Connectivity Courtesy of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications

Advanced Networks for the Consultative Group on International

Agricultural Research: You can’t eat iPods

Robert ZeiglerDirector General

International Rice Research Institutewww.irri.org

23 January 2007

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

IFPRIWash, DCUSA

CIMMYTMexico CityMexico

CIPLimaPeru CIAT

CaliColombia

Africa Rice Center-WARDACotonouBenin

ILRINairobiKenya

IITAIbadanNigeria

IWMIColomboSri Lanka

ICARDAAleppoSyrian Arab Rep. ICRISAT

PatancheruIndia IRRI

Los BañosPhilippines

WorldFishPenangMalaysia

CIFORBogorIndonesia

World AgroforestryNairobiKenya

BioversityInternational

RomeItaly

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.

Increasing urbanization means IRRI must assure affordable rice supplies for the urban poor as well

(You have to eat before you buy that iPod).

Trends in urbanization, Asia and Africa, 1970-2030

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0

Actual Projected Actual Projected

2143

1657

486

3680

1367

2313

Total

Urban

Rural

4886

2222

2664

Rural

Urban

Total

83

357

274

501

295

796

650

748

1398

Asia Africa

Year Year

Millions Millions

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Source: United Nations, 2004, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision

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 FactorsRevolutions in biology, communications, and computational power

Molecular Biology,Genetics,

Physiology

Remote computational powergenerates new generation ofquestions and applications.

Universally accessible,Large databases

A problem

The disease

A meeting

Computing and analysisA new gene discovered?

Thank You!