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HomePosts Tagged "6th International Rice Congress"
Agro Universities, Agrotech, Finance

The IRRI-PhilRice-PCIC tripartite partnership will bring innovative crop insurance products to improve the resilience of Filipino farmers to climatic risks.

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice), and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) are collaborating on the development of an area-based yield index insurance for rice based on satellite data. This will help improve Filipino farmers’ resilience to climatic risks.

The memorandum of agreement was signed during the 6th International Rice Congress on 19 October 2023 at the Philippine International Convention Centre (PICC), Pasay City, Philippines.

This partnership builds upon an earlier collaboration between IRRI and PhilRice that developed and operationalized a satellite-based rice mapping and monitoring system called PRISM (Philippine Rice Information System). Operational since 2018, PRISM uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite images and a smart detection system to map rice planting areas and planting dates. Using crop growth simulation modelling, it provides timely yield forecasts and end-of-season rice yields.

PRISM data will be used in designing and testing an Area-Based Yield (ARBY) index insurance for rice. ARBY is a type of crop insurance that provides coverage based on historical average yield of a specific geographic area, rather than individual farmer’s yields, to determine payouts in the event of crop losses.

“The fusion of satellite technology and advanced modelling is revolutionizing how we can insure rice crops. With timely insights into yield forecasts and end-of-season yields, satellite-based ARBY index insurance for rice can help simplify the much-needed coverage for smallholder farmers, paving the way for a more resilient and sustainable future for agriculture,” said Dr Ajay Kohli, Interim Director-General of IRRI.

The agreement seeks to help make crop insurance products available to some 2.4 million rice farmers in the Philippines who constantly have to face the risks of losing their yields due to calamities such as tropical cyclones, droughts, and floods. On average, the country experiences around 20 cyclones every year, with at least eight making landfalls. Climate change also poses a significant threat as it makes the impact of calamities like floods and droughts more severe.

“This partnership is a step toward making insurance protection available to Filipino farmers at a crucial time when we are facing severe weather challenges such as droughts and floods, intensified by climate change. We welcome this collaboration as it aligns with our mission to improve the well-being of rice-farming communities in the country,” said Dr John de Leon, Executive Director of PhilRice.

“At PCIC, we appreciate these innovative solutions that can bring about greater efficiencies in our operations compared to the traditional indemnity-based crop insurance model which involves manual visits and verifications for each claim. By leveraging modern technologies, we can provide better insurance products and services to farmers,” said Atty. Jovy Bernabe, President of PCIC.

This collaboration is supported by the CGIAR initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) which aims to transform the climate adaptation capacity and increase the resilience of smallholder production systems to withstand severe climate change effects in six countries including the Philippines.

The IRRI-PhilRice-PCIC tripartite partnership will bring innovative

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Environment, Foodgrains, R&D, Sustainability

ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint seminars between and among their experts and scientists to discuss and identify joint activities in the areas of rice landscapes and biodiversity

IRRI’s Director Jean Balié and Deputy Director General for Strategy, Engagement and Impact, Joanna Kane-Potaka recently met with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Executive Director Dr Theresa Mundita S. Lim to lay the groundwork for more active partnerships with the promotion of agrobiodiversity in the region.

Most recently, ACB has contributed significantly to two CGIAR-IRRI Innovate for Food Program intervention packages that are focused on enhancing ASEAN agrobiodiversity use and landscape biodiversity as well as climate neutrality and circular agriculture.

Agriculture, fisheries, and forests agrobiodiversity, including the genetic diversity, of animals, plants, and microorganisms used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture is critical to nutrition security, ecosystem service provision, and the resilience of agroecosystems. Yet, the ASEAN region continues to lose agrobiodiversity and associated traditional knowledge at an alarming rate.

“Indeed, there is poor understanding at all levels of society of what agrobiodiversity actually is and its critical role in initiatives that promote food security and nutrition, nature-positive solutions, sustainable and circular agriculture, reduction of agrochemicals use, and carbon neutrality. We acknowledge and value the knowledge and critical roles organizations like ACB have toward addressing this issue,” Balié said.

To this end, ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint seminars between and among their experts and scientists to discuss and identify joint activities in the areas of rice landscapes and biodiversity.

Beyond the regional program and cooperation between the two institutions, the meeting was also intended to explore ways to increase synergies with the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines – Los Baños. ACB also expressed openness to co-chair a scientific session with IRRI on agrobiodiversity in rice landscapes in the upcoming 6th International Rice Congress happening in Manila, Philippines on 16-19 October.

“It is so important we do not work only in our expert silos. We talked about solutions that are a win for biodiversity and a win for agriculture, specifically, rice systems. There are often trade-offs but this is the role of science and our own commitment to ensure we find a win-win,” Kane-Potaka said.

ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint