April 2006, Vol. 1, No.

2
April-June 2008, Vol. 3, No. 2
www.irri.org/irrc

Swiss Agency for Development

and Cooperation (SDC)

Irrigated Rice Research Consortium Rice Research for Intensified Production and Prosperity in Lowland Ecosystems
RIPPLE is produced by the Irrigated Rice Research Consortium (IRRC) with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and
International Rice Research Institute Cooperation (SDC). The IRRC promotes international links among scientists, managers, communicators, and farmers in lowland irrigated
rice environments.

IRRC Phase 4 recommended!

In this issue…

Waves of action .............. 2

Ties that bind: ICOP
meeting and workshop
Country-hopping in
Southeast Asia
Summing up postharvest
learning
Capturing IRRC’s impact
in Asia

Research streams .............5

Rice dryer study earns
award

Ripples of change .............6 MORE REASONS TO SMILE: IRRC hopes to empower

Drum seeders pick up more farming communities, now that an external
review team has recommended a fourth phase.
the beat in Myanmar
Field days cap farmers’

T
training in Pangasinan he Irrigated Rice
Save water, save Research Consortium
our rice! (IRRC) is currently
An Giang, Vietnam— in a third phase of 4-year
setting an example funding with the Swiss
Transcending tradition in Agency for Development
Vietnam and Cooperation (SDC) as
its major donor. The IRRC
Profiles .................................... 10 currently has partnerships
Muhrizal Sarwani: in 11 countries in Asia
Swimming in the tides and provides an important
of progress platform for delivery to
Martin Gummert: The farmers and millers of
engineer at the helm technologies arising from
collaborative research
Publications and ............. 12 with national partners.
upcoming events In October 2007, an
external review team visited
four countries, interviewed
collaborators from four
countries, and delivered
a review report to the In-
ternational Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) manage-
ment on 22 November 2007.
IRRI was fortunate to be able
to assemble such a high-
caliber review team given the
challenging requirement of
providing 14 consecutive days
of their time, and then to re-
view progress in 11 countries
over a spread of disciplines!
The review team presented
14 recommendations in its
thorough 46-page report.
The review report and the
response of the IRRC man-
agement team were endorsed
by IRRI in January 2008.
For those interested in read-
ing the report, an electronic
version is available (contact
g.singleton@cgiar.org).
The review was very
positive, with the review team
excited by what it saw and
heard. Apart from a detailed
analysis of the performance
of the IRRC during 2005 to
2007, team members also pro-
vided excellent ideas on pos-
sible future directions for the
IRRC. One of their summary
comments is very telling:
“The review team recognized
that the IRRC has helped
IRRI pioneer the evolution
and transfer of applied re-
search to the research-exten-
sion interface. We believe the
IRRC should ‘stay the course’
> continued on page 2

