Support to GRiSP and CARD

Date: November 14(afternoon) – 15, 2011
Venue：　Tsukuba International Congress Center, Epochal, Convention Hall 200
 

Rice is the most important food crop in the world. The stable supply and productivity improvement of rice are vital issues for achieving food security in the developing world. Recently, new frameworks involving research institutions such as the Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) and the Coalition for African Rice Development (CARD) have emerged in the course of the systemic reform of international research organizations as well as from the need for closer collaboration between agricultural development fields and research laboratories. Japanese researchers are expected to play a central role in these frameworks.

On the other hand, the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), with its mission to improve agricultural technologies in developing regions, started its Third Mid-term Plan in April 2011 and set up a research program titled, “Technology development for increased productivity and stable production of agricultural products in the tropics and other unstable environments (Stable Food Production Program)”. The program promotes rice research projects such as ‘Development of rice production technologies in Africa’ and ‘Rice innovation for environmentally sustainable production systems’. In order to implement these activities more effectively and to integrate with the broader international frameworks, however, it is essential to formulate a network connecting Japanese research forces and foreign/international institutions.

This symposium aims to obtain useful indications of this international and national networking through the exchange of opinions on past experiences and future directions of research activities among active experts from related organizations, including research, development and policy-making institutions.

PROGRAM

Opening Remarks

• Masa Iwanaga (President of JIRCAS)

Welcome Statements

• Michiko Matsuda (Research Councilor, MAFF)

Keynote Speech

• Trends in Global Rice Research
  Achim Dobermann (IRRI)
• The World Rice Economy Recent Development and New Challenges Ahead
  Concepción Calpe (FAO)
• Realizing Africa’s Rice Promise
  Marco Wopereis (AfricaRice)

Session 1: From Genome Research to Rice Breeding

Chair:Yoshimichi Fukuta (JIRCAS), Parminder Virk (IRRI)

• Breeding of High-Yielding Rice Varieties in Japan
  Hiroshi Kato (NICS, NARO)
• Genomics-Assisted Allele Mining and its Integration to Breeding in Rice
  Masahiro Yano (NIAS)
• Rice Genetic Diversity Platform to Accelerate Gene Discovery and Precision Breeding
  Hei Leung (IRRI)
• Utilization of Abiotic Stress Tolerance Genes
  Matthias Wissuwa (JIRCAS)
• General Discussion

Session 2: Research Issues for African Rice Promotion

Chair:Naoya Fujimoto (JIRCAS), Naoko Oka (JIRCAS)

• Achievement of CARD and its Future
  Hiroyuki Kubota (JICA)
• Advances in Rice Breeding for Africa
  Takashi Kumashiro (AfricaRice)
• Low-Cost Technologies for Paddy Field Infrastructure Development in Africa
  Junichiro Yamada (JIRCAS)
• Lowland Rice Environment and Potential in West Africa
  Jun-Ichi Sakagami (JIRCAS)
• General Discussion

Session 3: Researches for Environmentally Friendly Rice Production in Asia

Chair:Takeshi Kano (JIRCAS), Seiji Yanagihara (JIRCAS)

• High-yielding Technologies in China
  Qian Qian (China National Rice Research Institute)
• Resource Use Efficient and Productive Rice-Based Systems for South Asia
  Jagdish K. Ladha (IRRI/Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia)
• Rice Production Technologies for Climate Change
  Toshihiro Hasegawa (NIAES)
• Recent Developments in Yield Increasing Theory Focusing on Nitrogen Use Efficiency
  Kazunobu Toriyama (JIRCAS)
• General Discussion

Panel Discussion: International Collaboration on Rice Research

Chair: Masami Yasunaka (JIRCAS), Kazumi Yamaoka (JIRCAS)

Panelists (alphabetical order):

• Syuichi Asanuma (Nagoya Univ.)
• Hirohiko Hirochika (NIAS)
• Masa Iwanaga (JIRCAS)
• Hiroyuki Kubota (JICA)
• Akihiko Uchikawa (MAFF)
• Kazuyuki Yagi (NIAES)
• Tadakatsu Yoneyama (NARO)

Questionnaire Survey

Closing Remarks

• Masami Yasunaka (Vice President of JIRCAS)

CAREER PROFILES

SYMPOSIUM PICTURES