News
(28 March 2023) -- According to Indonesian legend, rice was bestowed upon the island of Java by the goddess Dewi Sri. Pitying its inhabitants the blandness of their existing staple, cassava, she taught them how to nurture rice seedlings in lush green paddy fields. In India, the Hindu goddess Annapurna is said to have played a similar role; in Japan, Inari. Across Asia, rice has been conferred with a divine, and usually feminine, origin story.
(15 March 2023) -- To promote rice straw circular economy in Vietnam, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), together with the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), conducted a training workshop on developing and demonstrating a mechanized rice straw composting business model in Can Tho City, Vietnam on 23 September 2022.
(13 March 2023) -- New LLL technology signals greener pastures for struggling rice farmers, boosting revenue while giving Mother Nature a break
(18 January 2023) -- Scientists from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and local partners, held capacity-building activities for government officers under the Thai Rice Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Project. Under this project, IRRI aims to contribute to the calculation and verification of the prospected emission reductions and monitoring of co-benefits in the field; and provide advice and training on field implementation of the mitigation technologies.
(10 January 2023) -- The IRRI mechanization and postharvest experts held a sustainable rice straw management training last December 13-15, 2022 in Thailand. The training was done under the Thai Rice Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) Project funded by the NAMA Facility and implemented by the Thai Rice Department and GIZ. The National Agricultural Machinery Center (NAMC), Kasetsart University welcomed all the participants coming from the country’s different rice industry sectors.
(22 November 2022) -- Listening to the political reactions, the aftertaste of the climate summit in Egypt is not a positive one. Solid agreements seem to have only been reached about financial aspects. What are the views of WURs climate scientists Tim van Hattum and Ivo Demmers on the international summit in Egypt?
(27 September 2022) -- To promote rice straw circular economy in Vietnam, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), together with the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), conducted a training workshop on developing and demonstrating a mechanized rice straw composting business model in Can Tho City, Vietnam on 23 September 2022.
Vietnam’s first ‘AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live’: An International Success
(01 September 2022) -- Almost 4,000 attendees; 80 companies with machinery demonstrations and displays from tillage and sowing to harvesting and grain handling; 22-hectare trial and demonstration plots – conferences on mechanization – official opening by Minister of Agriculture – 24-26 August in Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
(23 May 2022) -- Studies show that rice production is both a victim and a contributor to climate change. At least 10 percent of global man-made methane comes from traditional rice cultivation methods, including flooding rice paddy fields and burning rice straw.
(25 June 2022) -- Rice is an essential staple food for 3.5 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population. Yet, this popular food is accompanied by its negative impact on the environment. In particular, rice is responsible for 10% of global methane emissions. System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which promotes a farming system that produces more outputs with reduced inputs, can be a better farming practice that conserves the environment by lowering polluting inputs while sustaining food security. We explore how SRI works, the benefits that come with it, and the future outlook of this innovative farming method.
(07 June 2022) -- The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Loc Troi Agricultural Research Institute signed an agreement on developing smart paddy logistics management and sustainable rice straw solutions at the Loc Troi Group’s 7th Science Café in An Giang Province. With this year’s theme, Solutions for sustainable, stable, and continuous agricultural production, the event attracted more than 70 representatives from various local and international private sectors and research and development agencies.
(24 November 2021) -- In order to help Vietnamese smallholder farmers tap into high-quality rice export markets, the International Rice Research Institute supported farmer groups and export companies in negotiating an inclusive rice farming contract that would encourage and support farmers in producing high-quality rice following sustainable production standards. Our authors describe the ideal contract that both parties agreed upon and discuss the changes in the enabling environment that are required to foster adoption of inclusive and sustainable contract farming in Vietnam.
(27 September 2021) -- The Agriculture Ministry, in close cooperation with the private sector and NGOs, has introduced a new laser technology to help farmers to accurately level their cultivated land.
(03 September 2021) -- The Thai Rice Department and the Thai German Climate Programme – Agriculture (TGCP-Agriculture) recently wrapped up online training on evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions following the so-called “Measurement, Reporting and Verification” (MRV) framework.
(09 July 2021) -- The International Rice Research Institute joins hands with Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture, other CGIAR centers, international organizations, and the private sectors in a series of dialogues ahead of the United Nations’ Food System Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021. The events bring together key people from state agencies, academia, NGOs, donor agencies and industry to help address existing and emerging challenges and opportunities in Vietnam's agri-food systems and inform policies and investments.
(26 March 2021) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) held the first workshop in support of planning the implementation of Vietnam's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in the rice sector. Aiming at setting priorities for NDC implementation in rice production, the workshop highlighted different NDC scenarios to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while gaining economic, social, and environmental benefits sustainably.
