TWO WORLD FOOD PRI7.E LAUREATES AND FOUR FORMER IRRI DIRECTORS GENERAL were among 250 participants at the IRRI Reunion 27-30 June in Gainesville, Florida. Here, the six international rice leaders inspect a sample of IR841, which is grown and marketed in the United States as Jasmine 85. Although IRRI varieties are in the ancestry of most U.S. rice varieties, IR841 is the only U.S. variety named directly from an IRRI experimental line. IR841, selected from the 841st IRRT cross, made in 1966 by Dr. Ben Jackson, former Rockefeller Foundation rice breeder. The aromatic rice helps U.S. rice farmers compete with Asian imports. From ]eff to right are: Dr. Henry M. (Flank) Beachell, 1996 World Food Prize (WFP) laureate and former IRRT rice breeder; former IRRI Directors General Dr. Ralph Cummings, Dr, Robert F. Chandler, Dr. Klaus Lampe, and Dr. Nyle C. Brady; and Dr. Gurdev S. Khush, WFP laureate and IRRI rice breeder.

TWO FORMER PRESIDENTS, THREE RICE SCIENTISTS, AND IR8 are captured in this historic photo. Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson (kneeling, right) inspects IR8, soon to spearhead the Green Revolution in rice. during an IRRI visit on 26 October 1966. To Johnson's right is former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Others are Dr. Robert F. Chandler, the first IRRI Director General (center); and IRRI rice breeders Dr. Peter Jennings (standing, far left), and Dr. Hank Beachell.

LOYALTY TO RICE DRAWS 250 TO IRRI REUNION IN FLORIDA

by Dr. Thomas R. Hargrove

Rice is the world's most vital, and fascinating, crop. A special bond—formed by working for its improvement--drew more than 250 former scientists, scholars, and dependents of the International Rice Research Institute to the third IRRI Alumni Reunion, held 27-30 June in Gainesville, Florida.

Why Gainesville? Dr. Robert F. Chandler, IRRI's first director general, and his wife Sunny live in retirement in nearby Mt. Dora. Chandler started the Institute in Los Banos, Philippines, in 1960, and led it until 1972.

Why 1997? Because this year marked the 90th birthday of both Chandler and Dr. Henry M. (Hank) Beachell, joint laureate of the 1996 World Food Prize and IRRI rice breeder from 1963 to 1991.

I attended the reunion as part of the "IRRI family"—I served as IRRI editor, then head of communication and publications, from 1973 through 1991. Rice World editor John Hart also asked me to report on the gathering.

Participants included IRRI rice breeder Dr. Gurdev S. Khush, who shared the 1996 World Food Prize with Beachell. The Prize, established in 1987 to supplement the Nobel Peace Prize, honors those in agriculture who have substantially increased the world food supply. Four IRRI scientists—Chandler 1988) and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan (1987) of India, plus Beachell and Khush--have been laureates. The Prize is sponsored by the John Ruan Foundation of Des Moines, Iowa. (Beachell and Khush also won the Japan Prize for the development of IR8 and IR36 in 1987.)

Four of IRRI's five former directors general (DGs) attended. Dr. Ralph Cummings, who succeeded Chandler in 1972, and his wife Eunice came from Raleigh, N.C. Dr. Nyle C. Brady (1973-81) and wife Martha attended from Gilbert, Arizona. Dr. Klaus Lampe (1988-95) and AnneMarie came from Frankfurt, Germany.

Reunion organizers were Walter G. Rockwood, former IRRI editor, and Beverly, his wife. "Why should people who lived together, worked together, played together all those years in Los Banos come from across the world to see one another here in Florida?" Rockwood asked. He answered his own question in the wording of the program: "Bringing together those who served at IRRI since 1962—and who retain love and respect for the institute and for their former colleagues."

Dr. LaRue Pollard, IRRI editor 1981-82, then 1986 to 1993, attended from Las Cruces, N.M. because she "wanted to recapture what we did, and why we did it. The Institute was one of the most important elements of my life."

Sixteen participants came from Los Banos, IRRI's home town in the Philippines. Four former IRRI staff flew in from Australia. Others came from Canada, Suriname, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"These men and women worked for IRRI, and IRRI worked for the world," former DG Brady said.

We talked a lot about rice, which makes up more than half of all food consumed by one of every three persons on earth. The improved rice varieties and technology developed by IRRI scientists and cooperators feed, conservatively, one of every seven living humans today.

Hank Beachell recalled IRRI's early days: "We interviewed farmers and scientists across Asia to understand why rice yields in the tropics were so low. The main problem was the structure of the tropical rice plant--tall, with weak stems. When fertilized, the plant 'lodged' or fell over, and production ceased."

