result of

rice breeding by IRRI, according to

an Australian report released in

September. The Australian Centre

for International Agricultural

Research (ACIAR) assessed the impact

of IRRI’s research on improving rice

varietal yield between 1985 and 2009

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and found a boost in rice yield by up

to 13%.

The assessment also showed

that IRRI’s improved rice varieties

increased farmers’ returns by US$127

a hectare in southern Vietnam, $76

a hectare in Indonesia, and $52 a

hectare in the Philippines. “The annual

impact of IRRI’s research in these three

countries alone exceeded IRRI’s total

budget since it was founded in 1960,”

said IRRI DG Robert Zeigler.

NM Rice Mobile makes global debut

The 24 January launching of the

Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile

(NMRiceMobile) was seen as a

milestone in the relationship between

IRRI and the Philippine Department of

Agriculture (DA) (photo 5). “We are

stepping up our efforts in helping the

Philippines,” said Achim Dobermann,

IRRI DDG-R. NMRiceMobile is a mobile

phone-based application that allows

users to pull precision agriculture

information from designated servers

in a rapid, accessible, inexpensive,

and credible way.  IRRI, in partnership

with DA-Agricultural Training Institute,

PhilRice, University of Southeastern

Philippines, and West Visayas

State University conceptualized

NMRiceMobile, with support from

telecommunication giants Smart

Communications, Inc., and Globe

Telecoms.

New Golden Rice partners join forces against vitamin A deficiency

develop and evaluate Golden Rice

(photo 6) as a potential tool to reduce

vitamin A deficiency. Golden Rice is a

unique type of rice that contains beta

carotene, a source of vitamin A.

Vitamin A deficiency is the

leading cause of preventable blindness

in children. It also impairs immune

system function and increases the

risk of death from certain childhood

diseases. Globally, approximately

670,000 children die every year and

another 350,000 go blind because

they are vitamin A–deficient.

“IRRI and its partners have been

working on Golden Rice for about 10

years to develop a safe and effective

way to address vitamin A deficiency,

prevent blindness, and save lives,” said

Gerard Barry, Golden Rice Network

coordinator and IRRI’s Golden Rice

project leader. “Our latest stage of

work is now supported by the Bill &

Melinda Gates Foundation and will

bring in HKI—a new partner from the

nutrition sector—further understand

how well Golden Rice can reduce

vitamin A deficiency.”

IRRI wins award for mobilizing rice knowledge to alleviate hunger

On 25 February, 2011, it was

announced (photo 7) that IRRI had

won the BBVA Foundation Frontiers

of Knowledge Award for 2010

in the Development Cooperation

category for its contribution to

“reducing poverty and hunger in the

world by means of rice research and

farmer training,” in the words of the

jury’s citation. IRRI was deemed to

merit the award “for the quality of

its research work, which has led to

the development of new rice varieties

adapted to different cropping areas

in Asia and providing improved yield

and sustainability across multiple

climate regimes.” The award consisted

of €400,000 (about US$550,000) 5

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In April, IRRI and national rice research

institutes in Bangladesh and the

Philippines joined with Helen Keller

International (HKI), a leading global

health organization that reduces

blindness and prevents malnutrition

worldwide, in a new effort to further

IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011

prize money, a diploma, and a

commemorative artwork. The prize

money is going towards IRRI’s rice

research and training work. The award

was formally presented in June. Also

see the BBVA Web site.

IRRI gives top rice varieties to Filipino farmers at annual field day

As part of its long-standing and

ongoing support for the Philippine

Rice Self-Sufficiency Plan, IRRI held

its annual farmers’ field day on 28

February to share the latest and

best-performing IRRI rice varieties to

help Filipino farmers produce more

rice. More than 600 participants,

mostly farmers (photo 8), toured IRRI

postharvest technologies, and rice-

maize cropping systems. These

farmers and their respective local

government officials came from seven

provinces—Laguna, Batangas, Cavite,

Quezon, Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, and

Occidental Mindoro—of the Southern

Tagalog region.

IRRI DG in India: Addresses annual rice research meeting 

the future poses more challenges

with less land to cultivate and fewer

people inclined to take up agriculture

as an occupation, besides adverse

climatic changes,  governments and

the scientific community need to

focus on new strategies to raise food

production,” he said.

The meeting also focused

on East India to grow rice. It was

pointed out that traditional areas

such as Punjab and Haryana reached

stagnation and East India promises

a good alternative with abundant

availability of water.

IRRI signs 2011–14 work plan with Indonesia

Senior officials and scientists of the

Indonesian Agency for Agricultural

Research and Development (IAARD),

other agencies of the Ministry of

Agriculture, and other institutions

of the national agricultural research

and extension systems (NARES) of

Indonesia met with IRRI representatives

(photo 10) on 20–21 January in

Jakarta and Bogor. They reviewed and

assessed the progress of the 2007–10

collaboration and also discussed,

developed, and signed the Indonesia-

IRRI Work Plan for 2011–14.  A

highlight of the meeting was the

launching of Nutrient Manager for

Indonesia.

G20 agricultural ministers declare support for rice

In June, Agriculture ministers who

met in the lead up to the G20

Summit in Paris later in October

declared their

support for

rice research

and the need

for better trading environments

for rice and other commodities.

The Ministerial Declaration, Action

plan on food price volatility and

agriculture stated: “We recognize the

importance of rice for food security,

as the main crop consumed in Asia

and increasingly in Africa. We stress

the importance of strengthening

rice research and development and

the dissemination of its outcome

and relevant cultivation technique to

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to see the latest rice varieties and

learned of ways to help them deal

with problems in their rice fields.

IRRI showed “climate-change-ready”

rice varieties, hybrid rice varieties,

IRRI DG Robert Zeigler (at right in

photo 9 with Swapan Datta, deputy

director general of ICAR) attended

the 46th Annual Rice Research Group

meeting at the Directorate of Rice

Research (DRR) in New Delhi. On 9

April, he pointed out that investments

in agriculture were far too low and

needed to be doubled in the next

couple of decades to maintain what

the global community had achieved

so far in terms of food security. “As

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conditions, and generate higher

incomes to overcome poverty and

improve food security.

