rice today special supplement for the philippine department of agriculture management committee...

8/8/2019 Rice Today Special Supplement for the Philippine Department of Agriculture Management Committee Meeting, 6-8 …

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Is proximity to IRRI an advantage?Bouncing back from Typhoon HaiyanBreeding for tough times aheadBanking seeds

Special Supplement for the Philippine Department of Agriculture

Management Committee Meeting, 6-8 April 2015


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“We have been working with

the Philippines since our

establishment in 1960. Many

of our new technologies aretested here first and made

available to farmers here

ahead of the rest of the worl

And, because of our location

Filipino scientists can selectfrom our potential new rice

varieties much more easily

and cheaply than our other

Asian partners.”

Robert Zeigler

IRRI director general


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editor-in-chief Gene Hettel

managing editor Lanie Reyes

associate editor Alaric Francis SantiaguelAfrica editor Savitri Mohapatra

Latin America editor Nathan Russell

copy editor Bill Hardy

art director Juan Lazaro IV

designer and production supervisor Grant Leceta

photo editor Isagani Serrano

circulation Antonette Abigail Caballero, Lourdes Columbres, Cynthia Quintos

Web masters Jerry Laviña, Lourdes Columbres

printer CGK formaprint

Rice Today is published by the International Rice Research Institute(IRRI) on behalf of the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP).

GRiSP provides a single strategic plan and unique partnership platformfor impact-oriented rice research and development. IRRI is the world’s premiere research organization dedicated to reducingpoverty and hunger through rice science; improving the health andwelfare of rice farmers and consumers; and protecting the rice-growingenvironment for future generations. Headquartered in the Philippinesand with offices in 16 countries, IRRI is a global, independent, nonprofitresearch and training institute supported by public and private donors.Responsibility for this publication rests with IRRI. Designations used inthis publication should not be construed as expressing IRRI policy oropinion on the legal status of any country, territory, city, or area, or itsauthorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Rice Today welcomes comments and suggestions from readers. RiceToday assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to unsolicited

submissions, which should be accompanied by sufficient return postage. The opinions expressed by columnists in Rice Today do not necessarily

reflect the views of IRRI or GRiSP.

International Rice Research Institute 2014

This magazine is copyrighted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License(Unported). Unless otherwise noted, users are free to copy, duplicate, or reproduce, and distribute, display, or transmit any of the articles or portions of the articles, and to make translations,adaptations, or other derivative works under specific conditions. To view the full text of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ .

International Rice Research Institute DAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, PhilippinesWeb: www.irri.org/ricetoday

Rice Today editorialtelephone: (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725;fax: (+63-2) 580-5699 or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: [email protected],[email protected]

Rice Today Editorial Board

Bas Bouman, GRiSP

Matthew Morell, IRRIEduardo Graterol, Latin American Fund for Irrigated RiceMarco Wopereis, Africa Rice Center

Mary Jacqueline Dionora, IRRIOsamu Koyama, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural SciencesErna Maria Lokollo, Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Dev.

Pradeep Kumar Sharma, CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University

Gonzalo Zorrilla, National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA)

contents

IS PROXIMITY TO IRRI AN ADVANTAGE ................. 4

IRRI AND THE PHILIPPINES ..................................... 6A history that goes on

BOUNCING BACK FROM THE TYPHOON HAIYAN . 8A family of farmers bounces back from a disaster by

growing a high-yielding rice variety and vegetables.

WOMEN WHO MOVED MOUNTAINS .................... 10Cordillera heirloom rice from the Philippines has

palates half-way around the globe coming back formore.

FIRE FOR RICE: THE ORIGIN OF IFUGAO TINAWON……………………………………………….. ...... 12

A tale on how the Ifugao tribe in the NorthernPhilippines got hold of the Tinawon rice.

A NEVERENDING SEASON ................................... 14An experiment that has been going on for half a

century could hold a solution to feeding an ever-increasing population with shrinking resources.

BEATING BLIGH T .................................................... 16With an ever-evolving pathogen and changing

climate, scientist continue to improve defensesagainst bacterial blight.

BREEDING FOR TOUGH TIMES AHEAD ................ 18Green super rice is making its way to farmers’ fields.

NOURISH ING A NATION ........................................ 20Rice is the Filipinos’ must-have food and primary

source of nourishment.

A HUMANEYE VIEW OF BIRD S ............................. 24 IRRI showcases the many bird species that frequent its

research fields.

BANKING SEEDS ..................................................... 26Farmers get access to good-quality seeds through

community seed banks.

UPON THE 100,000TH CROSS ............................... 30IRRI breeders mark a milestone in the Institute’s

breeding history.

THE F IRST PALAY .................................................... 32This Philippine folklore about the origin of rice.

DRIED TO PERFECT ION .......................................... 34Farmers can now obtain cheaper moisture testers.

FROM RAGS TO RICHES WI TH RICE FARMING ..... 36A couple from humble beginnings earns a million

pesos worth of assets from planting rice.

LESSON PL AN: SAVE WATER ................................. 38Students in the Philippines learn how to save water in

planting rice.

HEIRLOOM IN THE MOU NTAINS ........................... 40Farmers in the Cordillera region of the Philippines

preserve their heritage rice varieties.

TRAIN US ................................................................. 42A Filipino farmer’s desire to learn brought rice-growing

best practices to his farming community.

EXTENSIO N GOES MOBILE .................................... 44Farmers can now use ubiquitous mobile phones

to access fertilizer Information whenever andwherever they need it.

WHAT’S COOKING? ................................................ 46Fried Ominio Rice a la Purple Yam.

GRAIN OF TRUTH ................................................... 47Precision Agriculture for small-sale farmers.

On the cover:

Filipino farmers are benefiting from newly released

improved rice varieties and technologies. An ACIARstudy showed that, between 1985 and 2009, improvedvarieties from IRRI increased the profit of Filipino farmers

by US$52 per hectare. And, the IRRI link to rice varietiesdeveloped in the country was strong throughout theperiod—averaging 70% of all varieties released. IRRIhas contributed to improving rice yield in the country

by 11% or $1.017 billion in 2009—an annual average of$625 million.


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824 Rice Today January-March 2015

H

usband and wife Joven andLydia Ganapin, farmers in asmall village in Babatngon,

Leyte, Central Philippines,clearly remember the oods triggered by super typhoon Haiyan on 7 No-vember 2013 that submerged theirhome and the farm they were renting.“Nothing was left,” Joven said. Hewas able to recover about 28 sacks ofrice from his farm before the typhoonhit. He took them to a rice trader. Heagreed to paid by the trader after thetyphoon. But, unfortunately, all therice of the trader, including Joven’s,

A family of farmers bounces back from

a disaster by growing a high-yielding

rice variety and vegetables

Bouncing backfrom typhoon

Haiyanwas looted. Joven was not paid because his rice had not even beenweighed.

“We suered a great loss,” said Joven. “All was taken by Haiyan.”He did not feel that badly because“everyone here had the same fate.”What maered to them was that no

one in their family became part of the6,000 casualties of the super typhoon.

Life after the stormFor this farming couple, everythingabout Haiyan is now a faint memory.Thirteen months later, all the debrisis gone. There’s almost no trace ofthe scars the super typhoon left inBabatngon, 33 kilometers away fromthe provincial capital, Tacloban. Lifehas returned to normal.

Lydia excused herself to aend tosomeone who wanted to buy from hersmall store, which doubles as theirhome. At rst glance, it seems thatthey have no neighbors. The villagewas silent. One could hear only theswishing and swooshing sound of aneighboring farmer harvesting his

rice. Joven harvested his rice earlier.

His house was lled with sacks ofrice—some milled, others not. Heproudly showed the grains of NSIC2013 Rc344SR, a high-yielding newlyreleased rice variety, fondly called“344” by the couple. The rice is saidto be special for some good reasons.He raved about the quality of hisnewly harvested grain just like afather would of his newborn baby. Heexcitedly mentioned the long grains

and “basmati-like” traits and that itis tasty and has a good aroma, andhow the cooked rice doesn’t hardeneasily when it becomes cold. His wifepraised the variety’s 60% millingrecovery and that they were able toharvest a lile bit more than 6 tonsper hectare.

A profitable variety Joven does not regret trying 344,which was introduced by Paul

Maturan, an associate scientist at theInternational Rice Research Institute(IRRI) through the PhilippineDepartment of Agriculture and IRRIproject Accelerating the Developmentand Adoption of Next-Generation RiceVarieties for the Major Ecosystems in thePhilippines (Next-Gen). Mr. Maturansaid that his mission for the Next-Gen project was to share the seedsof new rice varieties, such as NSIC2013 Rc344SR, with other marginalfarmers in Leyte and other rice-

growing areas in the Philippines.At Joven’s request, Lydia pulled

out her records of how much theyproted from 344. Lydia was verydiligent in joing down their expensesand computing the prot, which isnot surprising for entrepreneurs likethem. Her records indicated thatthey have harvested 75 sacks of rice,with 15 sacks used as rent paymentto their landowner. Some were usedfor paying the harvesters and some

by Lanie Reyes

N A S A ,

L A A D S

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925Rice Today January-March 2015

1 Tanchuling H. 2010. Palay suciency outlook: rst quarter 2010 DA performance report. Rice Self-Suciency Bulletin, January-March 2010.

went for the rent of a thresher. In theend, they had 46 sacks of rice left.Multiplied by 46 kilos per sack atabout US$0.39 per kilo, the couplemade $459 in prot.

