Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mission
To reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure
environmental sustainability through collaborative research, partnerships, and strengthening of
national agricultural research and extension systems.
Goals
1. Reduce poverty through improved and diversified rice‐based systems
2. Ensure that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative
environmental impact, and can cope with climate change
3. Improve the nutrition and health of poor rice consumers and rice farmers
4. Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next
generation of rice scientists
5. Provide rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they need
to develop improved technologies and enhance rice production
Strategy
IRRI pursues its mission and goals through
• interdisciplinary thematic and system‐based programs
• scientific strength in major disciplines for rice research
• anticipatory research initiatives exploring new scientific opportunities
• conservation and responsible use of natural resources, including rice genetic resources
• sharing of germplasm, technologies, and knowledge
• participation of women in research and development
• partnership with farming communities, research institutions, and other organizations that
share IRRI’s mission
• continued efforts in improving staff development and welfare
Values
IRRI’s actions are guided by a commitment to
• excellence
• scientific integrity and accountability
• innovation and creativity
• gender consciousness
• diversity of opinion and approach
• teamwork and partnership
• service to clients
• cultural diversity
• indigenous knowledge
• environmental protection
Table of Contents
MTP OVERVIEW 1
Introduction 3
Achievement highlights in 2005 4
Update on the IRRI 6th EPMR 8
Highlights of the 2007 program portfolio—IRRI’s new role 17
IRRI’s new programs 18
Frontier Projects 19
Research divisions and centers for scientific excellence 19
Capacity building 20
Partnerships 20
IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance 21
IRRI‐WARDA collaboration 22
IRRI‐CIAT collaboration 23
Challenge Programs 23
IRRI financial indicators 23
2007 PROGRAM PORTFOLIO 27
1. Raising productivity in rainfed environments: attacking 29
the roots of poverty.
2. Sustaining productivity in intensive rice-based systems: 42
rice and the environment.
3. East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes and an 55
affordable urban staple.
4. Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of 61
poverty.
5. Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs 68
of future generations for rice genetic resources.
6. Information and communication: convening a global rice 80
research community.
7. Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice 89
research.
FINANCIAL PLAN 99
Annex1. IRRI’s key collaborators and partners 143
1
MTP OVERVIEW
Introduction
Achievement highlights in 2005
Update on the IRRI 6th EPMR
Highlights of the 2007 program portfolio—IRRI’s new role
IRRI’s new programs
Frontier Projects
Research divisions and centers for scientific excellence
Capacity building
Partnerships
IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance
IRRI‐WARDA collaboration
IRRI‐CIAT collaboration
Challenge Programs
IRRI financial indicators
2
INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Medium‐Term Plan 2007‐2009
Bringing hope, improving lives
Introduction
Over the last decade, the world has experienced three interlinked scientific and technological
revolutions unlike any other in such a short time span. First, the revolution in molecular biology
and genetics is yielding insights, only dreamed of a decade ago, into the functioning and nature
of organisms. Second is the revolution in data storage and computational power to handle the
vast amounts of data these discoveries entail. Third, the communications revolution allows
exchange of, access to, and distributed analysis of nearly unimaginably large and complex data
sets. These rapid advances are revolutionizing all aspects of rice science. How well the fruits of
technology are used will determine to a large extent the fate of rice production—the main global
agricultural undertaking.
Meanwhile, the physical environment—including the agroecosystems in which IRRI works—is
changing. It is now realized that climate change is not some vague future problem. It is already
damaging the planet at an alarming pace. Further, the institutional environment (IRRI’s partners
in advanced and national research institutions) and population concerns (the demography of
poverty and hunger) are changing also.
Under that changing situation, agricultural policymakers in developing countries are facing three
challenges simultaneously
• to reduce poverty and increase farm income,
• to assure household food security, and
• to rehabilitate and conserve the countries’ natural resources.
IRRI’s new strategic plan for the period 2007–2015, Bringing Hope, Improving Lives, looks at the
implications for rice production of these changing environments, in the context of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). It embraces the scientific and technological revolutions that have
made available opportunities that were unimaginable a decade ago when IRRI developed its
strategic plan IRRI Toward 2020. It also recognizes that advances in these areas alone are
necessary but insufficient to solve the enormous problems and challenges that face the world
today. Solving these problems requires not only creative applications of science and technology
but also appropriate policies and social interventions.
Based on the careful analyses of the changes in the external environments, challenges and
opportunities, the CGIAR System Priorities, and IRRI’s comparative advantage and the resource
base, the new strategic plan elaborates five goals:
Goal 1. Reduce poverty through improved and diversified rice‐based systems.
Goal 2. Ensure that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal environmental impact, and
can cope with climate change.
Goal 3. Improve the nutrition and health of poor rice consumers and rice farmers.
Goal 4. Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next
generation of rice scientists.
IRRI Overview 3
Goal 5. Provide rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they need to
develop improved technologies and enhance rice production.
IRRI’s special role in linking advances in science with the real‐world problems of poor rice
farmers and consumers means that scientists doing cutting‐edge research in advanced
laboratories look to IRRI as the link for translating and applying their technologies to achieve
development impact, while scientists and development experts in the NARES look to IRRI as a
provider of appropriate technology for solving intractable agricultural problems. IRRI benefits
from a dynamic balance among disciplines and from strength in both upstream and downstream
research. IRRI’s new programs are described on page 16 of this Medium‐Term Plan, and they
represent a major restructuring from the current (2006) research portfolio.
Achievement highlights in 2005
IRRI made strong progress in 2005 in a broad range of research that has contributed—and will
contribute further—to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially Goal 1, the
eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, and Goal 7, achieving environmental sustainability.
IRRI’s role in these challenges has been further boosted by the Institute stepping up its research
on rice grain quality and nutrition and so advancing the fight against the hidden hunger of
nutrient deficiency that plagues much of the rice‐eating world.
IRRI consolidated its research and related activities into 11 projects under its four programs—(1)
Genetic resources conservation, evaluation, and gene discovery; (2) Enhancing productivity and
sustainability of favorable environments; (3) Improving productivity and livelihood for fragile
environments; and (4) Strengthening linkages between research and development. The work was guided
by and implemented through two research consortia—the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium
and the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments—that bring together IRRI scientists and
their colleagues from the Institute’s partner NARES.
Discovering and preserving the secrets of the rice genome. At the end of 2005, IRRI’s International Rice
Genebank held almost 109,000 accessions following the addition of some 2,500 new samples
throughout the year. Three thousand cultivated and 550 wild accessions underwent seed
replenishment and we tested the viability of more than 19,000 accessions in the active collection.
In line with IRRI’s growing focus on nutritionally enriched rice, work began on the identification
of micronutrient‐dense rice varieties, and we are currently examining some 1,400 accessions
whose micronutrient content will be measured. Three hundred nursery sets were assembled and
distributed to 30 countries through the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice.
Work also continued on pinpointing genes that influence important traits, such as tolerance of
drought stress. The International Rice Information System, which facilitates management of data
and information on genetic resources and rice cultivars, was further developed.
IRRI’s development of genetic resources for rice research fared well in 2005, boosted by the
publication by the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project of the finalized sequence of the
rice genome. We identified several segments of the rice genome that significantly contribute to
disease resistance, and used these to produce good parents for breeding varieties resistant to rice
blast. With Chinese collaborators, this has already led to the development of a commercial hybrid
variety in China. With Japanese partners, we identified a small region of the rice genome that
may harbor candidate tungro resistance genes, as well as candidate genes for resistance to rice
4 IRRI Overview
stripe virus. Good progress was made in identifying genes that confer tolerance of phosphorus‐
deficient soil, submergence, and salt, taking us closer to the ultimate goal of developing high‐
yielding varieties that do well under these stresses.
Making rice production even better. In 2005, we identified and used in breeding programs many
genetic lines suitable for direct seeding and for growing under alternate wetting‐and‐drying
irrigation conditions. These will allow us to develop elite lines suitable for these water‐saving
crop management strategies. Work progressed toward the development of breeding lines and
varieties resistant to pests and diseases, including stem borer, sheath blight, brown planthopper,
bacterial blight, and tungro. We identified lines for high iron and zinc content in polished rice
grains, and a breeding program has begun. Several elite hybrid rice lines with good grain quality
were developed and shared with NARES. We also developed and improved on crop and nursery
management strategies for hybrid varieties.
Realizing the importance of japonica rice in temperate as well as high altitude regions of some
tropical countries, in 2005 we identified a new resistance gene Bph18 for brown planthopper
(BPH). We made progress toward developing advanced breeding lines possessing this gene using
molecular and conventional breeding technologies with the intention of sharing them with
China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam where serious BPH outbreaks occurred in 2005. We also
identified new genes and gene combinations to provide resistance against virulent pathotypes of
blast and bacterial blight diseases and tolerance to low temperature. Work progressed well for
the development of elite lines for these stresses.
IRRI has developed a framework for the integrated management of nutrients, the crop, and
water, which is aimed at increasing input‐use efficiency in intensive rice systems. Work
continued on site‐specific nutrient management—the practice of tailoring fertilizer use for
individual fields and seasons—which is now well developed for rice. As part of an effort to offer
alternatives to burning crop residue (which destroys vegetative matter that could benefit the soil
and the succeeding crop), we evaluated alternative residue management practices and their
effects on soil fertility and crop production.
The entertainment education approach to motivating farmers to improve their crop management
practices saw continued success with the ongoing campaign to reduce insecticide use in the
Mekong Basin. Following the launch of the Environmental Soap Opera for Rural Vietnam,
farmers in Vietnam’s Vinh Long Province reduced their insecticide applications by 38%. Research
also continued on the effectiveness of interplanting rows of traditional and modern rice varieties
as a protection against pests and diseases, with promising results, including an option that can
improve yield and increase production of a Philippine traditional variety. We characterized pest
ecology in a range of ecosystems to help determine how plant resistance and natural enemies
may interact in controlling pest populations. In 2005, we assessed different cultivars’ natural
ability to suppress weeds, identifying differences in early vigor and competitiveness. The
information will be used to develop decision tools for farmers and to guide the application of
crop management options.
IRRI’s investigation of ways to improve yields and sustainability of the important rice‐wheat
cropping system in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains of South Asia focused in 2005 on an integrated
system incorporating tillage, nutrients, weed management, and water use in the rice crop. New
options and technologies, such as direct seeding using a drum seeder, can in some areas reduce
IRRI Overview 5
the cost of cultivation and save water. Several resource‐saving technologies and strategies,
including zero‐tillage, laser leveling, dry direct seeding, bed planting, residue management, and
weed management, led to an increase in farmers’ income and showed good potential for
widespread adoption. In India, we evaluated the effects of direct‐seeding practices on weed
species composition and weed management and will use the information to help guide weed
management options.
Research continued on the development of several water‐saving technologies, including aerobic
rice, which can grow in conditions too dry for commonly grown modern varieties and which is
useful when rice fields cannot be flooded at all. In some water‐scarce conditions, alternate
wetting and drying can reduce water use by up to 20% without affecting yield.
Helping the neediest. IRRI distributed several improved drought‐tolerant materials to NARES
scientists in 2005, including breeding lines for the rainfed lowlands and varieties for upland rice
farming. Five varieties confirmed to have tolerance of moderate lowland stress at the
reproductive stage outyielded two popular modern varieties (IR64 and IR72) by more than 50%
under drought conditions. These drought‐tolerant varieties have the potential to improve yield
stability and overall productivity in drought‐prone upper fields.
We developed high‐yielding aerobic rice varieties with yield potential of over 5 t ha‐1 under
moderate drought stress. Improved aerobic rice varieties were demonstrated to be more weed‐
competitive than traditional upland varieties in northern Lao PDR. We are developing cultivars
that require only one hand‐weeding to produce acceptable yields.
We also observed that hybrid rice varieties can be more drought tolerant, on average, than
related inbred varieties, raising the possibility that hybrids can make an important contribution
to productivity in drought‐prone environments. Progress was made toward introducing the
newly identified submergence tolerance sub1 gene into the popular Swarna variety, with the aim
of developing a high‐quality cultivar that can withstand excessive flooding. Hybrids, which
perform well under low‐input management and tend to be more effective at using available soil
nitrogen, could provide rainfed lowland farmers with improved yields.
We introduced wild rice genes for tolerance of soil acidity and iron toxicity into five breeding
lines, which will be used to breed varieties that grow well in toxic soils. One line, bred for
tolerance of acid sulfate conditions, is already performing well in farmers’ fields in the Mekong
Delta. Several genes that help defend against rice blast were identified and advanced lines
carrying favorable combinations of these genes showed around 90% disease reduction in blast
nursery trials in the Philippines.
IRRI continues to integrate effective, low‐cost methods of plant varietal selection into breeding
programs, which allow farmers to select the best genotypes under their own management
practices and provide feedback to researchers on farmers’ varietal preferences and experiences.
We analyzed the drought‐coping mechanisms of rice farmers and investigated the implications
for research and policy. One study indicated that, in three states in eastern India alone, nearly 13
million people are pushed into poverty during drought years and economic losses are around
US$400 million per year. Improved rice technologies and policies for promoting income
diversification are vital if the poverty impact of drought is to be reduced. Research on increasing
6 IRRI Overview
cropping intensity by growing nonrice crops that use less water in rice‐based agricultural
systems will allow dry‐season cultivation of more areas with limited water availability.
Crop intensification strategies were developed for coastal and inland salt‐affected areas. One
strategy, double cropping of rice using water stored in the canals used to irrigate crops in the dry
season, shows promise in Bangladesh. We examined integrated crop and resource management
strategies designed to stabilize rice yields and intensify cropping in salt‐affected areas. Modern
salt‐tolerant rice varieties were successfully tested in the rainy season and accepted by farmers in
Bangladesh.
Improved strategies were developed for shrimp and fish cultivation in rice‐shrimp and rice‐fish
systems in Vietnam and Bangladesh, resulting in increased water‐use efficiency and use of land
that was either underused or left barren in the past.
In eastern India, we tested a flexible integrated cropping system that allows farmers to select
management options suitable for the biophysical constraints of their land and their household’s
socioeconomic conditions. Adopting the best site‐specific solutions has the potential to increase
yields by 0.5–1.5 t ha‐1 over existing practices, while at the same time increasing the possibility of
a postrice crop of chickpea.
An economic analysis was made of farmers’ cropping practices and livelihood strategies, along
with the socioeconomics of improved cropping system technologies, for sloping upland systems
of Lao PDR. Several economically viable cropping systems are now being validated under
farmers’ field conditions. Improved cropping systems developed and tested in Cambodia
resulted in improved rice yields and profits.
Reaching out, having impact. Assessments of food security for Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh
have given us a good understanding of the factors affecting food production, trade, and
consumption, and the consequent impact on household‐level food security as well as what is
required to improve income‐earning capacity.
Research on gender roles on rice farms in the face of the migration of males to urban areas
emphasized the need for labor‐saving technologies that help women better manage the farm and
the need for technology, information, and training targeted toward women.
Biophysical factors of farm households, such as field hydrology, appear to be more important
than socioeconomic factors in farmers’ choices of rice technologies. This finding will guide the
development of useful technologies that have the best chance of being adopted. A package of
improved technologies that allow farmers to relay‐crop sugarcane and rice will help Bangladeshi
farmers increase the productivity of their land.
Analysis of the impact of rice varieties biofortified with iron and zinc indicated that this approach
is a cost‐effective and sustainable way to improve the nutritional status of iron‐ and zinc‐deficient
people.
Field testing of hermetic storage systems contributed to better postharvest management, which
can help prevent spoilage and pest infestation. This system is being adapted to local conditions in
IRRI Overview 7
several countries. The hermetically sealed bags can also be used for maize, coffee, pulses, and
peanuts. Local manufacture is already under way in Indonesia.
IRRI continued its strong training program, presenting courses on a wide range of topics,
including site‐specific nutrient management, participatory research and extension, rice
production, and scientific writing. Postharvest training modules, including fact sheets, reference
manuals, and teaching plans, were developed and posted on IRRI’s Rice Knowledge Bank and
made available on CD. A local language training and up‐scaling manual on integrated crop
management is now available for extension workers and crop production officers in Timor‐Leste,
who can use the manual for training and supporting Timorese farmers.
Update on the IRRI 6th EPMR
1. The Panel recommends that IRRI stimulate the global community to establish gene‐trait linkages in
carefully selected germplasm in a targeted way, as rapidly as possible, for purposes of plant
improvement, making results available to all. IRRI should report to the Board of Trustees by April
2005 on its progress in implementing this initiative with its partners.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: An international consortium established to
provide a public resource platform and
broaden access to genetic resources and
genomic technologies.
Progress: The IRFGC was formed in 2003 Ongoing
(www.iris.irri.org/IRFGC) with IRRI as the
coordinator. The first collective paper on rice
mutant resource involving 12 laboratories
around the world was published (Hirochika
et al. 2004. Plant Mol. Biol. 54:325‐334).
Completion: 2010 Ongoing
Progress: The Consortium is implemented through a The first phase of the IRRI‐USAID Linkage
“federal” system of coordination and Program (2 years) has produced results that
collaboration. As of 2004, at least 14 projects enable IRRI and its partners to expand their
subscribe and contribute to the objectives of research scope by linking basic research to
IRFGC. These projects include seven funded practical applications. Key results include i)
by the IRRI‐USAID Linkage Program, two functional validation of genes for
(Mutant Characterization and SNP Initiative) submergence tolerance, ii) identification of
by the Generation Challenge Program, and genes in ubiquitination pathway for disease
four (TILLING, Disease Mutant Gene resistance, iii) new candidate genes for
Expression, Microarray‐based Mapping, salinity tolerance, and iv) understanding of
Small RNA) by the USDA NRI competitive the antagonistic relationship between biotic
grant program. and abiotic stress tolerance. It is
noteworthy that the USDA‐funded project
on Microarray‐based mapping has developed
genome‐wide, low‐cost genotyping
technique that can be implemented at IRRI
and potentially at other NARES research
centers as well.
Completion: 2006–08 (most projects have 2–3 years Ongoing
duration)
8 IRRI Overview
2. The Panel recommends that IRRI link the work currently carried out in Project 5 with the challenge of
achieving higher yields in the most intensive production systems in the context of diminishing water
supplies. Further, IRRI should extend its modeling and GIS research to optimize water‐saving
technologies at the irrigation scheme level to provide options for water allocation.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: Physiology of and breeding/selection of
cultivars that have high yield potentials and
do well under water‐limited conditions.
IRRI Overview 9
10 IRRI Overview
Irrigation System, AWD helps reduce the
recharge to the groundwater and
conjunctive use of groundwater and surface
water is essential in reducing nonbeneficial
evaporation from shallow groundwater.
A recent report from the Ministry of Water
Resources in China showed that AWD has
been adopted more widely in China. Our
recommendations have been adopted in the
11th‐five‐year planning for modernization
and rehabilitation of irrigation systems in
Henan, aiming at integrated surfacewater
and groundwater management, so that
surface water from the Yellow River can be
sent downstream of the systems.
Completion: 2006
3. The Panel recommends that IRRI include the results of ex ante impact studies in unfavorable
environments in its priority‐setting exercises. The existing evidence indicates that less emphasis
should be placed on uplands with low production potential and more emphasis is needed on rice‐based
cropping systems along the toposequence and favorable nonflooded rice systems.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: Ex ante analysis of impact of research
investments in uplands and lowlands.
Progress: This analysis is included in the agenda of An initial analysis of the potential for
IRRI’s strategic planning to be held in 2005. impact in uplands was conducted and
reported in the IRRI upland strategy paper
prepared in 2005. The paper analyzed the
extent of poverty and household food
insecurity in the uplands, the total area
under upland rice‐based systems and the
number of people dependent on uplands for
their livelihoods, the technologies currently
available and those in the pipeline, and the
importance of rice productivity growth in
uplands in facilitating the process of income
and environmental protection. It was
concluded that investment in rice research
in uplands undertaken within the concept of
landscape management could generate
substantial impact on poverty reduction and
environmental protection.
An independent external review of IRRI’s
upland research commissioned by the
Science Council in late 2005 conducted
further analysis and concluded that rice
research in uplands has good potential for
making considerable impact on poverty
reduction and environmental protection.
IRRI Overview 11
The review recommended that IRRI should
stay involved in rice research in uplands.
We plan to undertake in 2007 an ex ante
impact assessment for estimating returns
from investments in rice research in uplands
vis‐à‐vis drought‐prone and submergence‐
prone lowlands, taking into account
investments made, technologies in the
pipeline, extrapolation domains of the
technologies, expected time pattern of
adoption, and their effect on reducing the
unit cost of production.
Completion: April 2006 2007
4. The Panel recommends that activities on ‘Constraints to adoption of improved rice technologies
assessed’ in Project 10 and the entire Project 11 be transferred to Programs 2 and 3, while the rest of
the activities in Project 10 be done in a new stand‐alone Project, with Program 4 being dissolved.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: Transfer of Project 11 to Program 3.
Progress: Project 11 was amalgamated with Project 8 Accomplished, no update needed.
of Program 3 at the start of 2005.
Completion: Accomplished.
Milestone: Relocation of Projects 10 and 12, and
determination of the need/dissolution of
Program 4.
Progress: Analysis of this is included in the agenda of In the MTP 2007–2009, activities related to
IRRI’s strategic planning to be held in 2005 Project 10 will be included in a new
and the subsequent development of a new Program 7, Rice policy support and impact
MTP. assessment for rice research. This program
includes the analysis of broader trends in
the rice sector to serve as the basis for
research prioritization. It also includes the
analysis of farmer livelihoods for
underpinning technology development and
impact assessment. In addition, broader
methodology development for facilitating
rapid diffusion and dissemination of
improved technologies is included in the
program. Analyses of constraints to
adoption have been moved to new
Programs 1 and 2. Activities related to
information dissemination (part of the
current Project 12) have been moved to new
Program 6 (Information and communication:
convening a global rice research community).
Completion: April 2006 For implementation in January 2007
12 IRRI Overview
5. The Panel recommends that IRRI establish a forum of rice‐growing countries with the purpose of
financing and revitalizing INGER.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: IPR training‐workshop and Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting
conducted.
Progress: IPR training‐workshop conducted jointly IPR training‐workshop using the IRRI‐
with UPOV. Regional cooperation on DUST INGER edition of the IPGRI‐ISNAR training
established. New mode of sharing module conducted in 2005. International
germplasm and linking with other projects Nursery of Example Varieties for DUST
discussed in the TAC meeting. organized for distribution in 2006.
Completion: 2004 Ongoing
Milestone: Formation of regional INGER clusters.
Progress: For discussion in the CORRA meeting in CORRA endorsed i) the formation of
2005. INGER clusters, ii) the use of the
International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture’s
Standard MTA when it becomes available
for all INGER distributed germplasm, and
iii) the conservation of highlighted INGER
materials in the International Rice
Genebank at IRRI.
Completion: CORRA monitoring/review of INGER is a CORRA monitoring/review of INGER is a
continuing activity. continuing activity.
Milestone: Regional meetings and training—INGER
East Asia, INGER Southeast Asia, INGER
South Asia, INGER Central Asia.
Progress: INGER East Asia Exploratory meeting Germplasm for INGER East Asia sent to
conducted in 2005. Other INGER regional northern China and a group meeting to be
clusters discussed in 2005 TAC meeting. held in August 2006. Formation of INGER
Central Asia to be explored in 2006.
Completion: To be started in 2006 (will be a continuing Continuing
activity).
