Philippines the last stop of our GFP tour

IRRI's rice trials

Our arrival into the Philippines and drive to IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute where we stayed for a few days, occurred only twenty-four hours after a cyclone had passed through the area. I wondered what we were in for as we drove through the middle of the night passing check points with guards armed with machine guns.

The morning revealed a beautiful tropical landscape. There were signs of storm damage as we made our way down to IRRI's main base. Many Nuffield Scholars have visited the institute over the years as part of their global focus tour. With a great set up for researchers and visitors alike, it's no wonder. Hundreds of small trial plots of green crop framed by mountains rising up in the distance greeted us on our first day making a great first impression. IRRI was established in the sixties for the benefit of growers and researchers and remains steadfast in its commitment. Their seed bank of rice from around the world was extensive. Hundreds of varieties existed and we were informed the collection was far from complete.

I noted as we went through the institute there were new varieties being developed to tolerate submergence for several days. This is a major problem in many countries that are hit by flooding due to storm events. It turns out that rice doesn't like swimming, at least not in the deep end. Like many crops they like to keep their head above water. Concurrently, there are varieties also being developed for drought tolerance to lessen the amount of water required to grow a crop. It takes 500 litres to produce a bowl of rice so in a world forecast to be drier the race is on to get more from less.

More from less could be the one thing that all the countries I visited have in common. As farmers we are not dissimilar to each other. It is only the way we deal with the problems of production that set us apart. My Nuffield global focus tour has proven to me the value in seeing how things are done differently to your own business and having access to people that can show you some of the best practise and innovation in their field opens your eyes to greater possibilities for yourself and your industry. I consider myself very fortunate to be given such an opportunity and I thank Nuffield Australia and my sponsors, Horticulture Australia and the Australian Processing Tomato Growers for what is a once in a lifetime experience.