Dr Achim Dobermann, outgoing Deputy Director General (Research) International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) presented a seminar at ACIAR on “Accelerating Agricultural Innovations for the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda” on 23 January 2014

1. Presenter
Dr Achim Dobermann. Deputy Director General (Research)
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
Topic
“Accelerating Agricultural Innovations for the Post-2015 Sustainable
Development Agenda”
Date
23 January 2014
Venue
ACIAR
Acknowledgements Dobermann, A (2014) Accelerating Agricultural Innovations for the
Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda, ACIAR Seminar
Series presentation, 23 January 2014, Canberra, Australia.

2. Accelerating Agricultural Innovations
for the Post-2015 Sustainable
Development Agenda
Achim Dobermann
Seminar at ACIAR, Canberra, 23 January 2014

4. What could make the next 15 years
different from the previous?
• Unique opportunities:
– end extreme poverty and hunger by 2030
– rapid technological advances
• Grand challenges:
– human impact on the physical Earth could exceed
safe planetary boundaries
– increasing inequality and social exclusion
– increasing complexity and difficulties of global
governance

5. The key post-2015 driver
Broad material improvement of life:
6/7 of the world‟s population want to catch up with 1/7
By 2030, 5 bln people who will each consume $10100 per day
Global economy will grow at 3-4% per year =
doubling in size every generation
Annual global GDP will rise from $90 trillion (7.2 bln
people) to >$300 trillion by 2050 (9-10 bln people)

6. The pillars of the new sustainable
development agenda
Economic development
Social inclusion
Environmental sustainability
Good governance

7. Our generation needs to make deep changes in
technologies and policies to decouple future
economic growth from unsustainable use of:
Fossil fuels
Land
Oceans
Freshwater
Other resources

10. http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

11. Sustainable Development Solutions Network
(SDSN)
1. Support the High-Level Panel, OWG and other
post-2015 SDG processes
2. 12 thematic Groups to identify long-term
pathways to sustainable development
3. Promote testing, demonstration, development
of promising new “solutions”
4. Build a global Knowledge Center Network for
local and regional problem solving
5. Global online university for sustainable
development

12. Website: www.unsdsn.org
Email:
info@unsdsn.org

13. 10 SDGs proposed by the SDSN
1.
2.
3.
End Extreme Poverty Including Hunger*
Achieve Development within Planetary Boundaries*
Ensure Effective Learning for All Children and Youth for Life
and Livelihood
4. Achieve Gender Equality, Social Inclusion, and Human Rights
for All
5. Achieve Health and Wellbeing at All Ages*
6. Improve Agricultural Systems and Raise Rural Prosperity*
7. Empower Inclusive, Productive and Resilient Cities
8. Curb Human-Induced Climate Change and Ensure Sustainable
Energy*
9. Secure Ecosystem Services, Biodiversity and Good
Management of Natural Resources*
10. Transform Governance for Sustainable Development*
* Goals that could include targets and indicators for agriculture
http://unsdsn.org

14. Goal 6: Improve Agriculture Systems and
Raise Rural Prosperity
Targets:
• 6a. Ensure sustainable food production systems that
achieve high yields with high efficiency of water,
nutrients, and energy, and have low food losses and
waste.
• 6b. Halt forest and wetland conversion to agriculture,
protect soil resources, and ensure that farming systems
are resilient to climatic change and disasters.
• 6c. Ensure universal access in rural areas to basic
resources and infrastructure services (land, water,
sanitation, modern energy, transport, mobile and
broadband communication, agricultural inputs, and
advisory services).

15. Target 6a: Sustainable food production
systems
Indicators:
• Cereal yield growth rate (% p.a.)
• Crop yield gap (actual yield as % of yield potential)
• Livestock and fish productivity growth
• Crop water productivity (tons of harvested product per
unit irrigation water)
• Full-chain nitrogen [phosphorus] use efficiency (%)
• …..
• ……

16. Target 6a: Sustainable food production
systems
Aspirational outcomes:
• Annual yield growth rate of major food crops approaches
or exceeds [1.5]%.
• The majority of farms achieve [80]% of the attainable
water-limited yield potential by 2030.
• Livestock productivity in developing countries doubled by
2030, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Water productivity of crop production increased by [30]%
in countries with high water use for irrigation.
• Full-chain efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus
increased by [x]% relative to current levels in each
country with sub-optimal efficiency.