Joven liked 344 so much thathe did not sell all the harvest fromthis variety. He set aside 13 sacks for

family consumption and for sowing.Mr. Maturan then decided to buyone sack of 344 from Joven to add tohis seed stock to be distributed tofarmers in Abuyog, Kananga, andHinunagan, Leyte.

Overcoming adversityThe couple said that they were able to

bounce back after Haiyan because offarming. Aside from rice, they grewvegetable crops—sweet corn, sweet

bell pepper, eggplants, and string beans—that they planted in rotationto avoid diseases and pests. Croprotation is a practice they learnedfrom from Dr. Francisco Dayap,the superintendent of BabatngonExperiment Station, one of theresearch stations of the Departmentof Agriculture, Regional Field OceVIII and located just two kilometersaway from Joven’s farm.

Since the vegetables can beharvested in 40 to 65 days, they have

something to tide them over until thenext rice harvest.

During interviews with thefarmers, municipal agriculturalocers in Leyte identied the lackof seeds suitable to the area as themain problem. Farmers usuallyplant whatever seeds are availableor distributed to them even if these

seeds have not been tested forthe local areas. Mr. Maturan saidthat the new DA-IRRI Next-Genproject is currently conducting eldtrials for farmers to select the mostadoptable new varieties and establishan ecient seed production anddistribution system.

Mr. Gerry Bauya, the municipalagricultural ocer in Abuyog, saidthat they have not heard of rice thatcan tolerate ooding, salinity, ordrought. He said they need suchvarieties because 200 hectares oftheir rice areas are ood-prone whilesome 30 hectares have problemswith salinity. In Kananga, Ms.Maria Cristina Aras, agriculturaltechnologist, said the problem offarmers in their municipality is stem

borer infestation. She added thatthe white stem borer is the mostdestructive because its larval stagecould last up to 32 days.

The Next-Gen project is alsotargeting remote and marginal riceareas with similar problems. In linewith the mission of the Global RiceScience Partnership, the project aimsto speed up the introduction andadoption of higher-yielding rice variet-ies and hybrids that have resistance toor tolerance of pests and diseases and

environment-related stresses such asdrought, ooding, and salinity.

A collaboration between IRRI,the Philippine Department ofAgriculture, Philippine Rice ResearchInstitute, and the University of thePhilippines Los Baños, the project isexpected to help the country aainrice self-suciency under the Food

Staples and Suciency Program.Aside from the sharing of

advanced breeding methods,expertise, and germplasm, anotherstrategy of the project is “a modiedfarmers’ participatory varietalselection scheme and improved seedsystem that can make these new rice

varieties and hybrids more widelyavailable to Filipino farmers,” GlennGregorio, IRRI plant breeder, said.

“Multi-environment trials (MET)of the newly developed rice linesin many dierent environmentswill greatly improve the quality ofmaterials going through the NationalCooperative Tests, leading to therelease of a beer and improved nextgeneration of varieties and hybrids,”Dr. Gregorio added.

“Developing and promotingeective technologies throughR&D is a viable option to aain thegovernment’s goal of self-suciency,”Dr. Dayap, said. A DA documentindicates that, at today’s rate ofpopulation growth, the country’saverage rice yields must rise to atleast 4.75 tons per hectare to aainself-suciency.1

“Hopefully, through thispartnership, varietal developmentprograms and continuous availability

of high-quality seeds can supportthe goal of rice self-suciency of thecountry,” Dr. Dayap said.

Ms. Reyes is the managing editor ofRice Today.

For more on Typhoon Haiyan, see hp://tinyurl.com/Haiyan-Super-Typhoon.

1. Husband and wife Joven and Lydia Ganapin are happy to try some seeds distributed by IRRI. 2. Mr. Carlito Torreon, municipal agricultural officer of Kananga inLeyte, receives some seeds of NSIC 2013 Rc344SR from Paul Maturan, IRRI associate scientist. 3. Dr. Francisco Dayap, the superintendent of Babatngon ExperimentStation in Leyte (right ), shares some good management practices with Joven Ganapin.

1 2 3

L A N I E R E Y E S , I

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1022 Rice Today October-December 2014

Women

who moved mountains

The Cordillera heirloom rice from the

Philippines has palates half-way around the globe coming back for more

T he jostling streams andgolden patches that paint thescenery tucked deep in thecrevices of the Cordilleras

in the Phil ippines are commonplaces in the bustling communitiesnearby. But to those who havenever set foot in this world, shaped

by the arduousness of the terrainand richness of its traditions,the Cordilleras are anything buthumdrum.

Mary Hensley, then a 22-year-old Peace Corps volunteer fromMontana in the U.S., was one suchperson captivated by the land.Today, Ms. Hensley is the founder ofEighth Wonder Inc., which marketsthe traditional rice grown in theCordilleras to the U.S., in partnershipwith the Philippines nonprot RICE,

Inc.Ms. Hensley has not only brought

the heirloom rice to the shores ofthe United States, but she createdeconomic opportunities for whatwas previously regarded as a dyingfarming practice in the famed riceterraces that UNESCO declared aWorld Heritage Site in 1995.

And it all started with renewingold friendships in Kalinga Province,a familiar region where the Peace

by Ma. Lizbeth Baroña-Edra

Corps had originally stationed her(see centerfold on pages 24-25).

Are you lost?“It was usually the rst questionpeople asked me,” recalled VictoriaGarcia, executive director of RICE,Inc., which successfully linked

heirloom rice to the market. Reachingout to the farmers was hard becauseof the fragmented communitiesnestled in dierent corners of themountain range.

“At a waiting shed, I’d usuallystrike a conversation with farmerswaiting for transportation,” said Ms.Garcia. “My goal was to establish con-tact with one farmer and, eventually,he would take me to his relatives, andinto their community. Sometimes, wewent to farmers’ meetings organized

by the local government. But mostly, itwas farmer-to-farmer outreach. Maryhappens to still have friends in theareas where she served decades ago.So, we started with them.”

“Hope pulled me in”However, being accepted by the farm-ing communities was just the begin-ning. “When the project started, it waslike working with a clean slate,” Ms.Garcia recalled. “There was almost

nothing to start with. Farm-to-marketroads were few and there was noelectricity to run the milling machines.I talked to the Department of PublicWorks and Highways, to the NationalIrrigation Authority, to electricityproviders. The idea of quality had to be taught to the farmers.”

“There was a point in the begin-ning when Vicky said she could not doit,” shared Ms. Hensley. “She found itdaunting.” But their common passionfor community development got themthrough the moments of doubt.

“The farmers are really hopeful,”said Ms. Garcia. “They understoodthat they have a chance to preservetheir traditions and heirloom rice.Now, they have a reason to continueplanting.” The hope she saw in thefarmers overpowered her initial

reluctance. “I felt as though I was bringing the rain to them after a longtime of living with parched dreams.”

Momentum of partnershipsThe two women found an ally inUNESCO Ambassador PreciosaSoliven, who was, at that time,advocating for the preservation andrestoration of the rice terraces.

“Their advocacy was not gainingmuch traction,” shared Ms. Garcia.

MARY HENSLEY (left ) and

Victoria Garcia have teamed upto bring Cordillera heirloom riceto the world.

M A R Y H E N S L E Y

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1123Rice Today October-December 2014

“So, in 2006, when I heard that therewas going to be a UNESCO workshop,I decided to aend, uninvited, andshared the idea of marketing heirloomrice.” At this point, partnershipsstarted to take shape.

“Abraham Akilit, a formerdirector of the National IrrigationAuthority of the CordilleraAdministrative Region and nowmayor of the town of Bauko,

immediately saw how the projectcomplemented their work withfarmer irrigators,” said Ms. Garcia.

In 2007, OB Montessori School,through Ambassador Soliven,donated more than PHP 100,000(US$2,000) to RICE, Inc. Ms. Garciaused the fund to have a millingmachine custom-made for traditionalCordillera rice varieties. “Experts atthe Bureau of Postharvest Researchand Extension and the Philippine

Rice Research Institute providedtechnical assistance,” she said.

Culture is keyThere is something romantic aboutthe role heirloom rice plays in bindingthe indigenous communities of theCordilleras. Reverentially selected andplanted, their seeds are preserved andhanded to the next generation. But to

be part of the modern world, changeswere necessary.

“Their rice is aromatic and

beautiful. But the grains are ofdierent sizes and broken,” Ms.Garcia added. “We provided trainingactivities on quality control so theycould produce unbroken, uniformlysized grains. We trained them to begood entrepreneurs. We taught themskills such as keeping tabs on howmuch they produce and managingtheir product.

