International Rice Research Institute

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an autonomous, non-profit, agricultural research and training organization with offices in more than ten nations. The Institute’s main goal is to find sustainable ways to improve the well being of present and future generations of poor rice farmers and consumers while at the same time protecting the natural environment. Most of IRRI’s research is done in cooperation with the national agricultural research and development institutions, farming communities, and other organizations of the world’s rice producing nations.

IRRI was established in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Its research activities began in 1962 and are now estimated to have touched the lives of almost half the world’s population. The IRRI played a major role in sparking the Green revolution on the field of rice when it developed a new breed in the 1960s.

s; organizing income-generating training activities and arranging other community projects that will help improve living conditions in the poor communities that neighbor the Institute.

IRRI was established to help poor rice farmers in developing countries grow more rice on less land using less water, less labor, and fewer chemical inputs. By helping to greatly boost production and ease the use of farm chemicals during its first 40 years, IRRI clearly showed the importance of rice and agricultural research in helping poor nations develop. The Institute’s importance has been further reinforced by the private sector’s traditional lack of interest in rice research.

The Institute has received many prizes and awards, including the UNESCO Science Prize.

Paradoxically, despite the Institute being located in the Philippines, the Philippines is currently the world's largest rice importer.

ee also

*Rockefeller Foundation
*Ford Foundation
*Green Revolution
*Rice paddy
*Banaue Rice Terraces

External links

* [http://www.irri.org/ IRRI Home page]
* "The Burning of the Rice" The story of how IRRI helped Cambodia improve rice production. [http://sidharta.com/books/index.jsp?uid=67]
* Fredenburg, P. and B. Hill. 2006. "Sharing Rice for Peace and Prosperity in the Greater Mekong Subregion." Sid Harta Publishers, Victoria. ISBN 1-921206-08-X. pp271. Stories of the impact of IRRI's research in the Greater Mekong Subregion. [http://sidharta.com/books/index.jsp?uid=190]
* "Intensify to diversify." Smarter rice growing gives Cambodian farmers an opportunity to try new crops and gain more income. Rice Today, April 2005. [http://www.irri.org/publications/today/pdfs/4-1/12-17.pdf]
*"Collaborating farmers tell their story" Upland farmers in Laos work with IRRI to replace slash-and-burn practices with sustainable agriculture. [http://www.irri.org/publications/annual/collab96.asp]
*"Sowing Seeds in Lab and Field." The economic impact of IRRI's rice research in Lao PDR [http://www.irri.org/donors/SDC/pdfs/AssessmentOfLao-IRRI.pdf] .
*Watch a streaming video about the Lao-IRRI Project (Windows Media Player) [http://www.irri.org/donors/SDC/Video/CELEBTRATE-LAO.wmv] ; (Real Time Player) [http://www.irri.org/donors/SDC/Video/celebrate-lao.rm] .
* [http://www.irri.org/publications/program/pdfs/98ProgramReport/Accelerating.pdf Accelerating the Impact of Rice Research]
* [http://www.irri.org/graindell/kids.htm Graindell: rice-related games and animated films for children]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3257090407186495&hl=en Watch Graindell video, an animated IRRI feature for children]