17. The CGIAR should adopt the post-2015
framework and terminology
Post-2015 SD
• SDG
• Targets
• Indicators and metrics
for them
• (specific outcomes)
CGIAR
• SLOs
• IDOs
• Indicators
• …
 the timelines for the post-2015 process, a new SRF and
developing a CRP II portfolio seem to match: 2014-2016

18. Could the CGIAR also step up and
become the world leader in science
and practice of monitoring the
performance of global agriculture?

19. The new food system challenge
• Change behavior towards healthier diets and
reduce food loss and waste
• Increase productivity by more than 60% on
existing crop and pasture land by 2050
• Preserve the environment through lower
resource intensity and sound use of inputs
• Make farming an attractive economic opportunity
for (young) people living in rural areas

20. Total factor productivity is the primary source of growth
in agriculture – but is highly variable among countries
S&T role
Source: K. Fuglie et al., 2012

21. More public and private investments in agricultural S&T
• Increase funding for public agric. R&D in all
countries.
• Target 10b:
• Low- and middle-income should spend at least
10% of natl. budget on agriculture, including at
least 1% of agricultural GDP on R&D in their
country (currently: ~0.5% or less)
• ODA: spend at least 10% on agriculture
• Create IP laws, other regulations, technology
incentives that encourage greater private sector
investments in S&T as well as wide access to
innovations.

22. Challenge: long lag times from research to large
impact of new technologies
<20 to >90%
Adoption
Cumulative adoption
10-15 years of R&D
Variable, slow adoption
Disadoption
Annual adoption rate
Basic research
Technology
development
Release
0
10
20
Time (years)
30

23. How can we accelerate S&T for sustainable
agricultural intensification?
How can we ensure that all countries have
sufficient S&T capacity and wide access to
S&T innovations?

24. The problem of too much water
The problem of too much water
20 million ha affected by floods in South and Southeast Asia
Growing problem with climate change
Rice is only crop suitable, but „drowns‟

25. Science innovation: flood-tolerant rice
FR13A
IR64-Sub1
Samba-Sub1
Samba
IR49830 (Sub1)
Samba
IR64
IR42
IR42
IR64
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR64-Sub1
IR64
Samba
Samba-Sub1
IR64-Sub1
IR42
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR42
IR64-Sub1
Samba
IR49830 (Sub1)
Samba-Sub1
IR64
Gene for submergence tolerance (sub1) found in a local variety
(FR13A) and moved into popular “mega-varieties”

26. Science innovation: flood-tolerant rice
Farmers’ submergence tolerant landraces collected, including FR13A
Gene bank screened; FR13A identified
Semi-dwarf & submergence tol. combined
First modern varieties, but poor
agronomic features
1950
1978
1990
2000
1995: Sub1 mapped to Chr. 9
Fine mapping & marker development initiated
2002: Swarna crossed with IR49830-7 (Sub1)
2006: Sub1-A gene conferring submergence tolerance
2006: Swarna-Sub1 developed by marker assisted backcrossing
2008: Sub1-A mode of action: inhibit response to GA
2009: Swarna-Sub1 released in India, Indonesia, IR64Sub1 in Indonesia, Philippines
2010: Two Sub1 varieties released in Bangladesh
2010

27. Diffusion of flood-tolerant rice through PPP
Spillover: sub1 varieties in SE Asia; wide use of sub1 gene in public and
private sector breeding (Africa, Asia, South America)

28. Impact
Swarna-Sub1: recovered
after 17 d flood
Local variety: re-planted after
total loss due to flood
October 2010, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
2013: new Sub1 varieties reached >4 million farmers in Asia
Free “crop insurance”
Yield advantage of 1-1.5 t/ha; earlier harvest

29. How to accelerate S&T impact?
• R&D:
– Precise product profiling (gene targeting): digital
spatial technologies, market research
– Speed up gene discovery and trait development:
genomics, phenomics, bioinformatics
– Precision breeding pipelines with high-throughput
technologies to cut variety development time in half
• Policy:
– Wide access to traits and breeding know-how
– Modernize variety release procedures and seed laws
– Incentives for developing a vibrant private seed sector

30. The problem: Low nitrogen use efficiency
Full Chain NUEN,P
Source: Sutton, M.A. et al. 2012).

31. Science innovation: Site-specific N management
Active Panicle
tillering initiation
Early growth
Maturity
Heading
Transplanting
-20
-10
0
10
20
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Direct seeding
0
Early
30
40
50
60
Active tillering & PI
• Apply only moderate • Apply at critical growth
amount of N
stages
• Increase amount in
proportion to crop
yield
• PI application at 60 days
before harvest
• Vary N based on crop N
needs and status
70
80
90
100
110 days
Heading
• Diagnose need for extra N
110
DAT

