Transcript Document 7152882

Advanced Networks for the
Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research:
You can’t eat iPods
Robert Zeigler
Director General
International Rice Research Institute
www.irri.org
23 January 2007
Connectivity Courtesy of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
ICARDA
Aleppo
Syrian Arab Rep.
IFPRI
Wash, DC
USA
ICRISAT
Patancheru
India
IRRI
Los Baños
Philippines
Bioversity
International
Rome
Italy
IITA
Ibadan
Nigeria
CIMMYT
Mexico City
Mexico
CIP
Lima
Peru
WorldFish
Penang
Malaysia
ILRI
Nairobi
Kenya
CIAT
Cali
Colombia
IWMI
Colombo
Sri Lanka
Africa Rice Center-WARDA
Cotonou
Benin
CIFOR
Bogor
Indonesia
World Agroforestry
Nairobi
Kenya
CGIAR’s Mission
To achieve sustainable food security and
reduce poverty in developing countries through
scientific research and research-related activities
in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fisheries,
policy, and environment.
CGIAR’s Structure
• With an annual budget of more than US$500 million, the
CGIAR is the world’s largest and most important public
research network focused on agriculture.
• Supports 15 international agricultural research centers that
work with national agricultural research and extension
systems, civil society organizations, and the private sector.
• Strategic alliance of nations, international and regional
organizations, and private foundations.
• Mobilizes agricultural science to reduce poverty, foster
human well being, promote agricultural growth and protect
the environment.
• Generates global public goods that are available to all.
International Rice Research Institute
Research staff of around 850 (2007)
International Rice Research Institute
Headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines
International Rice Research Institute
• First of the CGIAR centers, IRRI was established
in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations
in cooperation with the Philippine government.
• Annual budget of about US$29 million (2005).
• 252-hectare research complex and experimental
farm in Los Baños, Laguna, 60 km. south of
Manila.
• Home of the Green Revolution in Asia and the
world’s largest and most important rice collection
of 108,706 (end of 2005) different accessions.
IRRI’s Mission
To reduce poverty and hunger,
improve the health of rice farmers and
consumers, and ensure environmental
sustainability through collaborative research,
partnerships, and strengthening of national
agricultural research and extension systems.
IRRI’s Five Strategic Goals
1. Reduce poverty through improved and
diversified rice-based systems.
2. Ensure rice production is sustainable and stable,
has minimal negative environmental impact, and
can cope with climate change.
3. Improve the nutrition and health of rice
consumers and farmers.
4. Provide equitable access to information and
knowledge on rice and help develop the next
generation of rice scientists.
5. Provide rice scientists and producers with the
genetic information and material they need to
develop improved technologies and enhance
rice production.
GOAL 4: Provide equitable access to
information and knowledge on rice
• Provide optimum stewardship of, and access to,
data, information, and knowledge about rice to
help improve the lives of poor rice producers and
consumers.
• Serve as the convener of dialogues about rice
science and development through a global hub
for rice information.
• Build the next generation of rice scientists able to
access and use appropriate information and
technologies.
The technology exists, or
soon will, to connect all
sources of information
about rice and make it
accessible to anyone,
anywhere, anytime.
IRRI will work to close the
“communication gap” by
applying new technology
to ensure that rice-related
knowledge reaches the
farmers.
The RKB is an excellent example of how information can
reach deep into formerly isolated developing countries.
Agriculture and agricultural research must be
attractive opportunities for today’s youth.
Information technology (IT) can help
in this process.
Trends in urbanization, Asia and Africa, 1970-2030
Asia
Africa
Millions
Millions
6000
1600
Actual
5000
Projected
Total
4000
4886
1400
2664
1200
3680
Urban
800
2143
2000 486
600
2313
1657
Rural
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Year
1398
748
Total
796
Urban
295
650
2222
357
400
83
1000
Projected
1000
1367
3000
Actual
501
200 274
Rural
0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Year
Source: United Nations, 2004, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision
Increasing urbanization means IRRI must assure
affordable rice supplies for the urban poor as well
(You have to eat before you buy that iPod).
IRRI and APAN
• APAN PH Node since 1998.
• Requirements exceed commodity Internet:
– Use of high-performance computing
(HPC) grid;
– Large databases for genomics, GIS;
– Extensive use of videoconferencing;
– Shared services, e.g., Linux support;
– Follow the Sun Research Partnerships.
• Close ties to the Philippine IT industry.
The ICT industry and IRRI
IT and rice are the two things that unite Asia:
1. The rice research community is Asia’s largest—
and and arguably most important—scientific
community.
2. Rice research has a long, proven, track record as
a key driver of Asia’s economic development (the
Green Revolution).
3. Asia’s 2.5 billion plus rice consumers—including
200 million rice farmers—are the next generation
of IT users (after the Western World’s first
generation).
4. Rice research is on a roll.
Enabling Factors
Revolutions in biology, communications, and computational power
Remote computational power
generates new generation of
questions and applications.
Universally accessible,
Large databases
Molecular Biology,
Genetics,
Physiology
A problem
A meeting
The disease
A new gene discovered?
Computing and analysis
Thank You!