Research to impact workshop
This September workshop aims to
capture the crosscountry
learning of the IRRC during its Phase 3. (Photo by A. Javellana)
Rice farmers belong to a class all
of their own. They are unsung heroes, trying to win the battle against water
scarcity, labor shortage, pests and diseases, and other problems in rice
growing. Their constant hope is that their efforts will result in sweet victory:
a healthy, bountiful harvest.
The Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) aspires to help farmers in the irrigated lowlands of Asia win
this battle and achieve increased profitability, food security, and
environmental sustainability.
On 23-24 September, around 60
participants from 10 Asian countries, plus a few extension experts from Europe,
will gather to document progress on developing effective pathways for delivery
of natural resource management technologies for increased rice production. The
IRRC will sponsor a workshop on “Research to Impact: Case Studies for Natural
Resources Management of Irrigated Rice in
Asia.” This workshop aims to capture the cross-country learning of the IRRC
during the past 4 years, in preparation for its next phase, which will build on
the delivery of technologies to farming communities.
The workshop is timely because the
learnings will help address the global rice crisis. The papers presented
will be published by IRRI in a book in early 2009 with funding from the Swiss
Agency for Development and
Cooperation. By documenting the lessons learned from
experiences of local partners in different countries, the
IRRC can further work on how to efficiently provide
farmers with the best rice management practices.
The adoption and impacts of NRM
technologies and lessons learned will be presented by IRRC partners from
Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand. Civil society organizations and academics
will also present case studies to share their learning in research to impact
delivery.
The lessons learned from spreading
technologies
nationally through IRRC Country Outreach Programs
(ICOPs) will provide a special subset of presentations from participants from
Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines The ICOP model has strengthened links
between research and extension (educating farmers about new technologies and how
to use them), developed crucial links to policy advocates, and enabled IRRC
partners to respond to important national policy initiatives in each country.
Co-hosted by the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice),
the 2-day workshop will be held at the PhilRice headquarters in Nueva Ecija. The
deadline for abstract submission is 25 July, and full papers are due on 22
August. Abstracts are to be submitted to IRRC Coordinator Dr. Grant Singleton (g.singleton@cgiar.org)
and copied to Dr. Florencia Palis (f.palis@cgiar.org)
and Ms. Jenny Hernandez (jenny@cgiar.org).
This workshop will be important in
bringing the IRRC one step closer to achieving its main goal of improving the
livelihoods of the rural and urban poor who depend on rice. These are the
thousands of people from rice-farming communities—such as farmers, farm
laborers, and their families—as well as the urban poor for whom rice is the most
important food.
Trina Mendoza
t.mendoza@cgiar.org |