32. Science innovation: Site-specific N management
R&D 1992-2005 demonstrated:
•
•
•
•
•
•
10-20% more yield and profit
30-50% greater N use efficiency
Less fossil fuel
Less N2O emissions
Less water pollution
Less pests (and pesticides)

33. How to achieve behaviour
change in +100 million rice
farmers?

34. Diffusion: Smartphone applications for farmers
User interface:
obtain information
from farmer
Personal
computer
Smartphone
Cloud based server
Rice Crop Manager app
Ag Professionals
Actionable
field advice
Printed
guidelines
•
•
•
•
•
•
Localized databases and
spatial information
Administrative units
Variety traits
Climate-based yield targets
Climatic risks
Soil and water information
Providers of inputs,
services, knowledge
Image on
Smartphone
SMS

35. NMRice fertilizer recommendations by region in the
Philippines. Total of 18,796 from Jan 2012 – 30 Sept 2012
Source: IRRI NM webapps analytics; includes web and Android but not IVR

36. How to accelerate S&T impact?
• R&D:
– Precise product profiling (targeting): market research
– Invest more in S&T to accelerate tailored product
development (public and private)
• Policy:
– Incentives for farmers to adopt more resourceefficient technologies: smart subsidies
– Broadband internet access
– Incentives and opportunities for people and private
sector: business models, financing and professional
skill development for services providers

37. Structure of public food and agricultural
research worldwide, 2009
$34.1 billion
(2005 PPP$)
Annual rate of return on investments
in public agricultural R&D: 20-80%
P. Pardey et al., 2013

38. What should be IRRI’s
future role?

39. The Global Rice Equation:
Per capita consumption stable over last 20 years
Rice consumption MMT milled rice
1 billion people
= ~65 M tons rice consumed (milled)
= ~100 M tons rice produced (paddy)

40. Consumers, processors,
exporters and the food
industry will drive what rice
to grow and how to grow it.

41. Wage rate for agricultural labour (male), South Asia
Wage rate index (2000 =100)
500
Bangladesh
400
300
200
India
100
0

42. What is the future of smallholder farming?

43. RICE SEED VALUE CHAIN
Public
Breeding
DRIVERS OF CHANGE
Breeding
companies
NARS
Growing demand (food, energy, etc.)
Economic growth in emerging markets
Private sector involvement
•
Seed
companies
•
•
•
Intellectual property
Farmer
Trade
Processing
Industry
Consumer

44. IRRI Vision 2035
• Targeted trait and variety development for
smallholder farming environments (with spinoffs)
• Interdisciplinary research on future rice-based
production systems
• Healthier rice
• Technical services and consulting, including
genomics, breeding technology and
services, agronomy, and rice information
• Education, including new, targeted education
programs in collaboration with strategic partners

45. • IR74371-70-1-1 (parents: 1 IRRI, 1 TV)
• Cross made in 1997: target was upland rice
• Succession of projects and IRRI breeders (3)
• Funds: CGIAR
core, GCP, Cirad, BMZ, IFAD, BMGF, government, st
ate, ….
• 1 key NARS (CRURRS) + drought network partners
• Official release in 2009 in JH and OR for RL
• Spreading fast in India through local partners: seed
+ agronomy
• Also released in Bangladesh and Nepal
“Rice developed through collaboration”

46. IR64-drought: first molecular product for drought tolerance
- QTL
+ QTL
IR64 drought
Parent 2007
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
-500 0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
QTL 2.2. & 4.1. introgression 2010
IR 64
ir87729-69-b-b-b
ir87728-102-b-b
ir 87707-446-b-b-b
ir 87707-182-b-b-b
ir87707-445-b-b-b
ir87705-444-b
ir 87705-83-12-b
ir87705-14-11-b
IR87706-215-b-b-b
Aday sel
Entry
Rajsh
ahi
Nepal
ganj
IR64 drought
IR 64
1525
980
3472
1597
A. Kumar & drought team
IR64
• 0.6- 1.2 t/ha yield advantage under
drought .
• Similar high yield under irrigated
situation.
• Similar cooking quality
• Release: Oct. 2013, Jharkhand, India
• Release: Nov. 2013, Nepal
• ....
Raipur
Hydera
bad SS
Hydera
bad MS
Hazari
bag
1684
660
3800
3085
1604
958
IR64
Rewa
3956
2662
IR64 drought
3731
2503
IR64
IR64 drought

