Significant Dates in IRRI History

November

1 November: 1999, IRRI Web site reaches 10,000 international user sessions per month, during which more than 1,800 hours are spent online, averaging 11 minutes per session; 2008, a 9-day tour of research stations and farms in Bangladesh and India begins led by David Mackill, IRRI senior rice breeder, and marks the successful completion of the project, From genes to farmers’ fields: enhancing and stabilizing productivity of rice in submergence-prone environments, funded for the past 5 years by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). See YouTube video below of the ceremonial harvest of a Sub1 rice plot in Bangladesh.

3 November: 1995, Super Typhoon Rosing (photo) inflicts considerable damage to infrastructure at IRRI headquarters.

5 November: 2004, During the Word Rice Research Conference (WRRC) in Japan, IRRI launches its Environmental Agenda to renew focus on the development of sustainable strategies to feed half of the world’s population that depends on rice. About 1,200 participants from 42 countries attend the WRRC, the culminating event of the International Year of Rice 2004; 2007, DG Robert Zeigler discusses IRRI's research agenda with H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (at left in photo) during the opening ceremonies for BioAsia 2007 in Bangkok.

6 November: 2003, the Vietnam-IRRI insecticide reduction initiative receives the International Green Apple Environment Award from the Green Organization based in the United Kingdom.

7 November: 2007, Dr. Roland Buresh is awarded the 2007 International Soil Science Award by the Soil Society of America (SSSA) for his leadership in formulating and disseminating practices of site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) through partnerships with national research and extension organizations and the private sector in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

10 November: 1987, President Corazon C, Aquino presents the Golden Heart Presidential Award to M.S. Swaminathan, IRRI director general; 2002, during its 20th anniversary celebration in Manila, the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI) presents IRRI with an award for working jointly in the formidable task of enabling disadvantaged farmers to become responsible and productive members of society, aided in part through salt-tolerant and tungro-resistant rice lines.

11 November: 2003, IRRI's online publications archive is launched  containing rice research topics found in more than 480 historical scientific books (approximately 90,000 pages via 4,350 searchable pdf files) published by IRRI and/or collaborators since 1960. These files were transferred to Google Book Search in 2008.

15 November: 1991, M.S. Swaminathan (photo), former IRRI director general, is awarded the 1991 Honda Prize in Tokyo; 2001, Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong visits IRRI.

16 November: 1996, Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori visits IRRI; 2006, Rice production in Southeast Asia, arguably the region’s most important industry, receives a major boost with the endorsement of three new strategies by the agricultural ministers of the ten-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Implemented and coordinated by IRRI, the new measures are aimed at three major challenges facing rice production in ASEAN

17 November: 2000, to mark the 40 years of strong partnership between the Institute and Thailand, the IRRI Liaison Office in Bangkok sponsors and kicks off 2 days of events in the country.

18 November: 2004, in celebration of the International Year of Rice 2004, Host Country Day held at IRRI attracts approximately 125 officials from various branches of the Philippine Government.

19 November: 2005, More than 700 rice scientists and researchers from 20 countries arrive for the 5-day 5th International Rice Genetics Symposium at the Edsa Shangri-La hotel in Manila, which is the largest scientific meeting that IRRI has ever hosted in the Philippines. Click here to access information about obtaining the e-Proceedings.

21 November: 2000, The Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) in Phnom Penh is inaugurated, which is the fruit of many years of work involving the Cambodia-IRRI-Australia project (CIAP).

22 November: 2002, J.K. Ladha, soil nutritionist, is named a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Sant Virmani, plant breeder, receives International Service in Crop Science Award from the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA).

23 November: 1962, Princess (later Queen) Beatrix of Netherlands visits IRRI; 2003, David J. Mackill, head of the Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biochemistry Division, is selected as a fellow of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA); 2004, 1) Shaobing Peng, senior crop physiologist, is named a fellow of the American Society of Agronomy (ASA). 2) Director General Ron Cantrell announces the establishment of the IRRI Environmental Council (IEC), with the mandate of providing a mechanism to ensure the long-term implementation, continued development, and evolution as well as success of the IRRI Environmental Agenda (IEA).

24 November: 2004, J.K. Ladha, soil nutritionist, is selected as a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA); 2008, IRRI is featured on NBC Nightly News (see video below).

29 November: 1966, IRRI officially announces the name of its first rice variety, IR8 (photo). “IR8 was to tropical rices what the Model T Ford was to automobiles…a rugged variety that could go almost anywhere,” as was stated in the 1980 IRRI publication, Beyond IR8/IRRI’s Second Decade. To view an article that recounts the interesting breeding history of IR8, click here.