6. The Panel recommends that IRRI commission a study, based on the vision of IRRI’s role in 5–15 years,
to assess the relative merits of the current model with some outreach activities, and the majority of
scientists in headquarters, as compared with a model with increased outreach research staff in all those
rice‐producing countries where close proximity and visible presence are deemed necessary.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestones: 1. TOR developed and approved
2. Committee members identified
3. Review implemented and published
4. Responses developed and presented to
IRRI Management and Board
5. Responses implemented
Progress: IRRI has moved quickly on this achieving A plan has been developed to establish
full completion of steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 and three IRRI Regional Offices with IRS and
partial completion of 5. NRS staff. These will be Regional Offices for
(1) the Greater Mekong Subregion to cover
IRRI Overview 13
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand,
Myanmar, and the Yunnan and Guangxi
provinces of China; (2) South Asia, covering
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, and Bhutan; and (3) East and
southern Africa with priorities on Tanzania,
Mozambique, Madagascar, Uganda, and
Kenya.
Dr. Gary Jahn was appointed as the
Regional Representative for the GMS
Regional Office and has been posted to
Vientiane since July 2005. An IRS
agronomist has been appointed and will be
posted to Luang Prabang (Laos) in May
2006.
Dr. Glenn Gregorio, plant breeder, was
posted to the WARDA research station at
Ibadan, Nigeria, in January 2006.
Mr. Joe Rickman, senior agricultural
engineer and rice production specialist, will
be posted to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as the
IRRI Regional Representative for the ESA
region in September 2006.
There will be 8 IRS researchers and/or
regional representatives and 5 liaison
scientists posted in the countries,
representing 11% of the total IRS (122) of the
Institute in April 2006.
Completion: December 2006
7. The Panel recommends that, annually, the Nominating Committee develop a List of Trustee
Competencies required by IRRI over the next 5 years and, on approval by the Board, develop its list of
potential candidates accordingly. This list should also be a key input in the Board’s decision as to
whether a second term should be offered to current trustees up for re‐election. Automatic second‐term
election, even when there are no adverse circumstances suggesting otherwise, should not be the norm.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestone: Nominating Committee draft paper on
trustee competencies for the next five years
submitted for approval in September 2005
Board meeting.
Progress: Nominating Committee draft paper was A review of the profile of the IRRI Board of
discussed in the Sept 2004 meeting of the Trustees for the last five years was
board. Refinements are being considered by undertaken. In view of IRRI’s new strategic
the committee. plan, the trustee competencies should
include bioinformatics, ICT, genetics/plant
breeding, crop and soil science, crop
protection, water/environmental science,
14 IRRI Overview
social science, governance,
finance/management, and other related
fields. Balance in geographical
representation and gender will be
considered.
Completion: April 2006
8. The Panel recommends that IRRI provide all members of the Finance and Audit Committee with
i. a monthly cash flow forecast for the ensuing 6 months;
ii. monthly income and expenditure statements (with actual‐vs.‐budget comparisons and
commentary);
iii. quarterly reports on project costs and revenue— highlighting those where cost under‐/overruns
exceed 10% and articulating what management is doing to resolve the issues; and
iv. monthly reports on investment income compared to budgeted income.
All Board members should receive this same information on a quarterly basis, and all these reports should
be available to Board members within 20 days of the end of the reporting period.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Progress: As stated in IRRI’s response to this Quarterly reports are still being issued to
recommendation, the quarterly financial the Board.
report to the Board has been enhanced to
include the additional items recommended
by the Panel. The enhanced report is being
issued as planned, four times a year.
Completion: Ongoing Ongoing
9. The Panel recommends that IRRI develop updated Investment Portfolio Guidelines that cover the
broad spectrum of portfolio management guidelines typically addressed, including maturities; types of
instruments; risk assessment, risk management, and reporting; benchmarking arrangements; currency
hedging arrangements; and the risk and portfolio reporting procedures for the FAC and the Board, for
the external and internal auditors, and for management.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Progress: A new investment policy has been The policy guideline continues to be in use.
approved by the Board after wide
consultation.
The final document was approved on April
15, 2005.
Completion: Document is completed and is now in use.
10. The Panel recommends that Programs 2 and 3 become the flagships of IRRI’s research effort, with
strong and articulate leaders, who should prioritize and implement integrated research within their
assigned ecosystems. They will be IRRI’s representatives in the Programs’ research consortia and will
be the spokespersons for their respective Programs. The leaders have the following tasks:
i. When setting priorities, they should evaluate alternative approaches to alleviating poverty
problems in their ecosystems, and recommend changes to project structure as needed.
ii. In implementing the research, they should control the GOC and FTE inputs, and thus may
negotiate for human resources from all divisions as needed.
IRRI Overview 15
iii. At particular milestones during or at the close of their research, they should sponsor studies of
the impact of their work.
April 2005 update: April 2006 update:
Milestones: 1. Support and active participation by the
member‐country NARES, indicated by
new projects or initiatives funded by the
NARES or contributions in kind.
2. Continued or new support by donors to
the consortia.
3. Project review or impact assessment on the
consortia as a whole or the component
technologies or activities in the target
countries.
4. Clearly stated functions and
responsibilities of the program leaders or
the consortia coordinators in the context of
IRRI’s new strategic plan and the new
MTP, to be developed in early 2006.
Progress: Strong support and commitment received from IRRI is implementing essentially the
the member country NARES to the two recommendation of the EPMR and establishing
consortia in Programs 2 and 3 indicated two Flagship programs under the new IRRI
through the project development meetings and strategic plan, which was endorsed by the IRRI
the new proposals submitted to donors. Board at its April 2006 meeting. The MTP 2007‐
2009 under the new strategic plan will have 7
New funding from SDC for IRRC under Programs. Program 1, Raising productivity in
Program 2 and from ADB for CURE under rainfed environments: attacking the roots of
Program 3 successfully achieved for four more poverty, and Program 2, Sustaining productivity
years (2005–08). in intensive rice‐based systems: rice and the
environment, evolved from the earlier MTP
The new strategic planning exercise is under Programs 2 and 3, and will be the two Flagship
way, which is expected to lead to a new programs.
Institute strategic plan and a new MTP.
Under the revised IRRI research management
matrix system to achieve the new strategic
plan, the program leaders will be accountable
for achieving the outputs and product delivery.
They will be responsible for research planning,
priority setting, budgeting, resource
mobilization, project monitoring and
evaluation, as well as team building and staff
evaluation and motivation. This will be
congruent to the EPMR recommendation.
1. IRRI new strategic plan developed and
endorsed by the IRRI Board.
2. A revised and improved research
management matrix system put in place
with corresponding administrative and
staff management policies and regulations
developed at the Institute.
16 IRRI Overview
IRRI Overview 17
accelerate the development of new varieties and cropping systems—both to maximize
opportunities for diversification to stimulate the rural economy and to adapt to changing
physical environments—by drawing on the new scientific and technological advances. At the
same time, these advances can be used to find ways to mitigate the effects of rice farming on the
environment.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to hunger, poverty, environmental
sustainability, and nutrition and health form a sound basis and direction for IRRI’s future
activities. Among the research and delivery themes in the Institute’s research agenda, guided by
the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system priorities, IRRI
will give particular attention to addressing these MDGs by
• contributing to poverty reduction of poor farmers, particularly women, in rainfed areas,
through development of stress‐tolerant rice varieties for unfavorable conditions, and
through improvement of rice varieties and rice‐based diversified cropping systems in
Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa that generate additional on‐farm income while maintaining
low production costs and prices for the urban and landless rural poor;
• contributing to maintaining the sustainability of rice‐based systems, especially intensive
irrigated systems, in the face of growing land and water shortages, a dynamic labor
profile, and changing environmental conditions; and
• improving the nutrition and health status of rice consumers and producers, especially
women and children, by improving the nutrient content of rice, minimizing harmful
contaminants, and reducing the incidence of water‐related diseases on rice farms.
To assist it in these efforts, IRRI will
• exploit the new information and communication technology to create a global, equitable
forum for knowledge creation and sharing, and capacity building; and
• enhance its capacity to respond to germplasm needs arising from changing and
uncertain future environments.
IRRI’s new programs. Today, IRRI conceptualizes its activities being conducted in programs with
clear delivery mechanisms built upon a firm foundation of governance, management, support
services, and scientific disciplines. This integration of support services, research programs, and
delivery mechanisms is graphically illustrated in the conceptual framework in Figure 4.1 on page
43 in the Strategic Plan 2007–2015.
IRRI will implement its strategic plan through seven programs (“MTP Projects”) that will take
effect in this Medium‐Term Plan 2007–2009:
1. Raising productivity in rainfed environments: attacking the roots of poverty.
2. Sustaining productivity in intensive rice‐based systems: rice and the environment.
3. East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes and an affordable urban staple.
4. Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of poverty.
5. Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs of future generations for rice genetic
resources.
6. Information and communication: convening a global rice research community.
7. Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice research.
The objectives and outputs of the programs are based on the five goals described in Chapter 3
(pages 25–39) of the strategic plan, and a program may contribute to one or a number of goals.
18 IRRI Overview
These programs are product and impact oriented with clearly defined activity domains and time‐
bound targets and outputs. Each program may have a number of working teams to achieve one
or a set of outputs. The programs will draw expertise and supporting staff from IRRI’s discipline‐
based research divisions and/or centers, and will ensure collaboration with advanced research
institutes (ARIs) and NARES. The mechanisms for delivery and impact (the consortia and
networks) are managed within the programs.
Frontier Projects. Recent rapid advances in science and technology present a myriad of exciting
possibilities in different scientific disciplines that could revolutionize rice farming. Some
challenges with high potential payoffs also carry a degree of risk, and thus are not necessarily
attainable, especially within the term of a strategic plan. So they will almost certainly continue
beyond the life of the plan. IRRI has identified such research activities, with probability of
development impact and where good science and collaboration can make a difference, in three
areas—improving the photosynthetic efficiency of the rice plant, identifying and deploying
drought tolerance genes, and designing rice farming management systems that do not contribute
excessively to climate change, based on new rice varieties bred to withstand expected future
environments. Each of the Frontier Projects will be carefully planned by teams of experts, and be
evaluated periodically for acceptable progress. These projects will be undertaken by multi‐
institutional, international research teams. A significant part of the agenda is expected to be
conducted at collaborating institutions in both developed and developing countries.
Research divisions and centers for scientific excellence. Under the research management matrix
per se, research outputs are achieved through implementation of the programs, while the
discipline‐based research divisions and centers provide the technical infrastructure,
administrative support, and coordination for professional growth and evaluation of the scientists.
Scientists are housed in a division or center, and their time is allocated among different working
teams according to the needs of the programs. Each scientist will participate in up to two
programs. The divisions and centers also serve as a longer‐term platform for knowledge
management, curation, and sharing, a focal point to establish and maintain links with other
research institutions—particularly those conducting basic research—and a mechanism to
facilitate efficient use and management of supporting staff with similar skills. To implement this
plan, IRRI has restructured its research divisions and centers (from June 1, 2006) as follows:
• Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology Division (PBGB): rice genetics and plant
breeding, hybrid rice, molecular biology, proteomics, rice genomics, wide hybridization,
development and use of molecular markers, rice transformation and genetic engineering,
plant pathology, and host‐plant disease resistance.
• Crop and Environmental Sciences Division (CES): agronomy, crop ecology and modeling,
soil science, water science and engineering, plant/crop physiology, weed science, insect
and plant ecology, nematology, rodent research, and ecological pest management.
• Social Sciences Division (SSD): agricultural economics, economics, policy analysis,
sociology, gender analysis, impact assessment, and geographic information systems.
• T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center (GRC): plant genetics and molecular genetics, ex situ
conservation of plant genetic resources, evolution ecology, rice taxonomy, international
policy and legislation on genetic resources, and information and database management.
• IRRI‐CIMMYT Crop Research Informatics Laboratory (CRIL): biometrics, bioinformatics,
experimental design and data analysis, methodology development for statistical analysis
and data management, molecular research data annotation, germplasm data curation,
and database development.
IRRI Overview 19
• Grain Quality, Nutrition, and Postharvest Center (GQNPC): cereal chemistry, analysis of
physical quality of grain, grain sensory chemistry, micronutrient analysis, postharvest
handling and processing, and rice grain value addition for enhanced marketing.
To support IRRI’s global mandate, the Institute currently has offices in 14 countries and an
International Programs Management Office (see Fig. 4.2 on page 45 of the strategic plan).
Country offices and outpost staff play an indispensable role in representing IRRI’s interests by
facilitating IRRI activities in the country, providing support to IRRI‐coordinated networks and
consortia, communicating and promoting rice research and IRRI’s mission, identifying emerging
issues and opportunities as well as NARES’ needs for training and information, and contributing
directly to the research planning and initiatives of NARES. In January 2006, IRRI based a plant
breeder with the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) at its Ibadan, Nigeria, location. During 2006, IRRI
will establish a regional office for East and southern Africa, most likely in Tanzania.
Capacity building. IRRI’s mandate includes strengthening the research capacity of the NARES.
IRRI will promote and contribute to national and international efforts to develop the next
generation of rice scientists and will endeavor to increase its capacity‐building activities for the
NARES. In addition to the conventional degree programs and training courses, initiatives and
tools will be developed and used, including
• the Rice Knowledge Bank with country sites in local languages, and Web‐based self‐
learning, housed in Program 6;
• a “shuttle scientist” program to enable mid‐career scientists to work with leading
scientists during a critical period of their careers; and
• focused hands‐on training for entry‐level students, particularly in the areas of rice
genomics, molecular marker technologies, bioinformatics, plant physiology, modeling,
and climate change.
All future training activities at IRRI will be embedded in the programs and supported by the
Training Center.
Partnerships. Throughout the years, IRRI has developed close and strong partnerships with ARIs
and Asian NARES. Collaboration and networks with the NARES in sub‐Saharan Africa will be
revived through regional/subregional networks as well as the Future Harvest Alliance. Also, IRRI
is developing increasingly sophisticated relationships with the private sector. Recognizing the
continuing evolution of NARES and the variation in their research capacities and needs, IRRI will
endeavor to develop and adapt modes of collaboration with these partners, for example, by
• focusing on the mandate of developing international public goods to support the NARES
to develop locally adapted technologies and solutions;
• engaging in more equal‐role research projects with NARES;
• fostering participation in IRRI programs by scientists from ARIs through staff
secondment, scientific sabbaticals, a “shuttle scientist” program, and graduate student
internships;
• engaging farmers in germplasm improvement, crop and natural resource management,
and gender research, particularly in rainfed environments; and
• building global or regional platforms to increase information exchange and dialogue
among NARES, ARIs, and the private sector, with an emphasis on enhancing NARES’
access to modern technologies.
20 IRRI Overview
IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance. In January 2005, the Boards of Trustees of the two centers held a joint
meeting in Shanghai and announced the establishment of the IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance and a Joint
Board Committee for the Alliance. The Joint Board Committee met in Amsterdam in July 2005
and further defined the governance and the management mechanisms for the Alliance. Extensive
discussions among the centers’ staff and consultation with partners and stakeholders resulted in
an alliance program that facilitates close interaction in three thematic areas: intensive cropping
systems in Asia, research informatics, and knowledge management and sharing for cereals
production systems. The two centers will jointly develop and implement an Alliance project for
each of these areas. Each project will have a unified budget and a project leader. Developing and
strengthening this Alliance is an important element of IRRI’s strategy to enhance its value as a
partner for science and development in Asia. The centers’ complementary scientific skills, capital
resources, and networks are being focused jointly to address the three areas described below.
Further synergies will be pursued once these projects become fully operational.
Intensive cropping systems in Asia. There are over 30 million hectares of cereal crops in intensively
cultivated farm lands across Asia that supply 80–90% of the cereals for Asia’s food needs. Asian
farmers are rapidly adapting intensive, lowland, rice‐based agroecosystems to constraints, such
as shrinking irrigation water supplies, but also to market opportunities, through diversification
to crops such as maize. Traditional, commodity‐based research falls short of addressing emerging
sustainability and socioeconomic concerns in this setting. This IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance will apply
new approaches and foster partnerships among international centers and NARES to address
these concerns. IRRI’s Program 2 will be the core contributor to this work. Given the well‐
established activities for rice‐wheat systems within the Rice‐Wheat Consortium for the Indo‐
Gangetic Plains, efforts will focus initially on rice‐maize systems, to
• assess the biophysical potential and feasibility of rice‐maize systems across the Asia
region, and impact of introducing maize into intensive rice‐based systems on the
environment and sustainability of the production systems;
• develop and deploy resource management technologies for sustainably optimizing
system productivity (and profitability) for rice‐maize and rice‐wheat—including value‐
adding options;
• gain understanding of the characteristics of intensive rice‐maize systems—including
drivers and modifiers of system change, livelihoods, and impact monitoring and
forecasting; and
• develop and deploy system‐tailored rice, wheat, and maize germplasm with value‐
adding traits.
Crop Research Informatics Laboratory (CRIL). Responding to the increasing importance of
informatics in crop research and breeding and the opportunities for synergy from comparative
studies between crops, IRRI and CIMMYT have jointly established a unified Crop Research
Informatics Laboratory (CRIL). The laboratory will increase the capacity, efficiency, and efficacy
of scientific informatics support for crop research, breeding, and training. The primary pillar of
the CRIL vision is the integration and comparative analysis of data across disciplines (within the
germplasm enhancement value chain) and across species (within the well‐studied cereal crops).
IRRI and CIMMYT have established state‐of‐the‐art facilities in the Philippines and Mexico to
serve this vision, with regional facilities in India and China. The centers see several areas where
this unified facility will help build sufficient critical mass to accomplish previously unattainable
goals and help establish a more powerful platform for synergizing progress across cereal species.
The development of informatics tools, methodologies, and systems by CRIL will lead to more
IRRI Overview 21
targeted, efficient, and rapid access to desirable genetic variation in global rice, wheat, and maize
biodiversity for IRRI, CIMMYT, NARES, and small and medium enterprise breeding programs,
as well as facilitating use of genetic materials.
Currently, CRIL has a total staff of 35, including seven senior IRS, two postdoctoral fellows, and
26 NRS, working in five broad thematic areas:
1. Research support and quality assurance, where differentiation of activities within a
unified group offers considerable efficiency gains.
2. Institutional research data management, a critical Institute‐wide activity that has long
been on the agendas of both institutions. CRIL now offers sufficient critical mass to
facilitate rapid progress.
3. Crop information systems for rice, wheat, and maize. With both institutions now
committed to the same informatics platform, there are tremendous opportunities for
bringing diverse datasets together.
4. Computational biology and bioinformatics. Comparative genomics between rice, maize,
and wheat will drive rapid progress in trait dissection and mining of genetic resources.
5. Decision‐support tools for crop improvement. The CRIL critical mass provides dramatic
opportunities for developing new tools to facilitate the effective and efficient use of
biotechnologies in plant breeding programs.
Knowledge management. We are jointly developing an open knowledge‐sharing platform focused
on international public goods, notably knowledge with value across many countries, to be made
accessible online using CGIAR ICT/KM‐developed portal technology (such as CGXchange). This
platform will align knowledge on rice, wheat, and maize production systems covering topics
such as cultivars, production, diseases, and pests, with relevant production systems information
(including conservation agriculture) in the form of manuals, tools (rice/wheat/maize “doctor”
applications and simulators), multimedia presentations, research findings, best practices and
ideas, case studies, interactive tests, and fact sheets.
IRRI‐WARDA collaboration. Rice production and consumption are increasing rapidly in sub‐
Saharan Africa. IRRI and the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) have many decades of combined rice
research and development experience that can benefit the poor rice farmers and consumers on
this continent. In 2005, under the guidance of their Boards, the two centers reviewed their
collaboration since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1997, and
developed a new one to foster joint planning, collaborative research, posting of scientists at each
other’s stations, joint project development and implementation, and joint training for African
NARES. The two centers agreed that future collaboration would be conducted on an equal
partner basis and have taken several concrete steps to put the collaboration in action:
• In November 2005, scientists from IRRI, ARC (WARDA), CIAT, CIRAD, and IRD
participated in research planning workshop at IRRI for inter‐center collaboration and
development of a joint program and projects for Africa.
• In December 2005, the board chairs, directors general, and deputy directors general of
IRRI and ARC (WARDA) met at AGM05 in Marrakech and affirmed their commitment to
joint activities in support of rice farmers in sub‐Saharan Africa.
• Since January 2006, an IRRI plant breeder has been posted at the ARC (WARDA)
Substation at IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• During 2006, IRRI will establish a regional office for East and southern Africa (to be co‐
located with the ARC (WARDA)‐coordinated East and Central Africa Rice Research
22 IRRI Overview
Network at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) headed by a senior rice production and post‐
harvest management specialist.
• In 2005, the two centers jointly submitted a project proposal to IFAD aimed at alleviating
rural poverty through improving rice production in East and southern Africa.
Through this collaboration with ARC (WARDA), IRRI will bring its formidable capacities in
germplasm improvement and expertise in genomics and biotechnology, and the elite breeding
materials developed and adapted to irrigated, rainfed, and upland ecosystems in rice‐growing
countries of Asia, for evaluation and adaptation under African conditions. These materials will
include germplasm identified under INGER and a large number of interspecific progenies
generated from crosses of Asian (O. sativa) × African (O. glaberrima) species (>5,000 introgression
lines). Biotechnology tools such as anther culture, embryo rescue, and molecular markers,
including advanced genomics tools, can be further used to accelerate the development of new
NERICA varieties for a range of different environmental challenges.
The IRRI plant breeder at Ibadan has contributed to the development of a regional MTP for West
and Central Africa, on such research topics as
• molecular profiling of NERICAs and popular rice varieties of sub‐Saharan Africa,
• nutritional profiling of sub‐Saharan Africa rice germplasm,
• Asian rice germplasm exchange and evaluation for West African lowland conditions,
• evaluation for Rice Yellow Mottle Virus (RYMV) tolerance of interspecific cross
derivatives, and
• generation advancement and evaluation of breeding populations for lowland conditions
in sub‐Saharan Africa.
IRRI‐CIAT collaboration. Following the joint work plan meeting on rice research referred to
above, IRRI and CIAT will develop a Spanish version of the Rice Knowledge Bank, revive IRRI’s
participation and collaboration with INGER‐LAC, undertake research on marker aided selection,
and use the IRRI database format for HarvestPlus rice collections at CIAT.
Challenge Programs. IRRI participates actively in three Challenge Programs: in Generation as
Subprogram 2 leader, in HarvestPlus as the rice leader, and in Water and Food as the managing
center and theme leader for Theme 1. Research at IRRI supported by the Challenge Programs is
embedded within the seven programs, their outputs, and output targets.
IRRI financial indicators
Change in project cost structure and portfolio. The research agenda cost allocation for this MTP
2007‐09 represents a significant change from that presented in the current MTP (2006) projects.
Unlike the current MTP—which is based on 11 projects—the plan for 2007‐09 will be based on
seven programs. The change in structure is a result of the adoption of a new strategic plan for
IRRI.
The project cost allocation Tables 2, 3, 5, and 8 are shown in two sets in the Financing Plan. One
set is based on the 11 projects for 2005 and 2006, while the second set is based on the seven
programs for the plan period 2007‐09.
IRRI Overview 23
24 IRRI Overview
IRRI Overview 25
Recommended
IRRI range
1. Working capital—liquidity 422 days 90‐120 days
2. Adequacy of reserves 422 days 75‐90 days
3. Cash management on restricted grants 0.74 ‐
4. Indirect cost ratio 21% ‐
In response to the Executive Committee of the CGIAR, IRRI has drawn up a plan to reduce the
levels of reserves over an 8‐year period. If the expected grant levels do not materialize—and IRRI
is not able to make quick reductions in expenditure—then the rate of drawing down on reserves
could accelerate, and this could affect the financial health indicators.
Challenges. The current financial position is strong; however, very significant challenges lie
ahead regarding the stability and certainty of funding.