Ripple April-June 2008

 IRRC Phase 4... from page 1
and build on the extension de-
livery to rural communities.”
Some general com-
ments of the external re-
view team are as follows:
• We are convinced IRRC
Phase 3 has made excellent
progress in strengthening
research and research-exten-
sion partnerships and has
made significant contribu-
tions to capacity building.
• The quality and
impact of the research
Waves of action
Ties that bind: ICOP meeting and workshop
T
he bonds of friendship
and teamwork among
the national partners
of three countries were
strengthened as the Irrigated
Rice Research Consortium
(IRRC) held its annual review
meeting and workshop of
the IRRC Country Outreach
Program (ICOP) on 4-6
February at the Philippine
Rice Research Institute
(PhilRice) in Nueva Ecija.
PhilRice, the lead agency
of ICOP in the Philippines,
hosted this year’s event.
Top officials from Myan-
mar and Indonesia graced the
event to share the learning
from ICOP in their countries
Engr. Evangeline Sibayan of PhilRice (right) explains their activities in
promoting water-saving technologies in large irrigation systems to
(l-r) ICOP counterparts Dr. Muhrizal Sarwani, Dr. Hasil Sembiring, U
Hla Myo, and Dr. Sudarmaji. Not in photo is U Than Aye.
2
have been maintained at
very high standards.
• IRRI-supported
technologies, policy ad-
vice, and networking are
appreciated by partners.
• Farm community-level
economic and social impacts
were evident for all except
the underpinning work of
laser leveling, which is not
yet adopted at the farm level.
• The limited spread of
IRRC technology to regions
remote from project sites
implies that uptake by the
with their Philippine coun-
terparts. Special guests were
U Than Aye, deputy director
general, Department of Ag-
ricultural Planning, Ministry
of Agriculture and Irrigation;
U Hla Myo, general manager,
Extension Division, Myanma
Agriculture Service; Dr.
Muhrizal Sarwani, director,
Indonesian Center for Agri-
culture Technology Assess-
ment for Rural Development;
Dr. Hasil Sembiring, director,
Indonesian Center for Rice
Research (ICRR); and Dr.
Sudarmaji, head, Research
Program and Evaluation,
ICRR. They visited several
farmers’ fields and met with
Ripple April-June 2008
community will not be
spontaneous but will require
concerted effort.
• Most of the technologies
developed and promoted by
IRRC have potential applica-
tion across huge areas of
favorable rice-growing
regions of Asia. If national
extension systems can be
strengthened by interaction
with IRRC, the potential
impact is enormous.
• We are impressed with
the high caliber of the work
group leaders, the spirit of
Dr. Ruben Lampayan (right), IRRC Water-Saving Work Group leader,
asks farmers in Nueva Ecija to share their experiences with alternate
wetting and drying.
farmers’ groups in Central
Luzon on 3 February.
Since the establishment
of the ICOPs in 2006 in
Myanmar, Indonesia, and the
Philippines, more national
partners have started taking
the lead in disseminating
IRRC technologies in their
regions. During the work-
shop, participants from the
IRRI, PhilRice, Philippine
Council for Agriculture, For-
estry and Natural Resources
Research and Development,
Department of Agriculture,
Bureau of Agricultural
Research, National Irriga-
tion Administration, Agri-
cultural Promotion Center,
and Bulacan Agricultural
State College described their
common purpose, and
cooperation among them.
The IRRC consists of
a tremendous mix of dedi-
cated researchers, extension
specialists, and R&D man-
agers across our 11 partner
countries. All those involved
can reflect on a job well
done over the past 3 years.
This has set a strong and
exciting platform for an even
better performing consor-
tium in 2008 and beyond!
Story and photo by Grant
Singleton (g.singleton@cgiar.org)
research and undertakings.
The workshop ended with
local partners presenting their
strategies and fi nancial plans
in upscaling and outscaling
IRRC technologies in their
respective areas. To capture
the lessons learned from the
three countries’ ICOP experi-
ences, the IRRC will hold a
Research-to-Impact Work-
shop at the International Rice
Research Institute on 23-27
September (More details
on page 4). And, judging
from the exciting stories and
updates shared in February, it
seems that September’s work-
shop will be worth the wait.
Story and photos by Trina
Mendoza (t.mendoza@cgiar.org)
Country-hopping in Southeast Asia
T
he Irrigated Rice
Research Consortium
(IRRC) team started
the year with an almost
month-long expedition on
3-25 January around project
sites in Laos, Cambodia,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
IRRC Coordinator Grant
Singleton, Labor Productivity
Work Group leader David
Johnson, and Postproduction
Work Group leader Martin
Gummert took to the skies
on 2 January and began
their journey in Laos.
Lowlands of Laos
The three scientists
from the International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI)
enjoyed their tour around
the rice bowl of Laos. They
visited Savannakhet and
Champasak Plain with Dr.
Khamouane Khamphoukeo,
deputy director of the Na-
tional Rice Research Program
(NRRP) of the National
Agriculture and Forestry
Research Institute (NAFRI),
and Dr. Bounneuang Douang
Boupha, director of the Horti-
cultural Research Center and
national coordinator of crop
pest management at NAFRI,
to determine the research and
technology needs of the low-
land agroecosystem of Laos.
With the IRRC’s continuous efforts to work with the Lao NRRP,
children in Laos will have better chances of improving their
lives. (Photo by G. Singleton)
Savannakhet is the main rice-
growing region in Laos (with
23,000 hectares of irrigated
rice), followed by the Vien-
tiane Plain and the Champa-
sak Plain. They also discussed
postharvest issues in the up-
lands and visited upland sites
of a new IRRC rodent project.
They gained better ap-
preciation of the rice-crop-
ping systems in the lowlands,
which have far less monocul-
ture agriculture than in other
rice-growing areas in South-
east Asia. They noticed a
significant forest area among
the lowland cropping areas.
The Lao government’s
priority for poverty allevia-
tion has led to the identifica-
tion of 47 poverty-stricken
districts, which are priority
districts for agricultural as-
sistance. Some of these are
in the lowlands, with three of
these districts in the Cham-
pasak Plain. A collaborative
project with the Lao NRRP
and IRRC in the lowlands
could provide an important
opportunity for IRRI through
the IRRC to help the Lao
government to achieve its
goals in agricultural develop-
ment while at the same time
fulfilling its poverty allevia-
tion mandate. Grown in the
lowland areas is a combina-
Ripple April-June 2008
Female workers rest inside a rice mill in
Nakornluang District, Ayutthaya, Thailand.
The Thai government aims to increase
productivity by 20% (to 33.4 millions tons)
over the next 5 years. (Photo by A. Javellana)
tion of rainfed and irrigated Dr. Kukiat Soitong, direc-
rice crops; IRRC linkages tor of the Extension System
with the Consortium for Un- Development and Technol-
favorable Rice Environments ogy Transfer Unit. Further
(CURE), particularly with exchanges between IRRC/
drought- and submergence- IRRI scientists and staff from
tolerant varieties and associ- the Rice Department are
ated natural resource man- planned for May and June.
agement of these crops, have
high potential for impact. Valuable Vietnam voyage
Dr. Singleton traveled
Thailand’s Rice alone to Vietnam and met
Department with several representatives
The IRRC group visited from the Field Crops Research
Thailand and met with Direc- Institute, Vietnam Academy
tor General Prasert Gosalvitra of Agricultural Sciences,
and senior staff of the Rice Hanoi Agricultural Univer-
Department. Thailand’s Rice sity, the Plant Protection
Department has 3,000 staff Division (PPD), and World
members. Of these, 1,000 Vision. He also made a field
are permanent government visit to An Giang Province,
employees. It was established the highest rice producer in
in early 2006 and is strongly the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
supported by the Royal Fam- He talked with Mr.
ily. The Thai government Nguyen Van Phuong, direc-
aims to increase productiv- tor, An Giang Department
ity by 20% (to 33.4 million of Agriculture and Rural
tons) over the next 5 years. Development, and Mr.
Some key constraints are Nguyen Huu Huan, deputy
droughts, floods, and weedy director general, PPD. The
rice (which has infested former said that he is very
30,000 hectares already). impressed with the field trials
The Rice Department is that have been conducted to
keen to forge strong partner- validate IRRC technologies
ships with IRRC scientists. at a 30-hectare demonstration
It is particularly interested site in An Giang. Mr. Nguyen
in postharvest technolo- Huu Huan and the provincial
gies, combating weedy rice, government are now eager to
and the research-to-impact expand the technologies of the
pathway. Our highly suc- IRRC in An Giang and make
cessful visit was arranged by > continued on page 4
3
 Country -hopping... from page 3
the province a model for best
practice in rice production.
(More details on page 8).
problems in rice production
are floods and droughts, infer-
tile soil, pests, and diseases, Summing up
weeds, and labor shortage
(which has resulted in greater
use of direct seeding).
postharvest learning