Rice consumers worldwide can

now look forward to eating “green”

rice (photo 14) with the launch of an

initiative that will set environmentally

sustainable and socially responsible

rice production management

standards.

 “There are many different

sustainable technologies and practices

for rice—the world’s most important

food crop that feeds half the planet,”

said Mr. James Lomax, from the United

Nations Environment Programme

(UNEP) that initiated the SRP. “The

trouble is, we need a way to deliver

and upscale these practices,” he

added. “The Sustainable Rice Platform

is an exciting opportunity to promote

resource-use efficiency and sustainable

trade flows in the whole of value chain

of the global rice sector.”

Orissa to tour flood-hit areas (photo

13). The group also stopped at the

Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI)

in Cuttack. While there, Dr. Zeigler

mentioned the release of many rice

varieties, including Swarna-Sub1 and

Sahbhagi Dhan, as among the good

outcomes of the long-term partnership

of IRRI and CRRI.

Sustainable Rice Platform launched

The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)

initiative, which was launched

in conjunction with a workshop

on 29–30 November at IRRI

headquarters, in the presence of

some 25 organizations, will elevate

rice production to a new level by

helping farmers –whether subsistence

or market-focused—boost their rice

production, keep the environment

healthy, facilitate safer working

breeding programs towards more

targeted product development, which

will allow us to develop new rice

varieties faster and more efficiently

through applying new breeding

strategies and tools.

IRRI BOT meets in April and September

The IRRI BOT met at headquarters,

11–15 April, with a full slate of

activities and in New Delhi, 12–14

accelerate production and productivity

growth in rice-producing countries,

particularly in Asia and Africa, through

among others the CGIAR, IRRI,

GRiSP, and the Coalition for African

Rice Development (CARD).” In

response to the report, IRRI DG Robert

Zeigler, said, “We are pleased to see

that rice was given prominence—

because it is the food for more than

half the planet, the staple food

in Asia and for most of the world’s

poorest people.”

New PBGB head arrives

After a global search, IRRI announced

in July the appointment of Eero

A.J. Nissilä

(photo 11)

as the head

of PBGB and

leader of

GRISP Theme

2: Accelerating the develop-ment,

delivery, and adoption of improved rice

varieties. Eero hails from Finland where

he started his career in the mid-

1980s as a research assistant for

the Agricultural Research Centre

of Finland. Since his arrival later in

2011, Dr. Nissilä has been providing

leadership for transforming rice

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October (photo 12). In New Delhi,

the Board focused on ensuring food

security in India through the IRRI-India

partnership, in which K.V. Thomas,

minister of state (independent charge)

for food and public distribution,

Government of India, was the chief

guest.

Before the meeting, some BOT

members, led by Chair Emerlinda

Roman, Robert Zeigler, IRRI DG, and

Achim Dobermann, IRRI DDG-R, visited

IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011

2001, with the objective of minimizing

damages to life and properties in

the event of calamities such as

earthquakes, floods, typhoons, and

fires.

“This contribution will go a

long way in our efforts to be a good

neighbor in the Los Baños and Bay

communities,” said Robert Zeigler, IRRI

DG. “Beyond our research, IRRI helps

local residents gain livelihood skills

through training, good medical access

through missions, as well as solid-

waste management seminars.”

New home for SSD

Between February and December,

Drilon Hall (the former Ladies Dorm)

underwent a major renovation—inside

and out—to become the new home

of IRRI’s Social Sciences Division (SSD).

Upon completion in December, a

rainbow appeared overhead (photo

16). Video time lapse of sorts

showing progress of the facelift

over the 11 months. Photos on

flickr.

The SRP founding members are

private sector companies Kellogg’s,

Mars Foods, and Louis Dreyfus and

the Asian Institute of Technology/

CIRAD. Other participants in the

launch were representatives from

Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia;

CropLife Asia; Syngenta; DuPont Crop

Protection; Jolibee Foods Corporation;

AidEnvironment; and the German

International Cooperation (GIZ).

IRRI receives $38K grant from UPS Foundation

In December, IRRI received a

contribution of $38,000 from the

charitable arm of United Parcel Service

(UPS), the UPS Foundation (photo 15).

The donation is supporting a training

engagement program, an IRRI-led

neighborhood emergency services

called NEST—short for Neighborhood

Emergency Services Team.

A neighborhood-reliant

emergency preparedness is the aim of

the NEST program, which started in

Other notable activities, media cover age, events

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Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. The

project was a national program by

the Indonesian government to spread

technologies and management

practices that would increase rice

production and secure its supply. It

was a collaboration between IRRI and

the Australian Centre for International

Agricultural Research (ACIAR), in

partnership with the Assessment

Institute for Agricultural Technologies

(AIAT) and the Indonesian Center for

Rice Research (ICRR). 

Partnerships for community seed-banking of stress-tolerant rice in the Himalayas

The Consortium for Unfavorable

Rice Environments (CURE), through

its working groups for the uplands

2nd annual C4 meeting

On 5–7 January, 64 scientists from

advanced institutions around the world

presented the results of their cutting-

edge research on C4 rice during a

3-day meeting of the C4 Rice Project

Consortium (photo 17).  The meeting

was held at IRRI to discuss progress in

various aspects of the project, which is

making good progress in the discovery

of key anatomical genes for breeding

C4 rice.

IRRI and ACIAR wrap up Indonesia project

Indonesian partners and IRRI staff

gathered to report on the outputs and

outcomes of the project, Increasing

productivity in South and Southeast

Sulawesi, on 16–19 January in

IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011

(ICRR), the Directorate of Seed

Development, and the agriculture

agency of selected provinces.

Cambodian partners promote IRRI postharvest technologies

Cambodian partners are promoting

IRRI’s postharvest technologies to

farmers and other end users. This

was brought up during the annual

planning meeting of the Asian

Development Bank-IRRI postharvest

project on 6–7 February in Siem Reap

(photo 20), and on subsequent field

visits within Cambodia. An overview

and drought-prone rice ecosystems,

has established partnerships with the

International Centre for Integrated

Mountain Development (ICIMOD),

based in Kathmandu, Nepal, for

testing stress-tolerant rice varieties that

will make mountain farming in the

Himalayan region more resilient and

adapted to the changing climate. This

was one of the outputs of the ICIMOD

workshop (photo 18) on enhancing

the resilience and adaptive capacity

of the marginalized poor farmers

in the region on 18–20 January in

Kathmandu.  These new partnerships

are in line with the technical

innovation services component of

CURE that draws up learning from

previous activities to be shared with

other country partners, particularly the

IFAD investment projects.