“Being sensitive to the cultureof the dierent farmer groups is

key to engaging them,” she added.“We want them to be beer farmmanagers but without losing theiridentities and traditions.”

When orders poured in, farmerswere asked to make “pledges.” Theproject shied away from geing“commitments” from the farmers, asthis gives a sense of being “forced” toproduce something. “The concept ofpreparing and processing more rice

than they need for a couple of days isnew to them,” said Ms. Hensley.

“We made them understand thata `pledge` is something they are freeto make,” Ms. Garcia explained. “Wemade them understand that someonewants to buy their rice and that it willhelp their families.”

One of the good things thatcame out of this project was thatthe Department of Agriculture hasinstitutionalized technology transfer

sensitivities to the Cordillera farmers.“The government now recognizesthat it must support the traditionalway of farming” she said.

Ms. Garcia and Ms. Hensley arenow working with the Heirloom RiceProject, funded by the Departmentof Agriculture and led by theInternational Rice Research Institute(IRRI). The Project seeks to widenthe initial marketing success of Rice,Inc. and Eighth Wonder and bringthe production of heirloom rice to the

aention of the national governmentfor developing policies for theindustry. The Heirloom Rice Projectwill also systematically characterizetraditional varieties of the Cordillerasand conserve them.

“A very important part of theproject is helping farmers producequality heirloom rice seeds, whichhelp produce more for the market,”said Dr. Casiana Vera Cruz, ascientist at IRRI and overall leader

of the Project. “We want to empowerhighland smallholders to managetheir own enterprise, conserve theirrice biodiversity, and preserve theircultural heritage.”

“We are excited to buildupon the successes of Vicky andMary,” said Dr. Digna Manzanilla,project co-lead and coordinator ofthe Consortium for UnfavorableRice Environments at IRRI. “The

Heirloom Rice Project, which pullstogether government agencies, localgovernment units, state colleges anduniversities, farmers’ groups, andprivate entities, stands to learn fromtheir experiences in how to make thevalue chain work.”

The future of ancient riceWhen Ms. Hensley and Ms. Garciastarted their project, they were toldthat they would fold up after 3 years.

Now, they are in their ninth year ofproviding a sustainable livelihood tofarmers in one of the most marginalrice ecosystems in the country. In2013, 29 tons of Cordillera heirloomrice were shipped to the UnitedStates, valued at $38,079. This year,19 tons valued at about $26,000 have

been produced.“We’re working with 272 farming

families,” said Ms. Hensley. “Thereare about 100,000 of them in theregion. There is a long way to go.”

“I believe that the farmers in theproject have found a new sense ofpride in their culture and their work,”said Ms. Garcia.

That pride is palpable as onetraverses the mountainsides ofthe Cordilleras—and it will savethe treasured heirloom rice of themountains.

Ms. Baroña-Edra is a sciencecommunications specialist at IRRI.

EXOTIC HEIRLOOM rice varieties from the Cordillera rice terraces of thePhilippines now being purchased in specialty shops in the United States.

© OLIVE AND JOEL ENRIQUE

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T here oncelived twoyoung brothers,

Wigan and Kabigat, wholived with their father,Pudol, in Kayang, aprosperous village inKiyangan. The gods blessed them with agood life, plenty ofchickens, pigs, ducks,dogs, and other preciouspossessions.

Upon learning fromtheir father that the dogswere for hunting wild

animals, the brothersprepared for a hunting trip. Wheneverything was ready, they fastenedtheir scabbards to their waists, tuckedin their betel nut bags, carried their backpacks, pulled out their shiningsharpened spears and then departedwith their dogs.

Upon reaching the huntinggrounds, they let loose the dogs thatran barking and chasing the wildanimals, among them wild pigs.

A tale on how the Ifugao tribe in the Cordillera region of the northern

Philippines got hold of the Tinawon rice from the god of the Skyworld

When the brothers noticed that thedogs were chasing their quarrytowards Kabunyan, where Liddum,a god of the Ifugao resides, theydecided to follow closely fearing thatthey might lose them.

Tracking the footprints oftheir dogs and quarry, the brothersentered Kabunyan. The quarry, awild pig, went straight to a bamboogrove in the backyard of Liddum.

The brothers took aimwith their spears andhit the wild pig. Thewhimper of the dying

pig prompted Liddumand his people to comearound and investigate.When Liddum saw theslaughtered animal, heconfronted the brothersand accused them ofkilling his people’s pig.

“The animal wekilled came from the jungle of Kiyangan andour dogs had chased itinto Kabunyan,” Wigan

explained humbly toLiddum. He pointed out the physicaldierences between the wild pigs ofKiyangan and those of Kabunyan.“The snout of the wild pigs of Kiyan-gan is longer and more pointed thanthe wild pigs of Kabunyan,” he said.

Liddum, being the god who blessed them with many animals,knew that to be true and he acceptedWigan’s explanation and made peacewith the brothers.

Rice fables: Philippines

Fire for rice: The origin of Ifugao

TinawonRetold by Ana Dulnuan-HabbilingCarvings by Albert Magguling

© E I G H T H W O N D E R ,

I N C .

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Wigan explainedfurther that mostpeople of Kiyanganhunt these wild pigs fortheir food

Then the two brothers cut theirquarry and shared

some with Liddum andhis people. Much tothe brothers’ surprise,Liddum and his peoplequickly gobbled uptheir share of meattogether with uncookedrice. They realized thatthe Kabunyan peopleeat their food raw.

Wigan decided to show themhow good cooked food tastes. Hequickly brought out his int with a

special stone and produced re fromit. He cooked the meat of the wild pigand some rice, which he had askedfrom Liddum, in bamboo tubes.

When the meat and the rice werecooked, the brothers invited Liddumand his people to eat with them. TheKabunyan people found the aromaof the cooked food very appetizing.They also found out that cooked ricewas so lling that a small portion isenough to make them feel full and

satised. They were really amazed.“Fire can make food taste sogood,” said Wigan.

Because of the good taste of thecooked food, Liddum wanted to havetheir re. He oered them some ofhis pigs, chickens, gold, and otherpossessions in exchange for the re.But the brothers refused all of itsaying that they had plenty of thosethings in their home in Kayang. Whatthey actually wanted was Liddum’saromatic large grain rice variety that

they found to be more lling andsatisfying compared with their rice inKayang.

So Wigan asked Liddum if hewould trade his aromatic large-grain rice for their re. Liddum wasdelighted by the oer because the remeant so much to him and his people.

“That was a smart idea,” Liddumsaid to Wigan, “It is true that youhave plenty of rice in Kayang but itis the upland rice with no ritual and

thus it does not last long. Your biggranaries are lled with your harvest but they would only last for two

months unlike our Skyworld rice thatwould last a whole year.”

Liddum, god of the Skyworldand the god of plenty, traded hisaromatic large-grain rice variety toWigan of Kiyangan for re. But beforeLiddum handed them two bundlesof the Skyworld rice, he rst taughtthem the rice rituals and earnestlytold them that it is important toperform these rituals starting fromthe sowing of the rice seeds up to the

postharvest.“By observing the ritualsproperly and religiously this ricevariety with its aroma and goodtaste will be free from rice pests anddiseases,” Liddum said. “And therewill be a good harvest that will lastthe whole yearround.”

Wigan andKabigat thankedLiddum andpromised him

that they wouldperform the ricerituals in caringfor the Skyworldrice.

Before the brothers wenthome, they taughtthe Kabunyanpeople how toproduce re andhow to cook food

using the re. To showhis gratitude for thegenerosity of Liddum,Wigan built a replaceand cooking place forLiddum.

Then the brotherswent home feeling

good and proud. Theyhad not only broughthome wild pig meat butalso a wonderful riceplant.

The brothersplanted the Skyworldrice in their eld inKayang, propagatedit, and shared the

seeds with other Ifugao people. Asthe people tasted it and experiencedits satisfying eect, many built rice

elds across the mountain slopes andwherever else possible just to plantthe Skyworld rice plant. Until now,this is the only rice variety that theIfugao planted in their rice elds.

Because the Ifugao people believe that it came from Liddum ofKabunyan, they sometimes call it theSkyworld rice. Today, it is commonlyknown as Tinawon rice, which means“planted only once a year.”

Ms. Dulnuan-Habbiling is the matriarchof an Ifugao farming family. There aredierent local fables of how Tinawon ricecame to be. Excerpts from this versionare the closest to her beliefs. See the fullstory at www.heirloomrice.com/pages/Story_of Tinawon.pdf

G E N E

H E T T E L

VISITING HEIRLOOM demonstration plots at the International Rice ResearchInstitute during Farmers' Day on 1 October, Ms. Dulnuan-Habbiling spotted oneof the glutinous Tinawon varieties that she grows in her fields--a descendant ofLiddum's Skyworld rice no doubt.