Cambodia can
The poor living condi-
tions of rural smallholders
make it crucial for the IRRC
to explore ways to improve
rice R&D in Cambodia.
A promising route to take
would be having one or two
local “champions” who will
actively lead IRRC projects.
Such is the role being played
by Dr. Pyseth Meas, a partner
of the IRRC Postproduction
Work Group (see his profile in
RIPPLE Vol. 3, No. 1, 2008).
The Cambodian govern-
ment aims to raise rice pro-
duction by 2 tons/hectare, but
there are hurdles to conquer.
Dr. Men Sarom of the Cam-
bodian Agricultural Research
and Development Institute re-
vealed that Cambodia’s main
The Postproduction Work
Group continues to progress
in Cambodia. When the IRRC
team visited Battambang,
the Provincial Department
of Agriculture had organized
a farmers’ congress for key
farmers from pilot villages of
the Asian Development Bank
project. Farmers shared infor-
mation and their experiences
with postharvest technologies
with their peers from other
villages, and interacted with
provincial extension workers.
All these activities
were jam-packed at the
start of 2008, a sure sign
that the IRRC is gearing
up for more undertak-
ings in 2008 and beyond.
Trina Mendoza and
Grant Singleton
T
he Postproduction Work Group (PPWG) will be
having its “Lessons Learned Workshop” on 6-8 May
in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, with stakeholders
from Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and
Thailand.
With collaborators from the IRRC and the Asian
Development Bank project, this workshop aims to docu-
ment the status of technology validation and dissemination
in each country. It plans to serve as a platform for cross-
country learning and set the scene for the planning of Phase
4 of the PPWG and other postharvest initiatives.
The three-day workshop seeks to produce a document
that will capture the process of learning, technology
adaptation, and dissemination in the rice postharvest
improvement projects, and the supportive and inhibiting
factors, key partnerships, and successful methods. Posthar-
vest profiles of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia will be
updated, and the profiles of the other countries will be
compiled.
With this workshop, the status of adoption of posthar-
vest technologies will be assessed, which will guide
priority setting and making recommendations for Phase 4
of the IRRC.

Capturing IRRC’s impact in Asia toBangladesh,

be presented are those of
Cambodia, Chi-
ment (NRM) in rice
captured; (2) learning

I
magine having to
produce 90% of the
world’s rice. Seven
out of ten Asians depend
on your harvest to have
their staple food on the
table. You plant irrigated
rice on half the land you
have, which yields three-
quarters of all the rice in
the world. Now imagine
needing to harvest more
while your land steadily
shrinks, water supply
dwindles, costs skyrocket,
and laborers decrease. This
is the huge task that Asia’s
rice farmers labor at every
day. And this is why the
Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) was
established 11 years ago.
Building bridges
between national agricul-
tural research and extension
systems and the Interna-
tional Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), the IRRC helps irri-
gated-rice farmers raise their
profits, ensure food security,
and strike a healthy balance
with the natural environment,
while achieving economic
progress. The IRRC Country
Outreach Programs (ICOPs)
have disseminated tech-
nologies to member countries
such as Indonesia, Myan-
mar, and the Philippines.
With Phase 3 in full
swing, it is time to cap-
ture and document IRRC’s
progress in Asia through a
workshop entitled “Research
to Impact: Case Studies for
Natural Resource Manage-
ment of Irrigated Rice in
Asia.” Country case studies
na, India, Indonesia, Laos,
Myanmar, the Philippines,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
The workshop will be
held at IRRI in Los Baños,
Laguna, Philippines, on
23-27 September. Delegates
will discuss how learning
took place within their ICOP
experience, from the realm
of research to the real world
of extension, where rice is
managed as a natural re-
source. This learning, when
documented, will pinpoint
which research and extension
work has the greatest impact,
and which innovations future
partnerships must focus on.
The expected outputs
are as follows: (1) learning
from ICOPs and associ-
ated research activities on
natural resource manage-
processes documented;
(3) enablers, blocks, and
effective pathways identi-
fied; and (4) proceedings
of papers published.
With this workshop,
the IRRC hopes to in-
crease outputs by IRRI
and national partners by
fi ne-focusing strategies for
research and extension. In
addition, knowing the new
ways that NRM technolo-
gies get adopted will help
the IRRC blaze a trail
toward its next phase in its
research to impact mission.
For more infor-
mation, please e-mail
Dr. Grant Singleton at
g.singleton@cgiar.org.
Lorelei Dela Cruz
(l.delacruz@cgiar.org)

