Poverty elimination through rice research assistance

admin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:25:36 +0000

PETRRA project management unit (PMU)

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:18:53 +0000

PETRRA project management unit (PMU) identified and validated research themes and issues through series of meetings and stakeholder analysis and agreed to support conducting research in the nine focal areas: Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Faridpur, Noakhali, Comilla, Sylhet, and Kushtia. PETRRA advertised for funding research subprojects through five calls for concept notes (CNs) on themes: (a) Coastal Region (Southwest ) and Technology Uptake; (b) Sustainable Nutrient Management for Intensive Cropping in Favourable and Unfavourable Eco-systems; (c) Development of Technology for Resource Poor Farm Households, Policy and Processes and Innovations in Uptake; (d) System of Rice Intensification (SRI) Technology Development; and (e) Development of Methodologies to Promote Innovation by Resource Poor farm Households.

Concept notes received in response to the calls were scrutinized by PMU members and were reviewed by professionals from home and abroad and TEC members. Comments of the reviewers were considered by TEC and recommended to PMU for selecting CNs for developing research proposals (RPs). Research proposals were reviewed by professionals and TEC members prior to recommendation by TEC to PMU for finalizing RPs and signing research agreements.

In total 397 CNs were submitted in response to five calls for PETRRA supports out of which 52 qualified for developing RPs. Finally 44 subprojects were approved and research agreements were signed with the implementing agencies.

There will not be any new Calls for Concept Notes. All Research has been commissioned.

Policy Dialogue on Biotechnology held at BRAC Inn

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:08:17 +0000

DoLSys sub-project of PETRRA led by Dr Mahabub Hossain of IRRI together with its partner CPD (Centre for Policy Dialogue) organized a Policy Dialogue on Sustaining Agricultural Growth in Bangladesh: Should We Go for Biotechnology for Rice Improvement? It was held at BRAC Centre, Mohakhali.

Minister for Agriculture Mr M K Anwar MP was present as the Chief Guest, Mr Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir MP, State Minister for Agriculture was present as the Special Gust in the seminar. Professor Rehman of CPD chaired the session.

In the seminar Dr Mahabub Hossain, Head of IRRI Social Science, IRRI, Dr Swapan K Dutta, Biotechnology Divison, IRRI and Professor Muazzam Hossain of BRAC University presented 3 papers.

Wide range participants involving government and non-government policy makers, research managers, researchers, donors and private sector representatives were present in the seminar.

Rice is one of the most important resources on the planet

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:09:10 +0000

Rice to many people in the western world is not considered to be a main dietary food type, but to a major part of continents such as Asia, particularly the poorer parts of the population, it is more important than oil or other revered commodities. With the current concerns re food supply and increasing prices of rice, the IRRI certainly has its work cut out. This training and research institution, which is non-profit making, is at the forefront of moves to reduce hunger and penury. Many countries in Asia, for example place immense importance on this food as essential for survival of its peoples.

Research is on a grand scale and covers all kinds of cross border initiatives to help agricultural countries farming rice to generate better harvests and smoother transportation to the most needy people. The sheer logistics of moving large supplies of this staple food alone take up vast resources of people and require good organization. Security is becoming a major issue now, not surprising when you take into account that prices have increased by seventy per cent in the last year and threefold since 2003. The reasons for this are mainly poor harvests of rice due to climatic conditions, low stockpiles due to a lack of agricultural investment and increasing demand from importing countries where populations have more buying power. All these issues are taken on board by the IRRI in its fight to ensure poor countries are not starved into having a lack of this essential food source. The effects on working populations who cannot get enough rice to feed themselves could have severe knock-on reverberations around the world. Countries such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan and the Philippines have been hit hardest by the cutting back of supply. These countries already have some of the poorest people in the world and are notorious rice consumers. It is hoped that current trends can at least form some kind of turnaround but at present the trends are going in the wrong direction and the poverty stricken people are taking the end brunt of the worsening conditions.