Delegates from around the world convene to discuss rice health and security at the International Rice Congress 2023

The International Rice Congress 2023

Various events and activities of interest to all stakeholders, from the scientific and research communities to National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES) and regional development organisations, were held.

Among its main programmes was the International Rice Research Conference, where key experts and thought leaders worldwide discussed emerging, current, and future challenges of rice-based food systems and presented solutions.

Symposiums were at the forefront of the activities as well. The conversations about international hybrid rice and the sustainable rice platform were imperative in raising concerns about advancing hybrid rice technologies for food security and discussing new opportunities for making the rice sector more sustainable and equitable for farmers, respectively.

Topics like reimagined nature-based farming solutions, the transformation of rice value chains, and the challenges and opportunities of bringing direct-seeded rice to Asian and African farmers, among others, were also put in the spotlight.

A convention is also incomplete without an exhibition. The ‘IRC 2023 Exhibition’ provided stakeholders a platform to showcase their innovations and technologies. Apart from this, the recipient of the Art Seed Grant, the contemporary exhibition titled All Tomorrows’ Harvest was showcased. It treads the line between science and art, depicting how “science shows the way and art moves us to take that way.”

IRRI: The First Hundred Years 1960-2060

Despite the gloomy forecasts due to climate change, according to IRRI, “there is enough evidence that we have the know-how and the do-how.”

In the All Tomorrows’ Harvest exhibit, apart from the artists and their works, IRRI and Erwin Romulo also presented a proposed timeline—from past momentous events in the rice industry to forecasts about its future. It is a speculative vehicle to chronicle and juxtapose an institute’s work with corresponding world events.

Timeline Highlights

Last December 1959, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Philippine government and the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations to establish the IRRI, the first research facility on rice in the world. Fast forward to July 1965, the first batch of 10 researchers from the Philippine Commission for Agricultural Productivity graduated from IRRI’s Rice Production Training Course.

Then, in October 1966, former US President Lyndon B Johnson and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos visited IRRI to see the development of what would be called “miracle rice.”

In July 1962, IRRI breeder Peter Jenning and his team created a quick and efficient way of rice crossbreeding, leading to the development of the first high-yielding rice varieties at IRRI. In due course, in November 1985, the Philippine government established the Philippine Rice Institute (PhilRice).

February 2008 marked the month the International Rice Genebank contributed 70,000 different rice accessions from 123 countries to the newly-opened Svalbard Global Seed Vault, the most extensive seed collection in the world.

In November 2011, the Sustainable Rice Platform, co-convened by IRRI and UN Environment, was launched. Five years later, in February 2016, Newsweek featured IRRI’s work towards C4 rice, an innovation that could potentially supercharge rice photosynthesis and boost yields back then.

IRRI and the Asian Development Bank launched IRRI Education in April 2017, a new training programme for increasing human capacity in the rice sector.

According to the exhibition’s timeline, IRRI will develop in 2027 a guidebook for urban farming. It proves popular among Makati City rice farmers following the total automobile ban imposed a year prior within the historic Makati Business District. Then, in July 2034, the “Buntis” rice variety will be launched, with the publication of a one-year research study on “The Unsung Aphrodisiac Qualities of the IR64 Variety.”

Around February 2040, scientists will announce the unique ability of a rice variety, “Leb3n”, to conduct electricity.

In September 2045, the Valley of the 1000 Fallen IRRI Heroes will be opened to the public. Then, in April 2056, following the first successful miniaturisation of a human being in Asia, humanity finally achieves the age-old quest of colonising a rice stalk.

May 2059 will see farmers and rice planting—agriculture, in general—on the newly-green Giza plateau, made possible with the help and support of IRRI.

Lastly, in February 2058, an offshore rice farm will be built by Okada Manila at the former site of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), applying the agronomy guide to undersea rice farming developed by IRRI.

According to Romulo, “We did base it on research. That was all practice. So we did go to IRRI to talk to the scientists. I read a few books. . . If you go through the timeline, you should accept it’s all true. And then, if it’s not, if you disagree, prove me wrong.”

The exhibition raises questions about everyone’s shared futures, ​​highlighting the need for sustained efforts by scientists, economists, policymakers, women’s advocates, humanitarians, philosophers, and contemporary artists.

Ideas, suggestions, solutions, and hopes for the future were all welcomed at the International Rice Congress. “It is important to remember that not one of us alone can do everything that needs to be done,” says President Marcos, Jr.

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