• Uncertainty of grants
For 2005, based on grants alone, IRRI’s expenditure still exceeded its grants, resulting in a
deficit of $4.948 million. There is a real risk of sudden reductions in unrestricted grants.
The need to keep our key donors engaged cannot be understated. A Risk Management
Reserve has been set up by the Board and management to provide some measure of
buffer in any eventuality.
• Vulnerability of earned income
In view of the above, the level of earned income has become critical, since it is only with
this that IRRI has been able to balance the budget. The current levels of earned income
must therefore be enhanced or sustained. The risk to this is any possible fall in interest
rates or loss of corpus of investment. For the present, the former does not look likely and
the latter is covered by IRRI investing only in principal‐protected instruments with a
minimal amount of equity exposure.
• Forex rates
The rate of the US dollar to major world currencies has a great impact (negative or
positive) on the level of resources available to IRRI, and careful management of foreign
exchange will therefore be an area that IRRI must focus on during the MTP period, even
though our scope for maneuvering is limited.
Resource mobilization. In view of the apparent gap between needed resources and planned
expenditure, IRRI has put in place a resource mobilization strategy to enhance and protect
financial resources during the MTP period, explained in more detail in the strategic plan (Chapter
5, page 47).
Conclusions. In three years’ time, that is, at the end of 2009, it is envisaged that the finances of
IRRI will be reasonably strong for an institute of its size and all the financial indicators required
by the CGIAR will be at the recommended levels.
26 IRRI Overview
27
2007 PROGRAM PORTFOLIO
1. Raising productivity in rainfed environments: attacking
the roots of poverty.
2. Sustaining productivity in intensive rice-based systems:
rice and the environment.
3. East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes and an
affordable urban staple.
4. Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of
poverty.
5. Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs
of future generations for rice genetic resources.
6. Information and communication: convening a global rice
research community.
7. Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice
research.
28
Program 1
Raising productivity in rainfed environments: attacking the roots of poverty
Rationale
Today, most of the regions with extensive poverty in Asia are dominated by rainfed ecologies
where rice is the principal source of staple food, employment, and income for the rural
population. Success has been limited in increasing productivity in rainfed rice systems. Rice
yields in these ecosystems—home to 80 million farmers who farm a total of 60 million ha—
remain low at 1.0 to 2.5 t ha‐1, and tend to be variable due to erratic monsoons. Excessive soil
moisture in the wet season and lack of it in the dry season limit opportunities for crop
diversification out of rice. Poor people in these ecosystems lack the capacity to acquire food, even
at lower prices, because of low productivity in food production and limited employment
opportunities elsewhere. Many of the people living in rainfed areas belong to ethnic minorities
and, as such, their plight is often compounded through social and political marginalization.
The rainfed systems confront droughts, submergence, problem soils, and other abiotic stresses.
Over the last three decades, potential solutions to many of these problems have been discovered
in cultivated and wild rice germplasm, making genetic enhancement a viable strategy for
improving the livelihood of the rural poor. Thanks to a number of scientific advances in recent
years, researchers have already identified promising genetic materials and clear breeding
strategies for the development of varieties with several important traits that were difficult to
address with conventional methods. Prospects are now good for breeding into high‐yielding rice
varieties several important traits such as tolerance of drought, submergence, phosphorus
deficiency, and saline soils. Aiding our progress in this field is IRRI’s unique ability to bring
together the research performed in advanced research institutes (ARIs) and the private sector in
the industrialized countries with that of the NARES in developing countries. The efficiency of
breeding activities is enhanced through allele mining and gene discovery using functional
genomics (which will be undertaken in Program 5).
Poverty, the small size of farms, insecure tenure, and high risks in rainfed rice farming make
farmers unwilling to invest in improved rice production and resource management techniques,
thereby entrenching inappropriate farm practices that degrade natural resources. Soil conditions
and the crop establishment method have enormous consequences for nutrient availability and
management, weed competition, extraction of soil water, and adaptive strategies required by the
rice plant for successful performance. Water stress is frequently the main limitation to rice
productivity and yield stability in rainfed systems. The development and transfer of improved
farm‐level resource management strategies require deeper understanding of the interactions of
soil, water, and pests; the integration of knowledge into the development of improved crop
management options; and the evaluation and refinement of options with farmer participatory
research. Reduction in risk in rice cultivation requires enhanced seedling vigor, improved crop
establishment methods to avoid drought and submergence, and better tolerance of sodium, iron,
and aluminum toxicity and phosphorus and zinc deficiency, combined with resistance to biotic
stresses, especially the blast fungus. Women, who are more heavily involved than men in rice
farming in poverty‐stricken areas, need to be involved in farmer participatory research for
screening improved varieties and validating improved crop management options for the
technologies to be widely adopted.
IRRI Program 1 29
In rainfed areas, scope is limited for increasing income through rice cultivation alone because of
(1) the small size of farms in rice‐based systems and (2) the policy of keeping the price of rice
affordable for the poor. An increase in the productivity of rice, however, can release resources for
expanding the area for the production of nonrice crops and for other farm enterprises.
Diversification of the system can generate additional employment for landless households in
processing, storage, and marketing activities since their products are perishable and more
commercial in nature than rice. The use of shorter‐duration rice varieties, improved crop and
resource management options, changes in timing of crop establishment, etc., can facilitate
intensification and diversification of low‐productivity rice‐based systems to optimize system
productivity and improve the livelihoods of marginal and small farmers.
This program seeks to develop superior germplasm and improved crop and natural resource
management practices that facilitate intensification and diversification of rainfed systems. The
program also seeks to find innovative and effective ways to communicate these practices to
facilitate adoption by resource‐poor farmers. IRRI, in partnership with NARES and ARIs in
industrialized countries, will integrate upstream research in genomics, genetics, and physiology
with applied and adaptive research on crop improvement and management to develop elite
germplasm and best management options that would substantially increase and stabilize yield
under stress conditions compared to currently grown varieties, and share this germplasm with
NARES partners through the International Network for Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER). IRRI
will also facilitate and use the Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments (CURE),
established in 2002, to understand the site specificity of problems, validate and adapt new
technologies with farmer participatory research involving both men and women farmers, and
fast‐track the diffusion of knowledge‐intensive technologies by facilitating linkages among
research, extension, and development. While raising productivity in rainfed systems, IRRI and its
partners shall ensure that the quantity and quality of natural resources—soil, water, and biotic
resources—are maintained so that the capacity of our future generations to meet their food needs
from these limited resources is not compromised.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
Research for developing superior rice germplasm tolerant of drought, submergence, and problem
soils aligns perfectly with the CGIAR priority of enhancing tolerance of selected abiotic stresses
(System Priority 2B). The program also addresses, through INGER and CURE, the CGIAR
concern on developing long‐ and short‐term research strategies and policies to share germplasm
and technologies with partner NARES and capable regions (Priority 2A, specific goal 3). CURE
provides a platform for conducting research on the changing roles of producers, consumers, and
civil society organizations in technical innovation processes to identify the ways in which their
roles may enhance the impacts of R&D on poor people (System Priority 5C). Integrated land,
water, and forest management issues at the landscape level for the uplands in Output 4 relate to
System Priority 4A, whereas issues of intensification and diversification of rainfed systems in
Output 5 relate to System Priority 4B on agroecological intensification in areas with low potential.
Impact Pathways
The intermediate outputs of the program are standard phenotyping capacity for crop
improvement research on drought and submergence tolerance, the genetic basis of traits (QTLs)
from genotypes tolerant of abiotic stresses, markers for introgressing the traits into widely grown
improved varieties, and improved knowledge of the physiology of stress tolerance. Breeders in
NARES will use these outputs to develop improved varieties. Elite lines with high yields,
30 IRRI Program 1
resistance to key pests, superior grain quality, and tolerance of abiotic stresses developed under
NARES‐IRRI breeding networks and shuttle breeding programs will be shared among NARES
through INGER to evaluate their suitability under specific agroecological conditions. NARES will
use the knowledge and elite lines in their crop improvement programs and will eventually
release superior germplasm as varieties to farmers through national extension systems. IRRI and
NARES will jointly use the CURE platform to validate and adapt new technologies and improved
crop and resource management practices with community‐based farmer participatory
experiments that recognize the central role of women to optimize the yield of improved varieties
and fast‐track technology dissemination. Geographic information systems (GIS) and systems
modeling will be used to map areas suitable for extension of the improved technologies. Impact
assessment activities will be undertaken to assess constraints to the adoption of technologies by
the intended users, and the economic, social, and environmental impact of the diffusion of
technologies (link with Program 7).
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
In most cases, research activities will be conducted on a specific problem that affects several
countries. Applied and adaptive research will be conducted at key sites that represent specific
subecosystems for several countries and working groups will be organized for collaborative
research between IRRI and participating NARES. Annual review and planning meetings will be
held to plan research activities, review work progress, and learn from each other’s experience in
conducting research and share research outputs. Research on a single country will be undertaken
only if the product or knowledge has generic value that can benefit several countries facing the
same problem.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
Program 1 has a large range of partners in the NARES, universities, and ARIs, as well as other
CG centers and Challenge Programs. These are listed in Annex 1.
The main vehicle for research partnership under this program is the Consortium for Unfavorable
Rice Environments (CURE), a NARES‐constituted network established in mid‐2002 to tackle
high‐priority problems facing resource‐poor farmers in monsoon Asia. CURE is governed by a
steering committee (SC), composed of key NARES representatives from seven countries and the
IRRI deputy director general for research. The SC provides overall guidance to the research
agenda of the consortium; approves funding proposals, budgetary allocations, and work plans;
and facilitates all research activities and dissemination of research outputs within participating
countries. The consortium coordinating unit (CCU), which serves as the secretariat of CURE,
facilitates the initiation and establishment of the working groups (WGs), which are
interdisciplinary teams of researchers from NARES and IRRI and may also include other
international agricultural research centers (IARCs), ARIs, and NGOs. In consultation with the SC,
the CCU coordinates fund raising, provides administrative support, and facilitates
communication among the WGs. Working groups hold at least one review and planning
workshop each year. They also report on their progress at the annual CURE steering committee
meeting when the next year’s work plans are put on the table for approval. The participatory
mode with which the working groups operate ensures that NARES and other in‐country partners
have ownership of all project outcomes and the ability to deploy them beyond the project period.
IRRI Program 1 31
Program Outputs
This program has the following five outputs:
1. Superior drought‐tolerant and aerobic rice germplasm and management options developed for water‐
short rainfed environments by 2012.
Almost half of the 60 million ha of rainfed lowlands and plateau uplands in Asia are
drought‐prone and/or have a short monsoon season. Variation in rice production is closely
related to total annual rainfall, but, even when total rainfall is adequate, shortages at critical
periods greatly reduce productivity. The inherent risk in rice cultivation in the drought‐prone
ecosystem reduces productivity even in favorable years because farmers avoid using inputs
in optimal amounts when they fear crop loss. Risk‐reducing technologies can therefore
encourage higher investment in inputs, and adoption of high‐yielding varieties, thereby
increasing productivity and reducing poverty.
Previous research at IRRI and advanced research institutes has shown that conventional
breeding for reproductive‐stage tolerance is complicated by the strong relationship between
plant phenology and sensitivity to stress. The difficulty of selecting for improved yield under
drought stress has led to efforts in recent years to identify alleles for quantitative trait loci
(QTLs) affecting drought response, and introgressing them into popular high‐yielding
varieties through marker‐assisted backcrossing. QTLs with large enough effects on grain
yield to be useful in marker‐assisted breeding are yet to be identified.
2. Superior germplasm and management options to overcome submergence stress developed by 2012.
More than 40 million ha of rice lands (including land using supplementary irrigation during
the rainy season) in South and Southeast Asia are annually affected by flash flooding from
heavy rains and runoff from higher elevations, causing temporary submergence of the rice
plant. Complete submergence for 10 days or more can occur at any time during the growing
season, resulting in re‐planting of seedlings, or partial to total crop failure. Previous research
has succeeded in fine‐mapping a major gene (Sub1) that accounts for most of the variation in
tolerance of submergence in rice varieties. A marker linked to this gene can facilitate its
transfer into new or existing high‐yielding varieties that are locally adapted and possess the
quality aspects preferred by local consumers. Sources of tolerance of submergence during
germination have also been identified and this trait needs to be transferred into high‐yielding
varieties.
Combining superior germplasm with suitable management strategies such as nursery,
seedling, and nutrient management can substantially reduce losses from submergence.
Agronomic and physiological studies will be conducted on existing varieties and improved
lines to assess the effect of the Sub1 gene on yield, grain quality, seedling vigor, and other
agronomic traits. New and existing management options, including nursery and nutrient
management options to produce robust seedlings and enhance plant recovery after
submergence, will be developed and validated in farmers’ fields. Studies on farmers’
indigenous knowledge and practices, and criteria for the selection of technologies, will be
conducted to understand the constraints to technology uptake and devise policy options for
fast‐tracking technology diffusion.
32 IRRI Program 1
3. Superior germplasm with tolerance of salinity and other soil problems, together with suitable
management options, developed by 2012.
In South and Southeast Asia, problem soils (excess salt, nutrient deficiencies/toxicities) limit
rice productivity on more than 30 million hectares. A major problem in coastal areas of India,
Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Indonesia is salinity from salt intrusion that renders the soil
unproductive and/or unsuitable for rice farming. In inlands, salinity and alkalinity from
groundwater irrigation have been expanding in northwestern India, Pakistan, and central
Myanmar. Salinity is also associated with additional abiotic stresses such as phosphorus (P)
and zinc (Zn) deficiency and iron deficiency/toxicity. Most rice soils are characterized by high
P‐ and Zn‐fixing ability and currently about 50% of rice lands are P‐deficient. In these areas,
rice yields are low because suitable tolerant high‐yielding rice varieties are not available. In
coastal areas, farmers often grow only one crop during the monsoon season when fresh water
is available and/or rainfall helps flush salinity from the soil. Poverty is extensive because of
the low productivity of land, and, in some areas, farmers have resorted to traditional shrimp
farming using brackish water to improve livelihoods, which has had harmful effects on the
environment.
Previous studies revealed considerable potential for increasing rice productivity in salt‐
affected and other problem soil areas. Physiological and biochemical studies highlighted a
few useful traits that underlie tolerance of these stresses in rice. Two major QTLs, one for
seedling‐stage salt tolerance (Saltol) and one for P‐deficiency tolerance (Pup1), together with a
few other QTLs, are being tagged for marker‐assisted breeding. Discovery of candidate genes
is currently within reach and could help combine superior alleles for tolerance of salt and
other abiotic stresses associated with problem soils. Nursery and nutrient management
options together with proper handling of seedlings during transplanting could reduce
seedling mortality and improve crop stand. Various soil reclamation methods and water
management techniques could be effective in mitigating harmful effects of excess salts and
nutritional problems during the most sensitive stages of plant growth. Further research to
build on past achievements could contribute to higher levels of tolerance in high‐yielding
varieties beyond the levels observed in any of the tolerant but low‐yielding landraces that
farmers currently grow in affected areas. The new varieties could bring additional land and
water resources into use for rice cultivation.
4. Superior germplasm and improved management options for uplands developed by 2012.
The area under the upland rice‐based system in Asia is estimated to be around 15 million ha,
including both the area sown and land used as a part of the rice‐based rotation. Sloping and
plateau uplands account for a substantial rice area in Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, northeastern
and eastern India, and Nepal. Much of the Asian upland is characterized by high incidence of
poverty, poor physical access to markets, ill‐functioning markets, and subsistence‐oriented
agriculture with low productivity. Many households belong to minority ethnic and tribal
groups that are economically and socially marginalized and are the poorest of the poor.
Rising population pressure and the consequent intensification of marginal areas for food
production have contributed to environmental degradation and a further reduction in
agricultural productivity.
IRRI’s approach to upland research has undergone a major paradigm shift in recent years
from a focus on “upland rice” to “rice in the uplands.” This new approach calls for
intensification of favorable pockets in uplands for food production so that pressure to
IRRI Program 1 33
intensify food production in less favorable and more fragile areas can be reduced. It involves
integrated land, water, and forest management at the landscape level for uplands.
The major biophysical constraints to productivity growth of rice in uplands are low soil
fertility, soil erosion in sloping areas, severe weed infestation, rodents, blast fungus,
nematodes, and root aphids. Over the past decade, important scientific progress has been
made in addressing this seemingly intractable set of constraints, thus substantially improving
the likelihood of reducing poverty and protecting the environment. These scientific gains
need to be further consolidated and translated into specific technologies suited to major
production systems in the uplands.
5. Resource management options and strategies for intensification and diversification of rainfed systems
developed by 2012.
For areas with short and erratic monsoons, such as the plateau uplands in eastern India and
Bangladesh, system productivity and farmers’ livelihoods could be improved through the
development and deployment of shorter‐maturity rice varieties so that residual moisture
could be used for growing pulses, oilseeds, and vegetables in the seasonally fallow land after
rice. In coastal areas with brackish water, the expansion of highly profitable shrimp farming
has affected the long‐term sustainability of the resource base, and created social tension
between resource‐rich and resource‐poor households. Opportunities exist for developing a
more harmonious and sustainable rice‐aquaculture system that would optimize the
productivity of fresh and brackish waters in coastal areas. There is also a need to develop
sustainability indicators to monitor ecosystem health and thereby minimize the adverse
environmental effects that may be associated with rice intensification. IRRI will work with
NARES and other CGIAR centers at the systems level to match shorter‐duration rice varieties
with suitable varieties of nonrice crops and aquaculture species, and to develop optimal
resource management practices for improving system productivity and farmers’ livelihoods
while sustaining the natural resource base for future generations.
34 IRRI Program 1
MTP Project Logframe
Program 1. Raising productivity in rainfed environments: attacking the roots of poverty
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 Superior drought‐tolerant and NARES scientists and farmers in NARES scientists through There will be a reduction of risk of
aerobic rice germplasm and rainfed and water‐limited mechanisms such as CURE will crop loss due to drought, a 20%
management options developed environments adapt and validate improved increase in rice production and
for water‐short rainfed germplasm and management water productivity, and 30%
environments by 2012. practices suitable for the local increase in incomes from rice
environments with farmer farming in water scarce areas in
participatory research. Improved Eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh,
germplasm and NRM packages Pakistan, Thailand, and the
adopted by 25% of the farmers in Philippines.
pilot projects in drought‐prone
areas.
Output targets • Six diverse donors of drought‐tolerance traits as potential parents for breeding.
2007 • Analysis of the performance of ten validated elite lines and hybrids with improved drought tolerance, superior grain quality and yield potential of
over 5 t/ha with NARES breeding programs in South and Southeast Asia.
• Validated elite aerobic lines with potential grain yield of over 5 t/ha in farmer participatory experiments in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Philippines.
• Two major QTLs for drought‐tolerance and aerobic adaptation.
Output targets • Knowledge of the severity, timing and spatial coverage of drought at the district level in key sites in Eastern India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos.
2008 • Increased understanding of the physiology of drought tolerance donors, candidate genes (DREB), and QTLs.
• Validated decision support systems for nutrient management for the rainfed lowlands of Laos and Chhattisgarh, India.
• Proven options for improved soil health management for sustainable rainfed aerobic rice systems of Eastern India, Nepal, the Philippines, and
Indonesia.
Output targets • Fine‐mapped QTLs and markers for breeding varieties with improved drought tolerance and aerobic adaptation.
2009 • Elite hybrids from crosses involving drought‐tolerant inbred parents that out yield the current IRRI tolerant check, PSBRC 80, by at least 1 t/ha under
moderate lowland drought stress.
• Transgenic plants (developed using DREB technology).
• A decision support system for direct seeding and improved weed management in Bangladesh and Eastern India.
• Systems for screening for drought‐avoidance and water‐use efficiency traits in breeding and management research.
• Aerobic rice varieties with pest and disease resistance, and grain quality traits for India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
IRRI Program 1
35
36
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 2 Superior germplasm and NARES rice research programs NARES in Eastern India (Eastern Yield of monsoon season rice will
management options to overcome Extension agencies Uttar Pradesh, North Bihar, West increase by 20%, the cost of rice
submergence stress developed by Farmers Bengal, Orissa and Assam), production will be reduced by 20%
2012. Bangladesh, Myanmar and (from avoidance of replanting and
Cambodia validate elite lines and yield losses from submergence),
associated crop and resource and temporal fluctuations in yield
management options to develop will be reduced by 25%.
locally‐suitable submergence‐
tolerant and high yielding varieties Adoption of the new variety‐
for the monsoon season crop for management package will lead to a
release to extension workers and 20% increase in crop productivity
ultimately farmers. across 10 million ha of
submergence‐prone areas of South
and Southeast Asia, resulting in
reduced poverty among rice
producers and consumers in that
region.
Output targets • Improved nursery management options for tolerant varieties in Eastern UP, India and Bangladesh.
2007 • Seed management options for improved germination and enhanced early seedling growth of tolerant lines under flooding in at least two sites.
• Six mega‐varieties with the Sub1 gene for submergence tolerance and agronomic and quality traits from farmer‐participatory experiments at three
sites.
Output targets • Analysis of farmers’ current CNRM practices, coping mechanisms to submergence, and livelihood systems in the flood‐prone ecosystem for
2008 Bangladesh and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Thailand and Myanmar.
• Understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of flooding in farmers’ fields at three sites for selected regions.
• MAS system to incorporate QTLs for tolerance to flooding during germination into mega varieties.
• Advanced knowledge of the physiology of tolerance to water stagnation.
• Breeding lines combining good agronomic and quality traits with tolerance of submergence during germination.
• Improved submergence‐related seed and nutrient management options from farmer participatory research in at least three sites.
Output targets • Marker‐assisted breeding system to combine Sub1 with tolerance to flooding during germination.
2009 • At least one additional fine‐mapped alternate QTL/gene for submergence tolerance non‐allelic to Sub1.
• Breeding lines combining tolerance to flooding during germination and vegetative growth.
• Five breeding lines combining submergence tolerance (with the Sub1 gene) and adaptation to stagnant flooding for NARES.
• Understanding of the impact of submergence tolerance technologies at three CURE sites.
IRRI Program 1
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 3 Superior germplasm with tolerance NARES and farmers in problem NARES in salt‐affected and Adoption of the superior
of salinity and other soil problems, soil areas. problem soil areas in South and germplasm across 2 million ha of
together with suitable Southeast Asia validate and adapt salt‐affected and other problem
management options, developed superior germplasm and suitable soils in India, Bangladesh,
by 2012. CNRM options for release to Myanmar, Philippines, Cambodia,
farmers. Indonesia and Vietnam.
In salt‐affected areas, the average
rice yield will increase from 1.5
t/ha in 2005 to 3.0 t/ha.
In other problem soil areas, rice
production will increase by 30%.
Overall, increased rice production
will result in reduced poverty and
improve the livelihoods of poor
rice producers and consumers in
target areas.
Output targets • Increased understanding of CNRM practices and livelihood strategies in representative salt‐affected rice areas in India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.
2007 • New information on closely flanking markers at the Saltol and Pup1 loci.
• Enhanced knowledge of the physiological bases of tolerance to salt stress during reproduction.
Output targets • High throughput phenotyping techniques for screening for Zn deficiency and Fe toxicity and knowledge of physiological bases of tolerance.
2008 • Validated improved CNRM practices (integrated with salt tolerant rice germplasm) for efficient use of inputs and stabilized productivity for
saline/alkaline regions for India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam.
• One mega variety into which the Saltol locus for salinity tolerance has been introgressed using markers.
• Recommended technologies (integrated use of improved germplasm, CNRM, and amendments) to reclaim saline/alkaline soils.
IRRI Program 1
37
38
Output targets • Two fine‐mapped QTLs associated with salinity tolerance (other than Saltol ) and markers for their introgression with Saltol into mega varieties.