4
Ripple April-June 2008
 Research streams
Rice dryer study earns award
R
amchandra Bhandari
received the VDI
Förderpreis 2007
award for his master’s thesis
on the evaluation of rice
husk-fueled box-type paddy
dryers in South Sumatra,
Indonesia. Mr. Bhandari’s
study was supported by
Mr. Budi Raharjo of the
Agricultural Institute of
Assessment Technology
(AIAT) in Palembang,
the South Sumatra Forest
Fire Management Project
(SSFFMP) led by Dr.
Karl Heinz Steinmann,
Mr. Djoko Setijono, Mr.
Gerald Hitzler, and IRRC
Postproduction Work Group
leader Martin Gummert.
VDI or “The Association
of German Engineers” is
a nonprofit organization
of 132,000 engineers and
natural scientists. Founded
in 1856, the VDI is Western
Europe’s largest engineering
association today.
In South Sumatra, the
fi rst box-type paddy dryer
*Exchange rate as of 30 April 2007.
(grains larger than 85% of
full size) than sun drying. In
dryers were chosen and a total South Sumatra markets, the
of eight experiments were separation of whole grains
carried out with commercial from broken grains is one of
operation of the dryers using the most important economic
the operators’ paddy. Key indicators in determining the
parameters were measured selling price of rice. Milled
every hour and were used to rice from mechanical dryers
compare the box dryers with also commanded a higher
sun drying in terms of drying price than sun-dried rice.
performance, rice quality, The study concluded that
and economics of drying. the milling yields of box-
In terms of head rice, dried and sun-dried paddy
under the same working did not differ significantly.
(also called flat-bed dryer) RICE QUALITY
Percentage
with 3.3-ton capacity and rice 100
78.2
husk furnace was installed 80
in 2004 at a farmers’ coop-
55.7
55.7
54.8
52.5
52.5
60 Whole grains
erative in Upang Village by
40.8
38.7
37.3
36.2
Large brokens
28.8
the AIAT with support from 40 Small brokens
17.8
15.5
the SSFFMP. Because the 20
8.8
7.9
8.2
6.7
4.0
mechanical dryer produced 0
better-quality milled rice Box dryer Sun drying Box dryer Sun drying Box dryer Sun drying
Muliasari Upangceria Upang
than traditional sun drying,
more than 30 mechanical
dryers have been installed by
MILLING YIELD
private users in Muliasari,
Percentage
Upang, and Upangceria. The 100
individual drying capacity
69.8
70.0
80
63.8
63.6
63.0
62.5
of each dryer varies from
60 Rice
3.5 to 10 tons of harvested Bran
paddy per batch, accounting 40 Hus k
22.0
21.3
20.3
20.0
18.6
18.8
17.8
17.0
15.0
14.5
for a total drying capacity of 20
9.5
9.5
about 214.5 tons per batch. 0
The study assessed the Box dryer Sun drying Box dryer Sun drying Box dryer Sun drying
Mulias ari Upangceria Upang
performance of the dryers,
determined the effect of The figures above show rice quality and milling yield for a box dryer
mechanical drying on rice and sun drying.
quality, and assessed its eco-
nomic viability. It also aimed conditions of the milling unit, However, paddy dried in a
to compare rice quality from the quality of rice from the box dryer had better qual-
mechanical dryers with that box dryer was always higher ity than that from sun-dried
from traditional sun drying. than that from sun drying. paddy. The study recom-
The experiments were Mechanical drying also mends using the box dryer to
done in April 2007. Three box yielded more whole grains increase farmers’ profit when
they sell their high-quality
rice, provided that there is a
market for it and that operat-
ing conditions are good.
Trina Mendoza (adapted from a
report by M. Gummert, R.
Bhandari, and H. Gaese)
5
Ripple April-June 2008
 Ripples of change
Drum seeders pick up
the beat in Myanmar
“T
he performance
of the drum
seeders is quite
satisfactory and economically
efficient,” says Dr. Tin
Hla, national coordinator
of the International Rice
Research Institute’s
(IRRI) office in Myanmar.
This he reported after an
intensive demonstration of
Vietnamese plastic drum
seeders in January in the
townships of Hlegu, Taikkyi,
and Htantapin in Yangon
Division, and in Letpadan,
Oakpho, Thayarwaddy,
Minhla, and Pyay in West
Bago Division in February.
IRRI has been working
with the government of Myan-
mar in developing improved
technologies to increase rice
production. A memorandum
Best wishes, Debbie;
welcome, Bing!
T
he IRRC bids
farewell and good
luck to Dr. Deborah
(Debbie) Templeton,
and welcomes Lorelei
(Bing) Dela Cruz.
Dr. Templeton is an
economist/social scientist
and impact assessment
specialist of the IRRI Social
Sciences Division. She
served as a mentor to Are-
6
of agreement was signed on
29 June 2006 between IRRI
and Myanma Agriculture
Service (MAS) to develop
and promote technologies in
rice production through the
Irrigated Rice Research Con-
sortium (IRRC) in Ayeyar-
wady, Bago, Yangon, Mag-
way, Mandalay, and Sagaing
divisions. An increase in rice
production in Myanmar is
needed to feed the country’s
56 million-and-growing
population, and to earn extra
income by exporting rice.
One of the IRRC technol-
ogies being promoted is the
drum seeder. The IRRC La-
bor Productivity Work Group,
led by weed scientists David
Johnson with Joel Janiya,
introduced the Vietnamese
plastic rice drum seeders in
It is easier to use
a push weeder for
interrow cultiva-
tion when rice is
sown in rows using
a drum seeder.
lene Malabayabas and Aibee
Rodriguez of the IRRC in
assessing the impact of IRRC
technologies, specifically
site-specific nutrient manage-
ment in Vietnam and direct
seeding of rice in India and
Bangladesh. Her significant
contribution to the IRRC
and warm personality will
be sorely missed. We wish
her luck and success as she
Ripple April-June 2008
More farmers are saying yes to drum seeders in Myanmar
because they benefit from using less seeds and labor, as
well as the ease drum seeders bring in operations such
as weed control and pest management.
the country. They are work-
ing actively with MAS work
group leaders and regional
extension staff in testing the
machines with participating
farmers. The fi rst batch of
25 IRRC-funded Vietnam-
ese drum seeders arrived in
Myanmar on 29 November
2006 and a second batch of
30 seeders followed on 22
August 2007. Dr. Tin Hla is
closely monitoring the project
and facilitating increasing
activity with MAS senior
officials and is also involved
in farmers’ training, field
visits, and demonstrations.
With more farmers be-
ing satisfied with the drum
seeders, the machines were
thus widely distributed in the
summer rice-growing season
of 2008. “Compared with
Dr. Templeton tries threshing rice
in Vietnam. (Photo by M. Gummert)
broadcasting, about 50–60%
less rice seed is needed, there
are savings in labor cost, and
these machines are easier
to use in operations such as
weed control, pest manage-
ment, interrow cultivation by
a push weeder, and harvest-
ing,” says Dr. Tin Hla.
Some of the farmers
and private entrepreneurs
(Myanma Rice Millers’ As-
sociation) expressed their
willingness to use this plastic
drum seeder in more areas
in the near future. More-
over, there is a big potential
for intensively using these
seeders during the irrigated
summer rice-growing season.
Tin Hla (irri.mya@mptmail.
net.mm) and Trina Mendoza
returns to her native Austra-
lia to resume her post at the
Australian Centre for Interna-
tional Agricultural Research.
Meanwhile, the IRRC
welcomes Lorelei Dela Cruz
to the Coordination Unit. She
joined on 24 March to help
develop communication and
extension materials for the
IRRC. She holds a master’s
degree in development com-
munication and a bachelor’s
degree in biology from the
University of the Philippines.

