IRRI: The International Rice Research Institute
The IRRI office in Los Baños, Laguna , Philippines
The International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is
an international NGO (non-governmental organization). Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna , Philippines Asia 's largest non-profit agricultural
research center. IRRI is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.
IRRI was established in 1960 with the
support of the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and
the Government of the Philippines.
IRRI's headquarters in the Philippines
IRRI is well known for its contribution
to the "Green
Revolution" movement in Asia during
the late 1960s and 70s, which involved the breeding of
"semidwarf" varieties of rice that were less likely to lodge (fall
over). The varieties developed at IRRI, known as IR varieties, are well
accepted in many Asian countries.
The mission of IRRI was aimed to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice
farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability through
collaborative research, partnerships, and the strengthening of national
agricultural research and extension systems.
The goals of IRRI are:
-Reduce
poverty through improved and diversified rice-based systems.
-Ensure
that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative
environmental impact, and can cope with climate change.
-Improve
the nutrition and health of poor rice consumers and rice farmers.
-Provide
equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next
generation of rice scientists.
-Provide
rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they
need to develop improved technologies and enhance rice production.
IRRI's goals contribute to the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals to
eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and ensure environmental sustainability.
They are also aligned with the objectives of the Global
Rice Science Partnership that
help deliver internationally coordinated research effectively and efficiently
with IRRI’s partners.
IRRI develops new rice varieties and rice crop management
techniques that help rice farmers improve the yield and quality of their rice
in an environmentally sustainable way. IRRI work with its public and private
sector partners in national agricultural research and extension systems in
major rice-growing countries to do research, training, and knowledge transfer.
IRRI’s social and economic research also informs governments to help them
formulate policy to improve the equitable supply of rice.
IRRI's current scope of research
covers:
-Conserving, understanding, sharing,
and using rice genetic diversity.
-Breeding and delivering new varieties
of rice.
-Developing and sharing improved crop
and environment management practices.
-Adding value to the economic and
nutritional value of rice.
-Broadening its impact by supporting
strategic policy and market development.
-Facilitating large-scale adoption of
rice technologies.
The Green Revolution in Asia ,
which began in the 1960s with the introduction of modern, high-yielding rice
varieties led to a rapid rise in both rice yields and overall production.
It is supported by donors and partners around the globe and
known as the home of the Green Revolution in Asia .
IRRI helps to feed almost half the world’s population. Its mission is to reduce
poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and
ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable.
IRRI, the largest and oldest international agricultural
research institute in Asia , marks its 50th
anniversary in 2010. In half a century of service for a cause, IRRI’s
high-yielding rice varieties have helped significantly increase world rice
production, especially in Asia , saving
millions from famine while protecting the environment and training thousands of
researchers.
In 2005, it was estimated that 60% of
the world's rice area was planted to IRRI-bred rice varieties or their
progenies.
A report published by the Australian Centre for
International Agricultural Research in 2011 assessed the impact of IRRI's
breeding work in three countries in South East Asia
between 1985 and 2009. It found IRRI's breeding work delivered an annual
benefit of US$1.46 billion per year and boosted rice yields up to 13%.
In 2010, the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) was launched, which IRRI leads
in Asia, the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice)
leads in Africa, and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) leads in Latin America. It aims
to "dramatically improve the ability of rice farmers to feed growing
populations in some of the world’s poorest nations".
Rice is a staple food in most of Asia .
The world’s biggest continent has a per capita rice consumption of 85 kilograms
and also accounts for about 90 percent of the over 600 million tons of paddy
rice produced worldwide. Other parts of Africa and south Americas
Rice remains a most important and staple food for most
people in the world and the crop with the longest history of cultivation. More
than 3 billion of our poorest people depend on it for their daily food
requirement, but for Asia , rice means even
more. Rice is cultivated in 113 countries. Rice is a great source of national
pride. Most important of all, rice is the one thing that ties Asia
together. However, climate change, which is now causing erratic weather
patterns, also threatens rice production, and is a matter of serious concern.
IRRI is doing a whole host of research that is helping the
world to increase rice production. Global farmers eagerly adopt new
technologies and varieties that have resulted in a steady increase in rice
yields over the last 50 years since IRRI was established.
Research that IRRI is involved in that is helping farmers
increase their rice yields includes: developing new high-yielding rice
varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such
as heat hit; developing rice crop management strategies that improve
nutrient-use efficiency to get the most value out of inputs and reduce wastage;
developing climate change mitigation plus adaptation strategies and
technologies; training the next generation of rice scientists and building the
capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of the
rice industry.
Fifty years ago, a turning point in agricultural research
that helped launch a revolution in food production occurred - the formation of
the IRRI. “Rice science has helped to more than double rice yields in the last
fifty years.” The vision of IRRI’s founders to invest in rice research to
improve food security is the sort of long-term thinking we need now as we look
to find solutions to address the challenges, including climate change, which
threaten rice production. Partnership was at the heart of the original
agreement to form IRRI and IRRI has forged many important private and public
sector partnerships across the world to support efforts to reduce poverty and
make sure rice production is sustainable.
Among its achievements, IRRI has identified “Sub 1” gene
that can survive more than two weeks under water, and can now be planted by
farmers to improve rice yields on flood-prone land throughout the world. New,
higher-yielding rice plant along with package of practices could ease threat of
hunger for the poor.
More information about IRRI:
International
Rice Research Institute
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Abbreviation
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IRRI
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Motto
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"Rice
Science For A Better World"
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Formation
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1960
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Type
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Non-profit research
and training center
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Purpose/focus
|
Research
|
Headquarters
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Location
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Region served
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Worldwide
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Director General
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Main organ
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Parent organization
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Budget
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US$57 million
(2010)
|
Staff
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1,300
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Website
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Edited and posted by Hồ Đình Hải
References
References