2009 • One widely adopted variety with Pup1 for phosphorous uptake.
• Fine‐mapped QTLs and closely linked markers associated with Zn deficiency and Fe toxicity for introgression into widely adopted varieties.
• Fifteen improved multiple abiotic stress tolerant breeding lines, hybrids, and alien introgression lines with improved grain quality for India,
Bangladesh, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Indonesia.
• Validated decision support tools and training materials for four improved crop management technologies at three sites.
• Increased understanding about the constraints to adoption of salt‐tolerant varieties and management practices and their economic and social impact.
IRRI Program 1
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 4 Superior germplasm and improved NARES scientists and research NARES evaluate improved Rice yields in uplands are
management options for uplands leaders germplasm for inclusion in their increased by at least 30%.
developed by 2012. National and international breeding programs. NARES make Improved management of rice
development agencies improved technologies available to landscapes reduces land
farmers who adopt these across at degradation in sloping uplands.
least 20% of the upland areas. Farmers’ incomes increase by at
least 20% due to incorporation of
remunerative cash crops in rice‐
based systems. Furthermore, policy
makers and development agencies
will have better information and
knowledge of the food security
problems of ethnic minorities in
the uplands.
Output targets • Evidence from farmers’ fields in Laos and Vietnam of the yield advantage of new upland rice varieties.
2007 • Evidence from Laos that improved fallow management (fallow enrichment) technologies generate better economic returns to farmers, improve soil
fertility, and reduce soil‐borne pests.
Output targets • Rice varieties with improved drought tolerance and disease resistance for plateau uplands of eastern India.
2008 • Knowledge of the potential for mixed‐cropping systems consisting of rice interplanted with other crops, rice‐non rice rotations, and mulch/green
manure for fertility enhancement and pest management.
• Improved knowledge of interactions and resource flows between sloping uplands and upland paddies in Laos and Vietnam.
Output targets • Improved glutinous upland rice varieties for Laos and Vietnam.
2009 • Upland rice varieties combining improved yield potential with drought tolerance, weed competitiveness and disease resistance for NARES.
• Knowledge of the yield decline in short fallow systems in Laos, and strategies for its prevention.
• Validated crop mixtures, management options, and rotations to improve the productivity and sustainability of upland rice systems.
IRRI Program 1
39
40
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 5 Resource management options and Scientists NARES use sustainability Cropping intensity increases by
strategies for intensification and NARES natural resource managers indicators to monitor ecosystem 50% in areas characterized by short
diversification of rainfed systems NARES researchers health in rainfed environments. and erratic monsoons. Land and
developed by 2012. Extension workers NARES researchers test and refine water productivity is increased by
Development agencies landscape management and 50% across 2 million ha of salt
Farmers’ organizations cropping systems strategies and affected coastal areas in Vietnam
develop technology advisory notes and Bangladesh.
and extension materials. NARES
use this information to train
extension workers and
development agencies on
improved farming systems and
ecosystem management. Farmers
adopt new land management and
cropping systems strategies across
5 million ha.
Output targets • Analysis of environmental sustainability of rice based systems.
2007 • New knowledge of emerging patterns and drivers of intensification and diversification of agriculture in rainfed systems.
• Germplasm and resource management options for double cropping of rice for salt‐affected coastal areas of Bangladesh.
• Knowledge of farmers’ use of crop varieties and CNRM practices for rice‐legume cropping system from three sites in the drought‐prone rainfed area
of Eastern Gangetic plains.
• A new database on water quality for the coastal zone of the Mekong Delta and tools (hydraulic model) to support decision making on water
management for Bac Lieu Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Output targets • Validated methodology for monitoring environmental sustainability and system productivity from four representative rainfed sites.
2008 • Effective germplasm and resource management options for double cropping of rice for the salt‐affected coastal region of Bangladesh.
• Improved rice‐aquaculture systems for salt‐affected coastal areas of the Mekong delta, Vietnam and in Bangladesh.
• Integrated germplasm and CNRM technologies for rice‐legume systems from farmer‐participatory research in three rainfed regions of eastern India
and Bangladesh.
• Maps of resource management domains to facilitate land use planning in Bac Lieu Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
IRRI Program 1
Output targets • Database on environmental sustainability for four representative rainfed sites.
2009 • Knowledge on constraints to adoption of improved germplasm and resource management options for double cropping of rice in coastal area of
Bangladesh.
• Decision support tools to facilitate technology development and uptake for rice‐aquaculture and rice‐legume systems.
• Effective options for germplasm (rice and non‐rice) and cropping sequences in saline/alkaline areas of India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Iran.
• Crop and NRM strategies for intensified, drought‐prone, rice‐based systems from three research sites in Eastern India and the Greater Mekong region.
IRRI Program 1
41
Program 2
Sustaining productivity in intensive rice-based systems: rice and the
environment
Rationale
Asian urban centers have the majority of the world’s urban poor and within the next 25 years
nearly 55% of the population of Asia will be located in these areas. The urban poor require food
at affordable prices and this must come from increased productivity in intensive rice systems,
which now account for over 70% of total rice production. Rice‐growing areas are among the
world’s most enduring, environmentally sound, and productive agroecosystems, and increased
rice production in recent decades has had a significant impact on poverty reduction. Rice
ecosystems provide basic commodities and regulatory services, including nutrient and water
cycling, and biological control. Poor people depend on these “ecosystem services” to provide
their needs as they are often without infrastructure to obtain clean water, food, and fuel.
Environmental sustainability and ecosystem services are threatened, however, by the loss of
biodiversity, climate change, and inappropriate management systems often caused by land,
water, or labor shortages.
In some areas of Asia, a rice crop is being replaced by another crop such as maize in response to
limitations in irrigation water and high demand for the crop. Crop diversification and
intensification may jeopardize sustainability due to deterioration in soil health and pest buildup,
and crop management approaches will be required to avert this. IRRI and CIMMYT will work
together in an Alliance project for Intensive Production Systems in Asia to understand the effects of
diversification on the ecosystem and the environment and to develop sustainable management
practices for evolving production systems. The misuse of agricultural chemicals can interfere
with the regulating services of the ecosystem, such as biological control and air and water
quality, yet farm‐level practices can optimize their use in order to maintain yields while
minimizing environmental impact.
Increasing water scarcity threatens agriculture and livelihoods, and this will be pronounced in
many areas. In many areas in South Asia, heavy pumping of groundwater is lowering water
tables. In many monsoon areas, such as in the delta areas of South and Southeast Asia,
competition is heavy for water, particularly in the dry season. Water supplies are further
threatened by contamination from industrial and urban sources. Agriculture may also contribute
in the form of agricultural chemicals, nitrates, and salt in the subsoil, which may affect human
health and also threaten aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Labor availability is a major driver of change in many of the rice production systems in Asia and
is leading to changes such as in the shift from transplanting to direct seeding. In the Indo‐
Gangetic Plains, for example, the desire to reduce costs has motivated the development of
“conservation agriculture” to reduce the tillage required for crop establishment and conserve the
resource base. The changing production environment has significant implications for resource
management and productivity, and appropriate land management is required to ensure the
sustainability of rice ecosystems. Cropping practices, rotations, fertilizer management, pesticide
use, tillage, fallow and field margin management, and flooding regimes may all play important
roles in conserving biodiversity, and indigenous knowledge of landscape management is a key
resource. Biodiversity plays a vital role in maintaining the resilience of agroecosystems to
drought, pest outbreaks, and floods, and in the provision of ecosystem services. Rice germplasm
42 IRRI Program 2
and species diversity is essential for sustaining effective host‐plant resistance and minimizing the
risk of widespread and severe pest outbreaks.
Global climate change is one of humankind’s most important challenges. There is a growing
consensus that Earth’s temperature is increasing, largely as a result of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Rice production will suffer as a consequence of climate change
unless measures to mitigate it are introduced.
IRRI will meet the above challenges by exploiting genetic resources with conventional and
biotechnological approaches to produce highly productive and well‐adapted varieties. Molecular
breeding will be used to incorporate yield‐enhancing genes from exotic and wild species into
improved cultivars and parents for superior hybrids. Germplasm generated will be combined
with crop and land management alternatives to optimize resource use, maintain the natural
resource base, and together with postharvest options, improve productivity. Ecological
approaches at the field and landscape level will be used to gain a better understanding of the role
of biodiversity and to maximize the effectiveness of cultural control options for pests. To mitigate
the threats to productivity posed by intensification, diversification, water shortages, and climate
change will require innovative approaches to develop resource management and germplasm
options. Options will be developed and deployed through a range of partnerships. Improved
germplasm will be made available through INGER and technology options will be extended and
adaptive research undertaken with NARES through two consortia, the Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) and the Rice‐Wheat Consortium (RWC), and also through the IRRI‐CIMMYT
Alliance (ICA). To address the challenge of water shortages, close links will be fostered with the
Challenge Program on Water and Food. To meet the threats posed by climate change, IRRI will
lead the consortium Rice and Climate Change.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
Enhancement of rice germplasm to increase productivity in intensive rice‐based systems is
closely aligned with System Priorities 2A and 2B. Landscape approaches to identify improved
landuse practices and the development of options to increase the productivity of irrigation water,
improve soil health, and reduce vulnerability through integrated pest management are essential
elements of System Priorities 4A, 4C, and 4D. Outputs related to partnerships with national
institutions will aim at enhancing the impact of agricultural research and are congruent with
System Priority 5D.
Impact Pathways
Integrating the development of more productive germplasm with improved landuse practices
and management will provide the greatest opportunities to develop options suitable for adoption
by NARES researchers, development workers, and ultimately farmers. The main outputs
available to NARES will be knowledge of desirable germplasm traits and understanding of the
factors influencing the sustainability of the natural resource base, and improved germplasm as
developed lines and parent materials, appropriate management options for ricebased systems,
and policy options. Outputs will be developed with national institutions through consortia and
other partnerships and activities will comprise the identification of constraints and development
of management options and germplasm, through to validation in farmers’ fields. Consortia in
particular will provide broad access to improved germplasm and management options, and
facilitate greater impact within rural communities. Evaluation and adaptation of options will also
occur independently of either the consortia or IRRI as part of NARES initiatives. Outputs are
IRRI Program 2 43
expected to be used by breeders, researchers, development workers, and policymakers in natural
resource management and it is envisaged that these will improve the effectiveness of NARES and
ARI partners through increased availability of development alternatives and strengthened
capacity. Partnerships with NGOs and the private sector will be encouraged where appropriate.
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
This program will meet the needs for germplasm and options to improve the productivity, and
provide a platform and knowledge base to improve sustainability, of intensive rice‐based
systems in the long term. In achieving this, the program will generate new knowledge and broad
understanding that will be made available in the form of IPGs. Research will use advances in rice
breeding and greater understanding of the factors affecting the sustainability of rice systems to
develop higher‐yielding cultivars and hybrids and suitable management options and strategies.
Through the consortia, research activities will draw on multiple sites to derive broad
understanding and knowledge to support extrapolation and wider application of the output
targets. An example of this is the four working groups of the IRRC. Each has activities across a
range of countries and aims to develop options and understanding of component technologies.
Where it is appropriate, through the consortia and other partnerships, Program 2 will participate
in policy dialogues and roles of advocacy in order to contribute to IPGs.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
Many key partners will contribute to the outputs of this program, and they are listed in Annex 1.
For Output 1, the major partners in germplasm development will be NARES, NGOs, and the
private sector, and their roles are evaluation, identification, and use of breeding materials/elite
lines with high yield potential, improved grain quality, enhanced micronutrient content, multiple
resistance to diseases and insects, and cold tolerance. With partners in China and Korea, studies
will be conducted on stem borer ecology, the population genetics of brown planthopper, and
gene flow. Marker‐assisted selection (MAS) and other genomics tools in germplasm
improvement will be applied in collaboration with ARIs and NARES. A wide range of NARES
partners will collaborate on the integration of canopy characteristics with germplasm and
management, strategies to optimize macro‐ and micronutrient applications, crop establishment,
and pre‐ and postharvest management practices and crop diversification for increased
productivity, reduced crop losses, and sustained production.
Through Output 2, research activities involving constraint identification, evaluation of
technology, and policy options will be largely undertaken with NARES partners, either through
bilateral partnerships or through the IRRC, RWC, and ICA. Activities on soil fertility and related
management will be undertaken in collaboration with the Southeast Asia Program of PPI/PPIC
and IPI, which will provide support and linkage to related activities in Asia. In the case of water
use and availability, activities will be undertaken with the Challenge Program on Water and
Food (CPWF) and the Comprehensive Assessment (CA), which will in turn provide linkages to
other international centers such as IMWI and ICARDA, universities in Germany and the
Netherlands, and multilateral organizations, including FAO.
Partnerships are yet to be fully developed for Output 3, but, in addition to others, these may
include NARES partners in Vietnam, China, and the Philippines that will collaborate on issues
related to biodiversity, and in Malaysia on water quality and the movement of pesticides. Greater
44 IRRI Program 2
understanding of the hydrological cycle will derive from partnerships involving the CPWF,
CSIRO, and Charles Sturt University in Australia and these will be linked to NARES activities.
Collaborative activities are not expected to be established until 2007 for Output 4 but, in addition
to others, these may include the University of Hamburg in Germany and the Atmospheric
Pollution Institute, National Center for Research, Rome, Italy for plant gas exchange analysis; the
National Institute for Agro‐Environmental Sciences (NIAES), Tsukuba, Japan, for plant response
to interaction between temperature and CO2; and CIRAD, France, and the University of Reading,
UK, for development of empirical crop models and simulation of crop performance within
differing climatic scenarios. Collaborative arrangements will be established with NARES partners
and with the RWC and ICA in order to create study sites and for data collection, identify
management alternatives, undertake adaptive research, and evaluate technology and policy
options.
The IRRC, RWC, and ICA will provide important, but not exclusive, pathways for the scaling‐out
of research findings, technologies, and policy options in Output 5. These consortia and bilateral
partnerships, such as the Environmental Radio in Vietnam, will link with NARES institutions in
India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, China, the Philippines,
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Laos, NGOs, and private industry in order to scale out and achieve
impact. The nature of partnerships will depend greatly on the capacities and organization of the
NARES and also how research organizations are related to extension and development services.
Within some NARES, the partnerships listed above and established in the research and
evaluation phase would be appropriate for scaling out, while, in others, additional partnerships
will be sought.
Program Outputs
The program has five outputs. Output 1 will generate germplasm that will improve productivity
and be less affected by biotic and abiotic constraints. Outputs 2 and 3 will focus on alleviating
constraints, including water availability and quality, contamination by heavy metals,
deteriorating soil quality, and increased pest buildup, and will identify options to improve
sustainability through studies at the field to landscape level. Output 4 will develop germplasm
and management options to mitigate the expected effects of climate change and sea‐level rise,
and Output 5 will develop and strengthen NARES consortia to facilitate the development of
appropriate technologies and facilitate greater impact.
1. Improved rice germplasm and management practices to enhance yield potential and achieve sustainable
productivity developed by 2012.
An improved understanding of the genetic basis and physiological mechanisms of yield
potential, pest resistance, and grain quality will allow the development of elite inbred and
hybrid germplasm with higher yield potential, multiple resistance to insects and diseases,
and superior grain quality. Management and ecological approaches to crop performance will
identify yield gaps and pathways to reduce crop losses. Integrated germplasm and pre‐ and
postharvest management options will enable yield gaps to be closed, productivity increased,
production costs minimized, and farmers’ profitability increased.
2. Integrated resource management options and germplasm to address threats to sustainability related to
trends of increasing intensification and diversification and decreasing freshwater resources developed
by 2012.
IRRI Program 2 45
Greater understanding and knowledge of the impact of intensification and diversification,
and associated management practices, will be developed through partnerships and through
collaborative arrangements such as the ICA and RWC. In particular, the second‐generation
problems associated with salinity, soil health, water quality, and pest/weed buildup with
emerging crop management and land‐use patterns will be elucidated, and integrated options
developed to mitigate these. Natural resource management options and germplasm will be
developed to combat water scarcity, including innovative management practices such as
alternate wetting‐and‐drying and aerobic rice, to use low quality water (affected by salt and
chemicals), and to minimize uptake of toxic metals (including arsenic, cadmium, and others)
into rice plants.
3. Integrated management options for improved environmental sustainability in rice‐based landscapes by
2014.
The ecological components of ecosystem resilience will be determined and practices and
policy options identified to enhance biodiversity and improve sustainability. The role of rice
paddies in the hydrological cycle will be elucidated since the relationship between paddies
and maintenance of ecosystem services—though critical—is poorly understood. Greater
knowledge will be developed of the material flows (water, pollutants, and air pollution—
burning) that occur in intensive rice systems and spatial interactions between rice and the
surrounding environment. Integrated resource management options will be developed in
order to improve sustainability and optimize productivity and ecosystem services at the
subbasin level.
4. Options to adapt rice systems to climate change, particularly higher temperatures and raised sea levels,
and to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2014.
The nature and extent of climate change and the threats posed to the major rice production
areas will be determined through climate and crop modeling, undertaken in partnership with
existing research groups and by using established databases. Germplasm will be adapted to
the predicted climates, with tolerance of heat and salinity for the coastal areas, and crop
management options will be developed to address the changed environment and crop‐pest
relationships. Crop management options will also be generated to minimize GHG emissions
and the contribution of rice production to climate change.
5. Strategies for uptake and impact of research results in place by 2010.
While each of the outputs under Program 2 will aim at uptake and impact at the NARES
level, Output 5 will have specific research activities directed at facilitating the delivery,
promotion, and uptake of technologies and knowledge. These activities will be conducted
within the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) that has activities in 10 countries in
Asia, the Rice‐Wheat Consortium (RWC) that has activities in four countries in South Asia,
and the Environmental Radio programs to raise awareness of Southeast Asian farmers of
environmental issues associated with farming practices. IRRI and NARES partners will
collaborate with expanded activities for validation, integration, and scaling out of the
principles, approaches, and technologies developed for intensive rice‐based farming systems.
IRRI social and natural resource scientists will provide a scientific platform for developing
and assessing pathways of adoption. Collaborative research will examine how farmers
respond to different pathways of information transfer and to policy changes, and scaling out
of the technologies will be led by the NARES of the respective countries. A common focus
will be on the delivery and measurement of the impact of new technologies and crop
46 IRRI Program 2
management options on smallholder farmers and consumers, many of whom are urban poor
and landless in rural areas of the participating Asian developing countries.
IRRI Program 2 47
48
MTP Project Logframe
Program 2. Sustaining productivity in intensive rice‐based systems: rice and the environment
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 Improved rice germplasm and Researchers and breeders at IRRI NARES in 8 countries and other The gap between farm‐level yield
management practices to enhance and in NARES intended users use the improved and the potential of improved
yield potential and achieve NGOs germplasm and management varieties will be reduced by 25% in
sustainable productivity Extension agencies practices in research, breeding selected regions and over 10
developed by 2012. Private sector and farmers in south and/or extension programs. million ha, and technology options
and south‐east Asia, and East and Germplasm will be made widely will lead to a reduction in the unit
southern Africa available through INGER. cost of production by 20% over a
ARIs. Consortia (IRRC, RWC, ICA) will similar area. In areas where
play an important role in commonly used varieties were
disseminating and facilitating the yielding below 5 t ha‐1 in 2004, by
uptake by farmers It is expected 2009 yields will be increased by
that technologies will be 15%.
transferred to NARES institutions
that serve one third of the annual
irrigated rice area in Asia (c. 25
million ha).
Output targets • Twenty high yielding inbreds and ten parental lines for hybrids with pest resistance and improved grain quality, and near isogenic lines (NILs) for
2007 blast resistance in japonica and indica backgrounds.
• Management strategies for healthy canopy and optimization of macro‐ and micro‐nutrients.
• Advanced knowledge of the components of grain quality and consumers’ preferred quality traits for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
• Appropriate post harvest management technologies to minimize losses.
Output targets • Four promising IRRI inbreds and three hybrids for evaluation in collaboration with Asian NARES.
2008 • Marker aided selection (MAS) protocols for BPH, tungro, cold tolerance, amylose content and gelatinization temperature.
• Germplasm resistant to stem borer and sheath blight from transgenic and other breeding approaches.
• Validated options for integrated water and sheath blight management.
• Host resistance and genetic diversification strategies for blast and bacterial blight.
• Analysis of the factors influencing labor availability in the intensive rice based systems in SE Asia.
• Validated options for rice market information sources and post harvest management for Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
IRRI Program 2
Output targets • Superior IRRI bred inbred lines, one hybrid and five hybrids from IRRI CMS lines.
2009 • IR64 NILs for yield related traits.
• High throughput protocols for grain quality and nutritional traits.
• Tagged genes/QTLs for iron and zinc contents in the rice grain and for resistance to sheath blight and stem borer.
• Knowledge of plant traits for high yield and validated management strategies for healthy canopy in China, South and Southeast Asia.
• Understanding of the genetic structure and virulence of BPH and gene deployment and management strategies to minimize yield loss.
IRRI Program 2
49
50
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 2 Integrated resource management Researchers, and extension staff of Modified agricultural practices Sustainability, and improved or
options and germplasm to address NARES validated and promoted by maintained productivity of the rice
threats to sustainability related to Farmers in South and Southeast NARES and adopted by farmers to production systems will enable
trends of increasing intensification Asia, China, and also in east and improve the sustainability and incomes to be diversified, and
and diversification and decreasing southern Africa maintain or improve yields despite income and nutrition improved for
freshwater resources developed by ARIs intensification, diversification and millions families in south Asia, SE
2012. NGO declining water availability. Asia and China. Reducing the
Policy makers. uptake of toxic metals will ease
Specifically, knowledge and this threat to human health in
practices will be adopted within south Asia.
partner NARES and consortia and
these will be applicable to areas
exceeding 5 million ha in South
Asia, SE Asia and China.
Furthermore, options to reduce the
effects of salinity on productivity
will be adopted by farmers in
India and Bangladesh on upwards
of 1 million ha, and those to reduce
the risk of uptake of toxic metals
in rice adopted over 0.75 million
ha in south Asia and those to
respond to water scarcity in
northern China, Philippines, India,
and Myanmar on around 1 million
ha.
Output targets • Crop residue and weed management options for minimum‐till and direct seeded systems, following principles of conservation agriculture.
2007 • Promising options to overcome the yield stagnation/decline in the rice‐wheat system in the Indo Gangetic Plains.
• Knowledge on the biophysical yield potential and feasibility of rice‐maize systems across at least four Asian countries using crop models to guide
research (IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance).
• Knowledge of the interactions between water and cropping patterns on residue decomposition and supply of nutrients to identify management
practices as an alternative to residue burning in India and China.
IRRI Program 2
Output targets • Concepts for integrated crop management (water, nutrients, weeds and land leveling) under water‐scarce conditions in lowland rice in the
2008 Philippines, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Knowledge of current and future water availability in Asian irrigation systems, and GIS database.
• Understanding of the weeds shifts in the Indo‐Gangetic Plains due changes to direct seeding, and validated weed management options and decision
tools for farmers in India and Bangladesh.
• Understanding of the causal factors of yield decline in aerobic rice and prototype management interventions to reduce the yield decline.
Output targets • Assays for rice affected by arsenic and other toxic metals, and promising management options for identified target areas and cropping systems in
2009 West Bengal and Bangladesh affected by the uptake of arsenic or other toxic metals.
• Suitable management options and germplasm (rice, non‐rice) for dry season rice based cropping systems in salt affected areas in Bangladesh, India.
• Analysis of the effects of fertilizer, crop, and soil management in rice‐maize systems on nutrient losses for the management of intensive rice‐upland
crop systems (IRRI‐CIMMYT alliance).
