contentsEDITORIAL ................................................................ 4Unleashing Africa's rice potentialNEWS ......................................................................... 5Global food situation at a cros<strong>sr</strong>oadsFood shortages as rat plague spreadsMyanmar recovering after cyclonePEOPLE .................................................................... 10Keeping up with IRRI staffMoving onPartners in progressNEW BOOKS ............................................................ 11The rice tungro virus disease: a paradigm in diseasemanagementAppreciating <strong>Rice</strong>Popong eats his riceRECIPE ..................................................................... 11Hainanese chicken riceTHE LONG ROAD .................................................... 20Forty-five years of painstaking research have shownthat modern, intensive rice farming is sustainableand can even improve soil healthSNAPSHOT .............................................................. 22IRRI’s Long-Term Continuous Cropping Experimenthas shown that intensive rice production can besustainableMANAGEMENT MADE EASY .................................. 32A new decision-making tool is helping rice farmersoptimize their use of nutrient inputsTHE FUN IS IN THE DIRT ........................................ 34<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> interviews Achim Dobermann, soil scientistand new deputy director general for research atthe International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute, about life,work, and what could have been…HARVESTING SERENDIPITY .................................. 36<strong>Rice</strong> production in Sri Lanka has a long and regalhistory—but the country faces steep challenges ifthe future is to be as bountiful as the pastRICE FACTS .............................................................. 40<strong>Rice</strong> crisis: the aftermathWhat has happened, what has changed, and whatare the challenges ahead?GRAIN OF TRUTH ................................................... 42Can organic agriculture feed Asia?MAPS ....................................................................... 12Simulating water stressA FLOUR BLOOMS .................................................. 14<strong>Rice</strong> flour-based products are booming in Japan,forcing the country to change the way it thinksabout agricultureTHE IRRI PIONEER INTERVIEWS ........................... 16Kwanchai Gomez: Figures, fake guns, and fund-raisingMOVING UP IN ETHIOPIA ...................................... 24If successful, initiatives to boost rice production inEthiopia can help the country achieve food securitySHAKING THE INVISIBLE HAND ........................... 26How much are rice farmers in Asia benefitting fromhigher prices? With different governments tryingdifferent strategies, <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> looks at the situationin Thailand.On the cover:Ethiopian farmerZeineba Taha in herrice field at Chewaka.cover photo Tareke Berhepublisher Duncan Macintosheditor Adam Barclayart director Juan Lazaro IVdesigner and production supervisor Grant Lecetacontributors Gene Hettel, Meg Mondoñedo, Bill HardyAfrica editor Savitri Mohapatra (Africa <strong>Rice</strong> Center – WARDA)photo editor Chris Quintanaphoto researcher William Sta. Claracirculation Lourdes Columbresprinter Print Town Group<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> is published by the International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IRRI), the world’sleading international rice research and training center. Based in the Philippines and withoffices in 13 other countries, IRRI is an autonomous, nonprofit institution focused onimproving the well-being of present and future generations of rice farmers and consumers,particularly those with low incomes, while preserving natural resources. IRRI is one of15 centers funded through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research(CGIAR), an association of public and private donor agencies. For more information, visitthe CGIAR Web site (www.cgiar.org).International <strong>Rice</strong> Research InstituteDAPO Box 7777, Metro Manila, PhilippinesWeb (IRRI): www.irri.org; www.irri.org/ricetodayWeb (Library): http://ricelib.irri.cgiar.orgWeb (<strong>Rice</strong> Knowledge Bank): www.knowledgebank.irri.org<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> editorialtelephone: (+63-2) 580-5600 or (+63-2) 844-3351 to 53, ext 2725;fax: (+63-2) 580-5699 or (+63-2) 845-0606; email: a.barclay@cgiar.orgResponsibility for this publication rests with IRRI. Designations used in this publicationshould not be construed as expressing IRRI policy or opinion on the legal status of anycountry, territory, city, or area, or its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers orboundaries.<strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> welcomes comments and suggestions from readers. Potential contributorsare encouraged to query first, rather than submit unsolicited materials. <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong>assumes no responsibility for loss of or damage to unsolicited submissions, which shouldbe accompanied by sufficient return postage.Copyright International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute 2008This magazine is copyrighted by the International <strong>Rice</strong> Research Institute (IRRI) and islicensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0License (Unported). Unless otherwise noted, users are free to copy, duplicate, or reproduce,and distribute, display, or transmit any of the articles or portions of the articles, and to maketranslations, adaptations, or other derivative works under the following conditions:Attribution: The work must be attributed, but not in any way that suggests endorsementby IRRI or the author(s).NonCommercial: This work may not be used for commercial purposes.ShareAlike: If this work is altered, transformed, or built upon, the resulting work must bedistributed only under the same or similar license to this one.For any reuse or distribution, the license terms of this work must be made clear to others.Any of the above conditions can be waived if permission is obtained from the copyright holder.Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author’s moral rights.Fair dealing and other rights are in no way affected by the above.• To view the full text of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/RT7-4 (p1-23)_FA.indd 310/9/2008 8:23:36 AM
4 <strong>Rice</strong> <strong>Today</strong> October-December 2008RT7-4 (p1-23)_FA.indd 410/9/2008 8:23:57 AM
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