 Training of trainers in Indonesia on community seed banks for upland rice

A training course for trainers on

establishing community seed banks

(CSB) was held on 26–28 January at

the Indonesian Center for Food and

Crops Research and Development

(ICFORD) in Bogor. Attending were

16 participants (photo 19), including

researchers, breeders, technical

staff, and seed production staff from

ICFORD, the Assessment Institute

for Agricultural Technologies (AIAT),

Indonesian Center for Rice Research

of the project was presented during

the meeting by project leaders Martin

Gummert and Meas Pyseth. Those

involved in project implementation

planned activities for 2011–12 and

discussed project monitoring and

evaluation, developing business

models, creating a communication and

advocacy strategy, and the Cambodia

Postharvest Learning Alliance.

IRRI, a symbol of hope for the poor

people of Bangladesh

Mohammad Nazrul Islam, director

general of the Rural Development

Academy (RDA) in Bogra, Bangladesh,

described IRRI as a symbol of hope for

the poor people of Bangladesh in his

opening speech for the Community

Radio Workshop in Bogra, 28 February

to 2 March. The workshop (photo 21)

was jointly organized by RDA and the

Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia

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institutions and private organizations

from different countries engaged in

hybrid rice research and development.

Rice production training workshop held in Mozambique

A workshop, 12 steps to successful

rice production, was held at Umbeluzi

Research Station in southern

Mozambique on 28 March–1 April

(photo 24). It was the first week-long

rice production workshop to be run

in the country by the Mozambique

National Institute of Agronomic

Research and IRRI. Twenty-two

participants from extension, research,

and the private sector were taught

different practical rice production

techniques during the course.

Phase 2 of STRASA Project jumpstarts

The Stress-Tolerant Rice for

Africa and South Asia (STRASA)

Project completed its Phase 1

activities, banking on a strong base

and insecticide use—developing

sustainable interventions, structures

and policies was held on 15–16 March

in Bangkok, Thailand (photo 23). The

objectives were to bring together an

interdisciplinary multinational group

of agricultural policymakers and

develop a framework for analyzing

the pesticide supply chain; understand

insecticide use and rice planthopper

problems in rice production; gather

data and critically appraise the

problem and related economic, social,

structural, and political issues; and

develop sustainable interventions to

address the issues.

Consortium on hybrid rice R&D meets

The fourth annual

meeting of the Hybrid

Rice Research and

Development Consortium (HRDC)

was held 21–23 March at IRRI. The

annual event brings together public

(CSISA). “IRRI’s direct contributions

in terms of rice varieties and new

technologies have improved the lives

of the people of Bangladesh,” Mr.

Islam said as RDA Bogra prepares to

establish its own community radio. He

also noted the vital role of the mass

media in 21st century Asia.

GRC holds first field tour

The T.T. Chang Genetic Resources

Center (GRC) invited research staff

on its first-ever field tour held on

7 March. There was an amazing

turnout of visitors, who were given

an opportunity to view the wonderful

world of rice genetic resources,

particularly of the cultivated varieties.

Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, GRC

head, gave a short introduction (photo

22) before visitors walked through the

field, where they beheld rice plants

that were the regeneration of some

accessions, advanced generations of

recombinant inbred lines from Oryza

SNPs, and some genetic stocks.

Training on rice seed production held in Tanzania

A hands-on training course on rice

seed production was held at the IRRI

research farm in Bagamoyo, Tanzania,

on 7–10 March. The course was held

especially for researchers from east

and southern Africa (ESA). Training

involved 20 participants, including

four female candidates, mostly

researchers and a few extensionists

from public and private organizations

in Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Uganda,

Mozambique, and Tanzania.

BMGF team visits IRRI project sites

A team from the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation (BMGF), led by Prabhu

Pingali, deputy director for agricultural

policy and statistics, visited BMGF-

funded and IRRI-implemented project

field sites in Bangladesh on 8–9

March. The team visited the field sites

of three projects: Village Dynamics in

South Asia, Stress-Tolerant Rice for

Africa and South Asia (STRASA), and

Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia

(CSISA) in Mymensingh and Tangail

districts.

Rice planthopper meeting held in Thailand

A Consultation and planning

workshop: Rice planthopper problems

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development of Good Agricultural

Practices (GAP) for rice in Asia.  The

meeting was held in Bangkok,

Thailand, 3–5 April, and was attended

by 25 representatives from seven

Asian countries and 11 IRRI staff

members (photo 26). “It was an

exciting symposium because different

sectors have now taken on GAP to

ensure food safety and to strengthen

sustainable production for fruits and

vegetables—and more recently for

rice,” said Bas Bouman, head of IRRI’s

Crop and Environmental Sciences

Division. “IRRI, with its consortia

on irrigated and unfavorable rice

environments and their national

partners, has an important role to play

in facilitating the delivery of research

in a form which will be readily adopted

by farmers and other end-users.”

CURE holds 10th Steering Committee meeting

The Consortium for Unfavorable

Rice Environments (CURE)

concluded its 10th Steering

Committee Meeting in Kathmandu,

Nepal, on 20 April. Gathering around

65 participants from CURE’s 10

member-countries in Asia (photo 27),

this meeting facilitated the sharing of

lessons learned, challenges faced, and

plans for 2011.

The 2-day meeting started off

with a field visit to a spring paddy rice

field in Kunta Bensi, Kavre District,

where participants had the chance

to interact with male and female

with advances made in developing

varieties tolerant of abiotic stresses

and their widespread dissemination

and adoption over the last 3 years.

An inception meeting and planning

workshop (photo 25) was held during

the first week of April at the National

Agricultural Science Centre (NASC)

Complex in New Delhi, India, officially

launching STRASA’s Phase 2 (Feb

2011–Dec 2013). A strong network

with NARES partner institutions from

the participating countries make

up the STRASA project to ensure

its effective implementation and

coordination. The Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation is the major donor for

STRASA Phase 2.