Field days cap farmers’
training in Pangasinan
Farmers receive diplomas for completing the two-year training
on direct seeding using a drum seeder and SSNM under PhilRice.
(Photo by R. Flor)
O
n 15 and 25 February,
IRRC staff attended
farmers’ field days
in Mangatarem and San
Jacinto, Pangasinan, in
the Philippines. The field
days were organized by the
Philippine Rice Research
Institute (PhilRice), the
Department of Agriculture
(DA), and local government
units, with support from
the Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) as part of
the IRRC Country Outreach
Program (ICOP) in the
Save water, save our rice!
F
or the International
Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), “Rice is Life.”
But we all know that without
water, there is no life. Rice
farmers today struggle to
produce enough rice for a
growing population with less
and less water available, so
they need to use technologies
designed to optimize the use
of water. IRRC partners make
sure that these technologies
reach the farmers.
This is precisely why
experts on water-saving
technologies convened on
26-28 March at IRRI. En-
titled “Workshop on Adoption
Philippines. PhilRice has been
involved in training these
farmers for 2 years on IRRC
technologies such as site-
specific nutrient management
(SSNM) and direct seeding
using a drum seeder, and will
now monitor these towns to
test whether the technologies
will be sustainable.
“PhilRice usually col-
laborates with different
LGUs for 2 years only, then
slowly disengages,” says
Engr. Leo Javier, program
leader of the Knowledge
and Impact of Water Sav-
ings in the Philippines,” the
3-day event brought together
partners of the Water-Sav-
ing Work Group of the IRRC
in a discussion on the status
of extension and adoption of
water-saving technologies
implemented in different
areas all over the Philippines.
Represented were Bulacan
Agricultural State College,
Philippine Rice Research
Institute, Bureau of Soils and
Water Management, National
Irrigation Administration
(including representatives
from its offices in Quezon
City, Bohol, Region VII-VIII,
Ripple April-June 2008
Management and Promotion
Division of PhilRice. “Hope-
fully, the municipal agricul-
tural offices will continue
and extend these technolo-
gies to other barangays.”
Both field days began
with a visit to some farm-
ers’ fields. Participants were
then asked to choose which
rice variety they liked best
among several that were
planted in one farmer’s field.
Farmers’ graduation
ceremonies after the 2-year
training under PhilRice were
another highlight in both
events. In Mangatarem, 28
farmers received their diplo-
mas. About 75 guests and
Pangasinan farmer Ponciano Munar shows
off his healthy plants and shares his
experiences in using IRRC technologies in
his ricefield. (Photo by T. Mendoza)
Bulacan, Tarlac, Tacloban
City, UPRIIS-Cabanatuan
City, and Ilocos Norte), Pro-
vincial Irrigation Administra-
tion-Bohol, Central Luzon
State University, Philippine
Council for Agriculture,
Forestry and Natural Re-
sources Research and Devel-
opment, and the Casecnan
Project in Nueva Ecija.
In the plenary session,
participants presented the
activities done on validation
and dissemination of alternate
wetting and drying (AWD),
one of many important water-
saving techniques. Research
done on adoption and impact
of water-saving technologies
at some of the sites was also
participants gathered in Ba-
rangay CBN, including IRRC
communication specialist
Trina Mendoza, DA officials,
and representatives from the
fi nancing nongovernment
organization Alalay sa Kaun-
laran, Inc. In her message to
farmers, Ms. Mendoza said
that IRRI and the IRRC will
continue to provide technical
assistance through PhilRice,
sharing the lessons learned
from working across 11 Asian
countries. She said that the
challenge for the IRRC is
to continue working with
farmers to sustain the use
of innovative technologies.
Trina Mendoza
discussed. Delegates freely
contributed to discussions on
the cases presented, which re-
vealed important insights into
the different issues involved.
The participants discussed
how far the technologies have
gone in terms of dissemina-
tion and adoption from par-
ticipatory experimental plots
to farm and irrigation system
levels. The water-saving im-
pact-pathway experiences that
sprang from the discussions
were documented, includ-
ing local success stories.
In the workshop, the dele-
gates were grouped into teams
to brainstorm and plan further
actions. Their main concern
> continued on page 8
7
 Save water... from page 7
is how to disseminate AWD
to a wider reach of farmers.
They also tackled questions
on how to promote AWD at
the policy level. They shared
experiences on the extent of
adoption of AWD in their
areas. Research gaps were
also identified, in the hope of
refi ning the research process.
Delegates also voiced sugges-
tions on how to disseminate
An Giang, Vietnam—setting an example
I
n early February,
the IRRC and IRRI
received letters from
the People’s Committee of
An Giang, in the Mekong
River Delta of Vietnam.
This group requested that
the IRRC work closely
with the Department of
Agriculture and Rural
Development (DARD)
of An Giang Province
and the Plant Protection
Department (PPD) to
assist with the application
of technologies to raise
the productivity of rice
cultivation. Together with
neighboring provinces Tien
Giang and Dong Thap, An
Giang is the premier rice-
growing region of Vietnam.
These three provinces
together provide a third of
the rice produced in the
Mekong River Delta and are
important for the success of
Vietnam’s rice export trade.
In late February, Dr.
Grant Singleton, IRRC
coordinator, visited An
Giang and met with Mr.
Nguyen Van Phuong (direc-
tor, DARD), Mr. Nguyen
Huu Huan (deputy direc-
tor general, PPD), Dr.
Mai Thanh Phung (deputy
director, National Agricul-
ture Extension Center), and
Mr. Nguyen Huu Ang (An
8
the technologies on a large scale.
The workshop was under-
taken by the Water-Saving Work
Group of the IRRC and the
project “Developing a System
of Temperate and Tropical
Aerobic Rice (STAR) in Asia”
under the Challenge Program
on Water and Food (CPWF).
More about the workshop in
RIPPLE’s July-September issue!
Lorelei Dela Cruz and Rica
Joy Flor (r.flor@cgiar.org)
Giang sub PPD). In An Giang,
the DARD currently has 30
hectares under best practice
(Thoai Son District), with
plans to expand to 10,000
hectares and 15,000 house-
holds by 2010. If successful,
it is expected that diffusion
of best-practice technologies
will be rapid beyond 2010
through diffusion from one
farmer commune to another,
and from farmer to farmer.
The aim is to develop An
Giang as a model province for