(10 November 2021) -- To integrate Climate-Smart Maps and Adaptation Plans (CS-MAP) in the policy framework of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), a policy dialogue event was held last October 19, 2021 with the support from the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security in Southeast Asia (CCAFS SEA) – hosted by IRRI Vietnam Office and jointly organized by the Department of Crop Production (DCP) of MARD.
(10 November 2021) -- After its successful ten-year run in the region, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) organized the Closing Conference on 26 October 2021. Hundreds of stakeholders and partners gathered (in-person and online) to celebrate its success and important achievements. Hosted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – Viet Nam Office, CCAFS SEA has done various interventions with its partners in its several priority countries, such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
(09 November 2021) -- Monday 8th November 2021 marks Adaptation Loss and Damage Day, set up by the COP26 Presidency to “highlight the need to adapt and also step up action on loss and damage resulting from extreme weather and slow onset events.”
(26 April 2021) -- Mr. Le Minh Hoan, Leader of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), gave a statement to the 1st Round Table of the Ministerial Policy Dialogues on Transition to Sustainable Agriculture Conference of Agriculture at COP26. He emphasized the country’s remarkable progress in transforming agriculture production to be sustainable and contribute to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
(01 April 2021) -- In Vietnam, rice is a dominant and important crop. Yet, traditional paddy rice production emits a significant amount of greenhouse gas (GHG), accounting for nearly 50% of the country’s agriculture emissions. As its contribution to fulfilling the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets, Vietnam has committed to cutting 8-25% of GHG emissions by 2030.
(26 March 2021) -- Việc sản xuất lúa gạo kết hợp giảm thiểu phát thải khí nhà kính sẽ mang lại lợi ích kinh tế - xã hội - môi trường một cách bền vững.
(30 September 2020) -- Top officials of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) led by its Vice Minister, Le Quoc Doanh, discussed the future directions of the research collaboration between MARD and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in a virtual meeting on 18 September 2020. Dr. Doanh acknowledged the fruitful 60-year partnership between IRRI and Vietnam, specifically on sharing rice varieties, providing capacity building, and expanding support to climate change and resource management.
(31 July 2019) -- The National Agriculture Extension Center (NAEC), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, formally launched the training materials on climate-smart production.
(29 May 2019) -- Agriculturists at a meeting have said farmers started reaping benefits of Alternate Drying and Wetting (AWD) irrigation technology in farming Boro rice saving up to 30 percent water and increasing rice output.
(01 July 2019) -- To mainstream climate change adaptation and mitigation in rice production, the National Agriculture Extension Center (NAEC) of Vietnam developed a set of training materials on climate-smart rice production for extension staff and rice farmers. With the help of experts from the various agencies attached to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, such as the institutes of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, NAEC drafted updated modules and presentations on the different steps of rice production and on effective communication and extension.
(12 March 2019) -- For more than five decades, CGIAR and its centers have been collaborating with Vietnamese partners in pursuing agricultural development, poverty eradication and sustainability in the country. CG Centers and CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) have done a lot of work in Vietnam on improving the income and livelihood of the rural population and helping them cope with the impacts of climate change.
(06 February 2019) -- When talking of climate impacts on rice and mitigation measures, farmers, extension agents, and relevant government institutions usually come to mind. Now, the private sector is becoming more visible in the picture.
A workshop jointly organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the UN Environment Programme highlighted the importance of involving the private sector in efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in rice production.
(01 January 2019) -- Since we live in an increasingly globalised world, we must make an attempt to seek global solutions to our local problem of paddy straw burning
(21 September 2018) -- The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) conferred the Innovation in Behavioural Change award to the Northwest Focal Area Network (FAN) for its effort in reducing methane emissions in rice production. FAN—a network comprising hundreds of farmers, well owners, researchers, and extension agents that focuses on rice-based systems—was recognized for disseminating climate-smart technologies like the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) to rice farmers across 8 districts and 17 locations in Rangpur, northern Bangladesh.
(05 May 2017) -- There are a myriad of ways to improve and sustain rice production in Laos, where rice is the most important crop. But, a basic requirement for attaining rice security in the country is the availability of quality and climate-resilient seeds.
At the seminar "Restructuring Vietnam rice sector period 2014-2020 towards higher added value and sustainable development for the construction of new countryside," the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration the international rice research Institute (IRRI) held 26/11, in Hanoi, IRRI has proposed agricultural support Vietnam shifted from rice production fragmented nature, lack of competition to growth comprehensive development, quality, added value and sustainable development, contributing to the modernization of Vietnam rice sector.
(25 April 2019) -- Agriculturists at a workshop have said use of alternate drying and wetting (AWD) irrigation method in Boro rice cultivation saves up to 30 per cent water and increases 15 per cent rice output.