GAP for rice in Asia

A symposium funded by the Irrigated

Rice Research Consortium (IRRC)

and co-organized by the Thai Rice

Department considered in detail the

farmers and get to know first-hand

their experiences and insights on rice

farming.

“Farmers in this district have

been successful in raising their rice

productivity and growing other

economically viable crops to improve

their livelihoods. They get strong

support from the district agricultural

officers. Their experiences provide

lessons that other countries can

adapt to make their farming more

sustainable,” David Johnson, CURE

coordinator, said.

Research in drought-prone lowlands in Southeast Asia boosted

Well-adapted rice varieties with

improved drought tolerance, together

with management options to raise

productivity, will be made available to

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farmers in the drought-prone lowlands

in Southeast Asia through a recently

launched project.

The project, Improving

livelihoods and overcoming poverty

in the drought-prone lowlands in

Southeast Asia, seeks to contribute

to livelihood improvement and

poverty reduction in Cambodia,

Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and the

Philippines, with the activities within

the Consortium for Unfavorable

Rice Environments (CURE).

Representatives from the five

partner countries came together in

a planning meeting on 21 April in

Kathmandu, Nepal, and identified

focal areas for activities. These

comprised a framework for the

development, validation, outscaling,

and upscaling of technologies and

information, and identification of

linkages for widespread adoption.

IRRI MAGIC Team unveils genetic diversity

The project for developing novel

Multiparent Advanced Generation

Intercross (MAGIC) populations in rice

held a field tour at the IRRI farm on 26

April to showcase the wide array of

genetic variation being expressed for

important traits in advanced MAGIC

materials (photo 28). Started in 2007

by a team of IRRI scientists (Hei Leung,

R.K. Singh, Ed Redoña, and Glenn

Gregorio and researchers Nonoy

Bandillo, Rea Muyco, Anna Sevilla,

Irish Lobina, and Cesar Caspillo), four

types of MAGIC populations are now

in various phases of development:

(1) a MAGIC indica set composed of

1,400 S3 lines; (2) a MAGIC indica

plus set with 2,000 S1 lines; (3) a

MAGIC japonica with 567 S1 lines;

and (4) a MAGIC Global set in the S1

generation.

The MAGIC procedure involves

crossing ‘founder lines’—eight each of

the best indica and japonica varieties

recommended by breeders due to

their tolerance to a suite of biotic

and abiotic stresses, good plant type,

and high yield, among other desired

traits—and sequentially producing

4-way and 8-way intercrosses in

succeeding generations. See related

story in this annual report.

IRRI signs Cyber Village project agreement with PhilRice

On 4 May, IRRI, the Philippine Rice

Research Institute (PhilRice)-Batac,

and the municipal government of

Batac, Ilocos Norte, signed a letter

of agreement (LOA) (photo 29). It

implemented the project, Enhancing

knowledge exchange and decision-

making among rice stakeholders

through the development and

promotion of location-specific rice

knowledge products and delivery

systems, known as the Cyber Village

Project (CVP)-Phase 2. Through the

project, the effectiveness of computer-

based information and knowledge

dissemination to rural farmers and

extension workers at the whole

municipal level is being studied.

Africa component of STRASA project launches second phase

The Africa component of the Stress-

Tolerant Rice for Africa and South

Asia (STRASA) project launched Phase

2 at AfricaRice in Cotonou, Benin,

on 9–10 May. About 50 participants

attended (photo 30), including

AfricaRice and IRRI scientists, NARES

scientists, seed producers, and

representatives of NGOs from 18

African countries. During the inaugural

ceremony, AfricaRice Deputy Director

General Marco Wopereis welcomed

participants and NARES partners and

congratulated STRASA by citing the

project’s achievements to date.

CURE conducts seed systems training in Laos

On 23–27 May, the CURE held

a trainers’ training course on

community-based seed systems (CBSS)

in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The training

course was designed to develop

capacity among CURE development

partners on community-based seed

systems. “Seed security means food

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security,” said CURE Coordinator David

Johnson. “In upland areas, the seed

supply concern is not only in terms of

quantity; quality is essential as well.”

Breeders’ workshop and ICIS training held in Tanzania

The 5th Rice Breeders’ Workshop and

ICIS Training for Africa, held 23–27

May in Kyela, Tanzania, updated 25

participants (photo 31) on progress

with breeding lines selected from

previous workshops, involved

participants in evaluating and selecting

their preferred breeding material in

the field, and trained participants

on how to use the International

Crop Information System. This is the

second time the regional rice breeding

nursery workshop was conducted in

Tanzania and was held in the major

rice-growing region of Kyela, famous

for its high-quality rice preferred across

the country.

IRRI scientists speak in ASEAN Food Security Conference

IRRC coordinator Grant Singleton (2nd

from right in photo 32) and business

model specialist Alfred Schmidley

made presentations on natural

resource management in rice and

postharvest initiatives, respectively, in

separate sessions during the ASEAN

Food Security Conference, Improving

access, advancing food security, held

in Manila on 18–19 July.

One Corporate System process

alignment meeting in Malaysia

Representatives from three CGIAR

centers met on 7–14 June in Penang,

Malaysia, to align their business

processes in preparation for the

implementation of One Corporate

System (OCS) in these centers. OCS

is an initiative of nine CGIAR centers

and the new Consortium Office to

build and implement a common

management information system.

The system will focus on strong

project management capabilities as

well as finance, human resources, and

procurement. IRRI was represented

in the Penang meeting by Norman

Macdonald (OCS Steering Committee

member), Marco van den Berg (IT, OCS

hosting), Melba Aquino (budgeting

and reporting), Sunil Jhunjhunwala

(FG5 and full cost recovery), Corinta

Guerta (project management), and

Eric Clutario (IRRI OCS coordinator).

Mike Jackson, former IRRI director

for program planning and

communications, joined the meeting

to facilitate project management

discussions.

Dr. Singleton presented a talk,

jointly authored by Bas Bouman,

CESD head, on how research on

natural resource management (NRM)

of rice can help tackle food insecurity

over the next two decades. The

presentation focused on new and

emerging NRM technologies that

promote environmentally sustainable

increases in rice production. Mr.

Schmidley discussed initiatives of the

IRRI-Postharvest Unit made through

technologies, learning alliances, and

fostering institutional partnerships.

