Maclean et al. - 2002 - Rice almanac source book for the most important e

Production opportunities
At the forefront of rice research and development
(R&D) in the country is the Philippine Rice
Research Institute (PhilRice), which was created
in 1985. It is a government-owned and controlled
corporation attached to the Department of
Agriculture (DA) located in Central Luzon and
with branch stations in the northern and southern
parts of the country.
It seeks to improve the economic conditions
of small farmers and, more specifically, to
develop and implement a national rice R&D
program, sustain gains made in rice production,
solve site-specific problems of the rice industry,
and direct and coordinate activities of all agencies
in the country working on rice in line with its six
major programs: direct-seeded rice, transplanted
irrigated lowland rice, hybrid rice, rice-based
farming systems for adverse environments, policy
research and advocacy, and technology promotion
and development.
PhilRice pursues these activities in
partnership with the member-agencies of the
National Rice R&D Network, located in the
country’s major rice-growing zones. With the
PhilRice Central Experiment Station serving as its
secretariat, the Network is composed of the
PhilRice branch stations, DA-regional research
centers, and the premier universities of the
country engaged in agricultural research and
education, such as the University of the
Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), Central Luzon
State University (CLSU), Leyte State University
(LSU, formerly the Visayas State College of
Agriculture or ViSCA), and the Central Mindanao
University (CMU). A major activity of PhilRice
and the Network is yield and adaptability trials of
rice lines developed by Philippine-based public or
private institutions working on rice varietal
improvement.
Some economic gains at the farm level may
be expected through further adoption of direct
wet-seeded rice and mechanization of rice
production (from seeding/transplanting to
postharvest operations). Rainfed lowland rice
gains may result from some crop intensification
in more favorable areas, further adoption of direct
dry-seeded rice, and the development of new rice
varieties adapted to rainfed lowland stresses.
Upland rice systems in the Philippines are the
least sustainable, and future system maintenance
will require policies and technologies that
encourage a slowing of deforestation rates, the
control of soil erosion, and the conversion of
cereal production systems into mixed systems
with perennial crops on sloping lands.
Rice terraces at Batad, Ifugao Province.
120 Rice almanac