Farmers' protest marked launch of IRRI's 50th anniversary
Written by GRAIN
Friday, 20 November 2009
IRRI was hailed for sparking the Green Revolution in 1966 with the invention of IR8. It claims that this agricultural breakthrough rescued millions of Asians from famine and poverty, but only a few decades into the Green Revolution, poverty in rural Asia had in fact worsened. Over one bilion people are hungry these days. The Green Revolution robbed Asias rice producers and brought on even greater burdens such as debts, declining yields, health problems, a ruined ecosystem, and loss of biodiversity.
GRAIN went there in solidarity with the protesting farmers. View the photo essay of the event.
Farmer-scientist group calls for IRRI’s immediate closure, not another year for IRRI
Written by MASIPAG Information
Friday, 20 November 2009
Los Banos, Laguna – As the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) formally opens its 50th anniversary celebration today, hundreds of resource-poor farmers held a protest action in front of its gates calling for its immediate closure.
For the past 50 years of IRRI’s operation in the Philippines, the Filipino farmers’ situation has been far worse than before. The Green Revolution, which started in the 70’s aims for increased rice productivity by using High Yielding Varieties (HYVs) for the increasing population. HYVs however are high input varieties that relies on expensive synthetic inputs peddled by Agrochemical TNCs for it to produce higher yield.
Groups slams Global Hybrid Rice Program: Call for IRRI’s closure
Written by MASIPAG
Wednesday, 14 October 2009
PRESS RELEASE
October 14, 2009
Groups slams Global Hybrid Rice Program
Call for IRRI’s closure
In a joint statement today, the MASIPAG (Farmers and Scientist for Development of Agriculture), GRAIN (Genetic Resources Action International), KMP (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) and APC (Asian Peasant Coalition), slams global hybrid rice program and call for the closure of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
