Based in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) was established in 1960. Via painstaking research, it came up with IR8, instantly dubbed “Golden Rice,” as it yielded much to make everyone happy, more so millions of farmers.
I’m looking at the
IRRI Annual Report online and it says
“IRRI Annual Report 2023 – Discover the progress of rice research”.
Yes, the title of
the AR says “2023” (and not “2024”) – it’s one (1) year late reporting
in this revolutionary times of digital writing, editing, and desktop
publishing! Too many hands spoil the broth? I can see, somebody needs a much-experienced
technical writer, technical editor, and desktop publisher combined in one body!
(“At your service!”)
In Rice Today, IRRI’s magazine (ricetoday.irri.org), IRRI is still in “Search for Best-Fitted
Varieties” – still worrying about Miracle Rice, and not acknowledging the fact
that cultivating IR8 will only exacerbate Climate Change because of the need
for chemical fertilizers and pesticides!
To redeem itself, IRRI must now disentangle
institutionally from CA and engage 100% in Regenerative Agriculture (RA). I know it’s probably almost impossible to
transform a 60-year old institution into a new one, but it has to be done! And
nobody will do it except IRRI itself!
As of this date, 15 April 2025, the IRRI
site says (irri.org):
Our Mission
IRRI is dedicated to abolishing poverty and hunger
among people and populations that depend on rice-based agri-food systems.
Through our work and partnerships, we aim to improve the health and welfare of
rice farmers and consumers; promote environmental sustainability in a world
challenged by climate change; and support the empowerment of women and the
youth in the rice industry.
“Abolishing
poverty and hunger”? IRRI, not yet!
I roam the
Internet every single day and think about it all the time – Climate Change will
not go away until Man changes habit and stop applying chemical fertilizers and
chemical pesticides by which much of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) are generated.
Modern farming generates its own worst enemy: Climate Change. By transforming
itself, IRRI can help save the world from the devastation of Climate Change!
How? IRRI must
begin, immediately, learning and teaching Regenerative
Agriculture (RA). There are in my list 13 RA practices, and none of them
is generative of GHGs; these are:
(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.
Otherwise – “Nice
meeting you. Goodbye, IRRI, we don’t need you anymore!”
Can we learn to grow IR8 adding to the field any
combination of the 13 RA practices? Yes! Like: (1) Cover Cropping, we can grow
a cover crop on the field before the growing season for rice. We can practice
(9) Ratooning on rice. Or (11) “Three Sisters” Planting where we harvest 3
crops. Include corn there. In any case, we save on the cost of (new) land
preparation 3 times!@517
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