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contentsEDITORIAL ................................................................ 450 years and beyondHIDDEN TREASURE .................................................. 5NEWS ......................................................................... 6PEOPLE ...................................................................... 8A SUNBURNED GRAIN ........................................... 12Water-<strong>in</strong>tensive rice farm<strong>in</strong>g is a contentious issue <strong>in</strong>a bone-dry country. But despite battl<strong>in</strong>g negativepublic op<strong>in</strong>ion and an 8-year drought—which isnot over yet—Australian rice growers are optimisticabout the future.MADE FOR THE TROPICS ....................................... 34Traditionally grown <strong>in</strong> cooler regions, japonicavarieties, which are developed by IRRI, can nowbe cultivated under the warmer climate <strong>of</strong> thePhilipp<strong>in</strong>esPIONEER INTERVIEWS ........................................... 37A juggl<strong>in</strong>g act: Gender barriers and molecular mapsIRRI50 ................................................................... 40IRRI welcomes its alumni to a homecom<strong>in</strong>g partySTAMPS OF APPROVAL ......................................... 41COUNTRY HIGHLIGHT: IRRI IN THAILAND .......... 42RICE FACTS .............................................................. 44The global rice crisis hurts South Asia’s poorGRAIN OF TRUTH ................................................... 46Learn<strong>in</strong>g lessons from the Hybrid Rice DevelopmentConsortiumTHE TROUBLE WITH RAIN ..................................... 18Australia’s “rice family” works together to keep the<strong>in</strong>dustry from dry<strong>in</strong>g up and succumb<strong>in</strong>g todroughtMAYON REVISITED: COURAGE UNDER FIRE........ 26ON THE FRONT LINES ............................................ 27A Filip<strong>in</strong>o farmer contends with climate and looks toscienceMAPS ....................................................................... 30Mapp<strong>in</strong>g genebank collectionsPOCKETS OF GOLD ................................................ 32Scientists f<strong>in</strong>d a treasure trove <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>in</strong>Africa’s <strong>in</strong>digenous rice that could help breed bettervarieties for tomorrow’s generationOn the cover:On the cover: In the early days, before IRRI’s power tillerswere designed and built, the Institute’s experimentalfields were prepared with carabao (water buffalo) power.In this photo, locally hired rice farmers and their animalstill the plots for research to be conducted dur<strong>in</strong>g the 1963grow<strong>in</strong>g season. See pages 40-41 for the latest on IRRI’s50th anniversary activities.Rice Today is published by The Rice Trader Inc. (TRT) <strong>in</strong> association with theInternational Rice Research Institute (IRRI).TRT, for 20 years, has brought subscribers crucial, up-to-the-m<strong>in</strong>ute <strong>in</strong>formationon rice trade through its weekly publication, The Rice Trader. Acknowledged asthe only source <strong>of</strong> confidential <strong>in</strong>formation about the rice market, this weeklysummary <strong>of</strong> market data analysis has helped both the lead<strong>in</strong>g commercial ricecompanies and regional government <strong>of</strong>ficials make <strong>in</strong>formed decisions, which arecritical <strong>in</strong> today’s market.IRRI is the world’s lead<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>ternational rice research and tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g center. Based<strong>in</strong> the Philipp<strong>in</strong>es and with <strong>of</strong>fices <strong>in</strong> 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous,nonpr<strong>of</strong>it <strong>in</strong>stitution focused on improv<strong>in</strong>g the well-be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> present and futuregenerations <strong>of</strong> rice farmers and consumers, particularly those with low <strong>in</strong>comes,while preserv<strong>in</strong>g natural resources. It is one <strong>of</strong> the 15 nonpr<strong>of</strong>it <strong>in</strong>ternationalresearch centers supported, <strong>in</strong> part, by members <strong>of</strong> the Consultative Group onInternational Agricultural Research (CGIAR – www.cgiar.org) and a range <strong>of</strong> otherfund<strong>in</strong>g agencies.Responsibility for this publication rests with TRT and IRRI. Designations used<strong>in</strong> this publication should not be construed as express<strong>in</strong>g TRT or IRRI policy orop<strong>in</strong>ion on the legal status <strong>of</strong> any country, territory, city, or area, or its authorities,or the delimitation <strong>of</strong> its frontiers or boundaries.Rice Today welcomes comments and suggestions from readers. Rice Todayassumes no responsibility for loss <strong>of</strong> or damage to unsolicited submissions, whichshould be accompanied by sufficient return postage.The op<strong>in</strong>ions expressed by columnists <strong>in</strong> Rice Today do not necessarily reflectthe views <strong>of</strong> TRT or IRRI.The Rice Trader Inc.2707 Notre Dame Blvd., Chico, CA 95928Web: www.thericetrader.comInternational Rice Research InstituteDAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, Philipp<strong>in</strong>esWeb (IRRI): www.irri.org; www.irri.org/ricetodayWeb (Library): http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.orgWeb (Rice Knowledge Bank): www.knowledgebank.irri.orgRice Today editorialtelephone: (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725; fax: (+63-2) 580-5699or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: mia.aureus@thericetrader.com, l.reyes@cgiar.orgpublisher Jeremy Zw<strong>in</strong>gerassociate publisher Duncan Mac<strong>in</strong>toshmanag<strong>in</strong>g editor V. Subramanianeditor Mia Aureusassociate editor Lanie Reyescontribut<strong>in</strong>g writers Gene Hettel, Sophie Clayton, Sam Mohanty,Leah Baroña-Cruz, Tr<strong>in</strong>a Leah MendozaAfrica editor Savitri Mohapatra (AfricaRice)copy editor Bill Hardyart director Juan Lazaro IVdesigner and production supervisor Grant Lecetaphoto editors Chris Qu<strong>in</strong>tana, Isagani Serranoadvertis<strong>in</strong>g manager Logan Wilsoncirculation Lourdes ColumbresWeb masters Forrest Orndorff, Darell Sisonpr<strong>in</strong>ter DHL Global Mail (S<strong>in</strong>gapore) Pte. Ltd.Copyright International Rice Research Institute 2010This magaz<strong>in</strong>e is copyrighted by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License(Unported). 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