best practice for rice produc-
tion. The IRRC will provide
technical assistance by advis-
ing on the training of trainers,
developing a business plan
for the use of laser leveling
and postproduction tehnolo-
gies, provide technical advice
on an integrated approach to
best practice management
of lowland irrigated rice,
and assist with document-
ing the learning from this
initiative and document-
ing the impacts on farmers.
The learning is essential
for developing a national
strategy for scaling out best
management practices for the
production of irrigated rice.
This initiative will
be overseen by a national
advisory committee of the
Ministry for Agriculture
and Rural Development
Ripple April-June 2008
Dr. Yas Hosen explains their research on the effects of
AWD in relation to greenhouse gas emissions. Preliminary
findings suggest the positive effect of AWD in minimizing
methane release from rice plants. (Photo by R. Flor)
VIETNAM
AN GIANG
(MARD). This committee
will ensure outreach of the
lessons learned from this
initiative to other provinces.
The committee will report
directly to a MARD vice
minister and this is a proven
pathway for dissemination
of technologies, through sub
PPDs, provincial departments
of agriculture, local media,
and links with nongovern-
ment organizations such as
World Vision (through their
area development programs).
Dr. Singleton visited
demonstration sites for vari-
ous IRRC technologies at two
locations in An Giang. The
fi rst was in Chau Thanh Dis-
trict, a site laser-leveled three
years ago. Alternate wet-
ting and drying (AWD) was
introduced 2 years ago and
the farmer is very pleased
with the savings in fuel costs
(water is pumped; previously
irrigated 7–8 times, now
5–6 times, with less water
each time). Also, because
of leveling and AWD, she
has had a 1 ton/hectare
(t/ha) increase in production
(now 8 t/ha). She also has
saved on seed and fertil-
izer costs and uses a drum
seeder to establish the crop.
The second site was in
Tri Ton District, a 15-ha site
that was laser-leveled in early
2007. The farmer, Nguyen
Loi Duc, was trained through
an IRRC-coordinated initia-
tive to laser-level. He is very
impressed with the results of
the laser leveling—reduced
fuel costs and fertilizer
use; better control of weedy
rice, golden apple snail, and
rats. Mr. Duc commented
that yields have increased
from 5.3 to 6–6.5 t/ha.
These are exciting
developments in An Giang.
Future issues of RIPPLE will
report on developments and
progress with the scaling
out of IRRC technologies
to smallholder farmers in
the Mekong River Delta.
Grant Singleton
Transcending tradition in Vietnam
R
ural Vietnam, like the
rest of this culturally
rich country, is a
showcase of tradition. The
growing demand for rice,
however, has encouraged
farmers to explore new
agricultural technologies
that promise better results
than traditional methods.
To fi nd out how certain
technologies from the
International Rice Research
Institute are affecting the
Vietnamese farming scene,
Divina Gracia Rodriguez
and Carlito Balingbing of
the Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC) visited
Hanoi and the provinces of
Nam Dinh and Long An from
late February to early March.
In Hanoi, they met with
Dr. Nguyen Thi Duong Nga
and other faculty members
of the Hanoi University of
Agriculture. Together, they
laid out the fi nal plans for
upcoming impact assessment
activities of the IRRC project
with the Asian Development
Bank and the Japan Fund for
Poverty Reduction (ADB-
JFPR) called “Improving Poor
Farmers’ Livelihoods through
Improved Rice Postharvest
Technology.” These activi-
ties will take place in Nam
Dinh and Long An prov-
inces from June to July.
Dr. Nga (extreme right) conducts interviews
with selected farmer participants and extension
workers iin Nhon Ninh Village, Long An
Province.
Next on their itinerary
were meetings with Dr. Tran
Thi Mai and Ms. Hoang Thi
Tuat of the Vietnam Institute
for Agricultural Engineering
and Postharvest Technol-
ogy in Nam Dinh Province’s
Yen Phong Village and Mr.
Vu Cong Khanh, head of the
Food Processing Division of
the Southern Sub-Institute
of Agricultural Engineering
and Postharvest Technology,
in Long An Province’s Nhon
Ninh and Hau Thanh Dong
communes. There they tested
evaluation questionnaires
among beneficiary farmers to
refi ne the instrument that will
measure impact of the ADB-
JFPR project. In their field
visits, the team witnessed how
these technologies are faring
in the different villages.
Hermetic storage system
The 50-kilogram IRRI
Super Bags are airtight
containers that protect grain
from pests and moisture from
the humid environment. In
the villages of Yen Phong and
Yen Khang in Nam Dinh,
group discussions showed
that farmers greatly appreci-
ate the Super Bag. However,
Yen Khang farmers often
overfill the bags to as much
as 70 kilograms, and use
them without the protective
Ripple April-June 2008
outer sack lining that prevents
scratches and punctures. Ap-
parently, farmers there need
more technical assistance on
the proper use of the bags.
In Long An Province,
farmers use the Super Bags
correctly and appreciate the
principle of hermetic storage.
They claim that the bags pre-
vent insect and rodent infesta-
tion and jack up germination
rates to 85%, up from the
usual 50% using traditional
storage. In Hau Thanh Dong
in Tan Thanh District, germi-
nation rate is even higher at
90%, up from 20% or lower
using traditional storage.
Meanwhile, the 5-
ton Volcani Cube proved
impractical in Nam Dinh
because of the small amount
of paddy stored, but it was
a big hit among rice farm-
ers in Hau Thanh Dong.
Mechanical/flat-bed dryer
(FBD)
In Yen Phong and Yen
Khang villages in Nam Dinh,
farmers widely used both
the smaller capacity (1-ton)
dryer and the low-cost 500-
kilogram dryer, although
the dryer required coal and
electricity. The dryer is used
Site visit to a rice mill owned
and operated by one of
the project’s trainees.
mostly during bad weather;
otherwise, solar drying is
still used. Meanwhile, the
4-ton dryer benefited Long
An farmers in Nhon Ninh
commune, who attested to
the better milling quality
of FBD-dried grain. In Hau
Tanh Dong Village, farm-
ers are building a second
4-ton dryer next to the fi rst.
Quality kit/IRRI moisture
meter
This gadget helps prevent
grains from being over- or
underdried, cutting farm-
ers’ losses and maximizing
their profits. Unfortunately,
in Nhon Ninh Village, only
five out of 12 units were
functional, and none in Yen
Phong. In Han Tanh Dong,
all units are regularly used.
Hopefully, these tech-
nologies, when used properly,
will help boost the quality
and quantity of rice produced
to feed our hungry world.