27Rice Today October-December 2014 13


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1410 Rice Today July-September 2014

Y ou wouldn’t know it bysimply looking at it, but aone-hectare rice eld at theInternational Rice Research

Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines has been in perpetual motion since 1962.The Long-Term Continuous CroppingExperiment (LTCCE) recently marked

its 150th rice cropping season,making it one of the longest runningagricultural experiments in theworld, and the most exciting.

The LTCCE, however, wasn’tconceived to make it into theGuinness Book of World Records.It measures trends in yield andsoil properties over its lifetime asindicators of the sustainability ofcontinuous rice cropping on oodedsoil. The data being collected from the

An experiment that has been going on for half a century could hold a solution to a nagging concern

of feeding an ever-increasing population with shrinking resources

LTCCE might not directly resonatewith the public, but this experimentcould actually answer perhaps themost important question of our time:how shall we produce enough rice fora growing population in a sustainableway?

The ghost of MalthusIn An Essay on the Principle ofPopulation (1798) , Thomas Malthuspredicted that an outbreak of famineand diseases was inevitable and itwas only a maer of time. About150 years later, the world founditself teetering dangerously onthe brink of a global famine asfood production lagged behindpopulation growth. But, a timelyintervention, between the 1940s

and the late 1960s, through theGreen Revolution that increasedagricultural production worldwideand is credited with saving more thana billion people from starvation.

But the Green Revolution didnot permanently lay to rest thespecter of a Malthusian catastrophe.

Dr. Norman Borlaug, the fatherof the Green Revolution, had noillusions that it was anything otherthan a means to buy the world time,according to Dr. Robert Zeigler, IRRIdirector general.The world doesn’t have much timewhen it comes to food production.More than 7 billion people arenow living on a planet with fniteresources. Arable land covers only3% of the world’s surface and this

by Alaric Francis Santiaguel

A never-ending

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1511Rice Today July-September 2014

James Moomaw was an

agronomist at the University of

Hawaii specializing in tropical

pastures and forage crops, and had

never grown a rice crop. However,

Robert Chandler, IRRI's first director

general, knew he was the right

man to become the Institute's first

agronomist, in 1961. The Nort hDakota native specialized in soil

fertility and developed a first-

class research program at IRRI

for investigating continuous rice

cropping management practices

involving fertilizer response, wate r

management, and weed control.

His expansive knowledge

was matched by his passion to

search for solutions to poverty

and hunger. Dr. Moomaw believed

that knowledge holds the answers.

He proved th is with the LTCCE,

which he pioneered, by producing

18.8 tons per hectare of rice from

3 crops in a year, in 1966—the

first rice scientist to do so—using

improved rice cropping technology.

He knew that global hunger

was a constant threat. “If your

technology fails for whate ver

reason at just one time, you have

a disaster on your hands,” he once

said. Fifty-two years later, the

LTCCE, in line with Dr. Moomaw’sconviction and vision, continues

to update and validate r ice

production practices for a changing

climate and in keeping the threat

of global hunger at bay. He passed

away prematurely at age 55 in

1983.

is continually being converted intourban area. One hectare of productiveland is estimated to be lost every7.67 seconds. With current globaltrends in diets and population, 60%more food will be needed in 2050.One way to meet this demand is bypuing food production on overdrivethrough intensive agriculture.

Squeezing rice from landIntensive agriculture is an approachdesigned to obtain the most yield byusing techniques such as plantingmore or dierent crops on a unit ofland and increasing the frequencyof cropping per year. Experts sayintensive farming is not new. It has

been practiced for thousands ofyears in Egypt, South Asia, Europe,and North and South America. Inmany Asian countries, intensive ricefarming was practiced by carvingterraces on hilly and mountainousareas to make them suitable forgrowing a crop.

Today, intensive agricultureis often equated with moderncommercial agriculture—mechanizedfarming, large-scale plantations, andraising livestock in conned spaces—that started after the end of World WarII. Prior to that, agricultural systemsrelied mostly on growing traditionalvarieties, organic maer, biologicalcontrol of pests and diseases (throughcrop diversication and rotation), andnatural rainfall paerns. These typesof farming systems were closely linked

with the natural systems and causedlile environmental degradation.1 Although food production this waymade outputs stable, the quantity wasmodest.

On the other hand, moderncommercial agriculture used modernvarieties, inorganic fertilizer,pesticides, and irrigation, whichallowed many developing countriesto achieve dramatic increases infarm production. But, these practices

came under heavy re for beingunsustainable and environmentallydestructive. Criticisms included areduction in soil fertility because ofthe heavy use of inorganic fertilizers,narrowing of genetic diversity asmore farmers shifted to modern high-yielding crop varieties, more frequentoutbreaks of pests and diseases, andincreased soil erosion. Just how farcan we push this without causingsystem failure?

A brave new farmIn 1962, the LTCCE (then called theMaximum Yield Experiment) wascreated with James Moomaw as itsrst head scientist (see box). It aimedto sustain high annual rice yield froma unit area of land using an optimummix of rice varieties and culturalpractices.

“IRRI scientists already hadforesight of envisioning continuousrice cropping with as many as

three crops of rice per year,” saidRoland Buresh, IRRI soil scientistand current lead researcher forthe LTCCE. “They were seeingalready at that time that the keyingredients would entail varieties,irrigation water, proper timing anduse of fertilizer, and the use of goodagricultural management practices.”

1 Altieri MA. 1995. Agroecology: the science of sustainable agriculture. Westview Press, Boulder.

eason

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Unmindful of the heat andthe humid air circulatingfrom an industrial fan inthe glasshouse, Casiana

Vera Cruz, plant pathologist at theInternational Rice Research Institute(IRRI), met with her team to check theprogress of the rice plants that exhibitresistance to bacterial blight. Severalrows of plastic boxes with plants fromdierent rice-growing countries lledthe facility.

“Some varieties are from SouthAsia while others are from SoutheastAsia,” said Dr. Vera Cruz. ”The plantslook healthy for now but, in the nextfew weeks, we will see the plants that

are more resistant to bacterial blight,as they have been inoculated.”

A deadly disease“Among rice diseases, bacterial blightis one of the most costly,” said Dr.Vera Cruz. “It can damage as muchas 60–70% of the plant and can evenresult in crop failure, especially whendisease strikes at the seedling stage.”

Once infected at the seedlingstage, the leaves turn grayish green

With an ever-evolving pathogen and

changing climate, scientists continue to

improve defenses against bacterial blight

and roll up. And, as the diseasespreads, the leaves turn yellow tostraw-colored and then wilt. Theresult can be a grim nightmare for

farmers as they helplessly watch theirseedlings dry up and die.This is exactly what happened

to farmers in Haryana and Punjabstates in India in 1980 when forthe rst time, the rice they weregrowing succumbed to a bacterial blight outbreak. It is the same diseasethat has been associated with majorepidemics that ruined the fortunes offarmers in China, Korea, Indonesia,the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,Laos, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The disease also occurs in Australiaand Africa.

It is no surprise that farmersare taking this disease seriously.Although there are chemicalsdeveloped to control this disease,none of them are completely eectiveat eliminating outbreaks.

Breeders at work However, farmers no longer need toworry spend very much on chemicals

to combat bacterial blight thanksto the scientists at IRRI and otherresearch organizations who have beenscouring the world for rice plants that

have natural resistance to bacterial blight.“Many improved rice varieties

now have major genes for resistanceto the disease,” said Dr. BertrandCollard, IRRI plant breeder. “Thus,the chances of farmers losing theircrop to bacterial blight are lower.”

As early as the 1970s and‘80s, rice scientists found varietiesTKM6 and DV85 that had inherentresistance to bacterial blight. Recently,researchers have identied more than

30 genes (named Xa1 to Xa38) thatimpart blight resistance.

“Making rice resistant is notonly most economical, but it is alsoa sustainable way of controlling bacterial blight,” said Dr. Vera Cruz.“A good example is IR20, one of theelite varieties that has been promoted by IRRI since 1975. Even after morethan 35 years, IR20, which carriesthe Xa4 gene , is still resistant to somestrains of bacterial blight.”

Beating

blightby Lanie Reyes

N A N C Y

C A S T I L L A ,

I R R I

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At IRRI, more than 80% of theelite lines have the Xa4 gene and,since 2000, released cultivars such asPSB Rc82 carry combinations of geneswith resistance to the predominantpopulation of the pathogen. Otherelite lines have also been developedwith dierent combinations of Xa5,

Xa7, Xa13, and Xa21, among other genes. Some elite lines and releasedcultivars show broad-spectrumresistance, indicating that unknownor novel genes may be present inthese lines and cultivars.

Nevertheless, bacterial blightcontinues to be an important concerndue to the capacity of the pathogen tochange and overcome the deployedresistance genes. Governmentagencies know well that the stakesare high. Whenever susceptible rice

varieties are grown in environmentsthat favor bacterial blight, thedisease can turn green rice eldsinto wastelands of dry and wiltingleaves, and empty grains—wiping outinvestments and potential prots.

