IRRI At 65 Years Of Age – No One To Turn To For Love & Companionship Anymore?

“65” includes the years with “IR8.” Glory days no more. Forgotten. Nobody talks about the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) any longer. It has outlasted its welcome days following the much-reported success of its “IR8,” the “Miracle Rice” that stood upright no matter the water or weather, that yielded so much one farmer from one harvest could buy a new Honda motorcycle (Vietnam report) – no exaggeration.

And so today, 2025, rice has continued to be the main crop of much of Asia, thanks to IR8 and IRRI.

But: Rice is for the wet season. Now, why did IRRI not enrich the field literally by developing at least one other crop, for the dry season? That would have enriched the farmers tremendously!

But no. Because it was not in the design of IRRI as a research agency – it was dedicated to rice alone, hence the exclusive name of the agency itself. And so IRRI remained a one-crop-minded institution, basking in the sun with the whole world’s admiration for Miracle Rice.

Ah!

“The only good thing about the good, old days is that they’re gone” – Dick Gregory

“And luckily, therefore the good old days return. The traditional art of driving counts again, and it is all about good tactics, skills and reflexes instead of simple power.” – Jacky Ickx

A thought just occurred to me: How about IRRI now slowly turning itself into the International Institute for Multiple Crops (IIMC)?

First, IRRI will have to rethink its role in the Agriculture World by now devoting itself to studies on how farmers’ incomes can be increased. What we need today is to help the farmers of the world change from Poor to Rich, or at least Richer, by their own sweat. Without generating greenhouse gases that bring about Climate Change.

Right now, I can imagine IRRI scientists going about their works as if IR8 had not been invented by them, as if Miracle Rice had not worked wonders like indeed it had.

The life of IRRI scientists must be boring nowadays!

If I may suggest, as the son of an unrich farmer, that IRRI scientists study why the economics of miracle farming has not cultivated many millionaires in Asia?

More importantly, I being a UP Los Baños graduate (BS Ag Edu 1965) am recommending that IRRI become a learning place again! The IRRI scientists can start with what is now known as Regenerative Agriculture (RA), the concept originated by Robert Rodale. Here is my RA list (Mr Rodale does not have any such list):

(1) Cover Cropping,
(2) Crop Rotation,
(3) Farm Crops + Tree Crops (Agroforestry),
(4) Green Manuring,
(5) Intercropping,
(6) Multiple Cropping,
(7) No-Till Farming,
(8) Organic Fertilization,
(9) Ratooning,
(10) Rotational Grazing,
(11) “Three Sisters” Planting,
(12) Trap Cropping, and
(13) Trash Mulching.

Mr Rodale does say, “regenerative organic farming (is) a solution to global warming” (chrome-extension).

Then IRRI can become an exciting place to work in/with again. And the whole world will be excited for IRRI to succeed once more!@517