International Network for Quality Rice meets in Bangkok

Sixty members (photo 33) of

the International Network

for Quality Rice (INQR) met

in Thailand on 17–19 August to review

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Administration in Suwon, Korea.

Nineteen participants from 12

countries were exposed to global

challenges facing rice research and

development and identified and

analyzed components of successful

rice technology transfer cases,

including research-extension linkages

as exemplified in Korea and across

Asia. They also looked at how to

improve technology promotion and

delivery of knowledge and skills

through various interactive and

participatory learning methods. Green Super Rice Project reviewed

A review of the Green Super Rice

(GSR) project for Asia was held in IRRI

on 27–29 August at IRRI headquarters

(photo 35). Reviewers assessed project

gains and produced a basis to further

create opportunities to maximize its

final impact in the project’s target

countries. In particular, participants

projects, write a joint publication, and

train a younger generation of scientists

in conference skills such as chairing

sessions and presenting research

papers. INQR members from eastern,

southeastern, southern, and central

Asia, as well as South America, Africa,

and Australia, attended the meeting,

which consisted of 2 days of scientific

presentations on understanding

different rice quality traits, and two

workshops. 4th phase of IRRC reviewed

The Irrigated Rice Research

Consortium (IRRC) welcomed a

team of external reviewers at IRRI

headquarters on 2–7 September. The

team assessed the Consortium as it

nears the end of its fourth phase.

The review evaluated the

progress and future direction of

the Consortium; identified areas to

strengthen, modify, and refocus to

enhance the IRRC’s mechanism and

activities; assessed the relevance and

quality of research and extension

done to meet farmers’ needs and

identify the gaps; and reviewed

the effectiveness of IRRI-NARES

collaboration and partnerships of the

IRRC with civil society groups and

the private sector. The review team

was led by Urs Scheidegger from

Switzerland; other members were

Karin Zbinden Gysin (Switzerland), Frits

Penning de Vries (Netherlands), and

Jonathan Banks (Australia).

CLUES office opened in Vietnam,

followed by refresher course and

planning meeting

To facilitate activities of the new

project Climate change affecting

land use in the Mekong Delta:

adaptation of rice-based cropping

systems (CLUES), funded by ACIAR,

a project management office was

inaugurated on 22 August at Can

Tho University (CTU) in Vietnam.

Attending the inauguration

were Reiner Wassmann (project leader,

IRRI, 2nd from right in photo 34), Le

Quang Tri (national project director,

CTU), Nguyen Hieu Trung (national

project coordinator, CTU), Abdelbagi

Ismail (IRRI senior scientist), Ben

Macdonald (research scientist, CSIRO),

Romeo Labios (IRRI consultant), the

six theme leaders and their team

members, and representatives from

the Department of Agriculture and

Rural Development (DARD) of An

Giang, Hau Giang, Omon, and Bac

Lieu provinces.

Later, on 14–16 September, a

refresher course on participatory

adaptive research was given to 28

CLUES project staff, including two

staff from GIZ Bac Lieu, a German

development cooperation, at CTU.

And then the first review and planning

meeting of the CLUES project was held

on 18–19 October at CTU. International rice technology course held in Korea

A 2-week international course on

rice technology transfer systems in

Asia began on 26 August at the

International Technology Cooperation

Center of the Rural Development

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First PestEval at IRRI

One-hundred twenty CESD staff

members and 21 from other units

participated in IRRI’s first PestEval on

28 September (photo 37). The event

showcased management practices

for common pests at the IRRI farm

and greenhouses. Participants moved

through five ‘stations’ where CESD

researchers shared their knowledge

on insects, the golden apple snail,

nematodes, rodents, and weeds

through exhibits and short lectures.

CESD head Bas Bouman noted

that some research groups presented

differing control practices—something

that he considers to be a challenge

and opportunity for CESD teams to

come up with a common message on

pest management. Community seed producers “sow” seeds for the future

In early October, a team of IRRI

scientists and NARES partners

assessed the strength of the GSR

breeding strategy and the products

in the pipeline both in China and

at IRRI. GSR was launched in April

2009 by the Chinese Academy of

Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), with

IRRI and AfricaRice as partners, and is

funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation (BMGF).

Since its inception, the project

has successfully completed most

planned activities and largely

achieved its targeted milestones.

BMGF representative and reviewer

David Bergvinson congratulated the

team saying, “The project has done

remarkably well, particularly the

Asia component. I think you made

tremendous progress within a short

period of time and dealing with some

very complicated issues, i.e., get

germplasm legally out of China, which

was not a small feat and that itself I

think is a tremendous accomplishment

by this team.”

Use of laser-controlled field-leveling technology expands in Mozambique

Small-sized laser-controlled leveling

equipment has been introduced into

the rice fields of Mozambique. As

of early September, the IRRI team in

Mozambique had leveled more than 5

hectares of fields at Umbeluzi Research

Station in southern Mozambique

(photo 36) and later leveled another

4 hectares of its research fields in

Quelimane in central Mozambique.

“These fields are so level now

that they would be great for playing

football,” said Hochana Tembe, who

is in charge of field operations for

IRRI at Umbeluzi. He said this helps

control irrigation and run of water and

will also make planting much easier.

Joe Rickman, who coordinates IRRI’s

activities in East and South Africa

(ESA), said that in many parts of ESA,

especially Mozambique and Tanzania,

rice farmers do not even construct

bunds, let alone level the fields. Where

they do use bunds to control water,

the fields are very uneven and quite

small so that bunds can occupy 5-10%

of the effective cropping area.

Web community attend Web Labs

In September, a nine-part series

of workshops on various facets of

IRRI’s Web presence commenced at

headquarters. The Web Labs are a

series of lecture-laboratory sessions

covering theories/principles and how-

tos, respectively. They also provide a

venue for feedback and discussions

among IRRI’s Web community to refine

objectives of the IRRI Web site as

they relate to and feed IRRI’s presence

on the Web—on IRRI.ORG as well as

on social media, media repository sites,

collaborators, and other external sites.

Temperate Rice Research Consortium meeting

The All-Russian Rice Research Institute

(ARRRI) hosted the fourth Steering

Committee meeting of the Temperate

Rice Research Consortium (TRRC),

5–8 September, in Krasnodar, Russia.

