International Rice Research Institute

International Rice Research Institute
Abbreviation	IRRI
Motto	"Rice Science For A Better World"
Formation	1960
Type	Non-profit research and training center
Purpose/focus	Research
Headquarters	Los Baños, Laguna
Location	Philippines
Region served	Worldwide
Director General	Dr. Robert S. Zeigler
Main organ	Board of Trustees
Parent organization	Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
Budget	US$57 million (2010)
Staff	1,300
Website	www.irri.org

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries . The main goal of IRRI is to find sustainable ways to improve the well-being of poor rice farmers and consumers, as well as the environment. The institute is one of 15 agricultural research centers around the world that form the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). It is Asia's largest non-profit agricultural research center.

International Rice Research Institute researchers checking the panicles of a deep water rice variety in Calabarzon Bay, Philippines.

Origins

IRRI was established in 1960 with the support of the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and the Government of the Philippines.

Impact

IRRI is well known for its contribution to the "Green Revolution" movement in Asia during the late 1960s and 70s, which involved the breeding of "semidwarf" varieties of rice that were less likely to lodge (fall over). The varieties developed at IRRI, known as IR varieties, are well accepted in many Asian countries. In 2005, it was estimated that 60% of the world's rice area was planted to IRRI-bred rice varieties or their progenies.

A report published by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research in 2011 assessed the impact of IRRI's breeding work in three countries in South East Asia between 1985 and 2009. It found IRRI's breeding work delivered an annual benefit of US$1.46 billion per year and boosted rice yields up to 13%.

Research

IRRI's current scope of research covers :

• conserving, understanding, sharing, and using rice genetic diversity
• breeding and delivering new varieties of rice
• developing and sharing improved crop and environment management practices
• adding value to the economic and nutritional value of rice
• broadening our impact by supporting strategic policy and market development
• facilitating large-scale adoption of rice technologies

In 2010, the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) was launched, which IRRI leads in Asia, the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) leads in Africa, and International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) leads in Latin America. It aims to "dramatically improve the ability of rice farmers to feed growing populations in some of the world’s poorest nations".

Facilities

IRRI's headquarters in the Philippines is located on a 252 hectare experimental farm with modern laboratories and glasshouses and a training center. It also houses the International Rice Genebank and Riceworld museum.

See also

• Rice
• Global Rice Science Partnership
• Ford Foundation
• Green Revolution
• Irrigated Rice Research Consortium
• Rice paddy
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Banaue Rice Terraces

External links

• Official website
• Global Rice Science Partnership
• IRRI Annual Reports
• Downloadable (free) books published by the International Rice Research Institute
• IRRI Pioneer Interviews
• Important Dates in IRRI History, 1960-2011
• Rice Today magazine