• Recommended technologies for minimum‐till and direct seeded rice production systems and policy options for South Asia.
• Prototype integrated crop management systems and germplasm for water scarce conditions in the Philippines, India, China and Myanmar.
IRRI Program 2
51
52
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 3 Integrated management options Researchers at IRRI, in NARES in Scientists of NARES and other Improved environmental
for improved environmental south and south‐east Asia, China institutions will use the new sustainability and quality while
sustainability in rice‐based and in east and southern Africa knowledge on ecosystem increasing productivity of the rice
landscapes developed by 2014. ARIs resilience, material flows and the systems for farming families in
Policy makers hydrological cycles to develop Asia.
improved technologies and policy
options.
Output targets • Comprehensive assessment of the present knowledge on the role of paddies in the hydrological cycle of watersheds.
2007 • Methodologies to identify indicators of environmental sustainability at the landscape level in Malaysia.
Output targets • Methodologies and partnerships to study hydrological ecosystem services of paddies and monitoring systems at two rice based landscapes in Asia.
2008 • Assessment of the role of surrounding habitats in pest management (insects, diseases, rodents and weeds) and novel ecologically based pest
management options.
Output targets • Comprehensive assessment of the relations between ecological based pest management options, biodiversity and sustainability.
2009 • Component understanding of the role of paddies in the hydrological cycle, the impact of water scarcity, and maintenance of ecosystem services at
two pilot sites in Asia.
• Options for managing water, crop residues (chemical, mechanical and biological), fertilizer and pesticides to reduce pollution in the environment
(contamination of ground water; air quality).
IRRI Program 2
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 4 Options to adapt rice systems to Researchers and extension staff NARES and ARIs use the The widespread adoption of
climate change, particularly higher and farmers worldwide knowledge of the likely effects of germplasm and management
temperatures and raised sea levels, ARIs climate change to develop and options to address climate change
and to minimize greenhouse gas Policy makers adapt strategies, germplasm, and will help assure future harvests
(GHG) emissions developed by crop management options that and well‐being of rice farmers and
2014. cope with climate change and consumers worldwide.
address challenges to food
production.
Output targets • Rice and Climate Change Consortium with experimental sites in two countries.
2007
Output targets • Climate change scenarios for the prediction of impact on major rice production areas.
2008 • Assessment of soils, and water and nutrient management on GHG emissions and formulated options to increase carbon sequestration.
• Germplasm for tolerance/avoidance of high temperatures, salinity and adaptation to future climates and target areas.
Output targets • Analysis of crop and pest responses to future climates.
2009 • Management and policy options to reduce GHG emissions in water scarce rice production systems, including the rice‐wheat system.
• Germplasm tolerant to high temperature, salinity and future climates, with tolerance mechanisms defined.
IRRI Program 2
53
54
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 5 Strategies for uptake and impact of NARES and NGOs in south and NARES partners and other The livelihoods of millions of rice
research results in place by 2010. south‐east Asia, China institutions will use these farming families in South Asia, SE
Farmers strategies to deliver improved Asia and China will be enhanced
Policy makers technologies. because of greater and faster
ARIs uptake of appropriate technologies
Governments adopt policy options to improve the sustainability of
to facilitate the efficient delivery rice‐based cropping systems.
of improved technologies and
management strategies for
intensive rice‐based farming
systems.
Effective delivery of research
results to farmers in 4 countries
leads to uptake of technologies
and integrated management
strategies.
Output targets • Improved management practices and demonstration sites for intensive rice‐based farming systems, including rice‐wheat systems, in India,
2007 Philippines and Vietnam.
• Policy options for China and the Philippines on improved management for intensive rice‐based farming systems.
Output targets • Two integrated technologies and principles for sustainable, intensive, rice‐based production in Myanmar and Indonesia.
2008 • Improved capacity of consortium NARES partners to conduct participatory research.
• Scientific platform for developing and assessing adoption pathways.
Output targets • Improved management practices for intensive rice‐based farming systems, including improved productivity and sustainability of rice‐wheat systems,
2009 in India, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam.
• Improved knowledge on impacts of integrated technologies and management strategies at farmer and government levels in Indonesia, Philippines,
and Vietnam.
• Two integrated technologies and principles for sustainable production of rice‐maize systems for China and Vietnam (IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance).
IRRI Program 2
Program 3
East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes and an affordable urban
staple
Rationale
Sub‐Saharan Africa is now one of the world’s major “poverty islands.” About 130 million people
in East and southern Africa (ESA) alone live in extreme poverty and more than 85% of these
depend on agriculture. A large number of these people are rice consumers and many are small
rice producers. A significant investment in agriculture is critical to eradicate hunger and poverty
in ESA. Rural poverty in the ESA region could be significantly reduced if the efficiency of local
rice production were improved in the key rice‐growing areas of Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania,
and Uganda.
The demand for rice is increasing at more than 6% per annum from urban consumers of ESA who
prefer imported rice from Asia because it is cheaper and of better quality. This shift in consumer
preference has been driven by rapid urbanization, women’s growing participation in the formal
labor force, and population growth resulting in a shift away from cassava, sorghum, millet, and
maize. Presently, more than 500,000 tons of rice is imported into the ESA region annually and this
costs more than US$100 million in foreign exchange. More than half a million very poor rice
farmers in these countries could reduce their poverty by growing and selling rice to local urban
markets and thereby replacing imported rice.
Substantial potential exists for increasing crop yields. Although rice production has grown at
over 2.5% per annum since 1990, this is mostly due to expansion of the rice‐growing area. Rice
yields have remained low and stagnant at 1–2 t ha‐1 due to unfavorable rice environments and
poor management. The lessons learnt from research in Asia have significant relevance to food
security, poverty, and health.
Initial investigations suggest that constraints to production include the limited range of available
rice varieties, the lack of inputs such as reliable water, affordable fertilizer, and labor, as well as
high postproduction losses and an inability to effectively access markets. While options to
overcome many of these constraints already exist, an integrated, research‐ based approach is
required to improve the quality and quantity of rice and to link farmers to local and regional
markets.
Current rice yields in the ESA region are generally low and investigations suggest considerable
scope for the use of science to produce rapid improvement in productivity. The considerable
research knowledge and expertise of IRRI can form a sound basis for a targeted, systematic
research agenda that will meet the needs of the ESA countries. This research agenda will be
developed in close cooperation with national programs and ARIs to capitalize upon both the
existing knowledge within the countries and the available international expertise.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
The research for development program in East and southern Africa aligns with System Priorities
2 and 5. The program will enhance the yield of rice (2A) and develop varieties with tolerance of
abiotic stresses (2B) and enhanced nutritional quality (2C).The program will also address the
reduction of rural poverty (5D) and make domestic markets work for the poor (5B).
IRRI Program 3 55
Impact Pathways
This program will target rice farmers in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda. These
farmers will be encouraged and helped to grow new high‐yielding varieties that have good grain
quality, using optimal production practices. Along with production changes, farmers will also be
able to access improved postproduction management and benefit from market knowledge and
linkages.
A second target group is local scientists, technicians, and extension staff (including those from
the private sector) who will be part of a broad‐based training program. The development of local
capacity in rice‐growing and postharvest operations will increase the sustainability of an efficient
rice‐growing sector in the target areas.
Local applicability must be the fundamental criterion in choosing technologies. An
understanding of existing farming systems and markets will guide research and determine the
technologies best suited for adoption and sustainability. Institutional change can be catalyzed
only through the participation of the major stakeholders in any project design and
implementation. Participation of the national agricultural departments, universities, and
agricultural colleges in research and training activities will increase national capacity.
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
The goals of this research for development program are
• to improve the efficiency of rice production and postharvest operations in key rice‐
growing areas in the target ESA countries by 30% within 10 years, and
• to strengthen the capacity of local rice scientists, technicians, and extension staff in
germplasm selection and adaptation, farm‐level production, postharvest methods, and
marketing.
Therefore, knowledge and products, such as germplasm and equipment, are the principal
international public goods. The approach to be deployed in the program will help produce an
overview of the African rice industry and impact that can be extended across a range of
conditions. In addition, the research for development strategies used in the program are expected
to have wider application across other regions in Africa.
The first major challenge is to make available high‐yielding rice varieties with acceptable grain
quality and resistance to major diseases and insects, and tolerance of abiotic stresses. There is a
need to breed and disseminate improved rice germplasm adapted to local conditions. NERICA
lines (derived from crosses between African Oryza glaberrima and Asian O. sativa) and lowland
sativa rice varieties that are tolerant of major pests are now showing promise in some countries.
However, selecting rice varieties with grain quality acceptable to local consumers is critical to
move farmers from subsistence to commercial rice farming.
Increasing rice yields and improving postharvest management are critical to producing quality
rice at competitive prices. Although many of the technologies for production and postproduction
have been developed and validated in a wide range of Asian countries, selecting the appropriate
technologies, validating them in local environments, and then disseminating them to farmers will
be the second major challenge.
56 IRRI Program 3
Another critical challenge is the lack of trained rice scientists and technicians who are able to
develop germplasm and validate farming technologies. Therefore, a program of locally adapted
capacity building is also urgently needed.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
Through the East and southern Africa Program, IRRI will work with local collaborators,
including the NARES, ARIs, NGOs, universities, and the private sector:
• The East and Central African Rice Research Network (ECARRN), Kenyan Agricultural
Research Institute (KARI), Mozambique Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
(MADER), Tanzanian Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Cooperatives (MAFC), and
Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) to develop
research priorities and formulate policy options by 2009 through characterization of the
rice production environment and markets with regard to productivity potential and
environmental stress, and their interface with poverty in the four target countries.
• The Africa Rice Center (WARDA), KARI, and National Institute for Agronomic Research
in Mozambique (INIA) to develop elite lines with genes for stress tolerance and the
program will use the existing skills from both African and Asian partners.
• The Sasakawa Global 2000 Mozambique (SG2000), MAFC, MAAIF, KARI, Aquifer LTD
and the private sector to enhance sustainable production and postharvest rice‐based
technologies by validating and delivering new technologies to farmers. The new
technologies will draw upon the extensive work done in Asia by IRRI, its consortia, and
its partner NARES. IRRI will collaborate with SG2000, ECARRN, Japanese International
Cooperative Agency (JICA), local universities such as Sokoine University of Agriculture,
Tanzania, and international universities to enhance the capacity of key rice scientists,
technicians, and extension staff drawing upon the facilities and expertise of other CG
centers as appropriate.
Program Outputs
The ESA program will draw on the considerable research that has been conducted by IRRI across
Asia. The results of genetic resource development and farming systems research in Asia will be
carefully evaluated for integration into the African environment. This program for East and
southern Africa will concentrate on the following priority outputs:
1. Research priorities and policy options formulated by 2009 through characterization of the rice
production environment and markets with regard to productivity potential and environmental stress
and their interface with poverty.
An assessment of the rice production environment will gather socioeconomic, production,
and market information to enable a better understanding of rice production with regard to
the whole farm enterprise and food security. Changes in resource availability, and evidence
of threats to sustainability (including farmer practices and habits) will also be researched.
Although a market exists for imported rice in the ESA countries, the market and demand for
domestic rice is not yet developed. This initiative will strive to develop and promote markets
for domestic rice.
2. Elite lines including O. glaberrima derivatives with genes for stress tolerance validated by 2010.
It is necessary to assess the currently used germplasm and test new cultivars with improved
resistance to pests and diseases that also have desirable quality traits. The rice varieties being
IRRI Program 3 57
grown in the rainfed areas of ESA are susceptible to indigenous pests and diseases such as
rice yellow mottle virus, African gall midge, blast, and Striga.
3. Sustainable production and postharvest rice‐based technologies for both seed and grain farms validated
by 2010.
These technologies will aim at solving problems of water management, nutrition, and pest
management, as well as postharvest problems in harvesting, drying, storage, and milling
facilities.
4. Capacity of key rice scientists, technicians, and extension staff to conduct research and to validate and
disseminate technologies strengthened by 2010.
Well‐trained staff are needed to ensure that relevant research is implemented, that systems
are sustainable, and that technologies are communicated effectively to farmers.
58 IRRI Program 3
MTP Project Logframe
Program 3. East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes and an affordable urban staple
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 Research priorities and policy IRRI A network of key policy makers The increased productivity of
options formulated by 2009 ARIs and researchers use a validated and sustainable rice‐based systems in
through characterization of the rice NARES including private sector approved regional rice research ESA derives from the targeted and
production environment and and development plan. efficient regional rice research and
markets with regard to development program.
productivity potential and
environmental stress and their
interface with poverty.
Output targets • A network of key policy makers and researchers in the four target countries.
2007 • Understanding of the rice environment in the four target countries for research, production, and marketing.
• Analysis of the capacity of regional scientists and extension officers to conduct research and extension in the four target countries.
Output targets • ESA regional plan for research on rice production systems, development initiatives, and capacity building.
2008
IRRI Program 3
59
60
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 3 Sustainable production and Farmers NARES and other users promote Improved quality and quantity of
postharvest rice‐based Post harvest commercial sector efficient production and post‐ rice produced and stored by
technologies for both seed and NARES researchers and extension production technologies for ESA. farmers and the commercial sector
grain farms validated by 2010. agents, increases their profits and
NGOs enhances the availability of higher
quality rice for consumers.
Output targets • Understanding of existing crop production and post‐harvest management systems and opportunities for change.
2008
Output targets • Strategies to improve relevant crop production and post‐harvest management systems.
2009
IRRI Program 3
Program 4
Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of poverty
Rationale
The new IRRI Program 4, Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of poverty, is both an
outcome of the development of Goal 3 in IRRI’s new strategic plan and a mechanism to bring
together the multiple rice biofortification projects (including the HarvestPlus Challenge Program)
and other health‐related efforts that already investigate germplasm, farm practices, and policy
options.
Underpinning maximum success in meeting many of the Millennium Development Goals is the
need to solve the widespread problems of health and nutrition that debilitate people and hinder
economic growth. Some 1.2 billion people in Asia and sub‐Saharan Africa live in extreme
poverty. Many of these do not have access to a diverse diet that provides the requisite suite of
minerals and vitamins for healthy growth and development. Poor nutrition is manifested in
invisible nutritional deficiencies (hidden hunger) and in malnutrition (visible hunger). The
accumulation of noxious compounds in the rice grain during cultivation and storage can lead to
serious health concerns for rice consumers. In addition, poor health in the context of rice
cultivation may be related to chronic and infectious diseases from water and from vectors such as
rodents and mosquitoes, as well as illness resulting from improper use of chemicals.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
Outputs 1 and 2 address System Priority 2C that deals with the development of biofortified crops
and the validation of this approach to enhance the diets of disadvantaged populations in
developing countries, respectively. The successful deployment of such improved crops is
anticipated to require appropriate communication activities also.
Output 3, focusing on the caloric efficiency of rice grains, also contributes to Priority 2C.
Specific reference is also made in Priority 2C to aflatoxin (mycotoxin) contamination of food, as a
result of microbial contamination and growth, and in the context of factors that further limit the
potential use (and value) of staples by the poor. Output 4 seeks to address the problem of
cadmium and other undesired components of rice that are consistent with this. A related
connection can be made through Priority 5B, which requires participation in research and
communication to enable poor producers to supply markets effectively and to comply with
current and emerging food safety requirements, especially as related to mycotoxin
contamination. In the broader context of Priority 5, of reducing vulnerability of the poor, and
especially in the context of the biophysical environment, efforts to reduce the incidence of human
diseases associated with the cultivation practices of rice would be appropriate.
Impact Pathways
The initial target populations for impact are women and young children in the major poverty
areas of Asia, but also soon after in Africa. For Golden Rice output targets, the partners in India
are coordinated through the Golden Rice Network Coordinator‐India of the Department of
Biotechnology of the Government of India. For the Philippines, the partners include PhilRice and
will also include the leading nutrition institutions in the country, such as the University of the
Philippines‐Los Baños and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute. For Bangladesh and
Vietnam, the lead partners are the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute and the Cuu Long Delta
IRRI Program 4 61
Rice Research Institute, respectively, and the national nutrition and other partners that they will
nominate.
62 IRRI Program 4
3. Increased understanding of the roles of macromolecules in rice grains for caloric efficiency by 2010.
This represents an opportunity for IRRI to explore additional benefits from its grain quality
research and to define a research agenda that will guide any expansion of its work on the
understanding of digestibility and food (caloric) value of different rice varieties. This output
could lead to improved varieties with greater digestibility and with greater storability of
cooked rice. The increased understanding will also include the value of these traits to
partners and will thereby also define the partners.
4. Strategies to reduce contamination of rice grains and to improve practices that decrease risks to human
health developed by 2012.
The IRRI strategic plan Goal #3 also anticipates new or expanded research that serves to
understand better the sources of contamination of rice grain that pose a risk to human health
and to the development of germplasm or cultivation practices that reduce the accumulation
of such toxic contaminants in the grain. IRRI will address the consequences of rice cultivation
and handling and of the poor quality of soil and irrigation water in a number of
environments. The health of rice consumers is threatened when the rice they eat is
contaminated.
Currently, the two most important types of contamination are toxins, such as arsenic and
cadmium, and microbial toxins such as mycotoxins. Arsenic accumulates in the maternal
tissue of the rice, such as bran, when contaminated water is used to irrigate plants, but the
amount that accumulates in milled rice is likely to be smaller. The risks to consumers’ health
occur from consumption of (i) unpolished or undermilled rice from plants irrigated with
arsenic‐containing water and (ii) rice cooked in arsenic‐containing water. Mycotoxins, which
are introduced by contaminating pathogens, can occur in the grain if the crop is incorrectly
handled during grain‐filling, harvest, or storage. Mycotoxin contamination can be decreased
by changing postharvest handling and processing practices. The sources of contamination of
rice with arsenicals, cadmium, and other toxic metals and metalloids will need to be
understood—severity and health consequences—and both germplasm and crop management
options developed. This work builds on ongoing work in Bangladesh and India on
addressing the severe arsenic contamination issues associated with tube‐wells and
contaminated farm land. The accumulation of mycotoxins in the rice grain may be an
emerging issue both directly for rice consumers and for its implications for the restriction of
trade. A greater understanding of the prevalence and implications of this problem needs to
be gained and germplasm and management options prioritized. Awareness by NARES and
the relevance of the problem to national policy will be important components in the
prioritization of the activities for this output. This expanded interest builds on the
postharvest storage research of the Institute.
Building on a long‐standing commitment of the Institute to improve the rice farm
environment by addressing the overuse of pesticides in rice farming, IRRI will also seek to
understand and reduce the incidences of on‐farm occupational and accidental poisonings
due to pesticides. With a concern about the appropriate use of pesticides in rice cultivation,
and building on existing work on helping farmers understand when pesticides are needed,
IRRI will need to understand the implications of on‐farm pesticide handling and storage and
develop protocols to minimize occupational and accidental poisoning. Similarly, policies may
be developed and communicated for the safer use of farm machinery and equipment.
IRRI Program 4 63
IRRI needs to assess more fully the impact of rice cultivation on the prevalence of water‐
borne and related diseases for human and farm animal health. The health of rice farmers,
their families, and the rural landless who work on rice farms is threatened by a number of
water‐borne and zoonotic diseases, such as schistosomiasis, leptospirosis, malaria, dengue,
and even bird flu. These are both chronic and acute diseases. If a rice farmer or laborer is
disabled by a chronic disease during rice production, the family risks losing its sole or main
source of income. Moreover, the commonly known and emerging diseases provide a
potential barrier to innovative rice‐based cropping systems being developed by IRRI. Strong
trans‐disciplinary expertise in farming systems, animal ecology, resource economics, and
agricultural anthropology places IRRI in a unique position to instigate innovative
partnerships to develop simple and practical options to reduce the impact of these diseases
on farmers’ livelihoods and the barriers they may create in specific ecosystems for the
delivery of impact from IRRI’s current and future research.
An outcome of this concern and assessment would be the development and promotion of
cultivation practices to reduce the prevalence of water‐borne and other diseases. IRRI needs a
more comprehensive understanding of the implications of current practices on water‐borne
and zoonotic diseases and needs to look to expand beyond its historical work in this area.
Critically, IRRI must understand the implications of its recommendations and practices for
rice cultivation in Africa, where this problem may be more acute. The strategies that will be
developed under Output 4 will also determine their value to partners and will thereby also
define the partners, as well as the scope of the Institute’s direct involvement in research
activities.
64 IRRI Program 4
MTP Project Logframe
Program 4. Rice and human health: overcoming the consequences of poverty
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 Nutritionally enhanced rice IRRI researchers and breeders The intended users will exploit the Rice consumers will benefit from
germplasm developed by 2009 NARES scientists germplasm lines in their research the increased availability of rice
Private sector (subject to licenses) and breeding programs. with a better nutritional content.
Public health sector
Farmers Public and private seed companies
will deliver seed to farmers.
NARES and the public health and
food sectors will promote
nutritionally‐enhanced grain to
consumers.
Output targets • The lead Golden Rice ‘transgenic event’ ready for final development.
2007
Output targets • The leading two high iron germplasm lines from conventional breeding for NARES.
2008
Output targets • Understanding of the bioavailability of zinc in high zinc rice.
2009
IRRI Program 4
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 2 Strategies for the development, Public health policy makers The strategies are used to Integrate The consumption of biofortified
promotion, and delivery of NARES scientists biofortified rice into the rice will reduce morbidity and
biofortified rice, including NGOs complementary, food‐based mortality, especially in women and
transgenic rice, by 2010 for India intervention approaches that children, caused by those diseases
and the Philippines, and then for address nutritional deficiencies. exacerbated by micronutrient
Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam. These strategies will lead to deficiencies. Furthermore, there
Increased awareness of the will be a decreased prevalence of
benefits of transgenic, biofortified mineral and vitamin deficiencies
rice. in poor rice‐consuming women
and children (under 5).
Output targets • Communication plans to highlight the benefits of transgenic, biofortified rice for the Philippines and India.
2007
Output targets • Health policy‐based deployment plan for Golden Rice for India.
2008
Output targets • Health policy‐based deployment plan and seed production for Golden Rice in the Philippines.
2009
IRRI Program 4
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 4 Strategies to reduce contamination IRRI breeders and researchers Researchers and breeders will Reduction in occupational and
of rice grains and to improve NARES scientists exploit the germplasm lines accidental health consequences of
practices that decrease risks to Public and private industry rice cultivation and consumption.
human health developed by 2012 researchers Public and private seed companies
Agricultural and public health will deliver seed to farmers.
policy makers
Farmers NARES and policy makers will
promote improved agricultural
practices
Output targets • Germplasm resistant to accumulation of toxic contaminants in grains.
2008 • Understanding and selection of targets regions and practices.
Output targets • Management options, technologies and strategies for minimized mycotoxin contamination.
2009 • Increased capacity of NARES in target areas for the adoption and extension of strategies for reducing mycotoxins and heavy metals and other
contaminants.
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Program 5
Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs of future
generations for rice genetic resources
Rationale
Genetic diversity is the foundation of the genetic improvement of crops. Knowledge of multiple
facets of rice genetic diversity—from molecule to phenotype—is essential for effective
conservation and use, for both current and future needs. Among all crop species, rice is
exceptionally well endowed with genetic resources and advanced genetic tools that make it a
model genetic system. The international rice genome sequencing efforts have generated complete
genome information for indica and japonica rice varieties. This, together with expanding genomic
information in other plant species, presents a new paradigm to understand, explore, and use rice
genetic resources.
IRRI is the custodian of the world’s largest ex situ collection of rice germplasm, covering
traditional and improved varieties as well as wild relatives. Shared use of the germplasm
collection has served rice breeding and research activities well. Yet, only a small fraction of the
rice genetic resources has been used in breeding. We expect a greater demand for specific genetic
resources to address production and environmental problems in the future. This will translate
into a greater demand for the genetic knowledge and tools that are needed to identify and use
resources that meet specific needs.
