South Korea launched a development assistance project in Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Senegal, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, and Guinea-Bissau to provide the countries access to quality rice varieties and share farming know-how for ensuring sustainable food security.
The project will share South Korea’s rice cultivation experience, introduce the high-yielding rice varieties, Isri 6 and 7, produce the seeds, and distribute them to farmers.
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Mun-Hue Heu: Father of the Korean Green Revolution
Dr. Mun-Hue Heu was a remarkable plant breeder who demonstrated great skills, dedication, and passion for his work. He joined IRRI as a visiting scientist in 1965 and then became a plant breeder from 1980 to 1982. Dr. Heu was instrumental in developing Tong-Il (“reunification”)-type rice, a modern variety that helped Korea achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.
The acceptability of locally adapted japonica rice variety in the Philippine market: A product market test approach
With the growing demand for japonica rice in the Philippines, imports fill out the gap. With the opportunities seen, efforts to adapt popular foreign rice varieties to the Philippine setting were considered a sound investment. Though economies of scale may not be achieved, a shorter value chain and the price premium for specialty rice may motivate the players and producers in the market to grow it locally. Successful deployment of varieties in the country goes beyond its laboratory and field tests. Given that japonica rice is considered to be a specialty rice in the country, the involvement of the value chain in this effort is crucial as they will be the actors who will bring such into the baskets of the consumers.
Rice Technology Transfer Systems: A driving force for the development of rice production across Asia and Africa
The 16-year partnership between the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of South Korea has made a real-world impact through the transfer of knowledge and skills. The goal of the RRTS Workshop, which ran from 2002-2018, was to share relevant information, extend applicable components of Korean agriculture and technology that participants can apply in their home countries, and build the capacity of the participants for enhancing the agro-industry technology transfer system.