Eighty-five scientists from 16 TRRC

member countries reviewed research

progress, evaluated research proposals

of the working groups for 2012,

discussed modalities for developing

coordinated research activities and

sharing improved breeding materials

among the members of the working

groups, and explored future funding

opportunities.

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Research and Development

(PCAARRD) and IRRI jointly hosted the

15th Annual meeting of the Council

for Rice Research Partnership in

Asia (CORRA), 24-25 October. The

meeting was opened by Patricio

Faylon, executive director of PCARRD,

and Robert Zeigler, IRRI director

general. Gracing the event was HE

U Myint Hlaing, union minister of

agriculture and irrigation of Myanmar.

Senior official representatives

from 16 member countries, IRRI,

and PCAARRD attended (photo

39). The members recognized

the value of good-quality seeds

and agreed to support a better

mechanism for germplasm exchange

and characterization, intellectual

properties, benefit sharing, and

human resource capacity building to

enable member countries participate

in and contribute actively to varietal

development for Asia

Postharvest review workshop in Cambodia

A review and planning meeting and

workshop was conducted for the

IRRI-ADB Postharvest Project at Preah

Sihanouk Province, Cambodia,14–15

November. Forty extension staff

members of the Provincial Department

embarked on a week-long

documentation and collection

of information on the history,

organization, operations, spread of

seeds, and project outcomes of nine

seed producers’ and farmers’ groups

in Lamjung, Nepal (photo 38). Two of

these have already been constituted

into cooperatives operating as the

central repository of seeds collected

from the members of the other groups

that in turn sell the seeds to other

villages, and the other two are female

farmers’ groups producing rice seeds

and vegetables.

Farmers have estimated that their

cooperatives have already reached

some 3,000 farmers but they are

only able to meet roughly 10% of

the total demand. Digna Manzanilla,

Liza Raitzer, and Jose Ibabao of IRRI,

with partners from the Institute of

Agriculture and Animal Sciences

and the Nepal Agricultural Research

Council, conducted focus group

discussions, reviewed records and

documents, and interviewed key

informant farmers in the seven villages

of Lamjung, Tanahun, and Gorkha

districts.

15th annual meeting of CORRA

The Philippine Council for Agriculture,

Aquatic and Natural Resources

of Agriculture, private sector partners,

representatives of collaborating

government institutions, and staff

from the General Directorate of

Agriculture attended the meeting,

during which was discussed the

progress in and constraints to

implementation of the project.

The partners discussed plans

and conducted stakeholder analysis

to further refine scheduled activities

for 2012. The project’s current focus

is piloting appropriate and country-

specific postharvest technologies

to reduce rice postharvest losses.

Cambodia is one of the project

sites, along with the Philippines and

Vietnam. Strategies for BPH control

A group of scientists gathered at

IRRI on 23–25 November to develop

strategies for enhancing resistance

to brown planthopper (BPH) and

BPH-transmitted viral diseases. The

insect pest is known to have caused

severe damage in the past 5 years

in South and Southeast Asia, also

causing an epidemic of viral diseases.

It was attended by a transdisciplinary

research team with participants

coming from China, India, Indonesia,

Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam,

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Officials, ambassadors visit IRRI

On 21 January, His

Excellency Luca Fornari,

ambassador of the Italian

Republic to the Philippines

(photo 42), and Joseph

Kalingag, commercial

officer of the Embassy of the Italian

Republic to the Philippines, visited for

an overview of the Institute’s research

activities.

Hon. Dennis Araullo (photo 43),

assistant secretary of the Philippine

Department of Agriculture

(DA) and director of the

National Rice and White

Corn Program, visited

IRRI on 27 January to

learn more about IRRI’s research

and development programs and the

accomplishments of the DA-IRRI-

PhilRice partnership in the past year

in support of the Rice Self-Sufficiency

Program (RSSP).  Secretary Araullo

came with five bureau directors of

the DA and nine rice program staff

members.

H.E. Stephen Lillie, ambassador of

the United Kingdom to the Philippines

(center in photo 44), visited IRRI on

22 March. He was accompanied by

Jesus Tambunting, former Philippine

Research Council Centre Inn, Dhaka,

Bangladesh, 13–14 December.

The workshop was attended by 65

participants from IRRI, India, Nepal,

the Philippines, Germany, and Vietnam

(photo 41). It included Bangladesh-

based scientists and representatives

from NARES partners, government,

nongovernment organizations, donors,

and foreign missions.

IRRI had previously developed a

technology called alternate wetting

and drying (AWD) that has been

validated by NARES institutes in

Bangladesh and other countries. In

Bangladesh, 30 liters of diesel were

saved per hectare, resulting in the

production of an extra half ton of

paddy per hectare. Scientists estimate

savings of US$106 million at the diesel

price of Taka 56 per liter over 4.8

million hectares of boro rice.

and Japan. Participants (photo 40)

presented about the status of the

planthopper problem in their countries

and an overview of ongoing activities

in their institutions and plans. By the

end of the workshop, the group had

drafted an outline for submission as a

new frontier proposal for GRiSP.

AWD workshop in Bangladesh

An international workshop, Alternate

wetting and drying for resource

conservation and reduction of

environmental pollution, was held

at the Bangladesh Agricultural

ambassador extraordinaire and

plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

and Planters Development Bank’s

chairman and chief executive officer,

and Derek Page, director for trade

and investment, and Emma Leister,

senior trade and investment manager,

both from the Embassy of the United

Kingdom to the Philippines.

H.E. Christopher Thornley,

Canadian ambassador to the

Philippines (at left in photo 45 with

IRRI DG Robert Zeigler), visited IRRI on

12 May. He was accompanied by Atty.

James Trottier, counselor and head of

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political and economic relations and

public affairs, and his spouse, Liza

Linklater.

IRRI, BOT, and staff recognition in 2011

On 3 January, The Sardar Vallabhbhai

Patel University of Agriculture and

Technology (SVPUA&T) in Meerut

honored IRRI Director General Robert

Zeigler (at left in Photo 46) by naming

its new soil- and plant-testing

laboratory after him. The university

named its new laboratory after Dr.