Genetic knowledge can now be integrated across species through comparative genomics analysis,
leading to accelerated discovery of gene functions. Furthermore, genome‐wide analysis has the
potential of revealing new insights about genetic pathways, and creating new opportunities to
meet both anticipated and unforeseen challenges. Abundant and accessible genetic diversity,
either natural or induced, is a requisite for understanding biological processes. On the other hand,
uncharacterized genetic diversity will remain unused. Thus, conservation, generation, and
characterization of genetic diversity and discovery of gene functions are interdependent activities
that need to be integrated to achieve desired outcomes.
This program will have three components:
• Genetic diversity characterization and creation, and gene function assignment.
• Germplasm conservation and documentation.
• Enabling access to and use of genetic diversity and associated tools.
The program will house activities of an exploratory nature in the genetic components of the
Frontier Projects. We will implement this program through extensive collaboration with NARES
and ARIs in consortia and networks.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
The conservation and characterization of rice germplasm to meet the needs of future generations
align exactly with System Priority 1A. The discovery of gene function component of this program
provides the genetic knowledge to address a wide variety of agronomic traits, including yield
stability, tolerance of stresses, and nutritional quality, which are essential elements of System
Priorities 2A, 2B, and 2C.
Impact Pathways
Bringing together germplasm conservation, diversity analysis, and gene discovery under a single
68 IRRI Program 5
program presents a unique opportunity to maximize the utility of conserved and customized
germplasm. The main outputs of this program will be a comprehensive, well‐documented
germplasm base, a public research platform to enable gene identification, and genetic knowledge
for priority traits.
Through the continuum of conservation‐discovery‐dissemination, we form the foundation for
translating genetic diversity and genomic sciences into practical applications. Broadened access
to genetic resources and genomic tools by breeders, researchers, and plant biologists is expected
to improve the efficiency of rice breeding and gene discovery activities by NARES and ARI
partners. The identification of genes controlling specific traits and dissemination of such
knowledge and tools will enable precision breeding and accelerate the achievement of breeding
targets. An essential condition to achieving program impact is an open environment in
germplasm exchange and sharing. Another critical factor is the mobilization of the global
research community to decipher functions of agriculturally important genes in rice through a
consortium approach.
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
This program is designed to address the needs for gene function identification in current
germplasm improvement and to provide a platform and knowledge base by which genetic
diversity can be effectively conserved and used for the long term. Building upon the investments
and achievements made in the upgrading of the International Rice Genebank, germplasm
characterization, functional genomics, and bioinformatics, IRRI is poised to play an important
role at the interface of gene function discovery, applications of genetic knowledge, and
conservation and sharing of genetic resources.
Understanding all rice gene functions is clearly an enormous task beyond the capacity of
individual institutions, but it is of long‐term importance, and a task in which IRRI will
strategically engage based on its comparative advantages. We will contribute to the
determination of the basic functions of all rice genes and the diversity of rice through a
worldwide consortium of public‐ and private‐sector organizations. The immediate demands are
exemplified by the need to apply genomic analysis, in this and other IRRI programs, toward (i)
developing stress tolerance, (ii) enhancing the nutritional value of germplasm, and (iii) enhancing
the market value of rice through predictable quality. Future needs are addressed by preparing a
robust genetic platform of gene/allele identification resting upon a comprehensive collection of
rice germplasm and specialized genetic stocks.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
In building a public genetic research platform for rice, this program needs extensive partnerships
with ARIs to tap into the upstream science while at the same time enhancing the capacity of
NARES through adapting and disseminating new tools. IRRI forms a close alliance with
universities and research institutions with excellence in genomic research and applies the tools
and findings to address agronomic problems that are relevant to NARES. Key partnerships are
embodied in the International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium that involves a “federally”
coordinated network of collaborators from institutions and laboratories worldwide. IRRI’s role is
to continue to sustain this collaborative network by mobilizing complementary genetic resources
and expertise to examine relevant problems. This approach is exemplified by collaboration
supported by the USAID Linkage Program and competitive grant programs in the U.S., where
in‐depth studies in stress physiology (e.g., submergence) are conducted and new tools (e.g.,
IRRI Program 5 69
genome‐wide genotyping) are developed using IRRI’s advanced genetic stocks. We will also seek
new methodologies to help IRRI to accelerate the development of efficient systems for gene
function verification (e.g., improved RNAi technologies from various research laboratories in
Japan and the U.S., and the newly developed artificial micro‐RNA gene‐silencing technique at the
Max Planck Institute in Germany).
In the production of specialized genetic stocks and their phenotypic evaluation, collaboration
includes many NARES partners with a wealth of knowledge on useful traits and germplasm and
providing appropriate agronomic environments for phenotyping. For example, the China
National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center will provide parents of super
high‐yielding hybrids to produce the mapping populations for the investigation of heterosis and
genotype × environment interactions. In turn, the genetic materials produced at IRRI can be
distributed to a wide range of users for phenotyping and gene identification.
Partnership with the Generation Challenge Program is particularly important to Program 5 given
the shared objective of building an efficient gene discovery platform. Rice as a genetic model has
much to offer to the GCP whereas the comparative biology agenda and triangular partnerships
among ARIs, NARES, and CGIAR centers advanced by the GCP have enabled IRRI to expand its
partnership with institutions working on plant systems other than rice. In launching the Frontier
Projects on C4 rice and drought, we expect more intensified collaboration involving world
authorities on plant biochemistry and physiology across plant models. These types of
collaboration will be central to the delivery of a public research platform (Outputs 1 and 2) and
generating new knowledge on genetic pathways and functions (Output 3).
For germplasm conservation (Output 4), a global network of genebanks and curators will be
created under the auspices of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and will be the means to ensure
coordinated conservation of rice genetic resources across the world without undue duplication.
Projects funded by the World Bank, such as the Genebank Upgrading Project and the recently
initiated system‐wide Global Public Goods II project, lay the groundwork for better coordination
of efforts across not only CG partners but also the NARES and ARIs that hold rice genetic
resources. Within the System‐wide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP), particular emphasis is
given to collaboration with the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) and CIAT, to establish new
approaches to jointly improve the efficiency of maintaining and delivering appropriate
germplasm in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
For the dissemination of genomic resources and tools, our primary partners are NARES that are
instrumental in testing and applying research products for germplasm enhancement. The Asian
Rice Biotechnology Network involves both ARIs and NARES in training and assisting NARES
partners in adopting new tools in their research and breeding programs. Our NARES partners
also contribute to the collection and characterization of local germplasm for the development of
useful genetic stocks.
Program Outputs
The program has five outputs. Outputs 1 to 3 concern the generation of data and resources for
gene discovery, hence providing a public research platform for exploring germplasm and
extracting useful genes for traits of interest in the near and long term. Output 4 addresses
expanding conservation and enhancing efficiency in handling conserved germplasm. Output 5
deals with the dissemination of genomic tools and enhancing capacity of NARES. It is anticipated
70 IRRI Program 5
that the information products of the Program 5 outputs will be captured and analyzed in
Program 6, Information and communication: convening a global rice research community. Elaboration
on each of these outputs is given below.
1. Genetic diversity platform for gene function identification in domestic and wild rice gene pool
established by 2011.
This output will be achieved by applying genome‐wide characterization of selected
germplasm to associate molecular variation and phenotypes. Emphasis will be on the use of
SNP and phenotypic data for association genetics. We will develop and implement forward
and reverse genetic systems, which include high‐throughput gene validation, phenotypic
screens, and the identification of functional alleles in mutants and germplasm pools. We will
strive to adopt high‐throughput methodologies that are cost‐effective and broadly accessible.
The knowledge of genetic and phenotypic diversity will contribute to gene function
discovery through partnership with the International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium.
2. Specialized genetic stocks for trait dissection produced by 2011.
A prerequisite for assigning functions to genes is an array of customized genetic stocks that
enable co‐segregation analysis between genetic and phenotypic variation. IRRI has already
produced a large collection of chemical‐ and irradiation‐induced mutants and a variety of
mapping populations from which traits of interest can be associated with small chromosomal
segments. This output will concentrate on the generation of diversity panels that include
mutants of specific genotypic backgrounds, recombinant inbred lines (RIL), chromosomal
segment substitution lines (CSSL), and near‐isogenic lines (NIL). Some of the specialized
stocks are already in place or to be consolidated, whereas new ones will be produced within
five years. The production of these genetic stocks will be scalable and responsive to needs to
enable gene function validation.
3. Genetic pathways for selected traits determined using genome‐wide and comparative biology
approaches with priorities on stress tolerance, nutrition and grain quality, and yield by 2015.
Understanding the genetic regulation of a specific trait provides the knowledge for precise
genetic manipulation. Building upon IRRI’s previous work and its capacity, the primary focus
will be on pathways controlling biotic and abiotic tolerance, nutrition and quality, and yield
potential, to provide a pipeline of genetic information for applications in germplasm
improvement activities in other programs. Customized genetic stocks produced in Output 2
and by the global research community will be used to dissect pathways and validate gene
function. Genome‐wide experimental approaches will be used to reveal the genetic
regulation and interactions of these pathways. In relation to Programs 1, 2, and 4—which
have specific breeding targets—this output will concentrate on gene discovery and functional
assessment of candidate genes in major QTLs. These activities can be directly applicable to
specific environments or transcend environmental and ecosystem divisions. Detailed
information on the functional roles of contributing loci will help to select the best possible
alleles for gene pyramiding in breeding programs.
Output 3 will contribute to the genetic components of the Frontier Projects on Drought
Tolerant Rice and C4 Rice and the ongoing work on biological nitrogen fixation. Cross‐species
comparative analyses will be used to identify genetic loci with a significant contribution to
target traits. Comparative genomic analysis with C4 plants (maize, sorghum) will be
IRRI Program 5 71
particularly important in the exploration of C4‐like traits for frontier projects. Because of the
exploratory nature of certain activities, the output targets are formulated based on the
probability of success for individual traits over a 5‐ and 10‐year horizon. In the near term (3
years), we expect concrete results from understanding the basis of broad‐spectrum disease
resistance and tolerance of abiotic stresses such as salinity and problem soils. Based on the
progress in drought research, we expect to identify key genetic factors conditioning drought
tolerance within 5 years. For the Frontier Projects such as C4 rice and biological nitrogen
fixation, long‐term (10 years) strategic exploration will be necessary.
4. Ex situ conservation of rice germplasm expanded and enhanced through better understanding of the
genetic diversity within and between collections in a global network by 2011 to contribute to long‐term
conservation efforts, harmonized with genebanks in other CGIAR institutes through the SGRP.
This output will be achieved by devising a rationalized system for the conservation of rice
genetic resources in collections worldwide through a global network. Global conservation
capacity will be improved by implementing a system for managing genetic overlaps among
rice genebanks. We will work with genebanks worldwide to improve the economic efficiency
and effectiveness of conservation. The expanded capacity will enable conservation of a wider
range of genetic stocks, including breeding lines, mutants, mapping populations, and
transgenic rice. We will also work with other genebanks in the CGIAR through the SGRP to
develop and implement the highest standards of germplasm conservation and use, data
management, and adherence to international policies. Secondly, a prerequisite to increasing
the genetic diversity of conserved germplasm is an improved understanding of the diversity
of Oryza, and a revised taxonomy and phylogeny and domestication history. Taxonomic and
phylogenetic analysis will be conducted to determine the genetic relationship of the rice
germplasm and its wild relatives. We will aim for a fully documented database of the genetic
diversity of existing collections in the International Rice Genebank at IRRI.
5. Long‐term broadened access to genomic resources and associated tools, particularly for NARES.
Continuing upgrading of skills and capacity is essential for NARES to benefit from the new
tools developed. This output emphasizes broadening access to genomic resources and newly
developed tools by NARES partners. Through collaborative research, we will serve to link
ARIs and NARES in the dissemination of new resources and tools. We will achieve this
through a network mechanism that provides training and shuttle research opportunities.
Because the capacity for uptake is different for different NARES, the time line for this output
will vary among partners.
72 IRRI Program 5
MTP Project Logframe
Program 5. Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs of future generations for rice genetic resources
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
IRRI Program 5
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Output targets • Genome‐wide SNP dataset for 20 rice lines as a foundation for developing haplotype tags in multiple rice lines
2007 • 1500 indica/japonica SNPs described in 900 accessions.
• Reverse genetic systems (e.g. agarose gel TILLING) for extracting allelic variants from germplasm and mutant pools.
• Descriptions of allelic diversity and phenotypes for a minimum of 10 genetic loci underlying stress tolerance, nutritional and grain quality traits.
• Robust transformation protocols with efficiency increased by 5% and including a new set of vectors.
Output targets • Genome‐wide genotyping (using SNP tags or alternative sequencing tools) and phenotypes for target traits for 1000 multiple varieties, key
2008 donors, and wild relatives samples.
• 100 germplasm lines with contrasting phenotypes and detailed phenotyping on drought and disease responses.
• High‐throughput rice genome engineering capacity to produce 10,000 transgenic plants.
• A validated artificial micro‐RNA as a gene‐silencing tool in rice using three candidate genes.
Output targets • 100 chromosomal regions with candidate genes and phenotype association in OryzaSNP germplasm.
2009 • Confirmed allelic series (average 5 per locus) in 50 candidate genes that confer improved tolerance to abiotic or biotic stresses (drought, salinity,
cold, and diseases).
• Characterized genetic variants of 5 promoters from different accessions in genebank.
IRRI Program 5
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
IRRI Program 5
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
IRRI Program 5
Output targets • Genes and mechanisms conferring salinity tolerance through the use of a set of NILs and loss‐ and gain‐of‐function mutants.
2009 • Pathways and genes conferring tolerance to anaerobic conditions during germination.
• Confirmed effects of three drought candidate genes via transformation and genetic analysis.
• Validated networks of interacting genes for drought tolerance in selected genotypes.
• Characterized physiological effects of alleles conferring improved drought tolerance.
• Major QTL and candidate genes for cold tolerance using knockout mutants and fine‐mapped RIL populations.
• A recessive gene conferring resistance to tungro virus (RTSV) isolated from the resistance donor variety Utri Merla.
• Aposporous initials in rice ovule (important for apomixis) produced by silencing MSP1 gene.
• Known genetic control of metabolites for fragrance and one vitamin in rice grains.
• Quantified C4‐like components, including anatomical and biochemical features important for C4 metabolism, in wild rice species.
IRRI Program 5
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
1
(SGRP) = Output / target is coordinated across CGIAR institutes through the Systemwide Genetic Resources Program, and is also reflected in the MTP of the
SGRP.
IRRI Program 5
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
IRRI Program 5
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Program 6
Information and communication: convening a global rice research
community
Rationale
The rapid development and global spread of modern information and communication
technology allow and oblige IRRI and the CGIAR to change the way we conduct research and
development with our clients and stakeholders. Information and tools vital to research and
development must be shared equitably as global public goods. Communities with common
interests in research or development should be able to converse, share knowledge, and
collaborate.
This program builds on many global investments in information and technology within and
outside the CGIAR to enable IRRI research programs to provide equitable access to information
and knowledge on rice and to help develop the next generation of rice scientists.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
Through its focus on the capture, analysis, integration, and publication of scientific information
for crop genetic resources and genomics and breeding for higher‐yielding, stress‐tolerant, and
more nutritious rice (Output 1), its focus on delivering this scientific knowledge to farmers via
the NARES (Output 2), and its emphasis on building capacity in informatics and communication
for rice science and extension (Output 4), this program contributes to System Priorities 1A, 1B,
2A, 2B, 2C, and 4C. The focus on developing a World Rice Community Portal (Output 3) and the
extension communication elements of Output 4 will not only enhance equitable global access to
rice scientific and extension knowledge and development of community partnerships and a
problem‐solving framework for the same System Priorities but also contribute significantly to
Priorities 5A, 5B, and 5D by facilitating global discussions on science and technology policies,
improving rural access to market information, and providing an enhanced framework to
communicate strategies for improving farmers’ livelihoods.
Impact Pathways
This program formally attempts to consolidate all IRRI research and development on information
and communication technology for rice science and extension under a single coordinated activity.
It focuses on the integration of crop science and extension knowledge using modern informatics
tools (Outputs 1 and 2) to harness the full power of Internet networking technology (Output 3). It
also emphasizes capacity building by placing informatics and communication tools directly in the
hands of crop scientists, extension agents, and farmers (Output 4) to deliver impact through two
major pathways.
The first pathway will use Internet dissemination via a World Rice Community Portal (Output 3)
of restructured and cross‐linked information for crop science (Output 1) and extension (Output
2), as well as pertinent informatics tools for science and extension (Output 4). The second
pathway will catalyze direct engagement of pertinent science and extension communities using
the power of current communications technologies, both new (Web portal, videoconferencing,
cell phone) and traditional (radio and television).
These two channels will provide complementary modes of informatics and communication
support to enhance the capacity of the other IRRI programs to deliver sustainable productivity
IRRI Program 6
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increases that will improve livelihoods and increase the food security of the poor in target
regions, while maintaining the resource base. By promoting equitable access to research and
extension information and technology by all IRRI stakeholders, this program will also generally
enhance the problem‐solving capacity of the global community of NARES and ARI crop
scientists, extension agents, policymakers, and farmers.
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
The outputs of this program will be four globally accessible public goods:
1. A Crop Science Information Resource.
2. A Crop Systems Knowledge Bank (CSKB).
3. A World Rice Community Portal.
4. An Informatics and Communication Service for Crop Science and Extension.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
To achieve its vision of serving as a hub for crop science and extension information, global
community development, and capacity building, Program 6 will rely heavily on extensive global
partnerships with other CG centers, NARES, ARIs, and private industry. CIMMYT is a key IRRI
partner through the IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance projects for the Crop Research Informatics
Laboratory (CRIL) and Crop Systems Knowledge Bank and Capacity Building. Although this
partnership will focus on comparisons and integration of information for rice, maize, and wheat,
it is expected to form the foundation for wider crop collaboration with other IARC and ARI
partners.
Program 6 participation in the Generation Challenge Program (GCP) is particularly significant
given the shared objective of efforts to identify, develop, and adopt suitable data standards and
to develop an information system and network for crop genetic resources characterization,
comparative genomics, and crop improvement. Thus, GCP technology and partnerships will
contribute significantly to Outputs 1 and 4.
Serving IRRI’s Program 5 on Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the needs of future
generations for rice genetic resources, Program 6 will collaborate with global partners within the
IRFGC, the International Network for the Genetic Evaluation of Rice (INGER), and the Global
Crop Diversity Trust to develop a framework to capture, store, index, analyze, and publish
genetic and phenotypic research data. In particular, internal capacity in bioinformatics will
continue to be complemented within currently funded projects, by expertise of ARIs from Japan
(NIAS, Oryzabase at NIG), the United States (NCGR, Gramene at Cornell, and CSHL), and
Europe (CIRAD), among others.
Outputs 2 and 4 will build strong partnerships with Asian NARES, in particular with respect to
the development of multilingual, in‐country installations of the CSKB. In this respect, NARES,
such as the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) that already have demonstrated technical
leadership in the application of ICT for agricultural extension will be directly engaged as research
for development collaborators.
The informatics and communication opportunities embodied by this program have been
recognized by the CGIAR through its ICT‐KM program. The IRRI team implementing the World
Rice Community Portal in Output 3 will seek a close partnership with the ICT‐KM program team
developing CGXchange portal technology.
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Program Outputs
Each output requires components of strategic research, methodology development, production of
technology, and training or capacity development. All four outputs will also contribute toward
the evolution of a state‐of‐the‐art “institutional repository” of IRRI knowledge products that will
serve the IRRI mission of long‐term stewardship of rice information for the global community.
1. The rice component of the Crop Science Information Resource (an initiative of the IRRI‐CIMMYT
Alliance), which is a global community‐curated repository and network of public crop science
information resources, established by 2010.
The Crop Science Information Resource will be a product of CRIL and will exploit emerging
public bioinformatics standards for semantic encoding and Internet technology to consolidate
IRRI and external online information resources into a comprehensive online “encyclopedia”
for crop scientific research, starting with rice. This output also reflects an increasing focus on
the curation and publication of comparative information linkages across crops within the
scope of CRIL.
Current research on conservation and use of rice genetic resources, crop improvement, and
sustainable natural resource management is hampered by a lack of integrated scientific data
on genetics, phenotype, adaptation, and responsiveness of rice germplasm in specified (geo‐
referenced) environments. This output will continue the integration of IRRI’s information on
rice germplasm, expand coverage of information on rice genetic resources to collection and
crop improvement programs of NARES partners, integrate crop‐based information with
genomics data being collected by the International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium
(IRFGC) and with geospatial information being published through the Consortium for
Spatial Information, and link this information with pertinent biological data in
complementary international public repositories.
Given the increased prevalence of digital libraries and open‐access publication, a key
component of the Crop Science Information Resource will be the evolution of the IRRI
Library into a comprehensive online digital repository of rice literature and IRRI‐archived
project outputs, including novel multimedia documents, richly cross‐linked to other scientific
data within the resource. This latter activity will include the development of additional
procedures and protocols for quality assurance and management of primary research data at
IRRI, ensuring the availability of such data for future secondary use.
2. The Crop Systems Knowledge Bank, an online resource of knowledge on cereal production for rice,
maize, and wheat, containing rice information from IRRI’s Rice Knowledge Bank (RKB), by 2010.
The Crop Systems Knowledge Bank (CSKB) will be a product of the Crop Systems
Knowledge Bank and Capacity Building IRRI‐CIMMYT Alliance project. It will effectively
disseminate knowledge of new cultivars and technologies for sustainable natural resource
management and provide opportunities for diversification. The CSKB will disseminate
technical knowledge to a vast and distributed population of extension workers and farmers.
The new communication technologies to be used in the CSKB will alleviate a constraint that
has previously slowed and limited the impact of research for development.
This output represents an expansion of the successful model of translating research results
into accessible technology provided by IRRI’s Rice Knowledge Bank. CIMMYT will expand
this coverage of knowledge, applications, and training resources to maize and wheat and will
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feed back new ideas and technologies to the rice knowledge component. A network of
NARES partners, convened around the technology and the core content, will expand and
diversify the resource by adding local knowledge and translating relevant information into
local languages. IRRI’s Rice Knowledge Bank is already doing this and will benefit only from
economies of scale by considering multiple crops.
Content and delivery of CSKB information will be revised in light of external evaluation and
enhanced through the inclusion of new content forms, including simulations such as the
operation of a rice mill showing input/output relationships and expert systems capturing
scientific advice given to farmers on crop system management and postharvest processes.
3. The World Rice Community Portal—which uses Internet technology for access to information and for
interaction on rice by supporting self‐organizing communities and multilateral communication—
operational by 2010.
The World Rice Community Portal will take advantage of new technology and considerable
investment by the CGIAR through the CGXchange project of the ICT‐KM program to deliver
a novel Internet environment where individuals within the rice world can form communities
around issues of common interest.
The portal will greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of collaboration, both within
the rice community and across other crops, by moving beyond the current “broadcast”
approach of conventional Web site design to a rich environment for multilateral interactions
among members of the world rice community. The portal will be tailored to the specific
information needs and preferences of each individual accessing it. To support this feature,
the portal will have an integral “Community Relationships Management” facility to assist
individual visitors in getting in touch with one another and to help IRRI track the
dissemination of its knowledge products to the world community. The portal will also
support full‐community services such as RSS, Wiki’s, an expertise database, a shared
calendar, etc.).
The portal will also serve as the public rice community interface to the Crop Science
Information Resource and the CSKB. Through these two resources, the portal will also be
connected to other external online crop information networks to serve as a “one‐stop shop”
for global crop science and crop systems information.
