Looks Like Germany Via Bayer AG Is Helping The USA Propagate Regenerative Agriculture Despite IRRI’s Eerie Silence!

 

The 6^th International Rice Congress (IRC 2023) was held in Manila, Philippines 13-16 Oct 2023 – did you read or hear about it? Probably not! I did not see any of the newspapers in Manila talking about it in digital media. I will attribute that to what I shall refer to here as the “Silence of the Lambs of Media,” a failure of the IRC2023 info people to propagate this important international event!

Too much science? From the looks of it, the IRC 2023 info people failed to “scale down” the science to the level of PH journalists.

IRRI.org has a dedicated webpage for it: IRC 2023, which reported on it: “6^th International Rice Congress 2023” with the beautiful theme “Accelerating Transformation Of Rice-Based Food Systems: From Gene To Globe.”

The Congress was held mid-Oct, but there was zero progress report on IRC 2023! Today, Wednesday, 25 Oct 2023, it’s 7 days after, but there is still no summary report for the media.

Yes, I believe that the explanation is: “Too much science.” Read the theme again: “Accelerating Transformation of Rice-Based Food Systems: From Gene to Globe.”

The IRC 2023 people would have been talking directly to the people if the theme was something like this: “Accelerating Transformation of Rice-Based Food Systems: Solving Farmer Poverty And Resolving Climate Change.”

Ah, but there was one saving grace in the IRC 2023: The intellectual challenge coming from Bayer AG: “A Revolution In Rice Production: Bayer Advocates For Regenerative Agriculture Practices Like Direct Seeding Of Rice.” The unnamed presentor I shall refer to as “Mr Bayer.”
(“Seeder” from slideshare.net, “Silence” from fontsinuse.com)

Mr Bayer says Michael Graham, head of Bayer’s Crop Science Research and Development Breeding Division, said in his keynote speech on the first day of IRC 2023:

We are at a pivotal moment in time. Rice consumption is increasing across Asia and Africa, while climate change and resource scarcity are putting pressure on our capability to produce enough rice. A revolution in rice production is needed, one based on regenerative agriculture.

I repeat with enthusiasm Bayer AG’s message to the world: “A revolution in rice production is needed, one based on regenerative agriculture.”

Bayer AG is “selling” the DSR technology package that is part of RA. And no, the international IRRI is not into DSR; neither is the local PhilRice, I wonder why. [You may want to see my earlier essay, “Bayer AG Of Germany Is Into Direct-Seeded Rice (DSR) – As A Filipino, I Ask ‘Why Not PH-Based IRRI And PhilRice?’” The Evergreen Rebel, blogspot.com].

Mr Bayer says:

Modern direct seeding of rice [DSR] is a crop establishment methodology augmented by various technologies, including breeding, water management, mechanization, digital, and other systems. Direct seeding can significantly conserve resources like water and labor and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

DSR can save on water & labor that will help solve Farmer Poverty, and reduce GHGs that will reduce the dangers of Climate Change.

What we need today is a Climate Change in Agriculture!@517