Story by Lorelei Dela Cruz, photos
by Divina Gracia Rodriguez
9
 Profiles
THE DOCTOR IS IN: Dr. Sarwani (extreme
right) checks a demonstration plot on
integrated crop management in Central
Kalimantan, Indonesia, which was visited by
crowds, including the president and the
ministry.
Swimming in the tides
of progress
S
oft-spoken and
unassuming, Dr.
Muhrizal Sarwani
seems the perfect epitome
of a stereotype scientist
hiding away in his laboratory.
He describes himself as in
between an introvert and
an extrovert, taking time
to know someone before
he warms up to them. And
yet his role as the new
director of the Indonesian
Center for Agriculture
Technology Assessment
for Rural Development
(ICATAD) demands that he
face people day in and out.
ICATAD is a national
organization with 79 em-
ployees based in Bogor,
Indonesia. It coordinates 32
smaller research-extension
facilities each called Assess-
ment Institute of Agricul-
tural Technology (AIAT) or
Balai Pengkajian Teknologi
Pertanian (BPTP) in Bahasa,
with one AIAT per province.
About 84 employees work
in each AIAT, and there
are almost 835 researchers
and 264 extension special-
ists in all the AIATs.
ONE BIG, HAPPY FAMILY: Dr. Sarwani and
“AIAT’s role is to spread
wife Mahrita with sons Fajri, Siraj, and Zaki.
technologies to the farmers,”
10
says Dr. Sarwani. “We have
to adapt the technology to
the local and social condi-
tions of a province before
bringing it to the farmers.”
He cites an example of rice
preference in West Sumatra
to emphasize his point. “In
West Sumatra,” he says “they
do not like glutinous rice. If
you start giving them rice
varieties, even though they
are high-yielding, without
knowing their preference,
there will be lower adoption
because the farmers do not
like the rice.” He realizes that
technology dissemination is
the bottleneck in transferring
technologies in Indonesia, and
how to make things simple
Ripple April-June 2008
for the farmers. “This is why
we built the AIAT,” he says.
Aside from the AIAT,
which has been around for
about 12 years, Indonesia
now has the Prima Tani
program, a model they use
to bring technologies to
villages faster. Dr. Sarwani
is passionate about AIAT
because he was a researcher
in an AIAT in Central
Kalimantan. Dr. Sarwani, a
soil and water scientist, used
to study tidal wetland rice
in swamp areas in Central
Kalimantan, where there is
not much irrigated rice.
Growing up in tidal
wetland areas eventually
inspired him to study soil
science. “I lived near the
riverbank,” he narrates.
“Our river was very big,
about as big as the Mekong,
about 1-kilometer wide. I
learned how to swim when
I was 5.” He pursued his
MS in soil fertility at the
Wageningen University of
Research, Netherlands, and
his PhD in soil management
at Universiti Putra Malaysia.
A pivotal moment in
his career was his appoint-
ment as head of the AIAT
in Central Kalimantan after
20 years as a researcher.
This was his turning point
from being a scientist in
the laboratory to a coordi-
nator out in the field. For
him, learning to organize
and work with local govern-
ment units was a memorable
time in his career. In fact, he
admits that had he not been
a scientist, he would have
wanted to be a social worker.
But for now, he is en-
joying his new role as the
director of ICATAD, hav-
ing been in the position only
since December 2007. His
new job has stationed him in
Bogor, where he lives with
his wife, Mahrita. His three
sons, Siraj, 22, Fajri, 20, and
Zaki, 16, are all living on
campus, far from Bogor, but
Dr. Sarwani does not seem
to worry. “Sooner or later,
they will all get married,”
he explains lightheartedly.
He does remember,
though, that when he was
studying for his PhD in
Malaysia, he used to take
his three boys swimming
every weekend. Dr. Sarwani
could then swim 20 laps in
an Olympic-sized pool. With
his swimming days behind,
he relaxes by reading mostly
motivational books or novels.
He confesses to being a rock
music fan in his younger days,
having grown up with an un-
cle who listened to the famous
rock band Queen. Now, he
listens mostly to soothing mu-
sic from the 1960s and ’70s
by singers like Frank Sinatra.
Clearly, his quiet de-
meanor does not mean that he
simply stood by the sidelines
and waited for good things to
come his way. He has this to
say to today’s youth: “If you
want to achieve something,
do it well and be focused and
serious about it. If some-
one asks something of you,
you give more than what is
expected, and you will get
more in return. Share your
talents with others, and don’t
keep them to yourself.”
Trina Mendoza
The engineer at the helm
R
ice-growing has
never been an easy
task: planting at
the right time with good-
quality seeds, giving the
right amount of water and
fertilizer, protecting the crops
from pests and diseases.
You’d think that after you’ve
harvested healthy plants, you
can let out a sigh of relief
and relax. But no, the job
isn’t fi nished yet, not even
close. You have to mill the
grains, dry them, and store
them well until they reach
the markets and get sold. But
most farmers fi nd it hard to
take care of the grains after
the harvest, mostly because
of delay in drying, poor
storage, poorly maintained
or old rice mills, and losses
to pests. Indeed, a rice
farmer’s life is a hard life.
But people like Mar-
tin Gummert are trying to
make their lives a bit easier.
A postharvest development
specialist at the International
Rice Research Institute, Engr.
Gummert works with part-
ners in various countries to
develop new technologies
and methods for everything
that is done with rice after
the harvest until it is sold in
the market. “For example,
using a mechanical rice dryer
instead of drying the paddy
in the sun keeps it safe from
chickens eating it or from the
rain,” he says. “The family
can now send their kids to
do their homework because
they don’t have to watch the
sun-dried paddy anymore and
the farmers can sell healthier
paddy with better quality for
a higher price. With dry-
ers and other postharvest
technologies, we therefore
help farmers and their
families have better lives.”
Engr. Gummert fi nds
his job at IRRI rewarding,
meeting exciting and out-
standing people who do their
share in moving their coun-
tries toward a better future.
“The Irrigated Rice Research
Consortium (IRRC),” he
says, “is part of that network
because it focuses on improv-
ing the lives of farmers and
rice consumers by getting
good research results out to
them. I really enjoy contrib-
uting as a facilitator of the
Postproduction Work Group.
And it is good fun working
with the multidisciplinary
‘Dream Team’ of the IRRC.”
He was with IRRI from
1993 to 1997 and, since 2003,
he has been working in Laos,
Cambodia, Myanmar, Indone-
