The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established in 1960 and is among the largest non-profit agricultural research centers in Asia with headquarters in the Philippines and offices in 14 nations including Nepal. It is supported by donors and partners around the globe and known as the home of the Green Revolution in Asia. IRRI helps to feed almost half the world’s population. Its mission is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable.
Rice is a staple food in most of Asia. The world’s biggest continent has a per capita rice consumption of 85 kilograms and also accounts for about 90 percent of the over 600 million tons of paddy rice produced worldwide. Other parts of Africa and south Americas are also heavy rice consumers and major rice producers. Rice remains a most important and staple food for most people in the world and the crop with the longest history of cultivation. More than 3 billion of our poorest people depend on it for their daily food requirement, but for Asia, rice means even more. Rice is cultivated in 113 countries. Rice is a great source of national pride. Most important of all, rice is the one thing that ties Asia together. However, climate change, which is now causing erratic weather patterns, also threatens rice production, and is a matter of serious concern
IRRI, the largest and oldest international agricultural research institute in Asia, marks its 50th anniversary in 2010. In half a century of service for a cause, IRRI’s high-yielding rice varieties have helped significantly increase world rice production, especially in Asia, saving millions from famine while protecting the environment and training thousands of researchers. IRRI’s Golden Jubilee comes as Asian and world food security face unprecedented challenges, but it also comes at a revolutionary time for rice research. The Green Revolution in Asia, which began in the 1960s with the introduction of modern, high-yielding rice varieties led to a rapid rise in both rice yields and overall production. IRRI will celebrate 2010 as a milestone with its partners on its 50th anniversary. Celebrations started in November 2009 with the launch of the 50th anniversary and the 6th Rice Genetics Symposium and will continue through 2010 with other events in the Philippines, including an IRRI alumni homecoming in Los Baños in April 2010 when the Board of Trustees will also meet.
IRRI is doing a whole host of research that is helping the world to increase rice production. Global farmers eagerly adopt new technologies and varieties that have resulted in a steady increase in rice yields over the last 50 years since IRRI was established. Research that IRRI is involved in that is helping farmers increase their rice yields includes: developing new high-yielding rice varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such as heat hit; developing rice crop management strategies that improve nutrient-use efficiency to get the most value out of inputs and reduce wastage; developing climate change mitigation plus adaptation strategies and technologies; training the next generation of rice scientists and building the capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of the rice industry. Among its achievements, IRRI has identified “Sub 1” gene that can survive more than two weeks under water, and can now be planted by farmers to improve rice yields on flood-prone land throughout the world. New, higher-yielding rice plant along with package of practices could ease threat of hunger for the poor.
Fifty years ago, a turning point in agricultural research that helped launch a revolution in food production occurred - the formation of the IRRI. “Rice science has helped to more than double rice yields in the last fifty years.” The vision of IRRI’s founders to invest in rice research to improve food security is the sort of long-term thinking we need now as we look to find solutions to address the challenges, including climate change, which threaten rice production. Partnership was at the heart of the original agreement to form IRRI and IRRI has forged many important private and public sector partnerships across the world to support efforts to reduce poverty and make sure rice production is sustainable.
Rice is one of the most important cereal crops in Nepal. As per the preliminary estimate of Fiscal Year 2009/2010, the rice crop was grown in 14,81,289 hectares with the production of 40,23,823 metric tons and the productivity was 2.716 t/ha. Because of the present global food crisis plus increased food prices, a high level national food security mission should be formed, involving field-hardened experts with proven track-record. India has banned the export of wheat and coarse rice or non-basmati rice. If Nepal is not self-reliant in food grains, the situation would be so severe that many would have to go hungry as the demand would outstrip the production level. Aware of this, Nepal has signed a MoU with IRRI for enhancing rice productivity.
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