Balancing genetic protectionRecently, Dr. Vera Cruz’s teammade a discovery that will further

improve the resistance of rice to thedisease. They learned that it is not just the presence of resistance genesXa4 and Xa7 that is important , butthat environmental factors such astemperature also play an importantrole in how the genes protect theplant. They found that Xa4 is more

eective as temperatures drop, whileXa7 does its job beer at highertemperatures.

“Since the two genes compensatefor each other‘s weaknesses, this willalso help farmers withstand changesin weather paerns,” she said.“Climate change could radically altertemperatures during the dry and wetseasons.”

Since pathogens co-evolve withthe plant, growing a single resistantvariety over large areas will “push”

the virulent form of the pathogen to become dominant. Therefore, onekey questions for breeders and plantpathologists is how to deploy theresistance genes to prevent pathogenepidemics while maintaining yield.

Diverse genetic resourcesThis is where the importance ofgenetic diversity comes into play. The

good news is that IRRI has a geneticgold mine of dierent types of riceincluding wild rice accessions thatis stored in its International RiceGenebank. The genebank continuesto provide rare versions of genes toenrich and diversify the sources ofresistance to manage bacterial blight.

Aside from nding a critical mixof genes, IRRI scientists are aiming tomap the genome of the blight pathogenand understand what role genes playin the plant. With this information,they can precisely target certain genesof the pathogen that cause virulence inthe plant host. According to Dr. VeraCruz, this will radically shorten the breeding process for designing blight-resistant rice varieties.

No one can tell what challengesthe future may bring. With the ever-

evolving diseases and changingclimate paerns, IRRI scientists arenot resting on their past successes.They are constantly searching for beer ways of doing things to deliverwhat farmers need to win the baleagainst this insidious disease.

Ms. Reyes is the managing editor of RiceToday.

(From left ) IRRI’s associate scientist Rhulyx Mendoza, researcherPauline Capistrano, plant breeder Bertrand Collard, and plantpathologist Casiana Vera Cruz are working together to developbacterial blight-resistant rice.

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Throughout history, humanityhas always struggled withthe specter of hunger caused by human-made or natural

disruptions in the food supply. Backin the 1960s, the goal of the GreenRevolution was clear: increase cropyield to ward o widespread foodshortages and famine across poor

rice-eating countries.However, new challenges

appeared in the decades since thesuccessful introduction of high-yielding rice varieties. As climatechange starts to have signicantimpacts on the conditions aectingagricultural lands in vulnerable rice-

I S A G A N I S E R R A N O (

3 )

producing regions, food security isonce again a priority for rice research.But, it is not just about yield any more.It is about tolerance of and resistanceto new problems. Focused and cuing-edge agricultural research will becritical in meeting this formidable anddaunting challenge.

One such technology, Green

Super Rice (GSR), is now on its way tofarmers’ elds.

From laboratories to rice fieldsGSR varieties are products of mixinghundreds of rice varieties thatpossess traits such as drought, ood,or salinity tolerance. These varieties

were developed to maximize yieldunder a limited supply of nutrientsand water.

“This is rice that seems to do theimprobable—increase yield whileusing fewer inputs, such as fertilizerand water,” said IRRI’s Jauhar Ali,who has been working on developingGreen Super Rice since 1998. “Green

Super Rice is not just a moniker.The fact that GSR varieties are goodfor the environment is why we arepassionate about geing these intofarmers’ elds.”

Earlier this year, the GSR projectcreated a road map for GSR seeds toreach farmers across rice-producing

Green Super Rice is making its way to farmers’ fields

EARLIER THIS year, farmers in the province ofLaguna, in the Philippines, participated in avariety selection trial of GSR.

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breeders under the China NationalRice Molecular Breeding Network.From 2003 to 2008, when the projectgained momentum, valuable genesfrom 500 donor varieties wereintrogressed into 46 elite adaptablerecipient parents, which eventuallygave the GSR project a substantial set

of materials to work on.Although many institutes

worldwide are working on dierentkey rice traits separately such asnitrogen use eciency and toleranceof drought, salinity, and ooding,researchers at IRRI are working oncombining many traits in one ricevariety.

“This challenge feels like adream, but breeding can changeeverything,” said Dr. Ali. “Breedersfrom 50 years ago did not have

the new breeding tools we enjoynow. A good example is the caseof farmers in Bangladesh. Some ofthem require rice varieties withood tolerance during the early tomiddle stages of the plant, and thenthey require drought tolerance inthe terminal crop growth stage. Theneeds are complex, and they must beaddressed.”

Ms. Baroña-Edra is a public relationsspecialist at IRRI.

A farmer’s dream come true

Bernard Brosas, a farmer in the province ofLaguna, Philippines, tested Green Super Rice onhis 2-hectare farm. GSR’s performance encouraged

him to become a seed supplier to his fellow farmers

and nearby towns.

“At first, my fellow farmers wondered whether

I’d get good rice plants from using fewer seedlings,

and using fewer inputs,” Mr. Brosas narrated. “After

they saw how robust my rice was, and how I was

able to save on input costs, and still got a good

harvest with good quality, they started asking for

GSR seeds from me to test on their farms.”

He welcomed the news that GSR varieties are

under consideration by the Philippine National Seed

Board for distribution to Filipino farmers.

countries during a meeting for thesecond phase of the project. At theevent, Dr. Ali announced that twoGSR varieties (BSHS6-GSR hybridand Weed-Tolerant Rice 1) have beenocially released in Indonesia andVietnam, respectively, after nationalmultilocation testing. “GSR has

also already been nominated to thePhilippines’ National Seed Board. It


is very close to being released in thePhilippines,” Dr. Ali said.

A long roadIn 1998 until 2003, under theInternational Rice Molecular BreedingProgram at IRRI, Dr. Zhikang Liformer IRRI senior scientist and stilldirector of the Green Super RiceProject, led the initial research workpertaining to the GSR breedingstrategy in 18 countries, involving 36

partners, introducing genes from 200rice donors into their popular ricevarieties.

“We screened early generationsof backcross bulk populations forvaluable traits such as drought,salinity, ooding, and phosphorusand zinc deciency tolerance from avery large collection of dierent typesof rice,” said Dr. Ali. “During thattime, only China, out of 18 countries,followed through with the research.”

The project in China involved 14institutions and about 200 molecular

RMER BERNARD Brosas and his familyamong those who will benefit once

R seeds are released in the Philippines.

BERNARD BROSAS is a 51-year-oldfarmer who who tested GSR varietiesand is now reaping the rewards.

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20 11Rice Today July-September 2013

T

his year, the Philippinesis celebrating its NationalYear of Rice, which isfocusing on achieving riceself-suciency, improving

the income of rice farmers, andpromoting beer health amongrice consumers. As part of theNational Year of Rice, the Philippinegovernment is encouraging Filipinosto eat “just the right amount of rice”and expand their diets to include bananas, sweet potatoes, and maize.

12009 World Rice Statistics.

2 Agricultural Indicators System (AIS) Report: Food Consumption and Nutrition. 2011. Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, Department of Agriculture.

Also, in July, the countrycelebrates Nutrition Month whenthere is added aention on reducinghunger and malnutrition. The sloganfor Nutrition Month is “Together we

can end hunger and malnutrition,”a clear demonstration of theircommitment to improving nutritionamong Filipinos.

So, what does rice have tocontribute towards a healthy diet?

Rice is the leading source ofsustenance for all Filipinos. In 2009,

the country had an average annualrice consumption of 123 kg perperson1—among the highest in theworld. Filipinos spend more on ricethan any other food, according to

the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics(BAS).2 The BAS survey showed,Filipinos, especially those from low-income households, are dependingsolely on rice more than ever for theirdaily dietary energy supply anddietary protein because it remains themost aordable food in the country.

Nourishinga nationby Alaric Francis Santiaguel

More than an agricultural commodity,

rice is the Filipinos’ must-have food and

primary source of nourishment

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21

3 The state of food and agriculture 2013: Food systems for beer nutrition (www.fao.org).

“A healthy nutritiontip for a rice-based dietis to consume rice withlean meat, poultry, sh,or shellsh, legumes,and vegetables,” says Dr.Maria-Bernardita Flores,executive director at

the National NutritionCouncil of the PhilippineHealth Department. “Eata variety of foods everyday.”

However, the starkreality is that many peoplesimply cannot aordor access a diverse andhealthy diet that includesa range of nutritious foods

alongside rice.IRRI shares the Philippine

commitment to addressingmalnutrition and is developing ricewith more iron (see “Iron-clad” rice onpage 46 of Rice Today Vol. 10, No. 3),zinc, and beta carotene (a source ofvitamin A) (See Golden grains for beternutrition on pages 14-17 of Rice Today Vol. 10 No. 4.) to help people get more

of these important micronutrients.High-nutrient rice could be aneective way to provide many ruraland impoverished households in Asiawith improved nutrition because riceis already widely grown and eaten inthese regions.

Old-school nutritionThe Philippine government is alsopromoting the consumption of brownrice.