sia, Vietnam, and the Philip-
pines. He got into postharvest
development by accident
while designing a combine
harvester test rig at Hohen-
heim University in Germany.
During his professional ca-
reer, he has also worked as
a team leader of an industry
promotion project in Indone-
sia, as a freelance consultant
for donor-funded development
projects, and for fi rms in elec-
tronics and software develop-
ment in his native Germany.
His interest has remained in
agricultural engineering in
general, but he was drawn to
and stuck to postharvest be-
cause many people, especially
Engr. Gummert makes sure farmers’ produce
is in top shape until it is sold in the market.
Ripple April-June 2008
the farmers, relied on it.
And, because of the high
losses in the postharvest
chain, every new develop-
ment was rewarding.
When he’s not busy
working with harvesters
or dryers, he might be out
building boats. He enjoys
sailing and traveling with
his wife and two daugh-
ters, and he likes vintage
motorcycles, scuba diving,
skiing, and listening to
mostly 1970s music. “Dur-
ing the ‘spring’ break, I plan designed in 1947 by Clark Mills.
to tour around the Mountain Martin’s
Province (Philippines) on
motorcycle, and every year and Kata, 10.
when I go home to Germany,
I tour Europe on my 1,000cc
BMW motorcycle,” he says.
For now, though, he has
a lot of work on his plate.
His work group has piloted
and verified harvesters, dry-
ers, and storage systems
with farmers in the field and
shown the benefits from using tion about the options they
them. They’ve also worked
with the private sector in
improving their milling and
processing systems. Lately,
they’ve introduced village
market information systems
in Cambodia and shown
that making markets more
transparent can help farm-
ers increase their incomes.
His group is also look-
ing at new approaches to get
SAILING IN SATISFACTION: Martin
built this boat with his kids last year.
The boat is called an Optimist,
idea of a perfect vacation is
sailing on a yacht with friends and
wife Mavic, and daughters Miriam, 13,
the message out to users by
working with the IRRI Rice
Knowledge Bank group and
national extension systems: “I
strongly believe that farmers
are able to make their own
decisions as long as they are
provided with good informa-
have,” he explains. “If we are
going to buy a car, we want
information on color options,
performance, fuel consump-
tion. What we don’t want is
a salesperson telling us ‘this
car is the best for you and
you can’t get another one’.”
As for goals that he still
wants to achieve, he says,
“Well, it’s difficult to say,
could be coming up with a
product that really makes a
difference in many people’s
lives, but generally speaking,
since our job is to help people
and countries develop their
own capacity to solve their
problems, I guess my ultimate
goal in my professional life
is to work myself out of the
job. If our clients don’t need
me anymore because they can
do the job themselves—mis-
sion accomplished.”
Trina Mendoza
11
Participants in the Workshop on Adoption and Impact of Water Savings in Rice
in the Philippines, held on 26-28 March 2008 at IRRI. (Photo by R. Panaligan)
Upcoming events
(April -September 2008)
Workshops and conferences
5th International Crop Science
Conference, Jeju, South
Korea, 13-18 April 2008.
Lessons Learned Workshop of
the IRRC Postproduction
Work Group and ADB Post-
harvest Project, Mekong Del-
ta, Vietnam, 6-8 May 2008.
IRRC stakeholder meeting for
Phase 4. Vientiane, Lao
PDR. 10-11 June 2008.
Research to Impact: Case Stud-
ies for Natural Resources
Management of Irrigated
Rice in Asia, IRRI, 23-
27 September 2008.
Postproduction
Work Group
Seed and grain quality
training for extension staff,
Yangon, Myanmar, May 2008.
Qualitative impact assess-
ment of postharvest activities,
Battambang and Prey Veng,
Cambodia, 9-22 May 2008.
Focus group discussions
and key informant interviews
to gather qualitative data on
postharvest technologies, Cam-
bodia, 10-22 May 2008.
Follow-up economic im-
pact assessment survey, Prey
Veng and Battambang, Cam-
bodia, 1-12 June 2008.
Impact assessment survey
in Nam Dinh Province, Viet-
nam, 22 June to 3 July 2008,
and in Long An Province,
Vietnam, 20-31 July 2008.
Postharvest training for
Africa, 30 June to 11 July 2008.
Productivity and Sustain-
ability Work Group
Meetings in the Philip-
pines to revise and fi nal-
ize release of the Nutrient
Manager decision system,
April to early May 2008.
Field visit to eastern India This can be found in the book
and Bangladesh, May 2008.
Meetings in Vietnam
on the development of the
Nutrient Manager deci-
sion system, May 2008.
Labor Productivity
Work Group
Visit to South and South-
east Sulawesi to initiate col-
laboration and field activities
on ACIAR project entitled
“Improving rice productiv-
ity in South and Southeast
Sulawesi,” April 2008.
Visit to Myanmar
to review fieldwork and
make plans for 2008 wet
season, May 2008
Paper presentation at PMCP
Conference, Palawan, Philip-
pines, 6-9 May 2008.
Discussion with BAPC on results of
season trial and future plans,
Bohol, Philippines, May 2008.
Publications
Book
Riches CR, Harris D, Johnson
DE, Hardy B, editors. 2008.
Improving agricultural pro-
ductivity in rice-based sys-
tems of the High Barind Tract
of Bangladesh. Los Baños
(Philippines): International
Rice Research Institute. 215 p.
Book chapter
cited above.
Johnson DE, Haefele SM,
Rathore AL, Pane H. 2008.
Direct seeding of rice and op-
portunities for improving pro-
ductivity in Asia. p 201-215.
International journals
Arthur AD, Pech RP, Single-
ton GR. 2007. Cross-strain
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION TEAM
IRRC: Trina Leah Mendoza, Grant Singleton,
Lorelei Dela Cruz, Jennifer Hernandez
CPS: Tess Rola, Bill Hardy
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS: Tin Hla, Rica Joy Flor
protection reduces effectiveness
of virally-vectored fertility con-
trol— results from individual-
based, multi-strain models. J
Applied Ecology 44:1252-1262.
Chauhan BS, Johnson DE. 2008.
Seed germination and seedling
emergence og giant sensi-
tive plant (Mimosa invisa).
Weed Sci. 56: 244-248.
Huang J, He F, Cui K, Buresh RJ,
Xu B, Gong W, Peng S. 2008.
Determination of optimal
nitrogen rate for rice variet-
ies using a chlorophyll meter.
Field Crops Res. 105:70-80.
Palis FG, Singleton GR, Sum-
alde Z, Hossain M. 2007. The
social and cultural dimensions
of rodent pest management.
Integrative Zoology 2:174-183.
Thuy NH, Shan Y, Bijay-Singh,
Wang K, Cai Z, Yadvinder-
Singh, Buresh RJ. 2008.
Nitrogen supply in rice-based
cropping systems as affected by
crop residue management. Soil
Sci. Soc. Am. J. 72:514-523.
Team