1. Advanced Networks for the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research: Robert Zeigler Director General International Rice Research Institute www.irri.org 23 January 2007 You can’t eat iPods Connectivity Courtesy of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications

2. 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 WorldFish Penang Malaysia IITA Ibadan Nigeria CIMMYT Mexico City Mexico IWMI Colombo Sri Lanka ILRI Nairobi Kenya CIFOR Bogor Indonesia CIP Lima Peru CIAT Cali Colombia Africa Rice Center-WARDA Cotonou Benin World Agroforestry Nairobi Kenya

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. International Rice Research Institute Research staff of around 850 (2007)

6. International Rice Research Institute Headquarters in Los Baños, Philippines

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. IRRI’s Five Strategic Goals • Reduce poverty through improved and diversified rice-based systems. • Ensure rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative environmental impact, and can cope with climate change. • Improve the nutrition and health of rice consumers and farmers. • Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next generation of rice scientists. • Provide rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they need to develop improved technologies and enhance rice production.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. The RKB is an excellent example of how information can reach deep into formerly isolated developing countries.

13. Agriculture and agricultural research must be attractive opportunities for today’s youth. Information technology (IT) can help in this process.

14. Asia Africa Millions Millions 6000 1600 1398 Actual Projected 1400 Actual Projected 4886 5000 748 1200 2664 Total 4000 Total 3680 1000 1367 796 3000 Urban 800 Urban 2143 295 600 2000 486 2313 650 2222 357 1657 501 400 83 1000 Rural 274 200 Rural 0 0 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 Year Year Source: United Nations, 2004, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision Trends in urbanization, Asia and Africa, 1970-2030 Increasing urbanization means IRRI must assure affordable rice supplies for the urban poor as well (You have to eat before you buy that iPod).

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. Enabling FactorsRevolutions in biology, communications, and computational power Remote computational powergenerates new generation ofquestions and applications. Molecular Biology, Genetics, Physiology Universally accessible, Large databases

18. A problem A meeting The disease A new gene discovered? Computing and analysis

23. Thank You!