PhilRice is Well Worth the Investment
Consisting of retired International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Deputy Director General Dr. Fernando A. Bernardo, former UP Mindanao Chancellor Dr. Rogelio V Cuyno, Dr. Louie A. Divinagracia, and Dr. Mercedita A, Sombilla, the team was commissioned by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) to conduct the impact evaluation last year.
In their report, the team said that PhilRice started to make an impact even at the early stage of its development “without waiting for new technological innovations in its first six to seven years of existence to get going in extension, knowledge dissemination and techno transfer activities.”
PhilRice used the existing rice science, knowledge and production technologies from the earlier works of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), UP Los Banos (UPLB) and IRRI while it was developing new knowledge and technologies.
“With dynamic leadership, competent and highly committed staff, and … generous support and inspiration from top management, the PhilRice technology transfer program hit the ground running,” the team reported. “Its prominent activities were training, on-farm technology development, and communication and knowledge dissemination through publications.’,”
The team also noted that by 1991 to 1992, barely five years after its creation through an executive order, the scientific and extension communities already noticed PhilRice for its R&D outputs with the release of some varieties it had tested nationwide. Coupled with these varieties were the best practices in growing these varieties, which came out from its agronomic research.
“Through the years, PhilRice has con tributed to increased national rice production and farm level productivity
[and better resource utilization, and has helped farmers increased their income],” the team added.
Overall, they noted that the impact of PhilRice was driven by new technological innovations, promotion, knowledge dissemination and techno transfer activities and strategies, and related factors.
The new technological innovations included improved inbred and hybrid varieties, improved crop management practices, and cost-reducing and increased-efficiency technology.
On the other hand, promotion, knowledge dissemination and techno transfer activities were techno promos on farmers’ fields, farmers’ field schools, group of cooperators in the PalayCheck and Palayamanan projects, field days, lakbay aral, training and technical briefings, seed kit, technical assistance, extension, training materials, and the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture.
The strategies included social capital building (networking with national and local extension institutions), resource sharing, capacity enhancement, integrated old and new media, and community organizing.
Other related factors were biotech techniques, development and implementation of a national field testing and management system for both inbred and hybrid varieties, R&D network development, scientific meetings and conferences, training and internship in rice research, and advanced degree training and continuing professional development.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT
The team said development and promotion of commercialized varieties and crop management technologies enabled PhilRice to contribute to increased productivity growth in the past decade, which resulted in the turnaround of growth rates from the low levels in 1985 to 1996.
In irrigated areas where the technology packages work well, farmers’ net income increased from R3,268 a hectare (based on the prices in year 2000) in 1995 to r12,142 a hectare in 2004. Farmers in rainfed lowland and upland areas also benefited from the use of modern varieties and information learned from PhilRice extension and promotional activities, resulting in increased net incomes from P3,085 a hectare in 1995 to r6,263 in 2004.
In irrigated areas planted to modern varieties, yield in 1991 to 1996 increased by 240 kg/ha compared to the yield in 1985 to 1990, and the yield in 1997 to 2006 increased by 220 kg/ha compared to the yield in 1991 to 1996. In non-irrigated areas planted to modern varieties, on the other hand, yield increase in 1991 to 1996 over 1985 to 1990 was 160 kg/ha, and the yield increase in 1997 to 2006 over 1991 to 1996 was 100 kg/ha.
In upland areas planted to modern varieties, yield in 1991 to 1996 compared the yield in 1985 to 1990 increased by 90 kg/ha while the yield increase in 1997 to 2006 over 1991 to 1996 was 260 kg/ha.
In households that adopted improved technologies, rice consumption and income from rice increased, and their overall welfare improved. “At a broader level, it can be stated that improved technologies have contributed to an overall reduction of poverty,” the team said.
They also estimated that at 10 percent discount rate, the net present value of PhilRice is P2.641 trillion, and even peso invested for it generated a net benefit of P6.81 for the Philippine economy. In other words, each peso earned an average 29 percent net annual rate of return until 2006. With this rate, it can be concluded that PhilRice is well worth the investment because “if the money would have been used to buy treasury bills or would have been kept in commercial savings banks [it] would have earned lower interest rates,” they reported.
Moreover, “the 16 percent increase in yield over the last decade kept the country from importing more rice (that would have risen to about 3.5 million tons in 2006) to meet the growing demand for the commodity. This translates to savings in foreign exchange that was channeled to other purposes,” the team added. In 2006 alone, the country produced 10.268 million tons of rice and had a deficit of 40,607 tons only.
