IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute is the heart of Asia’s agricultural research. Established in 1960, IRRI headquarter is located in Los Banos, Philippines, and fourteen other offices are spread throughout different countries of Asia. IRRI carries a significant mission of helping to “feed almost half the world’s population” (“Welcome” IRRI). Because of this, they are also called the “home of the Green Revolution in Asia” (“Welcome” IRRI). To accomplish their mission, they dedicate their time to grow rice that does not need much water, create nutritious rice, and develop methods to produce more rice. It is their firm belief that this will thus decreases diseases, poverty, and starvation.

The importance of rice is what makes IRRI’s mission meaningful all the more. Rice is life and the base of civilization to more than half the world. For most Asian countries, rice stands at the center of each of their culture. Especially in China, rice would get them occupied all year: “ploughing in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in autumn and hoarding in winter” (“Rice Culture of China” China Through A Lens). Rice is not only the staple food for Asian countries, but the source for rice products such as rice wine, rice soap, rice cereal, and rice cake. As rice has accompanied people for more than 5000 years, it continues to walk with them to the future.
Each grain of rice in people’s bowls has come a long way. The fields have to be plowed, fertilized, smoothed and flooded before transplanting seedlings from the seedling beds to the fields by hand. After that, continuous care such as irrigation is needed during the growing season. Then the fields are drained and the plants are cut and tested. “Before marketing, the rice is threshed to loosen the hulls—mainly by flailing, treading, or working in a mortar—and winnowed free of chaff by tossing it in the air above a sheet or mat” (“Cultivation and Harvesting” Infoplease). Finally it is delivered to supermarkets before moms cook them and place it on the table.
Rice, as is for other Asian countries, plays a major role in the Philippine’s culture and economy. Rice is one of the Philippine’s indigenous cuisines, and it is their “primary building block of nutritional health.” (“Cuisine and Fashion” Culture and Customs of the Philippines). They often prayed to their rice gods and gave rice festivals such as the Pahiyas festival. The Philippines was one of the top rice-exporting countries for a long time as it produced so much rice from the Banaue rice terraces. Even though they import rice now, lacking major rivers or deltas, many farmers still make living from rice cultivation.
To closely feel the importance of rice and IRRI, Brent students have visited the IRRI headquarter. It must have been a novel experience to most of them. After watching a short film that introduced IRRI and the importance of rice, they went out to the fields to plow the land with water buffalos and transplant seedlings. They had to step into a deep mud pool to do the job, but most students did not mind to ruin their clothes to help them. Then the students visited the IRRI museum that was divided into twelve sections each introducing rice artifacts, farming tools, farm machineries, rice products and by-products, illustrations of rice ecosystems, samples of rice seeds from different parts of the world, replicas of rice granaries, farmers’ clothing, insects that are friendly and harmful to rice, photographs of women rice farmers, and representations of rice biotechnology. As it has been for 50 years, IRRI will continue to contribute to fill the world’s need for rice and thus complete the cultures of half the world.

To accomplish their mission, they dedicate their time to grow rice that does not need much water, create nutritious rice, and develop methods to produce more rice. It is their firm belief that this will thus decreases diseases, poverty, and starvation.

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rice would get them occupied
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I think you need to read this aloud to someone -- or better yet, have someone read it aloud to you. Wherever the reader stumbles or has to re-start a sentence, you know that there's a problem, and you should be able to HEAR where the error is.

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The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an organization dedicated to agricultural research, specifically focused on rice, which is considered the "staple food" for more than half the world's population. IRRI was established in 1960 and is headquartered in Los Banos, Philippines, with other offices spread throughout Asia. They are often referred to as the "home of the Green Revolution in Asia."

IRRI has a mission to help "feed almost half the world's population," and they work towards this by focusing on several key areas of research. Firstly, they aim to develop varieties of rice that require less water, as water scarcity is a significant issue in many rice-producing regions. Secondly, they work on creating more nutritious varieties of rice to address malnutrition and improve public health. Lastly, they develop methods and technologies to increase rice production, with the goal of reducing poverty and hunger.

Rice holds immense cultural and economic importance in Asia, serving as the base of civilization for many countries. To give a specific example, in China, rice plays a central role in the daily lives of people. It is part of the cultural cycle, with activities related to rice cultivation taking place throughout the year, such as plowing in spring, weeding in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter. Moreover, rice is not just consumed as a staple food but also used to create various products like rice wine, rice soap, rice cereal, and rice cake.

The process of rice cultivation involves several steps, starting with preparing the fields by plowing, fertilizing, and smoothing them before flooding and transplanting the rice seedlings from the seedling beds. Continuous care, including irrigation, is provided during the growing season. Once the rice plants are mature, the fields are drained, and the plants are cut and tested. The rice is then threshed to remove the hulls, which can be done through methods like flailing, treading, or working in a mortar. The rice is further processed to remove chaff by tossing it in the air above a sheet or mat. Finally, the rice is delivered to supermarkets and eventually cooked by moms for their families.

In the Philippines, rice holds a significant place in both culture and the economy. It is considered one of the country's indigenous cuisines and is referred to as the "primary building block of nutritional health." Rice is revered to the point that prayers are dedicated to rice gods, and rice festivals, such as the Pahiyas festival, are celebrated. The Philippines used to be one of the major rice-exporting countries, and although they now import rice, rice cultivation still sustains many farmers despite the challenges posed by the absence of major rivers or deltas.

To provide a hands-on experience and understand the importance of rice and the work of IRRI, students from Brent School visited the IRRI headquarters. They watched a short film introducing IRRI and the importance of rice, and then they had the opportunity to participate in activities like plowing the land with water buffalos and transplanting seedlings. The students also visited the IRRI museum, which showcased various aspects related to rice, such as artifacts, farming tools, rice products, illustrations of rice ecosystems, samples of rice seeds from around the world, and much more.

IRRI has been serving its mission for over 50 years and will continue to contribute to fulfilling the world's need for rice, supporting the cultures and livelihoods of millions of people.