In 1962 IRRI scientists crossed Dee-geo-woo-gen, a dwarf rice from China with a thick and stiff stem, with Peta, a vigorous, high-tillering variety from Indonesia. Progeny of that cross produced heavy panicles of grain, but the strong stems held the plant proudly upright.

Dr. S.K. De Datta, IRRI agronomist from 1964 to 1991, recalled measuring yields of more than 9 tons per hectare from the experimental line IR8-288-3.

"I was shaking when we showed the data to Dr. Chandler," De Datta admitted. "But Chandler said 'Congratulations! IRRI scientists have grown it, and will share it with the world!

"Dr. Chandler let us be creative and do research for today and tomorrow," recalled De Datta, who is now Director of International Research and Development and Associate Dean of Agriculture at Virginia Tech University. "Our brains were the only limitation at IRRI in the early days."

In 1966 IRRI released the bountiful experimental line as IR8, the first semidwarf rice for the tropics.

Jose D. Ona did his M.S. research at IRRI, then spent a career bringing the new rice technology to Vietnam, Iran, Belize, Indonesia, and other developing countries.

The Filipino agronomist best remembers introducing IR8 and other IRRI varieties in South Vietnam, where he served from 1966 to 1975 as rice production specialist on an IRRI-U.S. Agency for International Development team.

"We rice workers were safe, even in the middle of the Vietnam War, because we brought what the farmers needed—new rice seeds and technology that gave them better lives," Ona recalled.

The world's future need for rice was often discussed. Economists project a 70% increase in demand by the year 2025. Demand will be highest in Asia, where 90% of the world's rice is grown and consumed.

"Asia's land area is constant, and can't support a growing population forever," Chandler, IRRI's founding DG, pointed out.

Population growth is decreasing in parts of Asia, Chandler said "but Asia has such a large population base. China has cut its population increase to 1% per year—but 1% of 1.2 billion is 12 million births yearly.

"Plus, China is losing 300,000 hectares per year of arable land to new factories, roads, houses."

Hank Beachell was concerned about the severe funding cuts at IRRI. "I feel strongly that the IRRI training program must continue. The world will need a lot more rice in the future.

"Bringing young rice scientists from many countries together at IRRI builds a camaraderie like you see here today—and that will help us meet the challenge," said Beachell, now a consultant for RiceTec, Inc. of Alvin, Texas.

"We will have no peace unless the earth's rice-eating population is fed," said former DG Klaus Lampe. "Time is running short. In 50 years, the global population will be 8 to 12 billion, and about 5 billion will depend on rice.

"But it will cost money," Lampe said. He envisions an international fund that invests about $1 billion annually to support research and education to provide food security for today's "global population times two."

"If we aren't prepared to pay, our children must pay the bill for our failure."

About 20 children of IRRI international staff, who grew up together on the IRRI Staff Housing Compound, attended as young adults. Martin Moomaw, the "first IRRI baby"—meaning the first child born among the international staff, was there, along with Carolyn Moomaw, his mother. The late Dr. Jim Moomaw, his father, was the first IRRI agronomist. Martin is now a legal assistant in Dallas.

"The young people were the best part of the reunion," said Dr. Edwin C. Price, IRRI agricultural economist from 1975 to 1985. "It let them recapture, reconfirm the culture they came from." Price is now Assistant Vice Chancellor for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University.

"I wanted to review my life, to be reminded of my roots and what helped me reach where I am today," said Dr. Angel Khush, who arrived in Los Banos at age 1 in 1967, and left after her 1984 graduation from Manila International High School.

"Many kids who grew up at IRRI have a sense of service, of wanting to improve the conditions of humanity," Khush said. She had just finished her M.D. and residency in psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco.

Packages of rice and rice products from Texas and Arkansas were raffled at the reunion. A bag of IR841 was auctioned. IR841 was selected from the 841st IRRI cross, made in 1966 by Dr. Ben Jackson, Rockefeller Foundation rice breeder and IRRI liaison in Thailand from 1966 to 1983.

"IRRI rices are in the ancestry of most U.S. rice varieties, but IR841 is the only U.S. variety that was actually bred at IRRI," said Jackson, who now lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. "The aromatic rice is grown and marketed in the USA as Jasmine 85. It helps U.S. rice producers compete with Asian imports."

I was in charge of the John C. O'Toole hospitality suite, the reunion's social hub. A contribution by O'Toole, former IRRI agronomist now with Rockefeller Foundation in Thailand, inspired the suite's name.

We served Original Coors, of course--a rice-based beer.