Not a specic variety, brown ricerefers to any kind of rice that still hasits outer layer of bran and the germ—where most of the nutrients (such asniacin, thiamine, and phosphorus)are found. Moreover, brown rice isrich in insoluble and soluble ber.Soluble ber slows down digestionand can lower bad cholesterol,while insoluble ber helps relieveconstipation. The two types of berwork together to promote a healthydigestive system.

Despite its health benets, brownrice consumption remains low in thePhilippines (and across other parts ofAsia) compared to white rice. Cielito

Rice Today July-September 201312

However, Dr. Eufemio Rasco,executive director of the PhilippineRice Research Institute (PhilRice),points out that the increasingconsumption of rice coupled with thedecreasing intake of other foods cancontribute to an unhealthy diet.

Not by rice alone Rice mainly contains carbohydrates,which are an excellent source ofenergy, but it does not provide all thenutrients required for a healthy dietwhen it is eaten alone. This could lead

to deciencies in micronutrients suchas iron, zinc, and vitamin A.Micronutrient deciency can

occur when rice makes up most ofthe daily diet. It signicantly aectsthe lives and health of around 2 billion people worldwide, with 26%of all children under the age of ve being stunted and 31% suering fromvitamin A deciency, according tothe Food and Agriculture Oce.3 And the Philippines is not exempt.Approximately 1.7 million Filipino

children (6 months to 5 years old) arevitamin A decient.

Balancing riceSupplementing a rice-based dietwith a diversity of other nutrient-richfoods is an eective way of ensuringa nutritious diet.

DR. CEZAR Mamaril mills his own paddy tocommercially produce brown rice.

I S A G A N I S E R R A N O

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22 13Rice Today July-September 2013

Habito, former director generalof the Philippines NationalEconomic and DevelopmentAuthority, reported on brownrice consumption in his columnNo Free Lunch in the PhilippineDaily Inquirer.4 Dr. Habito’sarticle explains that before ricemills were introduced to thePhilippines and neighboringcountries a century ago,pounding the grains was theonly processing available andso people ate only unpolishedor brown rice. The advent ofmodern mills made poundingof the grains unnecessary andeventually Filipinos shiftedto eating polished or whiterice. Brown rice disappearedfrom dining tables as more

Filipinos shifted to eatingwhite rice. It was soon seen asan inferior, ‘dirty’ product. Whilewhite rice was considered ‘modernand sophisticated,’ brown rice wasassociated with poverty. But in recentyears, the tables have turned in favorof brown rice.

Benefits of brown rice

“Brown rice is rich in minerals,vitamins, and antioxidants,particularly the pigmented rice,”

says Cezar Mamaril, former IRRIscientist and currently a consultant atPhilRice.

He is also a rice farmer who sells brown rice and he says business isgood as more Filipinos are realizingthe product’s health benets. “Mysupply of brown rice does notlast into the next season and wesometimes run out of stocks to sell.”

Brown rice is popular amongwell-informed, middle-classprofessionals, but not the vast

majority of Filipinos. However, Dr.Mamaril feels more Filipinos shouldeat brown rice.

“Based on testimonial evidence,people consume less rice when theyeat brown rice,” he says. This couldlead to lower per capita consumption

of rice and could help solve thecountry’s perennial rice shortage.”

He admits that some barriersexist that make consumers shy awayfrom brown rice, but he believesthese can be overcome. “Many peopledon’t like the rough texture of cooked brown rice. This is probably due toimproper cooking,” Dr. Mamarilsays. “People who cook it for the rst

L

A N I E

R E Y E S

BASMATI RICE has a low to medium GI.

BROWN RICE is enjoyingrenewed popularity amonghealth-conscious peoplebecause of its high fiberand nutritional content.

4 hp://opinion.inquirer.net/32743/win-win-with-brown-rice.

time follow the usual way ofcooking white rice where theyadd water to rice at a ratio of1:1. It should be a 1:2 ratio ofrice to water. They should alsosoak it in water for at least 1hour before cooking.”

Dr. Mamaril says usingthe right variety with theright amylose content is just asimportant. Amylose content isthe chemical characteristic thatmakes cooked rice dry andaky, or moist and sticky. Ricewith high amylose contenttends to be dry and less tenderand it becomes hard uponcooling when cooked. Lowamylose makes cooked ricesoft and sticky.

“Most of the brown rice

sold commercially is likely amixture of dierent varietieswith dierent amylose content givingthe product an uneven texture,” heexplains. “But, if you use one varietywith medium amylose content, youdon’t even have to soak it in water.You need more water and the time ofcooking may be longer but the cooked brown rice will be soft.”

But it is the price of brown ricethat is really preventing more people


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2314 Rice Today July-September 2013

ISAGANI SERRANO

I R R I

FILIPINOS EAT an average of 123kg of rice per personevery year, for them a meal isn't a meal without rice.

SUPPLEMENTING a rice-based dietwith a diversity of other nutrient-richfoods is an effective way of ensuring anutritious diet.

from buying it, Dr. Mamaril says.

Brown rice is more expensive becausethere is a smaller supply; plus it hasa shorter shelf life. According to him,adding to the cost of production isthat most mills in the country arenot set up to process brown rice, sothe cost of milling brown rice—eventhough it requires less processing—ishigher.

White rice and diabetes: fact orfiction?Although brown rice is the darling of

many nutritionists, polished or whiterice has sometimes been placed onthe opposite end of the spectrum. Ithas been blamed by some as beingone of the worst foods for diabetics.

All foods are assigned a GlycemicIndex (GI) number, which measureshow rapidly food can raise bloodsugar after consumption. High-GI foods can increase the chancesof geing diabetes, and makemanagement of type 2 diabetes

dicult, while foodswith a low GI areconsidered healthier.

“Rice haspreviously beenclassied as ahigh-GI food,”says Melissa

Figerald, formerhead of IRRI’s grainquality research.“But this single GIclassication for allrice is turning out to be ill informed.”

In 2011, Dr.Figerald’s IRRI teamand her colleagues atthe CommonwealthScientic andIndustrial Research

Organisation inAustralia publishedresearch thatshowed the GIs of235 varieties of ricefrom dierent rice-growing countrieswere more variedthan previouslythought.

“Our researchshowed that there was large

variability in GI between thedierent varieties of rice—rangingfrom a low of 48 to a high of 92, withan average medium GI of 64,” Dr.Figerald says.

The identication of low-GI ricevarieties makes it possible to conductstudies on the eect of low-GI rice on

people with metabolic health issues.This information will be useful indeveloping long-term public healthstrategies and management plans forpeople with diabetes.

Eating smartIn the Philippines there is a popularsaying that goes “if you haven’t hadyour rice today , then you have noteaten.”

The good news is that rice can bepart of a healthy diet. Consumers can

choose brown rice or low-GI rice foradditional health benets. Plus, ricecan be combined with other healthyfoods to provide complete nutrition.And, with the potential coming ofhigh-nutrient rice – even consumerswith limited choices who are likely tokeep eating high quantities for rice,may be able to get a more nutritiousdiet.

Mr. Santiaguel is a writer at IRRI.


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2420 Rice Today April-June 2013

T o the untrained eye, theresearch farm at theInternational Rice ResearchInstitute (IRRI) in the

Philippines may look like nothingmore than a verdant sea of rice

plants. But, through the eyes of birdenthusiasts and the lens of birdphotographers, it is a habitat for manyspectacular bird species.

In Feathers in the elds: The birds ofIRRI , bird photographers Tirso Paris, Jr. and Segfredo Serrano exhibit a bevy of bird species (see centerfold)they have captured via their camerasover the years, representing a portionof their portfolios of what Dr. Parisdescribed as their “addiction.”

“Bird photography is a passion,”Dr. Paris said. “You need to be a lile bit crazy to go into it. It takes a lot ofmoney, time, and patience to capture beautiful images of birds. But it isvery addictive.”

Bird photography also requiresspecial skills that go beyond being very ecient with a camera,according to Dr. Serrano.

“You need to be a good birdwatcher and know the habits andforms of birds so that you can easilyidentify the species on the run,”he said. “And, you have to have agenuine aection for your subject. Ifyou don’t have a genuine aectionfor our avian friends as part of our

environment and their role in ourenvironment, it will be very dicultto have the required patience todocument your subject.”

The rewards of their patienceand eorts are stunning photographs

that reveal the avian world behindthe green curtain of rice that will nodoubt surprise many.

“The fascinating featheredcreatures featured in this exhibition,some native to the area while othersuse IRRI as a stopover site on theirmigration, provide a glimpse of birds that are rarely seen by mostpeople—even those who work in theelds every day,” said Paul Hilario,curator of the Riceworld Museum

by Alaric Francis Santiaguel

Migrant snipe

A human-eye view of birds

Feathers in the felds showcases the many bird species that frequent IRRI’s research farm withcompelling images, videos, and sounds to create an engaging educational exhibit

© S E G F R E D O S E R R A N O

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2521Rice Today April-June 2013

and Learning Center where theexhibit will be on display throughSeptember 2013. “These birds arealert to movements and sounds,and are quick to hide or use naturalcamouage.”

