The private market does a great job of innovating in many areas, particularly for people who have money. The focus of Melinda’s and my foundation is to encourage innovation in the areas where there is less profit opportunity but where the impact for those in need is very high. That is why we have devoted almost $2 billion to helping poor farm families, most of which are led by women, boost their productivity while preserving the land for future generations. Those funds are invested in many areas of innovation, ranging from sustainable land management, to better ways to educate farmers, to connecting farmers to functioning markets.

Continue reading Bill Gates 2012 Annual Letter here…

Asiadhrra will be joined by participants composed of Senior-level officials from Ministries of Agriculture and other related government institutions responsible for food security and nutrition; Regional economic communities; Civil society organizations and private sector representatives;  UN Agencies, donors and development partners; International and regional financial institutions and Academia and research institutions

“The main objective of the Forum is to broadly discuss issues associated with hunger and malnutrition with a particular emphasis on nutrition-sensitive agricultural development and food-based nutrition approaches, review past and ongoing interventions and policies, share experiences and lessons learned, and identify way forward to promote nutrition-sensitive agriculture for improving nutrition. The increased consultation among all actors involved in food and nutrition security will achieve greater complementary and coordination in strategic planning and action.”

Ms. Lany Rebagay giving a presentation about AsiaDHRRA

Ms. Marlene Ramirez, Asiadhrra SecGen with the Phildhrra Mindanao Staff

The PhilDHRRA Mindanao Staff in the AsiaDHRRA Secretariat office

IRRI News | 04 May 2010 | Los Baños, Philippines

Rice growers in Bohol, an island province of the Philippines, are expecting higher rice yields and income thanks to new japonica rice varieties developed in collaboration with Korea and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Early last month, as part of IRRI’s 50th anniversary celebrations and to commemorate the 45-year partnership between the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of Korea and IRRI, MS11, one of the new rice varieties, was ceremonially handed over to the Bohol Japonica Rice Growers Association by Dr. Jae-soo Kim, administrator of the RDA.

“This is our symbol of gratitude toward the International Rice Research Institute for helping Korea, through collaborative research, become self-sufficient in rice,” said Dr. Kim.

Japonica rice is a high-quality medium-grain rice that attracts a premium price in countries where it is not traditionally grown – including the Philippines. Usually it grows only in temperate climates such as those found in Korea, but Maligaya Special 11 (MS11) can grow in tropical climates.

IRRI Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler attested that “Korea, through the RDA, had remained not only a donor, but also a vital partner through the years in providing scientific support to IRRI.”

IRRI and the RDA started collaborating in 1963 by developing the indica/japonica rice variety Tong-il that can be grown in the temperate climate of Korea. Tong-il, coupled with a rapid seed multiplication program, helped Korea significantly raise rice production in the 1970s, transforming the country from a rice importer to a self-sufficient rice producer.

By 2008, MS11, the first japonica rice suited to tropical climates, was released in the Philippines, followed by its sister variety, Japonica 1, in 2009. These rice varieties outyield local tropical varieties and sell at higher prices – boosting farmers’ income.

RDA and IRRI plan to continue working together where RDA will contribute US$100,000 per year for 2010-2011, focusing on developing drought-tolerant rice using marker-assisted backcrossing, developing cultivars resistant to high temperature, and improving high-yielding Tongil-type cultivars and their adaptability to tropical regions.

RDA is also funding a $100,000 joint project that will address Asia’s impending food crisis caused by climate change and population growth. The joint project is seen to steer rice-importing countries in Asia toward self-sufficiency. “Asian countries should build an institutional model for agriculture,” said Dr. Kim. “This is the first and most important step toward achieving agricultural development.”

At the same event, RDA launched the book “Partnership for 50 Years Between IRRI and Korea,” documenting past experiences and the continuing association between the two institutions. A tree-planting was also held at IRRI, led by Dr. Zeigler, Dr. Kim, and the IRRI Board of Trustees, to symbolize the continuing relations between IRRI and Korea.

The forum is a culminating activity of the  study on Strengthening Social Accountability Mechanisms for Food Security and Agricultural Development currently being undertaken in partnership with AsiaDHRRA. The study aims to strengthen the capacity of CSOs to monitor and analyze processes of international finance institutions, the ADB in particular, and the national agencies in promoting food security and agricultural development.

Kindly contact Ms. Jen Javier, PhilDHRRA Research Coordinator at 436-0702 loc. 115 for more details.

The technology for product development and improvement was already there, developed with huge government support. TWADA was organized specifically for the purpose of expanding the market. Dr. Hwang narrated TWADA’s marketing initiatives which included joint marketing with the top three biggest consumer market in Taiwan, door-to-door marketing, direct marketing through the internet, and export trading. She narrated the benefits received from these strategies, which included, among others, higher and more stable farm gate price for farmers, and generally a higher income for all of them.

Dr. Hwang further discussed the challenges and issues confronted by TWADA in marketing their product, and how these are being addressed. The challenges include seasonality of export, economy of scale, professional grading of product, and packaging. TWADA’s biggest buyers are its local markets, while its biggest buyer abroad is China. TWADA is also trying enter the Singaporean and Hongkong market, and recently, it has been able to break into the Canadian market.

During this session, AIM will introduce the project, Mainstreaming Poverty Alleviation Initiatives among ASEAN-member Countries.  This project, funded by the ASEAN Foundation through the Japan-ASEAN Solidarity Fund, and developed in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank Regional Technical Assistance Report (ADB RETA) on Regional Knowledge and Partnership Networks on Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth, is a research project featuring ten case studies of firms involved in poverty reduction.

It aims to actively and constructively engage the ASEAN with the objective of promoting greater awareness of the ASEAN identity, people-to-people interaction, and collaboration among private and public sector organizations involved in poverty alleviation
initiatives.

Rose Sharon Hartig has completed her 2-month internship on project planning and management at AsiaDHRRA.  Apart from learning about the PME process, Sharon also attended seminars and joined an exposure trip to citrus farmers in Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. She also drafted a concept note on the impact of climate change in sustainable agriculture.

From her internship, Sharon shares that,  “The 2 months practical training was not enough to tackle all relevant subjects. I have learned the Planning of project proposal building; Monitoring and Evaluation are yet to be done. It would be a great achievement if the concept note I have created was to develop into a big project proposal and receive funding.

I hope AsiaDHRRA will continue with their internship program. I could say that the office was a good training ground for students like me who want to focus on development projects and want to master project proposal writing.”

We wish Sharon all the best in her endeavors.

We like farm equipments especially local inventions so for

Even with low-cost drum and precision seeders around capable of seeding rice seeds in rows at 20 kg/ha, breeding institutions and seed growers are in continuous search for a machine that not only transplants seedlings in straight rows to avoid off-types, identifies or removes volunteer seeds during vegetative growth, but also prevents seed damage.

more information about the precision rice seeder here…