The portal will eventually include innovative resources such as the Google Earth style of
access to geo‐referenced crop information and a “virtual rice plant” for browsing the biology
of rice. The portal will host a powerful search engine specialized for queries to crop research
and extension information. Such queries will require innovative indexing of rice content and
community collaboration on standards, such as a global multilingual rice thesaurus of crop
ontology, in partnership with FAO and others.
4. Phase I of the Informatics and Communication Service for Crop Science and Extension—which is a
public research, development, and dissemination service for informatics and communication
technology targeting agricultural scientific research and extension—completed by 2010.
The Informatics and Communication Service for Crop Science and Extension will deploy
informatics and communication applications to research programs and partnerships
spanning IRRI and CIMMYT and ensure their effective use through training and consultancy.
IRRI Program 6
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The service will host research and development for databases and software useful for
scientific data management systems (including genebank, plant‐breeding, agronomic,
socioeconomic, and GIS data) and decision‐support tools for crop research and plant
breeding.
Communication and collaboration tools such as AccessGrid Technology and collaboration
platforms for software and document development will also be deployed for use by IRRI and
its partners, as will innovative informatics and communication technologies, such as the
capture of conference presentations as digital (multimedia, Internet‐integrated) proceedings.
The service will also provide a venue for general research, development, and training in
agricultural informatics and biometrics, including technical issues relating to other outputs of
this program. Research will also be conducted concerning the application of conventional
(e.g., radio and television) and emerging (e.g., wireless mobile networks) informatics and
communication technology for the dissemination of agricultural knowledge to farmers.
IRRI Program 6
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MTP Project Logframe
Program 6. Information and communications: convening a global rice research community
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 The rice component of the Crop Rice scientists and policy makers Within the rice science community, Accelerated development of more
Science Information Resource (an at IARCs, NARES and ARIs, and in a majority of researchers use the focused rice research leads to
initiative of the IRRI‐CIMMYT the private sector crop science information resource sustainable productivity increases
Alliance)—which is a global as a primary source for publicly that improved livelihoods and
community‐curated repository and available, current and easily increased food security of the poor
network of public crop science accessible crop research in target regions, while
information resources, established information, which enables them maintaining the resource base.
by 2010. to accelerate and focus crop
research for development.
Output targets • A consolidated rice germplasm information system for genetic resources, genomics, and crop improvement that is cross‐linked with indexed rice
2007 literature and related information.
• An informatics network of IRRI and external genomics and comparative cereal information.
Output targets • Community‐curated online encyclopedia of rice science.
2008
Output targets • A global informatics network for rice genetic resources conservation and evaluation.
2009 • Integrated modules for multimedia content, training and simulation within the Crop Science Information Resource.
IRRI Program 6
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 2 The Crop Systems Knowledge National extension services The Crop Systems Knowledge Expanded dissemination and
Bank, an online resource of National scientists Bank is the preferred source up‐to‐ accelerated adoption of new
knowledge on cereal production NGOs date information on new productive and sustainable
for rice, maize, and wheat, Agricultural colleges technologies and best practices farming practices results in
containing rice information from Development agencies used by extension workers and increased total returns to rice
IRRI’s Rice Knowledge Bank Farmers other farmer intermediaries, research and its impact on poverty.
(RKB), by 2010. farmers for more rapid
dissemination and uptake of
appropriate crop technologies.
Output targets • The RKB online within the Crop Systems Knowledge Bank.
2007
Output targets • Integrated simulation and expert system modules within the Crop Systems Knowledge Bank.
2008
• A community of practice of knowledge bank users generating and sharing information on rice and other cereals.
Output targets • The Crop Systems Knowledge Bank accessible in multiple media formats with NARES translation into multiple local national languages, through a
2009 variety of portals and other access points internationally.
IRRI Program 6
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 3 The World Rice Community Researchers This portal is actively used to This innovative approach to
Portal—which uses Internet Policy makers build communities globally that knowledge sharing and problem
technology for access to Development specialists interact, debate, and collaborate on solving accelerates the
information and for interaction on Extension workers rice research for development and development and uptake of the
rice by supporting self‐organizing Rice farmers extension. results of rice research for
communities and multilateral Processors and consumers development.
communication—operational by
2010.
Output targets • A single entry point for IRRI web‐based information.
2007 • A Community Relationship Management (CRM) Information System.
• International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (IRFGC) model community within the World Rice Community Portal.
• Philippines Crop Systems Knowledge Bank model community within the World Rice Community Portal.
Output targets • A community‐curated global, multi‐lingual rice thesaurus and ontology.
2008 • Crop Systems Knowledge Bank communities for three Southeast Asian nations within the World Rice Community Portal.
Output targets • Innovative query and display modules within the World Rice Community Portal for geo‐referenced and germplasm data.
2009 • Crop Systems Knowledge Bank communities for target regions in China and India within the World Rice Community Portal.
IRRI Program 6
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IRRI Program 6
Program 7
Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice research
Rationale
The impact of rice research on poverty reduction and environmental sustainability depends on
conducive policies and appropriate technologies that address farmers’ livelihood needs. To
effectively set research priorities, it is therefore necessary to understand the broad trends in
socioeconomic and policy environments that affect the economics of rice production. This
involves analyses of trends in rice production and consumption at the national/subnational
levels, and shifts in comparative advantages in rice production relative to other crops across
regions/ecosystems.
Strategic assessments for agriculture and economic growth in rice‐producing regions, the
dynamics of rural livelihoods, the nature and determinants of poverty, as well as commodity and
market trends in increasingly globalized markets are critically important for determining
investment priorities for rural development. Planning and prioritizing rice research also requires
a deeper understanding of people’s access to and use of natural resources and other forms of
capital—physical, financial, human, and social—and their interactions with government agencies,
NGOs, and other institutions that influence their livelihood strategies. It is critically important to
understand the changes in farmer practices that are currently taking place and drivers of such
changes, including farmers’ knowledge and their perceptions, their criteria for technology
choices, and how components of livelihood systems and rice technologies interact. Such an
understanding provides the scientific basis for technology design, targeting, and delivery.
Impact assessments are critically important for providing evidence of impact of past research (ex
post) and for identifying future investment opportunities that are likely to lead to large impacts
(ex ante). Such assessments are being increasingly sought both for ensuring accountability and
for raising the efficiency of research investments, especially in the current context of tighter
resource availability.
The main objective of this program is to provide sound advice to policymakers, research
managers, and donors regarding the design of agricultural interventions through policy analyses,
livelihood studies, and impact assessments focused on rice‐based systems of Asia. Through close
partnership with NARES, the program will also contribute to building their capacity for broader
socioeconomic and policy analyses of the agricultural sector.
Alignment with CGIAR System Priorities
This program falls under System Priority 5 (Improving policies and facilitating institutional
innovation to support sustainable reduction of poverty and hunger). The policy support work will fall
under 5A. Analyses of comparative advantages, trade, and domestic marketing will fall under 5B.
The livelihood analysis and development of strategies for increasing the overall impact of
research for development fall under 5D.
Impact Pathways
The impact pathway of this program includes researchers, research managers, development
workers, and policymakers as the main users of the knowledge and information generated.
Outputs from impact assessment (both ex ante and ex post) contribute to the process of improved
prioritization of research and, through this mechanism, increase the likelihood of selecting
IRRI Program 7 89
projects and activities with high impact potentials. Similarly, policy advice generated is expected
to contribute to policy reforms needed for speeding up the process of impact generation and
increasing the overall range of impact on the ultimate beneficiaries. In addition, the information
generated from broader analyses of farmer livelihood strategies is expected to generate impact by
contributing to improved design of rural development strategies. The major factor that may
condition the impact of this program is the extent to which the policy advice developed and
research priorities identified are taken up for implementation by policymakers and research
managers.
Research Approach to Develop International Public Goods
Information and knowledge are the international public goods arising from this program. The
framework of cross‐site comparative analysis to be deployed in the program will help produce a
global view of the drivers of change and their impacts that can be generalized across a range of
conditions. In addition, methodological frameworks and strategies developed in the program are
expected to have wider application for policy research and impact analysis.
Elaboration of Partners’ Roles
NARES, sister CG centers, and advanced research institutes (ARIs) all have key collaborative
roles in the program. NARES, which include both research organizations and universities, will be
the major collaborators involved in designing and implementing the research programs that
address specific problems relevant to them. This will involve, among others, collection and
analysis of detailed national/subnational and farm‐level data. Key complementary inputs will be
sought from sister CG centers (e.g., with IFPRI on policy analyses) and with ARIs (for example,
Yale University, CIRAD, and University of Lund). Such complementary inputs include key
concepts and models that, with suitable modifications and adaptation, can be applied to meet the
program objectives. Key collaborators are shown in Annex 1.
Program Outputs
The program has five outputs:
1. Updated subnational/farm database and maps on socioeconomic aspects of rice production in major
rice‐growing countries of Asia prepared by 2012.
Analysis of long‐term trends in rice production and spatial patterns of shifts in rice
production requires temporal data series on rice area and production at national and
subnational levels. Similarly, farm‐level data are needed for detailed analysis of the
economics of rice production, farmers’ livelihood strategies, technology adoption patterns,
and technology impacts. The required aggregate and farm‐level data need to be generated to
support these research activities of IRRI. These computer‐based databases that require
considerable efforts to collect, compile, and validate are international public goods that are
used by NARES, policymakers, research scholars, and managers of development projects to
meet their own needs.
The World Rice Database, which is compiled, updated, and published regularly by IRRI, is an
important single source of information used widely by NARES and others. Similarly, the
databases generated by IRRI through farm surveys in different rice ecosystems and countries
are being used by research scholars and others throughout the region. While there are
alternative suppliers of national‐level data, disaggregated data at the subnational and farm
levels are not generally available from other sources. IRRI continues to update and provide
such data as a public good.
90 IRRI Program 7
2. Comprehensive knowledge of changes in rural livelihood systems and interactions among technology,
infrastructure, and institutions in major rice‐growing countries of Asia developed by 2009.
Technology needs of farmers and the potential impact of technologies on poverty reduction
depend on farmers’ livelihood strategies. Poor farmers are mostly engaged in a number of
livelihood activities that include crop production, livestock rearing, and wage employment,
which may be on the farm or outside the farm. Livelihood strategies differ among farmers
depending on their farm size, family labor resources, human capital, financial capital, and
access to markets, information and technologies. They also differ by gender. Livelihood
strategies are not static but dynamic and evolve according to changes in the broader
economic, institutional, and social contexts of farming. It is the interaction among these
various drivers of changes in the livelihood of farmers that determines the suitability of
various interventions (technology and policy) in generating the desired impact. Hence, a
good understanding of farmers’ livelihood strategies and how various factors such as policy,
infrastructure, and institutions influence changes in livelihood strategies is essential for
underpinning technology development.
3. Policy reform options based on analyses of long‐term changes in comparative advantages in rice
production in major rice‐growing countries of Asia developed by 2012.
The overall productivity, profitability, and sustainability of rice production depend not only
on technology but also on policy factors. In addition to the broader macroeconomic and rural
development policies, those related to output pricing and marketing, input pricing, and
subsidies directly impact on the profitability and sustainability of rice farming. Some policies
can also create a conflict between profitability and sustainability. For example, input
subsidies such as for groundwater use, while being profitable to farmers, can result in rapid
depletion of groundwater due to excessive use and make the system unsustainable. Advice
based on sound analysis of the consequences of various policies is an important step in
effecting policy reforms. Similarly, reforms in marketing setup and policies may relax the
major constraints to the adoption and diffusion of potentially profitable technologies.
Comparative advantages associated with the production of rice across countries and rice
ecosystems are likely to change as economies grow, new opportunities of trading open up,
and relative input costs change over‐time. Formulation of policy reform options to address
these broader issues related to the rice economy is hence essential to promote long‐term
economic viability and sustainability of rice production.
4. Knowledge of potential and realized impacts of rice research on poverty reduction and sustainable
management of natural resources generated by 2009.
In an era of continued high levels of human hardship in the developing world, increased
pressure on scarce natural resources, and declining public funding of agricultural research
for development, it is important that IRRI and NARES partners have a clear understanding
of, and be able to demonstrate, the realized and potential contribution of their research
outputs to the Institute’s goals and CGIAR priorities. This knowledge, based on a body of
credible evidence, can be used to help IRRI and NARES learn through critical self‐analysis to
improve project design and implementation, to support improved decision‐making and
management of research funds at the institutional, program, and project level, and to
underpin continued funding.
IRRI Program 7 91
5. Strategies and policies for facilitating rapid dissemination and diffusion of improved technologies
developed by 2009.
To achieve impact, scaling‐up initiatives will require strategies and policies that will facilitate
rapid dissemination and diffusion of improved technologies. Adequate knowledge of farmer
decision‐making processes in resource management will shed light on how innovation occurs
and what support measures are needed to stimulate local innovation processes. Recent work
on the dissemination of improved crop and resource management technologies that require
community action has shown that institutional, technological, social, and cultural factors
facilitate or impede the technology diffusion process. Improved knowledge of these factors is
needed in the design and implementation of strategies for scaling up of resource
management technologies.
92 IRRI Program 7
MTP Project Logframe
Program 7. Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice research
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 1 Updated subnational/farm IRRI Data are used by researchers, policy‐ An increased understanding of
database and maps on NARES makers and development agencies to long‐term trends in, and spatial
socioeconomic aspects of rice Research scholars generate improved knowledge of the patterns of, rice production, based
production in major rice‐growing Policy makers trends in rice economy and policies, on credible socio‐economic data,
countries of Asia prepared by 2012. Students of agricultural extrapolation domains of improved will lead to more informed
development rice technologies, and drivers of decision making and improved
Staff of agricultural change in agriculture and rural resource allocation and
development projects. development. prioritization of rice research.
Knowledge of trends in rice and Ultimately improved funding
agricultural economy and drivers of decisions will increase the
change advanced through discussions likelihood of agricultural and rural
in international fora, and used in development in the rice growing
IRRI‐NARES bi‐lateral research areas of Asia.
planning meetings.
Output targets • Updated sub‐national database on rice area and production by rice ecosystems in Bangladesh, India and Thailand.
2007 • Database on male migration and gendered division of labor in rice production in India, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam.
Output targets • Updated sub‐national data base on rice area and production for Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
2008 • Subnational poverty maps for Asia and major rice growing countries of Africa.
Output targets • Database containing information collected from farm‐level surveys in Bangladesh and Philippines, Myanmar and China and Eastern India.
2009 • Updated sub‐national data base on rice area and production for China.
IRRI Program 7
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 2 Comprehensive knowledge of Policy makers Policy makers and research An increased understanding of
changes in rural livelihood IRRI managers use the information to livelihood strategies will help the
systems and interactions among NARES improve research prioritization, intended users develop and
technology, infrastructure, and rural investment portfolios and implement research projects and
institutions in major rice‐growing policies. agricultural policies that will
countries of Asia developed by increase the likelihood of the
2009. research outputs making a
contribution to the desired
development goals.
Output targets • Assessment of broader changes in gender roles in rice production, and the welfare impact of dynamic interactions between rice technologies and
2008 gender roles in eastern India, Philippines and Vietnam.
• Options to improve the management of irrigation through improved knowledge of the role of social capital in irrigation systems management.
• Understanding of drivers and patterns of changes in livelihood strategies and poverty in rural Bangladesh, Philippines, Myanmar and Eastern India,
and interactions between rice technologies and livelihood strategies.
Output targets • Analysis of interactions among farm consolidation, land tenure, and input use and their impact on efficiency of rice production in major rice
2009 ecosystems.
IRRI Program 7
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 3 Policy reform options based on Policy makers Policy makers use the information Improvements in the policy
analyses of long‐term changes in IRRI to guide policy for increasing the environment, particularly in the
comparative advantages in rice NARES research managers economic efficiency of rice areas of trade, rural development
production in major rice‐growing production. Research managers use and natural resources policy, will
countries of Asia developed by the information for research increase the likelihood that gains
2012. prioritization. from research are not only realized
but are of greatest benefit to the
targeted groups, namely poor rice
farmers and consumers.
Output targets • Improved knowledge of the changes in comparative advantage in rice production among various rice ecosystems in the context of trade liberalization
2008 and the emerging long‐term changes in input costs.
• Policy options to reduce the trading margin and the instability in domestic rice prices in Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Output targets • Policy options developed based on the knowledge of pricing and subsidies to improve water use efficiency.
2009 • Policy options for achieving food security based on the knowledge of tradeoff between self‐sufficiency and self‐reliance in rice production for at least
three rice growing countries in Asia.
IRRI Program 7
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Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 4 Knowledge of potential and IRRI IRRI and NARES use this More informed investment
realized impacts of rice research on NARES knowledge for research decision‐making and improved
poverty reduction and sustainable Donors prioritization and to support more project design and implementation
management of natural resources effective project development and increases the likelihood that
generated by 2009. implementation. Donors use this research outputs reach the
information in deciding which intended target groups and have a
projects to fund. significant payoff. As a result, the
livelihoods of target groups are
improved through sustainable
increases in productivity.
Output targets • Improved knowledge of the returns to investment in rice research for enhancing human nutrition.
2007 • Improved knowledge of the returns to rice research in East and Southern Africa and factors that are likely to facilitate/inhibit the full potential of that
research being realized.
Output targets • Strategy for institutionalizing an impact culture in rice research systems.
2008 • Enhanced conceptual and operational framework for assessing the impact of rice research on sustainable management of natural resources for use in
ex‐ante and ex‐post impact assessments.
Output targets • Enhanced capacity of NARES scientists for conducting impact assessments.
2009
IRRI Program 7
Outputs Intended Users Outcome Impact
Output 5 Strategies and policies for NARES and community Based on the knowledge Technologies reach more farmers
facilitating rapid dissemination organizations generated, current approaches to faster thus increasing the total
and diffusion of improved technology dissemination are returns to rice research and its
technologies developed by 2009 refined by national extension impact on poverty.
systems and community/farmer
organizations to facilitate rapid
technology diffusion.
Output targets • Strategies for promoting faster uptake of technologies by men and women farmers in Bangladesh.
2007
Output targets • Comprehensive understanding of farmer decision making processes on use of elite lines and improved crop and water management practices
2008 • Analysis of facilitating factors in community‐level decision making and action to support and implement improved crop and resource management
practices.
• NARES scientists have capacity to undertake farmer participatory research.
Output targets • Knowledge of factors facilitating/constraining policy support to scale up adoption of resource management technologies.