Many might assume that bird photography is best done in

undisturbed areas but agriculturalareas can double as bird sanctuaries.Although farms cannot replacenatural wetlands, ooded rice feldsact as an artifcial wetland and canprovide some resources for birds,according to Mr. Richard Smedley, anIRRI scholar who studies birds in theexperimental felds (see Don’t scareaway the birds! on pages 24 to 25).

Keeping a healthy rice ecosystemis a target for IRRI on its researchstation. For example, IRRI uses

integrated pest management(IPM), which reduced pesticideuse by 96% between 1993 and 2008,and encourages richer natural biodiversity. “Although we don’thave direct evidence on the impactof the reduced pesticide use, it iscertainly a contributor to the richer bird life in and around the farm,”said Dr. K.L. Heong, an IPM expertat IRRI.

Most farmers may not be as

happy, though, to see thriving birdcommunities ocking to their felds because they are widely regarded aspests. “They are seen in associationwith rice and they’re presumed toeat rice, but that assumption maynot always be correct,” local birdenthusiast Paul Bourdin explains. Thediet of the lesser coucal, bee-eater,swallows, pacifc skylarks, and pied bushchat consists almost entirely ofinsects, he explained.

To help people beer understand

that not all birds are pests, Feathersin the elds: The birds of IRRI willinclude descriptions provided byMr. Bourdin about each species ondisplay at the exhibit, includingtheir scientifc, English, and Filipinonames; diet; and habits. Read thesedescriptions online at IRRI.org/ricetoday.

Mr. Santiaguel is a writer at IRRI.

Feathers in the fields: The birds of IRRI A photo exhibit

May through September 2013 Asia Room

Te Riceworld MuseumIRRI, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines

Little egret

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26

In Arakan Valley, the upland

“rice belt” of North Cotabato,Philippines, farmers hold deara rice variety—Dinorado, a

native upland rice characterized by its pinkish grain, sweet aroma,and good eating quality. For theArakeños, Dinorado has been part oftheir community as far as they canremember. Long ago, the ArakanValley was home to exotic Dinoradorice. So much so that Dinorado has become part of their pride and social

identity.Dinorado is a “special” rice that issought for weddings, birthdays, andestas, among other occasions, andit is a status symbol in the country.Its price is 50% higher than ordinaryrice. Unfortunately, the quality ofArakan Dinorado diminished asthe genetic purity of its seed stocksdeclined.1

To preserve the purity of theseeds, farmers must know how tomanage the health of their seeds—and

this lack in management was foundin the farm communities in an initialneeds assessment of the Consortiumfor Unfavorable Rice Environments(CURE) of the International RiceResearch Institute (IRRI).

Also, most of these farmers lackaccess to higher-yielding modernvarieties. Traditional varieties tend to

These are some of the challenges

that CURE aimed to tackle in Arakan.In a team eort, the CURE scientistsat IRRI joined forces with USM, thePhilippine Rice Research Institute,the Municipal Agricultural Oceof Arakan, and the Department ofAgriculture. They call themselves the“Arakan Valley team.”

Seeds of survivalThe Arakan Valley team understandsthe value of seeds to farmers. Farmers

depend on viable seeds for thesurvival of their households; whenseeds are scarce, so is food security.To avoid this problem, the team set itssights on improving seed health andquality management practices of thefarmers and making modern varietiesalong with other traditional varietiesavailable to them.

So, they mobilized a group offarmers who were willing to betrained on how to properly producegood-quality seeds and to know

about modern rice varieties suitablein their area. This group of farmersevolved into a local network calledthe “community seed bank.”

Benefits to the farmersThrough the community seed bank,“We learned how to produce qualityseeds such as geing rid of unwanted

1 Zolvinski S. 2008. Listening to farmers: Qualitative impact assessments in unfavorable rice environments. IRRI Technical Bulletin No. 12. 47 p. (hp://snipurl.com.listen_to_farmers).

by Lanie C. Reyes

Farmers have more access to good-quality seeds through community seed banks

Rice Today April-June 201216

have a lower yield (an average of 1.6tons per hectare). Thus, 4–6 monthsof hunger is a common experienceamong farmers who cultivatetraditional varieties. During thesemonths of hunger, farmers and theirfamily sometimes eat the seeds setaside for the next cropping season.

Another problem is that upland

rice farming, which is mostly rainfed,is at the mercy of the weather. “For thissame reason, seed producers do notusually lend seeds to upland farmers;even local moneylenders are less likelyto invest in farming that is deemed highrisk,” related Dr. Rosa Fe Hondrade,a social scientist at the University ofSouthern Mindanao (USM).

seeds

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27

types of rice from our elds, aswell as selecting, drying, andstoring seeds, and other seed healthpractices,” said Nestor Nombreda, a54-year-old farmer and president ofthe Arakan Community Seed BankOrganization (ACSBO).

“In 2006, ACSBO came into the

picture because farmers wantedtheir community seed bank tocontinue even after the project ended,explained Dr. Rosa Fe Hondrade.”

“An important benet of beinga member of the community seed bank is that, if my crop fai ls, I can borrow seeds from another farmer,”said Hernani Dumalag, 59 yearsold. “If I need a variety of seed, Ican barter even a small amountof rice, let us say, 5 kilos. Besides, buying seeds from a seed producer

is expensive.”Aside from the benet of readily

accessible seeds, farmers know thesource and the quality of the seeds.Thus, the community seed bankprovides an informal guarantee ofquality.

On-farm conservation“The community seed bank inArakan achieved a momentumthat allows farmers access to the

seeds they need while maintaining biodiversity,” said Dr. Casiana VeraCruz, senior scientist at IRRI andCURE work group leader for uplandfarming areas.

Arakan’s community seed bankis categorized as in situ conservation(or on-farm conservation). In contrastto o-farm conservation (gene banks),in situ conservation allows “farmersto be stewards of crop diversity—they grow varieties as a way ofconserving them and preserving

plant genetic diversity,” Dr. VeraCruz explained. “By increasing thediversity of varieties that farmersgrow and preserve through active useof traditional varieties, particularlythose with useful traits such as goodgrain quality, adaptability, resistanceto many biotic stresses, and toleranceof abiotic stresses, farmers can

increase yield and reduce disease andpest problems.”

Plant genetic diversity is perhapsmore important to farmers thanany other environmental factor. Itprovides them and breeders with

options to develop, through selectionand breeding, new and moreproductive crops that are resistantto pests and diseases and are welladapted to changing environments.2

More productive cropsGenetic diversity made it possible forplant breeders to develop new high-yielding modern rice varieties, whichthe Arakan Valley team introduced tofarmers. These varieties were shown

on demonstration during farmers’eld days for farmers to judge howmodern varieties perform when itcomes to yield, grain quality, andresistance to pests and diseases,among other factors important tofarmers.

“Farmers can then make aninformed decision on what to sowon their respective farms,” said Dr.Edwin Hondrade, CURE key sitecoordinator of USM.

With ACSBO kniing the Arakan

farm community closer together, it becomes easier for farmers to sharetheir experiences on the type ofvarieties they grow, their farmingpractices, and their seed healthmanagement practices.

In short, the community seed bank was widely accepted in severalvillages of Arakan, and the local

government uniteven recognized andsupported it.

Amidst progressSo much has changedin Arakan sincethe 1990s. “Going

to the upland areasof Arakan fromKidapawan, its nearescity, used to takealmost a half day,”noted Dr. Vera Cruz.“But now, it takes

just over an hour. Gone are the rocksthat speckled the unpaved roads,which made them rougher and moreslippery during the wet season.”

Now, a long stretch ofcement roads connects farms to

markets. North Cotabato has beentransformed from the fth-poorestprovince in the Philippines in 1998into one of the progressive provincesand a favorite investment area in theregion.

This inux of investmentstransformed some of the uplandrice areas in Arakan into plantationcrops, particularly the revival ofold and new rubber plantations.Rubber trees did make some Arakan

farmers nancially well-o. This

2 Rao NK. 2004. Plant genetic resources: Advancing conservation and use through biotechnology. African Journal of Biotechnology 3(2):136-145.

J A C K A

L B E R T O S .

H E R R E R A

( 3 )

FARMERS HERNANI Dumalag and NestorNombreda benefit from the community seedbank by having access to good quality seeds.


KNOWN FOR itsaroma and goodeating quality,Dinorado fetchesa good price inthe market.

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economic progress became evidentwith some changes in the Valley:some nipa huts became houses ofstones; the usual sight of horses tiedto a tree became pickup trucks andutility vehicles; plus, some signsof development here and there—agasoline station, a grocery store, and

a hospital.With rubber sap priced at almost

US$1 (40 pesos) per kilogram, a farmercan earn as much as $2,300 (morethan 100,000 pesos) from a hectare ofa 6-year-old rubber plantation. As thetrees mature, this gives more incometo farmers. And, farmers can sustainthis potential income until the treesreach 25 years old.

