10 February 2022 ~ Representatives from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Southeast Asian countries Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam, gathered online for their first virtual technical inception meeting of the Japan-ASEAN Integrated Fund (JAIF) Capacity Development Program for ASEAN Rice Net.
Prior to this technical inception meeting, IRRI project management office staff was provided with an administrative briefing by JAIF Management Team Programme Coordinator Ms. Miyuki Ishikawa and Ms. Amalia Agustina from the ASEAN Food, Agriculture, and Forestry Division. The ASEAN Economic Community Department also was part of the briefing session.
The technical inception meeting was hosted by Dr. Shoba Venkatanagappa, IRRI senior scientist and head of the ASEAN Rice Net, INGER, and NARVI networks. Participants of the meeting included Dr. Dao The Anh, Vice-President of Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences (VAAS); Dr. Ta Hong Linh, Director, Department of Science and International Co-operation Vietnam; Dr. Phetmanyseng Xangsayasane, Senior Rice Breeder, Director Rice Research Center, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, Lao PDR; and Dr. Orn Chhourn, Deputy Head of Plant Breeding Division, Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). Breeders from the participating countries and staff from IRRI networks were also present.
Rice is the dominant staple in ASEAN, and its production is facing increasing challenges due to climate change. For every 1 degree Celsius increase in temperature, up to 10% of rice yield can be lost (Peng et al.,2004) and can result in up to 1.3% decline in economic growth (Dell, Jones, and Olken, 2012). Rice production in the ASEAN region is especially vulnerable to more frequent and intense climate effects, including typhoons, floods, droughts, salinity, and extreme temperatures.
In October 2019, the ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three Partners (China, South Korea, and Japan) endorsed the IRRI…