Vietnamese farmers are adopting new technologies that make rice farming more sustainable and environment-friendly. Among these are alternate wetting and drying technology to reduce water use and cost-efficient application of fertilizers using drones. The methods enable farmers to use 40% less rice seed and 30% less water, according to the Loc Troi Group, one of Vietnam’s largest rice exporters. Read the story @Firstpost RiceMoRe System revolutionizes rice production monitoring and reporting in Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta Use of digital tools in sustainable rice production in the Mekong De ..read more

The Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and IRRI  launched Drones4Rice Project to create standardized protocols for drone applications of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides for rice production in the Philippines. The protocols and regulations aim to enable the private sector to scale affordable drone services to farmers, facilitating precision agriculture to boost farmers’ productivity, income, and resilience by advocating precision agriculture and sustainable rice farming practices. Read the story @IRRI ..read more

CGIAR centers are collaborating with the Department of Farmers’ Empowerment of Odisha to bring rice fallows into cultivation under the Comprehensive Rice Fallow Management Project. Growing pulses and oilseeds crops in rice fallows provide farmers with additional income, livelihood opportunities, and food and nutrition security. (Photo: IRRI India) / In the past two decades, Odisha has demonstrated remarkable resilience to droughts, cyclones, and floods. The state has achieved surplus paddy production thanks to timely and effective government actions such as improving irrigation facilities an ..read more

Farmers in the flood-prone district of Morigaon in central Assam are switching to flood-tolerant rice varieties like Ranjit Sub1 in anticipation of an above-normal rainfall predicted in the state in the coming monsoon season. Introduced by the state’s agriculture department through the Assam Agriculture University, and IRRI under the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project, flood-tolerant rice varieties have increased farmers’ incomes and encouraged others to return to farming. Assam has a total of 2.3 million hectares of rice areas with 0.36 million hectares chronically flood-pron ..read more

The case of Mrs. Bishnupriya Biswal reflects the importance of considering subjective social paradigms in designing interventions. Her newfound confidence is a testimony to the technological benefits and advantages of experimenting and adopting the DSR-based cropping system at her farm. It also led to her transformation into a woman initiating innovations for the benefit of other farmers. From a successful farmer,  Mrs. Biswal became a service provider after attending formal hands-on training by the DSR-Odisha Project. In the 2023 kharif season she and her husband, with support from the ..read more

In Southeast Asia, as mechanization increases, there is a need to evaluate the impact of how related changes in farming practices affect biodiversity. Furthermore, because of the large land area grown for rice, and the disproportionate share of agro-chemical inputs used to produce it in Southeast Asia, improving the environmental sustainability of rice landscapes would significantly benefit biological diversity conservation in the region. Rice is the dominant food staple in Asia. In Asia, there are 52 million ha of lowland irrigated rice that provides food security to smallholder farmers while ..read more

The Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Empowerment in Odisha and IRRI signed a Memorandum of Agreement to accelerate the production of nutritious rice varieties with high zinc, iron, protein, and low glycemic index traits. These high-yielding varieties have great market potential and may be positioned as a premium product segment that could generate higher demand and economic value for producers. “Odisha’s revised agriculture agenda calls for a rice sector that is profitable and demand-driven,” said IRRI Interim Director General Ajay Kohli. “Rice is no longer just a simple staple,” Dr. K ..read more

A long-grain rice variety using a cultivation technique that reduces water normal requirement and methane emissions by 50% has been produced by a farm in Arkansas It is the first consumer product created under the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program helps farmers and agribusinesses to find ways to invest in more sustainable agricultural practices involving 43 different commodities. Read the story @Wisconsin State Farmer Variety-based climate-smart intervention helps smallholder farmers cope with floods in the lowlands of Odisha ..read more

A new agreement between IRRI and the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) of Papua New Guinea sets the stage for a collaborative effort to bolster rice research and development in the country. “For too long, the potential for a thriving rice industry in PNG has been a topic of discussion without fruition since 1975,” said Agriculture Minister John Boito during the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding. “This time, it must be different; it must become a reality.” Under the agreement, IRRI will provide scientific and technical assistance to NARI to promote and disseminate of hig ..read more

The gender gap in access to inputs has affected productivity in agriculture for the longest time and has proven to be a formidable barrier for women farmers. Supporting them through such measures will go a long way in accelerating gender equality in agriculture and contribute to food and nutrition security. Through women-led farmer-producer companies, women farmers can overcome traditional gender-based barriers that prevent them from acquiring agricultural inputs, information, and technologies. (Photo: IRRI India).   “We have been cultivating paddy for over ten years, but they [male far ..read more