An adventure in applied science - IRRI books - International Rice ...

112 History of the International Rice Research InstituteThe rapid spread oflR8-288-3 (later IR8) inthe Philippines waslargely due to IRRl'sgiving 2 kg of seed toany farmer who wouldcome to the Instituteto pick up the seed.Ramos, IRRl's farmsuperintendent (farright), is shownexplaining plantinginstructions that wereincluded with each bagof seed.Several means of spreading seed of IR8-288-3 (then still unnamed, hereafterreferred to as IR8) in the Philippines were used. One was to release word thatany farmer who came to IRRI could pick up 2 kg of IR8 seed free of charge. Theonly requirement was that each farmer leave his name and address. Theoperation, handled by Ramos, was extremely successful. During the last halfof 1966, 2,359 Philippine farmers came to IRRI to get seed. They came by bus,on bicycles, and even on foot. According to the addresses they left, IR8 seedwent to 48 of the 56 provinces in the country. Later surveys showed that thisdistribution had a major impact on the spread of IR8, because most of thefarmers who adopted IR8 in 1967 had observed its superior performance onneighbors’ fields and asked for some seed to try on their own land.The largest distribution of IR8 seed in the Philippines was handled throughgovernment agencies but with the cooperation of private growers. Soon after