But what has become of theupland rice farmers in Arakan Valley?Are they a case of poverty caught in

the midst of progress?Those farmers who converted

their rice areas into rubberplantations earlier are reaping the benets of their investments, whereassome others still need to wait for ayear or two before they start to taptheir rubber trees.

Surprisingly, despite thepopularity and the potential incomefrom rubber plantations, the Arakanfarmers did not stop cultivating rice.

For them, nothing beats the securityof having some rice saved for theirconsumption. For this reason, ACSBOcontinues to be relevant even withthis change in the community.

In fact, “ACSBO is so successfulthat it has become a model in nearbytowns,” said Dr. Edwin Hondrade.

The more, the betterCrop diversication is also promotedin Arakan. “We always encouragefarmers to grow dierent ricevarieties as well as crops,” saidDr. Edwin Hondrade. “A kind ofinsurance in case one variety or cropfails.”

This strategy was proven helpfulin 2011 when most of the rice cropsin Arakan failed because of rat and

pest infestations. Because many kindsof rice varieties were sown, somevarieties survived. It can be notedthat most farmers mentioned modernvariety UPL Ri5 as having survived.

“UPL Ri5 has been preferred by both growers and local rice tradersfor almost two decades since it was

introduced by the USM team,” saidDr. Rosa Fe Hondrade.

Seed banking with a twistThe Arakan farmers often cultivateDinorado as a cash crop, but thewell-o farmers, on the other hand,grow Dinorado for their food. AmongArakeños, “no other rice can competewith its taste.”

Under the leadership ofmunicipal agricultural ocer Edgar

Araña, Dinorado, Arakan’s priorityproduct, is listed under the “onetown, one product” program of thenational government. That is whyknowledge of good seed healthpractices is of great value for theArakan community.

Moreover, the community seed bank model has been embraced by the local government unit ofArakan, but with a twist. It appliesthe principles and practices of acommunity seed bank to develop and

preserve its exotic Dinorado variety,and it promotes organic farming.“Applying ‘organic amendment’ tothe Arakan Dinorado brand furtherincreases its value,” Mr. Arañasaid. “It can be sold for up to 80pesos (almost $2) per kilogram.”This is more than double the priceof standard types of rice in thePhilippines.

For Mr. Araña, the localgovernment unit is not only

I S A G A N I S E R R A N O

HUSBAND AND WIFE Dr. Edwin Hondradeand Dr. Rosa Fe Hondrade helped mobilizethe Arakan community seed bank.

J A C K A

L B E R T O S .

H E R R E R A ( 2 )

SOME RICE areas in Arakan are convertedto rubber plantations because of higherpotential income from rubber.

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preserving Arakan’s Dinorado andconserving biodiversity but alsonurturing the soil—the “sourceof life”—on which rice grows.“Organic farming is friendly tothe environment and healthy forhumans,” he said.

Within the context of

conserving the “source of life,” in2009, the local government unitestablished the Land UtilizationProgram for Sustainable Livelihoodof Arakeños (LUPA , the Tagalogword for soil). The LUPA conductsfarmers’ eld schools thatincorporate community seed banking and organic farming.

In addition, Mr. Araña sharedthat the community seed bank has anecotourism aspect, which is deemeda spillover success. “People are

interested in visiting Arakan to seehow its exotic Dinorado is cultivatedorganically.”

Confessions of a “backslider”

Although organic farming is believed and followed faithfully bymembers of the LUPA, there are some“backsliders.”

“We are called ‘backsliders’ because we reverted back to usingchemicals such as pesticides and

herbicides,” farmer Nestor Nombredasaid.

“If one’s area is small, handweeding is okay,” he explained. “But,if the area is more than a hectare, it isdicult to weed by hand.”

A farmer’s choice

Whether it is about the type of ricevarieties to cultivate or the methodsof farming practiced, “farmershave to judge the opportunitiesavailable to them and what suits theirconditions best before they decide forthemselves,” said Dr. David Johnson,IRRI weed scientist and CUREcoordinator.

“It is important that we oer

farmers options, as we recognize thatfarmers often know beer than we doin many ways,” he added.

Surely, the community seed bankhas helped farmers in Arakan. Theylearned how to produce good-qualityseeds that resulted in an increasedseed supply of a culturally important

traditional variety that fetches a highprice such as Dinorado and a high-yielding modern variety such as UPLRi5. Now, with access to modernvarieties, they can have more stableand beer yields that can stand up tounfavorable conditions. As a result,more and more farmers will nolonger experience food insecurity andhunger.


SOME MEMBERS of the Arakan Valley team: (L-R) James Dulay of thelocal government unit of Arakan, Dr. Edwin Hondrade of the University

of Southern Mindanao, Arakan municipal agricultural officer EdgarAraña, Dr. Casiana Vera Cruz of IRRI, and Mr. Enrique Layola of theDepartment of Agriculture.

HINUMAY, LAMBOG, and Amma areamong the traditional varietiesthat farmers grow in Arakan Valley.

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Before scientistsever startedcrossing

dierent riceplants, farmers hadinadvertently beenat it for centuries.

By the mid-1800s, scientistswere catchingup, with GregorMendel’s researchon inheritanceand geneticspaving the wayfor more advancedapproaches to plant breeding into the1900s.

These scientic discoveriescouldn’t have been timed beer. Bythe middle of the 20th century, fearof famine loomed when populationgrowth seemed to have outstrippedfood production. Rice and wheat—

two of the most important food cropsin the developing world—benetedfrom international eorts to improvetheir productivity using a science- based breeding approach.

The pivotal “semi-dwarf”IRRI’s hand in helping the rice-eating world through breeding beervarieties of rice began shortly afterthe Ford and Rockefeller Foundationsestablished the Institute with the help


of the Philippine government in 1960.IRRI scientists sought to replicate inrice what had been done in wheat inMexico, and successfully bred IR8—asemidwarf variety that journalistsdubbed “miracle rice” because it

could produce twice the amountof rice grains that tall varietiesproduced. IR8 has been credited withaverting a humanitarian crisis thatwould have plunged the world’s poorinto abject hunger (see Breeding history on pages 34-38 of Rice Today Vol. 5,No. 4).

Since then, more than 900 IRRIvarieties have been released in 78countries, across ve continents.Some of these were bred to be

resistant to insectsor diseases, and theycan withstand poorsoils. Two popular breeding lines, IR64,released in 1985,and IR72, releasedin 1988, have bothhigh yield and goodgrain quality.

“Fifty years ago,it was a dierentscenario in termsof tools availableto create beer ricevarieties,” saidIRRI’s head of plant breeding, Dr. EeroC. Nissilä. “Today,

we have modern breeding tools thathelp us do the work in less time.”

IRRI breeding was thereThe progression of new rice varietieshas reected the challenges that

farmers have faced over the years.In the late 2000s, after decades oftracking down the gene that providestolerance of ooding in rice, andafter infusing this gene into popularvarieties, IRRI released its ood-tolerant line.

Today, millions of hectares of richrice farmlands in the delta regionsof Asia have beneted from “scuba”rice—the rice that can withstand morethan 2 weeks of total submergence.

Upon the

crossWith the 100,000th time rice has been crossed by IRRI breeders, a milestone is marked in theInstitute’s breeding history. The event allows for reection, appreciation, and anticipation of

how breeding saved lives in the past, and will save more in the future.

IR100,000—aptly named as a productof the 100,000th cross made at IRRI.

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An independent study of Indone-sia, Vietnam, and the Philippines bythe Australian Centre for Internation-al Agricultural Research showed thatIRRI’s breeding program has helpedincrease rice yield up to 13%, givingthese countries an extra $1.46 billionworth of rice each year.

What makes IRRI breedingexciting?Today, IRRI scientists are working onrice that responds to specic needs

of farmers in a particular region orecology. An example is rice that cansurvive under stagnant water. This isa problem in rice-growing areas neardelta regions such as those in Vietnam(see Appeasing “nine dragons” enraged byclimate change on pages 22-23).

Another example is rice thatis tolerant of salinity. Salt-tolerantvarieties have already been releasedin the Philippines and Bangladesh.

“Work is also under way to create“2-in-1 rice”—rice with combined toler-

ance of ood and salinity,” said Dr.Glenn Gregorio, deputy head of IRRIplant breeding. “The goal is not onlyto confer tolerance of ood and salt inpopular varieties but also to make surethat they have good eating quality.”

Trends in farmers’ practices,observed in decades of householddata gathered across Asia, are alsonding their way into IRRI’s breedingagenda. An example is the increasingpractice of direct seeding.

“Irrigated rice is an input-intensive undertaking as farmershave to pay laborers to transplantrice,” said Dr. Nissilä. “Farmers thusresort to direct seeding—a trend thathas been observed in farmers’ elds.Once again, IRRI plant breeders seean opportunity to help. IRRI is nowdeveloping rice that germinates inanaerobic conditions, and we have

been making good progress in this.”To facilitate the spread of these

improved rice types in areas t

rice today special supplement for the philippine department of agriculture management committee...

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