47. Breeding product pipelines
TRAIT DEVELOPMENT
TRAIT DISCOVERY

Traits
GENE DISCOVERY

QTLs, Genes,
DNA-sequences
MARKER APPLICATIONS

DNA-markers,
marker applications
VARIETY
DEVELOPMENT


Varieties, Variety portfolios

E. Nissilae
Product profiles - trait packages
Breeding lines, Parental lines

Breeder / Foundation seeds

48. IRRI’s new breeding structure
E. Nissilae

49. Pakistan India
Nepal
Bangladesh
Myanmar
Indonesia
Philippines
Vietnam
Hyderabad,
India
Hub
SA
Sri Lanka
Cambodia, Laos
HQ &
Hub SEA
Los Banos,
Philippines
Malawi
Bujumbura,
Burundi
Hub
ESA
Kenya
Burundi Uganda
Rwanda
Madagascar
Tanzania
Mozambique
Africa Rice Breeding Task Force
Others
Other world regions
(W-C Africa, E
Asia, W-C
Asia, LAC, Europe,..
.)

50. Future cropping systems
Rice
Rice
Rice-Rice
Rice
Rice
Maize-Rice
Maize
Rice
Maize
Maize-Rice-Rice
Rice
Rice
Others
Jan
Mar
May
Jul
Sep
How to manage them?
How sustainable?
Implications for wider range of ecosystem services?
Nov
Jan

51. Future mechanized cropping systems
CEIRS – Consortium for Ecological Intensification of Rice Systems (IRRI, Yara, Bayer, Lindsay, Kellogg‟s)

52. GRiSP Product 5.3.1. Global rice monitoring and forecasting system
IMHEN
PhilRice
TRD
TNAU
CARDI
CTU
www.riice.org
Remote sensing-based information and
insurance for crops in emerging economies
ICALRD

53. Monitoring the stages of growth and planting dates - Mekong

55. Hybrid Rice Development Consortium (HRDC)
HRDC with 68 public & private
members
HRDC
Formed
38 members
End of
ADB
project

56. Increased impact through licensing
breeding lines to local companies
Contract
growers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Company
Retail
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
IRRI
Company
Company
Retail
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Company
Retail
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
NARES
Seed
sector
Customers
(Farmers)
Informal
seed
exchange

57. Wide access to traits through trait
platforms and market segmentation
Companies
NARES
IRRI
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Industrialized
Nations
• Development of new
improved technology
• IP protection
• Other crops
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Customers
(Farmers)
Developing
Nations
Directed
access to
new
improved
technology

58. 3000 new rice genomes
indica
Phylogenetic tree
for 200,000 random
SNPs
aus/boro
intermediate
basmati/sadri
japonica
temperate japonica
tropical japonica
BGI, CAAS, IRRI

59. International Rice Informatics Consortium
(IRIC)
• Global portal for public and private sector
• Sequences and analysis of 3,000 genomes
• Other rice genome sequences, diversity
panels, GBS data
• Sequences of rice microorganisms
• Sequences of other grasses (e.g. for C4 project)
• Phenotypic data
• Gene expression data, gene functions and
networks
• Analysis tools
• Access to seed, links to other databases

60. ACI Ltd. company model in Bangladesh
Full service provision or farmer capture
Technology Development
Technology transfer
Farmer service provision
•
•
•
•
•
• On-farm trials
• Promotion
• Product sales
• Input supply
• Finance services
• Farmer machines services – laser
levelers, planting, transplanters, herbicide
spray, harvesting, storage
Hybrid Rice
Niche rice varieties
Veg, pulse, oil seeds
Farmer machinery
Pesticides
Crop purchases- Contracts to buy
all crops in cropping system
Processing & Marketing through
supermarket chain

61. INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Los Baños, Philippines
Established 1960
• Product and outcome oriented
research strategy – many new
initiatives
• ~1400 Staff, 35 nationalities
(+500 new since 2007)
• ~700 R&D partners in >60
countries; expanded private
sector collaboration
• Increased regional & country
presence
• More efficient management
• Annual budget of >US$ 95
million; 80 different donors

62. IRRI’s new regional hub for East and Southern Africa
Bujumbura, Burundi, October 2013

63. Thank you Australia.
IRRI’s new Plant Growth Facility