Zeigler to recognize years of its

collaborative work with IRRI.

On 20 January, Gurdev S. Khush

(at left in photo 47), member of the

U.S. National Academy of Sciences;

adjunct professor, University of

California, Davis; and former head of

IRRI’s Plant Breeding Genetics and

Biotechnology division, received the

Doctor of Science (honoris causa)

degree from Indira Gandhi Agricultural

University.

During Climate Week in the UK,

13–17 March, IRRI’s Scuba Rice

project, funded by the U.K.’s

Department for International

Development (DFID), won the award

for ‘Best Initiative by a Governmental

or Statutory Body. Flood-resistant

scuba rice can survive underwater for

up to 2 weeks and recover once the

waters subside. It responds to

complete submersion by effectively

becoming dormant, saving energy

until the floodwater recedes when it

can continue growing again. In this

way, it escapes drowning.

In March, P. Stephen Baenziger,

Eugene Price Distinguished Professor in

the Department of Agronomy and

Horticulture, University of

Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)

and IRRI BOT member

(photo 48), won the

university’s Outstanding

Research and Creative Activity Award.

Prof. Baenziger, in 25 years at UNL,

has developed an international

reputation as a wheat breeder whose

research is helping to feed more

people and improve lives in Nebraska

and around the world.

Noel Magor, head of IRRI

Training Center and Program 6 leader

(at left in photo 49), was recognized

during the 7th International Integrated

Rice Duck Farming Conference in

Sylhet, Bangladesh, held on 5–7

March. Dr. Magor led an initiative for

an adaptive research project

conducted by the Bangladesh Rice

Research Institute and Friends in

Village Development Bangladesh

on integrated rice-duck farming. It was

a first in Bangladesh and was modeled

on the innovative system developed by

Takao Furuno, a Japanese organic

farmer.

In April, Roland Buresh, IRRI

principal scientist (photo 50), was

named a

laureate of the

2011 Norman

Borlaug Award

of the

International

Fertilizer

Industry Association. Dr. Buresh was

recognized for his work in

“transforming the scientific concept of

site-specific nutrient management to

innovative knowledge transfer tools

based on decision-support software,

the Internet, mobile phones and field

practices readily usable by rice

growers.” Then on 28 July, Dr. Buresh

was recognized for this accomplish-

ment during a testimonial dinner at

the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

On 5 April, David Mackill, former

long-time IRRI rice breeder who has

subsequently signed up as an IRRI

consultant for 3 years (at left in photo

51), was given a plaque of

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conferred the honorary degree

(honoris causa) of doctor of science by

the Govind Ballabh Pant University of

Agriculture and Technology

(GBPUA&T) in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand,

India, during the 27th Convocation of

the University. Then, on 7 August,

the International Association for

the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS)

paid tribute to Dr. Zeigler by

presenting him with an International

Plant Protection Award of

Distinction during its annual meeting

in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was

recognized for his outstanding

contributions to international plant

protection; first for his research, then

for his work in agricultural

development and research leadership

and management contributions.

In May, Kshirod K. Jena, senior

scientist for plant breeding and IRRI

representative to the Republic of Korea

appreciation for his contributions to

rice research and development in

South Asia (India, Bangladesh, and

Nepal) and Africa. Also cited was his

strong commitment to rice

improvement for unfavorable rice

ecosystems and his pioneering efforts

as initiator and leader of the Stress-

Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia

(STRASA) project. Later in May, farmers

in West Champaran district in north

Bihar, India, honored Dr. Mackill, as

the “father of the SUB1 gene.”

In a special ceremony in DL Umali

Hall on 15 April, in the presence of the

members of the IRRI Board of Trustees,

the winners for the 2010 NRS Awards

were announced (photo 52): Rowena

Oane, for Outstanding Scientific

Achievement; Tara Chand Dhoundiyal,

for Outstanding Administrative

Support; and the Quality Evaluation

Team of the Grain Quality and

Nutrition Center (GQNC), for

Outstanding Research Support. The

GQNC Quality Evaluation Team  is

composed of  Mr. Juan Alzona, Mr.

Romulo Aquino, Mr. Teodoro Atienza,

Ms. Lilia Villanueva, and Mr. Dennis

Villegas. Photos of event

Sushil Pandey, senior scientist in

IRRI’s Social Sciences Division (at right

in photo 53), was recognized by the

Nepal Agricultural Research Council

(NARC) for his contributions to rice

research. The award was given to Dr.

Pandey in a simple ceremony held

during a dinner hosted by NARC for

the participants of the Consortium for

Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE)

Steering Committee meeting on 20

April.

In May, staff members in IRRI’s

Communication and Publications

Services (CPS) won two Gold Awards

(first place) in the Publishing Category

of the 2011 Critique and Awards

(C&A) Program of the Association for

Communication Excellence (ACE).

IRRI’s 2009 Annual Report won in the

Electronic Publishing Class and The

IRRI Pioneer Interview series,

conducted by CPS head Gene Hettel,

won in the Editing Class. The IRRI

Annual Report was recognized for the

third consecutive year in the ACE C&A

competition, which receives

submissions from the U.S. land grant

system and international institutions

around the world.

On 20 May, IRRI Director General

Robert Zeigler (left in photo 54) was

one of three persons of eminence

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internationally recognized on a topic

that continues to remain of

significance: science and technology

for food security and sustainable

management of the world’s major

cereal systems, including rice. 

In October, Joyce Kikafunda

(photo 58), member of

the IRRI Board of Trustees,

was presented with a

Council Award as an

outstanding scientist by the African

Crop Science Society (ACSS). Prof.

Kikafunda is a member of the

Department of Food Science and

Technology at Makerere University in

Kampala, Uganda.

Kong Luen Heong, IRRI

entomologist (at right in photo 59),

was inducted into the TWAS, the

academy of sciences for the

developing world, on 21 November at

Academy headquarters in Trieste, Italy.

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(at left in photo 55), was presented a

prestigious award by the Rural

Development Administration (RDA).

He was cited for outstanding

contribution and service to the

development of agricultural research

and cooperation between RDA and

IRRI for nearly 10 years while based in

Korea. Dr. Jena developed a new

japonica variety, Anmi, using modern

rice breeding technology.