KNOWLEDGE IMPACT
The gain in knowledge of stakeholders (farmers, extensionists, agricultural workers, community leaders, teachers, local officials) in rice science and new technologies is one the desirable effects and impacts of PhilRice which justifies its existence.
The educational outcomes of PhilRice’s developmental activities were witnessed by the team in their focused group discussions and interviews with farmer leaders, farmer cooperators, and extension workers of local government units. These were shown in the content of their narratives when the stakeholders mentioned the minus one element technique or MOET, integrated pest and nutrient management, foundation seeds, registered seeds, carbonized rice hull, basal and top dressing fertilizer application, A x R planting of hybrid seeds, among others.
The team also reported that the stakeholders admitted that they think differently now. They are now more cost conscious [and] open to new practices; they even conduct simple experiments [on] new practice versus old practice. When something doesn’t work or when production problems occur, they [quickly] shift to another practice. Indeed, our present farmers manifest what all extension workers and adult educators wish them to be - more analytical, open minded, receptive, enlightened, and informed when they solve problems and make farming decisions.”
SOCIAL, INSTITUTIONAL IMPACT
Among the indicators of the social impact of PhilRice are the willingness of farmers to share rice information and experiences to others, their regular attendance in farmers field schools, meting out of chores for the preparation of a field day or training event, serving as resource person in a farmers’ forum in a nearby village, and taking pride in high yields. These could lead to social change when sustained and benefit the community, the team said.
It was also noted that hybrid seed growers have banded themselves into cooperatives to pursue and engage in a common business. They attended a season-long rigid and demanding seed growing course, subjected their crops to inspection by the BPI seed inspectors, submitted seed samples for seed certification, attended meetings with DA regional officials, and attended field days as a group.
Likewise, the team reported that the coops of seed growers in Region II have acquired social wealth such as farm machineries, warehouses, delivery trucks, and institutional marketing of hybrid seeds from their collaborations and business relationships.
On the other hand, institutional impact was seen in the following: social capital building through the national rice R&D network, capacity building of R&D network, greater involvement of R&D network in national affairs, and enhanced agency (DA, SUC, LGU) function and role because of new technology.
By comparing the present condition to the early `70s when people were lining up in queues to buy rice and competition for scarce rice created sporadic riots in the streets and market places, the team considered the relative peace at the rice stalls as a political impact.
“We can only conjecture that the promotion and knowledge dissemination of PhilRice new technologies that have contributed to a large national harvest … may have largely contributed to relative peace and stability at the rice stalls,” the team said.
OTHER INDICATORS
Other indicators studied by the team were impacts on gender, biodiversity and the environment, maximizing land use, value adding to rice products, and proactive policy advocacy. They noted that many equipments and machines developed by PhilRice are womenfriendly. “This is PhilRice’s response to help women do their share in rice production and at the same time enable them to perform their responsibilities as housekeepers.”
Likewise, the present collection of 8,010 lines in the PhilRice genebank would lead to the maintenance-if not improvement-of biodiversity, as it would provide gene pools for future use.
Regarding the environmental impact of PhilRice, the team said fertilizer use on rice in the country has been regulated with the use of new instruments like the leaf color chart (LCC) and MOET. “[PhiIRice] has been promoting integrated nutrieAt management that involves the amelioration of soil through the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers, planting of green manures and the use of biofertilizers,” the team said.
Moreover, farmers now barely use various forms of pesticides in rice. Promotion of integrated pest management, which imparts that pesticides should be applied only when necessary, has been working well.
As PhilRice has been very much concerned on water conservation for irrigation, its developmental activities are addressed to water saving, and one of these is controlled irrigation. Likewise, recommendations on on-farm water harvesting and storage, use of hydropholic materials to improve the productivity of sandy soils, and optimum water management in rice-based farming systems have been made.
In addition, PhilRice has been breeding high-yielding varieties for uplands and saline areas which are cultivated by poor farmers and developing farm management practices that work well for these locations.
By focusing its research on the development of technologies that are environment-friendly, economically viable, and socially just, PhilRice is now an ISO 14001-certified research institute.
Through the promotion of rice-based farming system and its Palayamanan program, PhilRice has been promoting farm diversification to maximize land potential and enable farmers to either enhance their income or increase the variety of nutritious food on their dining table. Furthermore, “efforts on value-adding to rice products have found their way to a number of women entrepreneurs that have helped raise household income,” the team said.
“PhilRice socio-economic research outcomes are translated to forms useful to policy-makers, research planners and decision-makers. These are in the form of policy briefs and fact sheets that provide lessons and recommendations from studies conducted. In addition, socio-economic data are packaged to provide, information and basis for analyses for institutes or researchers interested to undertake further studies,” the team said.
