IRRI

WHAT IS IRRI DOING?

IRRI is doing a whole hose of research that is helping the Philippines increase its rice production. Philippine 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.

Philippine rice yields are close to the world average and higher than in many other rice-producing countries in Asia, including Thailand and India.

Research that IRRI is involved in that is helping Filipino farmers increase their rice yields include:

• Developing new high-yielding rice varieties with built-in resistance to pests, diseases, and other stresses such as heat and drought. the Philippines has 107 rice varieties attributed to IRRI. In 2009, three new varieties of IRRI-bred rice arrived in the Philippines - one variety is food-tolerant, one is drought-tolerant, and one is salt-tolerant.
• Developing rice crop management strategies that improve nutrient -use efficiency to get the most value of inputs and reduce wastage. In 2012, IRRI launched its latest smartphone technology to help farmers determine how to fertilize their rice crops.
• Developing climate change adaptation strategies and technologies.
• Training the next generation of rice scientists and building the capacity of rice practitioners to ensure the sustainable development of rice industry. A total of 532 IRRI scholars came from the Philippines from 1966 to 2009

IRRI also works with its partners in the Philippine Government to deliver rice research to farmers to improve their rice yields and the environmental health of their rice farms. These partnerships greatly increase IRRI's  capacity to make a difference. We rely on national and local research and extension providers, such as PhilRice, the Philippines' Department of Agriculture and others within the public and private sector, to help develop and facilitate and adoption of technologies that suit farmers. 

IRRI also discusses with the Philippine Government ways to increase rice production, improve the accessibility of affordable rice to poor rice consumers, and reduce the national trade deficit in rice. IRRI supports the Philippines in its efforts to reach rice self sufficiency as outlined in its Food Staples Self Sufficiency Road map.