Sam Mohanty, IRRI economist

(photo 56), was presented the

prestigious Glory of India Award in

New Delhi on 16 July.

The award, given by

the Delhi-based India

International Friendship

Society, was handed to

Dr. Mohanty by Hon.

Bhishma Narain Singh, former

governor of Tamil Nadu and Assam;

Maj. Ved Prakash, All-India Congress

Committee member; T.S.

Krishnamurthy, former chief election

commissioner of India; and Joginder

Singh, former CBI director.

On 22 August, IRRI received

one of the first Mobile Bayani Awards

for the development of the Nutrient

Manager for rice application, which

enables farmers and extension agents

to obtain site-specific fertilizer advice

using a simple mobile phone. Rowena

Castillo, Crop and Environmental

Sciences Division (CESD) assistant

scientist, accepted the award on

behalf of the development team.

In September, IRRI soil expert

and agronomist J.K. Ladha (photo 57)

received the 2011 International Service

in Agronomy Award from

the American Society of Agronomy

(ASA) for his work in research,

training, and extension—especially in

South Asia. Having more than 25 years

of experience in various fields such as

improving soil fertility, Dr. Ladha is

The honor was conferred on Dr. Heong

for his contributions to agricultural

sciences and sustainable development,

particularly for his transdisciplinary

work to integrate insect ecology with

psychology, communication, and the

social sciences to develop simple

heuristics and using entertainment

education and media to motivate

thousands of rice farmers to make

better decisions on pest management.

On 13 December, IRRI

recognized 129 employees for their

enduring commitment to the Institute’s

mission. These staff members, who

have contributed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30,

and 35 years of service to the Institute,

were given service awards. A special

lunch was also held on the same day

in honor of all employees who have

served IRRI for 25, 30, and 35 years.

IRRI board and staff updates

Departing international staff in 2011

included David Mackill, IRRI principal

scientist and long-time rice breeder at

the Institute over two periods (1982–

91 and 2001–10); Darshan Brar,

long-time IRRI plant breeder and most

recently Plant Breeding Genetics and

biotechnology (PBGB) head (1987–

2011); To Phuc Tuong, principal

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IRRI AnnuAl RepoRt 2011

scientist and water management

engineer (1991–2011), CESD; Sushil

Pandey, senior agricultural economist,

Social Sciences Division (SSD)

(1993–2011); William Padolina,

deputy director general for operations

(1999–2011); Richard Bruskiewich,

senior scientist, Genetic Resources

Center (GRC); Melissa Fitzgerald,

senior scientist and head, Grain

Quality and Nutrition Center; M.A.

Hamid Miah, IRRI liaison scientist

for Bangladesh; Georgina Vergara,

postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Greg

Howell, plant physiology scientist/

consultant, PBGB; Nobuya Kobayashi,

senior scientist, PBGB; Daisuke Fujita,

postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Choi In

Bea, visiting research fellow, PBGB;

Shigeki Yokoyama, IRS (seconded from

JIRCAS); Kamala Gurung, postdoctoral

fellow, SSD; Jong-Hee Lee, visiting

research fellow, PBGB; Ming Li, visiting

research fellow, C4 Rice Center; Axel

Tonini, agricultural economist, SSD;

Serge Savary, crop health specialist,

PBGB; and Laetitia Willocquet, plant

pathologist, PBGB.

New international staff

arrivals in 2011 included Eero A.J.

Nissilä, head, PBGB; Adam Sparks,

postdoctoral fellow-GIS specialist/

plant pathologist; Leigh Vial, head,

Experiment Station (ES); Tobias

Kretzschmar, collaborative research

scientist, PBGB; Sudhanshu Singh,

postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Xiufang

Ma, visiting research fellow in PBGB;

Daisuke Fujita, visiting research fellow

(PBGB); Tsutomu Ishimaru, senior

scientist, PBGB; Nicholas Ketel, head,

Physical Plant Services; Sudhir Yadav,

postdoctoral fellow, CESD; Najam

Waris Zaidi, postdoctoral fellow,

PBGB; Mohammad Rafiqul Islam,

postdoctoral fellow, PBGB; Michael

Dingkuhn, senior scientist II, CESD;

and Takuji Tsusaka, postdoctoral

fellow, SSD.

Passing on

Jose ‘Joe’ Marasigan,

technician in GRC since

1996 (photo 60), passed

away on 6 January at

St. Jude Hospital in Los Baños after

battling cancer.

Tom Hargrove, 66, long-time

IRRI editor and head of

Communication and

Publications Services

(1973–91) (photo 61),

passed away unexpectedly because of

a heart attack on 23 January in Texas.

He was a mentor, colleague, and

friend to many at IRRI, CIAT, IFDC, and

many other places around the world.

He was an amazingly prolific writer

and editor.

Agrifina Pascua, former

housekeeping and food attendant at

the IRRI Guesthouse

and cafeteria, under

Food and Housing

Services (FHS) (photo

62), died on 4 February

from lung cancer. She is survived by

her husband, Juanito, former FHS

cook, and their children, one of whom

(Jerwin) is on the staff at Riceworld

Bookstore.

Robert “Bob” Huggan, 79,

head of IRRI’s Information Center/

CPS (1993–97) and a

senior advisor, External

Operations (1997–98)

(photo 63), passed

away on 15 February

in Montpellier, France, after a

lengthy illness. Bob was an expert in

public awareness, donor relations,

appropriate dissemination of scientific

research results, R&D communications,

cross cultural communications,

and information management. He

is survived by his wife Isabel and

daughter Abbey.

Annemarie Lampe, wife of

former IRRI Director General Klaus

Lampe (photo 64), passed away on

20 June in Frankfurt,

Germany, at the age of

79. She is survived by

Klaus and their family

members Rainer and

Margaret Lampe; Sarah, Max, and

Kim; Barbel Lampe; and Milena, Clara,

and Antoine.

Juan Lazaro, Jr. (photo 65),

who passed away 11 July, was a

26-year IRRI veteran

who began his work

at the Institute as an

electronic mechanic

in August 1963. He

departed as a senior instrument repair

supervisor in November 1989. He is

survived by his sons Juan III and Juan

IV, who is head of Creative Services

in Communication and Publications

Services, and daughters, Mel and

Emie.

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