2009
IRRI Program 7
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99
FINANCIAL PLAN – list of tables
1. IRRI Financial Requirements by CGIAR Priorities, 2007
1a IRRI Cost Allocation of Resources by CGIAR System Priority, 2006‐2009
2. IRRI‐Cost Allocation: Project Cost Summary, 2006
IRRI‐Cost Allocation: Project Cost Summary, 2007‐2009
3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007‐2009
4. IRRI Investments by CGIAR Undertakings, Activities and Sectors, 2006‐2009
5. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2005‐2006
IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2007‐2009
6. IRRI Expenditures by Object, 2005‐2009
7. IRRI Financing: Unrestricted and Restricted Grants and Center Income
8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2006
IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2007
9. IRRI Staff Composition: Internationally and Nationally Recruited Staff, 2005‐2009
10. IRRI Financial Position: Currency Structure of Expenditures, 2005‐2007
11. IRRI Financial Position: Statements of Financial Position, December 31, 2005 and 2004
12. IRRI Financial Position: Statement of Activities for the Years Ended December 31, 2005 and
2004
100
Table 1. IRRI Financial Requirements by CGIAR Priorities, 2007
(in $ millions)
3. 5. Policies
Diversification 4. Integrated and New
1. Sustaining 2. Genetic and high value NR institutional Development Stand‐alone research PROJECT
Center Programs Biodiversity improvement commodities management innovation activities training areas TOTALS
001. Raising productivity in rainfed
environments: attacking the roots of ‐ 6.260 ‐ 3.130 1.043 ‐ ‐ ‐ 10.434
poverty
002. Sustaining productivity in
intensive rice‐based systems: rice ‐ 3.315 ‐ 4.735 1.421 ‐ ‐ ‐ 9.470
and the environment
003. East and southern Africa: rice
for rural incomes and an affordable ‐ 1.052 ‐ ‐ 1.052 ‐ ‐ ‐ 2.103
urban staple
004. Rice and human health:
overcoming the consequences of ‐ 1.585 ‐ ‐ 0.396 ‐ ‐ ‐ 1.981
poverty
005. Rice genetic diversity and
discovery: meeting the needs of the
1.550 3.719 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 0.930 6.198
future generations for rice genetic
resources
006. Information and
communication: convening a global 0.722 1.082 ‐ 0.902 0.722 ‐ 0.180 ‐ 3.608
rice research community
007. Rice policy support and impact
‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ 3.812 ‐ 0.424 ‐ 4.236
assessment for rice research
SYSTEM PRIORITY TOTALS 2.271 17.012 ‐ 8.767 8.446 ‐ 0.604 0.930 38.030
IRRI Financial Plan
101
Table 1a. IRRI Cost Allocation of Resources by CGIAR System Priority, 2006-2009
(in $ millions)
102 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 2. IRRI- Cost Allocation: Project Cost Summary, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Center Projects (estimated)
001. Germplasm conservation, characterization, documentation and exchange 3.200
002. Functional genomics 5.083
003. Genetic enhancement for yield, grain quality, and stress resistance 3.877
004. Managing resources under intensive rice‐based systems 3.830
005. Enhancing water productivity in rice‐based production systems 2.166
006. Irrigated Rice Research Consortium 0.848
007. Genetic enhancement for improving productivity and human health in
7.198
fragile environments
008. Natural resource management for rainfed lowland and upland rice
4.797
ecosystems
009. Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Environments 0.562
010. Understanding rural livelihood systems for rice research prioritization and
1.608
impact assessment
011. Facilitating rice research for impact 4.061
CENTER TOTAL 37.230
IRRI Financial Plan 103
Table 2. IRRI- Cost Allocation: Project Cost Summary, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
001. Raising productivity in rainfed environments:
10.434 10.500 10.600
attacking the roots of poverty
002. Sustaining productivity in intensive rice‐based
9.470 9.500 9.600
systems: rice and the environment
003. East and southern Africa: rice for rural incomes
2.103 2.100 2.100
and an affordable urban staple
004. Rice and human health: overcoming the
1.981 2.000 2.000
consequences of poverty
005. Rice genetic diversity and discovery: meeting the
needs of the future generations for rice genetic 6.198 6.200 6.200
resources
006. Information and communication: convening a
3.608 3.600 3.600
global rice research community
007. Rice policy support and impact assessment for rice
4.236 4.200 4.200
research
104 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
001. Germplasm conservation, A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture 0.384
characterization, documentation and Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
exchange B income 0.128
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.608
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.512
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 0.352
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.192
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.160
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.256
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.064
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.064
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.064
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.192
Development activities
Stand‐alone training 0.064
New research areas 0.160
3.200
IRRI Financial Plan 105
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
002. Functional genomics A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture 0.915
Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income 0.102
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.966
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.915
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 0.864
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.152
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.102
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.203
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.051
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.051
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.051
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.152
Development activities
Stand‐alone training 0.051
New research areas 0.508
5.083
106 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
003. Genetic enhancement for yield, A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
grain quality, and stress resistance Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 1.047
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.620
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 0.039
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.349
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.465
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.698
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.078
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.116
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.465
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
3.877
IRRI Financial Plan 107
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
004. Managing resources under A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
intensive rice‐based systems Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.996
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.536
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 0.038
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.383
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.498
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.766
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.038
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.077
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.498
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
3.830
108 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
005. Enhancing water productivity in A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
rice‐based production systems Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.585
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.412
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.217
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.282
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.390
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.108
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.172
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
2.166
IRRI Financial Plan 109
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
006. Irrigated Rice Research A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
Consortium Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.178
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.076
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.068
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.110
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.178
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.034
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.025
C Rural institutions and their governance
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.162
Development activities
Stand‐alone training 0.017
New research areas
0.848
110 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
007. Genetic enhancement for A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
improving productivity and human Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
health in fragile environments B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 1.655
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 1.367
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 1.296
D Genetic enhancement of high value species 0.144
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.432
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.432
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.432
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.144
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.288
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.432
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.576
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
7.198
IRRI Financial Plan 111
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
008. Natural resource management A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
for rainfed lowland and upland rice Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
ecosystems B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 1.439
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 1.439
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.480
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.480
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.480
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.479
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
4.797
112 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
009. Consortium for Unfavorable A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
Rice Environments Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.169
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.169
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.056
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.056
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.056
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.056
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability
Development activities
Stand‐alone training
New research areas
0.562
IRRI Financial Plan 113
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
010. Understanding rural livelihood A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture
systems for rice research Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
prioritization and impact assessment B income
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.161
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.113
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.065
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.064
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.096
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.306
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.209
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.032
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 0.466
Development activities
Stand‐alone training 0.096
New research areas
1.608
114 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2006
(in $ millions)
2006
Project System Priorities (estimated)
1. Sustaining Biodiversity
011. Facilitating rice research for A Conservation of PGR for food and Agriculture 0.041
impact Promoting conservation/ characterization of PGR for
B income 0.041
C Conservation of indigenous livestock
D Conservation of aquatic animal genetic resources
2. Genetic improvement
A Maintaining enhancing yield of staples 0.284
B Tolerance to abiotic stresses 0.203
C Enhancing nutritional quality and safety 0.041
D Genetic enhancement of high value species
3. Diversification and high value commodities
A Income increases from fruit and vegetables
B Income increases from livestock
Enhancing incomes through production of fish and
C aquaculture
D Sustainable income from forests and trees
4. Integrated NR management
A Integrated land, water, forest mgt at landscape level 0.081
Sustaining aquatic ecosystems for food and
B livelihood
C Improving water productivity 0.081
Agro‐ecological intensification in low/high potential
D areas 0.122
5. Policies and institutional innovation
A Science and technology policy and institutions 0.893
Making international and domestic markets work for
B the poor 0.650
C Rural institutions and their governance 0.041
Improving research and development options to
D reduce rural poverty and vulnerability 1.300
Development activities
Stand‐alone training 0.283
New research areas
4.061
CENTER TOTAL 37.230
IRRI Financial Plan 115
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
116 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
IRRI Financial Plan 117
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
118 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
IRRI Financial Plan 119
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
120 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
IRRI Financial Plan 121
Table 3. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Project Cost to CGIAR Priorities, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
122 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 4. IRRI Investments by CGIAR Undertakings, Activities and Sectors , 2006-2009
(in $ millions)
IRRI Financial Plan 123
Table 5. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2005-2006
(in $ millions)
2005 2006
Project Region (actual) (estimated)
005. Enhancing water productivity in Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA)
rice‐based production systems Asia 2.048 2.101
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
West Asia and North Africa (WANA) 0.063 0.065
2.111 2.166
006. Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA)
Asia 0.661 0.848
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
0.661 0.848
124 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 5. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2005-2006
(in $ millions)
2005 2006
Project Region (actual) (estimated)
Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA)
008. Natural resource management for Asia 3.952 4.797
rainfed lowland and upland rice Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
ecosystems West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
3.952 4.797
009. Consortium for Unfavorable Rice Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA)
Environments Asia 0.562 0.562
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
0.562 0.562
010. Understanding rural livelihood Sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA)
systems for rice research prioritization Asia 1.535 1.608
and impact assessment Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
1.535 1.608
IRRI Financial Plan 125
Table 5. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
126 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 5. IRRI Cost Allocation: Allocation of Projects Cost to CGIAR Regions, 2007-2009
(in $ millions)
IRRI Financial Plan 127
Table 6. IRRI Expenditures by Object, 2005-2009
(in $ millions)
128 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 7. IRRI Financing: Unrestricted and Restricted Grants and Center Income
( in $ millions )
IRRI Financial Plan 129
Table 7. IRRI Financing: Unrestricted and Restricted Grants and Center Income
( in $ millions )
130 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2006
( in $ millions )
2006
Member estimate
Project 1 Germplasm conservation,
characterization, documentation, and CP‐Generation 0.474
exchange CP‐HarvestPlus 0.161
CP‐ Water and Food 0.121
EC 0.425
Iran 0.007
Japan 0.200
Korea 0.069
Others 0.058
Switzerland 0.057
USAID 0.044
World Bank 0.255
Unrestricted + center income 1.329
Total Project Cost 3.200
Project 2 Functional Genomics
Australia 0.204
CP‐Generation 1.224
CP‐ Water and Food 0.144
Germany 0.145
EC 0.529
France 0.015
Iran 0.078
Japan 0.200
Korea 0.111
Rockefeller Foundation 0.078
Switzerland 0.025
USAID 0.633
USDA 0.091
World Bank 0.025
Unrestricted + center income 1.581
Total Project Cost 5.083
Project 3 Genetic enhancement for yield, grain
quality, and stress resistance CP‐HarvestPlus 0.030
CP‐ Water and Food 0.211
France 0.076
Iran 0.085
India 0.300
Japan 0.200
Korea 0.505
Malaysia 0.036
Philippines 0.029
Switzerland 0.050
World Bank 0.038
Unrestricted + center income 2.317
Total Project Cost 3.877
IRRI Financial Plan 131
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2006
( in $ millions )
2006
Member estimate
Project 4 Managing resources under intensive
rice‐based productive systems ADB 0.271
CP‐ Water and Food 0.191
Germany 0.281
France 0.046
IFA,PPI‐PPIC,IPI 0.160
Japan 0.249
Malaysia 0.027
Others 0.011
Rockefeller Foundation 0.009
Switzerland 0.308
UK‐DFID 0.049
World Bank 0.126
Unrestricted + center income 2.102
Total Project Cost 3.830
Project 5 Enhancing water productivity in rice‐
based production systems CP‐ Water and Food 0.467
Germany 0.059
France 0.030
Japan 0.158
Korea 0.023
Switzerland 0.097
World Bank 0.021
Unrestricted + center income 1.311
Total Project Cost 2.166
Project 6 Irrigated Rice Research Consortium
CP‐ Water and Food 0.039
Switzerland 0.371
World Bank 0.007
Unrestricted + center income 0.431
Total Project Cost 0.848
132 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2006
( in $ millions )
2006
Member estimate
Project 7 Genetic enhancement for improving
productivity and human health in ADB 0.187
fragile environments Canada 0.052
CP‐Generation 0.342
CP‐HarvestPlus 0.338
CP‐ Water and Food 0.443
Germany 0.578
EC 0.808
France 0.072
Japan 0.100
Korea 0.025
Monsanto Fund 0.047
Others 0.114
Rockefeller Foundation 0.570
Switzerland 0.051
USAID 0.460
World Bank 0.047
Unrestricted + center income 2.964
Total Project Cost 7.198
Project 8 Natural resource management for
rainfed lowland and upland rice CP‐ Water and Food 1.151
ecosystems Germany 0.014
France 0.152
IFAD 0.992
Japan 0.200
Korea 0.006
Switzerland 0.135
UK‐DFID 0.030
World Bank 0.033
Unrestricted + center income 2.084
Total Project Cost 4.797
Project 9 Consortium for Unfavorable Rice
environments ADB 0.343
CP‐ Water and Food 0.018
World Bank 0.003
Unrestricted + center income 0.198
Total Project Cost 0.562
IRRI Financial Plan 133
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Projects, 2006
( in $ millions )
2006
Member estimate
Project 10 Understanding rural livelihood systems
for rice research prioritization and Australia 0.185
impact assessment CP‐HarvestPlus 0.041
CP‐ Water and Food 0.108
Japan 0.015
Others 0.008
Philippines 0.007
USDA 0.039
World Bank 0.019
Unrestricted + center income 1.186
Total Project Cost 1.608
Project 11 Facilitating rice research for impact
ADB 0.616
CP‐ Water and Food 0.201
EC 0.357
France 0.092
Iran 0.169
Korea 0.061
Others 0.005
Philippines 0.031
Switzerland 0.051
UK‐DFID 0.028
USAID 0.184
World Bank 0.056
Unrestricted + center income 2.210
Total Project Cost 4.061
Center Totals 2006
Total Restricted Financing 19.517
Total Unrestricted Financing + Center Income+ Reserves 17.713
Total Allocations 37.230
134 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Programs, 2007
( in $ millions )
2007
Member proposal
Program 1 Raising productivity in rainfed
environments: attacking the roots of ADB 0.322
poverty Australia 0.023
Canada 0.008
CP‐Generation 0.455
CP‐HarvestPlus 0.329
CP‐ Water and Food 1.100
Germany 0.605
EC 0.606
France 0.267
IFA,PPI‐PPIC,IPI 0.032
IFAD 0.539
Iran 0.052
India 0.120
Japan 0.529
Korea 0.153
Malaysia 0.025
Others 0.294
Philippines 0.007
Rockefeller Foundation 0.163
Switzerland 0.117
UNEP 0.090
USAID 0.492
USDA 0.001
World Bank 0.004
Unrestricted + center income 4.101
Total Project Cost 10.434
Program 2 Sustaining productivity in intensive rice‐
based systems: rice and the environment ADB 0.183
Australia 0.022
CP‐Generation 0.076
CP‐ Water and Food 0.532
Germany 0.275
EC 0.125
France 0.093
IFA,PPI‐PPIC,IPI 0.065
IFAD 0.158
Iran 0.052
India 0.120
Japan 0.357
Korea 0.151
Malaysia 0.034
Others 0.083
Philippines 0.005
Switzerland 0.582
UNEP 0.180
USAID 0.015
USDA 0.001
World Bank 0.014
Unrestricted + center income 6.347
Total Project Cost 9.470
IRRI Financial Plan 135
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Programs, 2007
( in $ millions )
2007
Member proposal
Program 3 East and southern Africa: rice for rural
incomes and an affordable urban staple ADB 0.049
Australia 0.002
Canada 0.003
CP‐Generation 0.126
CP‐HarvestPlus 0.110
CP‐ Water and Food 0.084
Germany 0.230
EC 0.223
France 0.030
IFA,PPI‐PPIC,IPI 0.011
Iran 0.022
India 0.060
Japan 0.099
Korea 0.076
Malaysia 0.011
Others 0.086
Philippines 0.003
Rockefeller Foundation 0.054
Switzerland 0.031
UNEP 0.030
USAID 0.130
World Bank 0.002
Unrestricted + center income 0.631
Total Project Cost 2.103
Program 4 Rice and human health: overcoming the
consequences of poverty Canada 0.002
CP‐Generation 0.126
CP‐HarvestPlus 0.110
CP‐ Water and Food 0.053
Germany 0.102
EC 0.160
France 0.012
Japan 0.020
Others 0.066
Rockefeller Foundation 0.055
USAID 0.087
Unrestricted + center income 1.188
Total Project Cost 1.981
Program 5 Rice genetic diversity and discovery:
meeting the needs of the future Australia 0.151
generations for rice genetic resources CP‐Generation 0.789
CP‐ Water and Food 0.852
EC 0.945
France 0.012
Iran 0.061
Japan 0.360
Korea 0.102
USAID 0.378
USDA 0.006
Unrestricted + center income 2.542
Total Project Cost 6.198
136 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 8. IRRI Allocation of Investor Grants and Center Income to Programs, 2007
( in $ millions )
2007
Member proposal
Program 6 Information and communication:
convening a global rice research ADB 0.029
community CP‐Generation 0.207
EC 0.020
France 0.004
Iran 0.008
Japan 0.005
Korea 0.003
Others 0.071
USAID 0.014
Unrestricted + center income 3.247
Total Project Cost 3.608
Program 7 Rice policy support and impact
assessment for rice research ADB 0.410
Australia 0.028
CP‐ Water and Food 0.045
EC 0.283
France 0.064
IFAD 1.266
Iran 0.105
Japan 0.070
Korea 0.032
Philippines 0.017
Switzerland 0.117
USAID 0.500
Unrestricted + center income 1.299
Total Project Cost 4.236
Center Totals 2007
Total Restricted Financing 18.675
Total Unrestricted Financing + Center Income+ Reserves 19.355
Total Allocations 38.030
IRRI Financial Plan 137
Table 9: IRRI Staff Composition:
Internationally and Nationally Recruited Staff, 2005-2009
( numbers )
Internationally Recruited Staff (IRS) 72 76 78 78 78
Post Doctoral Fellows (PDF) 22 28 24 24 24
138 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 10. IRRI Financial Position:
Currency Structure of Expenditures, 2005-2007
(in $ millions)
Currency Amount US$ Value % Share Amount US$ Value % Share Amount US$ Value % Share
US Dollar (USD) 22.358 22.358 66% 25.030 25.030 67% 25.011 25.011 66%
Philippine Peso (PHP) 596.709 10.849 32% 632.512 11.500 31% 664.137 12.299 32%
IRRI Financial Plan
139
Table 11. IRRI Financial Position:
Statements of Financial Position
December 31, 2005 and 2004
(in $ millions)
2005 2004
A S S E T S
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents 21.861 35.035
Short term investments 0.039 2.836
Accounts receivable
Donor 6.876 4.244
Employees 0.153 0.116
Other CGIAR Centers 0.335 0.163
Others 1.807 0.713
Inventories, net 0.475 0.382
Prepaid expenses 0.253 0.172
Total current assets 31.799 43.661
NON‐CURRENT ASSETS
Property, Plant and Equipment, net 8.524 9.127
Other Assets 19.671 10.196
Total Non‐Current Assets 28.195 19.323
TOTAL ASSETS 59.994 62.984
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts payable
Donor 6.382 5.068
Other CGIAR Centers 0.085 0.160
Others 1.078 0.997
Accruals and provisions 7.110 6.122
Total current liabilities 14.655 12.347
NET ASSETS
Designated 45.339 48.448
Undesignated ‐ 2.189
Total Net Assets 45.339 50.637
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS 59.994 62.984
140 IRRI Financial Plan
Table 12. IRRI Financial Position:
Statement of Activities
For the Years Ended December 31, 2005 and 2004
(in $ millions)
Revenue and Gains
Grant Revenue 12.861 11.185 4.891 28.937 32.636
Other revenue and gains 1.858 ‐ ‐ 1.858 2.540
Total revenue and gains 14.719 11.185 4.891 30.795 35.176
Expenses and Losses
Program related expenses 11.921 10.679 4.891 27.491 27.227
Management and general expenses 7.154 0.506 ‐ 7.660 7.893
Sub Total expenses and losses 19.075 11.185 4.891 35.151 35.120
Indirect cost recovery (1.266) ‐ ‐ (1.266) (1.906)
Total expenses and losses 17.809 11.185 4.891 33.885 33.214
Net Surplus from ordinary activities (3.090) ‐ ‐ (3.090) 1.962
Unrealized Foreign Exchange Translation Gain (2.295) ‐ ‐ (2.295) 1.532
Expenditure by Natural Classification
Personnel 8.153 4.296 0.851 13.300 12.917
Supplies and Services 7.864 3.801 1.090 12.755 13.124
Collaborators/Partnership 0.243 1.311 2.590 4.144 4.589
Operational Travel 1.008 1.538 0.360 2.906 2.226
Depreciation 1.807 0.239 ‐ 2.046 2.264
Indirect cost recovery (1.266) ‐ ‐ (1.266) (1.906)
TOTAL 17.809 11.185 4.891 33.885 33.214
IRRI Financial Plan 141
142
IRRI ANNEX 1
143
144
Annex1. IRRI’s key collaborators and partners
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
NARES Bangladesh Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute BARI
Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute BFRI
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies BIDS
Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture BINA
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute BRRI
Bangladesh Water Development Board BWBD
Center for Policy Dialogue CPD
Local Government Engineering Department, Bangladesh LGED
Rural Development Academy, Bogra RDA
University of Dhaka UD
Cambodia Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute CARDI
Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Prey
PDAFF
Veng and Battambang Provinces
China Beijing Genomics Institute
Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy ‐ Chinese Academy of Sciences CCAP‐CAS
China National Rice Research Institute CNRRI
China Agricultural University CAU
China National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center CNHRRDC
Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences CAAS
Fudan University, Shanghai FU
Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences GAAS
Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning GAAS‐Guangxi
Huazhong Agricultural University HAU‐Huazhong
Hunan Agricultural University HAU‐Hunan
Kaifeng Water Bureau
IRRI Annex 1
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Liuyuankou Irrigation System LIS
Nanjing Agricultural University NAU
National Gene Research Center NCGR
Northeast Agricultural University NEAU
Yangzhou University YU‐ China
Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences YAAS
Zanghe Irrigation System ZIS
Zenzhou Water Bureau
Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, China ZUEL
India Agricultural University, Patnagar
Assam Agricultural University AAU
Birsa Agricultural University BAU
Central Rainfed Upland Rice Research Station (Hazaribagh) CRURRS
Central Rice Research Institute CRRI‐India
Central Soil Salinity Research Institute CSSRI‐India
Chinsurah Rice Research Station, West Bengal CRRS
Department of Biotechnology DBT‐India
Directorate of Rice Research‐ India DRR
Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology GBPUAT
ICAR Research Complex for North Eastern Hill Region IRCNEHR
Indian Agricultural Research Institute IARI
Indian Agricultural Research Institute‐Water Technology Center IARI‐WTC
Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR
Indira Gandhi Agricultural University IGAU
Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology NDUAT
National Center for Agricultural Economics Policy Research, India NCAP ‐ India
IRRI Annex 1
145
146
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Orissa Agricultural University OAU
Orissa University of Agricultural Technology OUAT
Project Directorate of Cropping Systems Research, Meerut PDCSR
Punjab Agricultural University PAU
Rajendra Agricultural University, Bihar RAU
Ranchi University, Jharkhand, India RU
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University TNAU
Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute TNRRI
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore UASB
University of Delhi, South Campus UD‐Delhi
Indonesia Agrobusiness Club, Jakarta
Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology AIAT
Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, South Sumatra AIAT‐South Sumatra
Bogor Agricultural University (Institut Pertanian Bogor) IPB
Center for Agro‐Socioeconomic Research CASER
Indonesia South Sumatra Forest Fire Management Project SSFFMP
IAARD (formerly
Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development
AARD)
Indonesian Center for Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic
ICABGRRD
Resources Research and Development
Indonesian Center for Agricultural Post Harvest Research and
ICAPRD
Development
ICFORD (formerly
Indonesian Center for Food Crops R & D, Bogor
CRIFC)
Indonesian Center for Soils and Agro‐climate Research and
ICSARD
Development
Indonesian Institute for Rice Research IIRR
Iran Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran ABRI‐Iran
Rice Research Institute of Iran RRII
IRRI Annex 1
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Kenya Kenya Agricultural Research Institute KARI
Lao PDR National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Lao PDR NAFRI
National Rice Research Program NRRP
Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Offices, Sayabouri and Oudomsay PAFO
Malaysia Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute MARDI‐Malaysia
Mozambique Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development MADER
National Institute for Agronomic Research INIA‐Mozambique
Myanmar Agricultural Research Department ARD
Myanma Agriculture Service MAS
Myanmar Rice and Paddy Traders Association MRPTA
Nepal Institute of Agricultural and Animal Sciences, Nepal IAAS
Nepal Agricultural Research Council NARC‐Nepal
Philippines Bohol Irrigation System
Bulacan Agricultural State College (formerly Bulacan National
BASC (BNASC)
Agricultural State College)
Bureau of Soil and Water Management BSWM
Central Luzon State University CLSU
Food and Nutrition Institute
National Irrigation Administration, Philippines NIA‐Philippines
Philippine Rice Research Institute PhilRice
University of the Philippines Los Baños UPLB
Taiwan Academia Sinica
Tanzania Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives MAFC
Sokoine University of Agriculture SUA
Thailand Chiang Mai University CMU
Kasetsart University KU
Khon Kaen University KKU
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148
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand MOAC‐Thailand
Prachin Buri Rice Research Center PBRRC
Ubon Ratchani Rice Research Center URRRC
Ubon Rice Research Center URRC
Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries MAAIF
Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute for Southern Coastal Central of Vietnam ASISOV
An Giang University AGU
Bac Lieu Department of Agriculture, Research Institute on
Aquaculture
Can Tho University CTU
Center for Agricultural Energy and Machinery, NLU CEAM‐NLU
Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute CLRRI
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Long An Province
Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry HUAF
Integrated Resources Mapping Centre‐Vietnam IRMC‐Vietnam
National Institute for Soils and Fertilizers, Vietnam NISF‐Vietnam
Plant Protection Department PPD
Southern Sub‐institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest
SIAEP
Technology, Ho Chi Minh City
Thai Nguyen University TNU
Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration,
TUEBA
Vietnam
University of Agriculture and Forestry UAF‐Vietnam
Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences VAAS
Vietnam Agricultural Science Institute VASI
Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post Harvest
VIAEP
Technology, Hanoi
ARIs Australia Charles Sturt University
IRRI Annex 1
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization CSIRO
Entomology and Land and Water Divisions, CSIRO
University of Adelaide UA
Canada University of Alberta UA‐Alberta
University of Saskatchewan US
Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour
France CIRAD
le développement
Germany Christian Albrecht University CAU‐Kiel
University of Freiburg UF
University of Hamburg UH‐Hamburg
University of Hohenheim UH‐ Hohenheim
Italy Atmospheric Pollution Institute, National Center for Research
Japan Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences JIRCAS
Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences JSPS
National Agricultural and Food Research Organization NARO
National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences NIAS
National Institute of Agro‐Environmental Sciences, Japan NIAES‐ Japan
National Institute of Genetics, Japan NIG‐Japan
Tokyo University TU‐Tokyo
Korea, South Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH
Rural Development Administration RDA
Netherlands Plant Research International PRI
Wageningen University WU‐ Netherlands
Sweden University of Lund UL ‐ Sweden
United University of New Castle upon Tyne‐ Center for Land Use and Water
Newcastle‐CLUWRR
Kingdom Resources Research
University of Reading UR‐ United Kingdom
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150
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
USA Clemson University Clem U
Cold Stream Harbor Laboratory CSHL
Colorado State University CSU
Cornell University CU
Gramene: A Comparative Mapping Resource for Grains
Kansas State University KSU
National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation , USA NCGRP‐ USA
National Center for Genome Resources NCGR
Ohio State University OSU
Oregon State University OSU‐Oregon
Purdue University PU
The Institute for Genomics Research TIGR
University of Arizona UA‐Arizona
University of Arkansas UA‐Arkansas
University of California‐Davis UCD
University of California‐Riverside UCR
International Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical CIAT
Africa Rice Center (WARDA) WARDA
Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo CIMMYT
East and Central African Rice Research Network ECARRN
International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA
International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas ICARDA
International Center for Biosaline Agriculture ICBA‐UAE
International Center for Research in the Semi‐Arid Tropics ICRISAT
International Food Policy Research Institute IFPRI
International Potash Institute IPI
IRRI Annex 1
IRRI Programs
TYPE COUNTRY ORGANIZATION Acronym
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
International Water Management Institute IWMI
Potash & Phosphate Institute/Potash and Phosphate Institute of
PPI/PPIC
Canada
Sasakawa Global 2000 Mozambique
World Agroforestry Center ICRAF
WorldFish Center WorldFish
Private Sector Canada Aquifer LTD
Netherlands Nunza B. V. NBV
USA The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Noble Foundation
Challenge
Water and Food CPWF
Programs
Generation GCP
HarvestPlus HP
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