ASEAN Rice Science and Technology Ambassador Awards

Dr. Ouk Makara is the Director of Cambodia’s main agriculture research institution, the Cambodia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI). His expertise lies in the area of rice breeding, particularly in developing better rice varieties that provide higher yield and better grain quality, and increasing resilience to unfavorable farming conditions such as drought and floods. Throughout his career, he contributed to the development and release of 39 rice varieties that Cambodian farmers continue to use. Since 70% of the total agricultural production in the country is dedicated to rice, his role in developing better varieties has been one of the most tangible contributions of a scientist to national development. His exemplary work was recognized in 2017 by the country’s Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, where he was awarded as an Outstanding Scientist.

Dr. Phetmanyseng is the key rice breeder for the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) and deputy director of the Agriculture Research Center under NAFRI. A breeder and researcher with almost 20 years of experience, his contributions to Lao PDR include the development of more than 15 high-yielding rice varieties that have been adopted by rice farmers throughout the country and have made a positive difference in their livelihoods. With the adverse impacts of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and floods, he has worked on breeding rice varieties that are “climate-resilient” or able to withstand both drought and floods. Several climate-resilient varieties have been developed under his watch and multiplied and distributed to Lao farmers to ensure that they are able to mitigate the effects of climate change. Dr. Phetmanyseng also actively engages directly with farmers, the private sector, and local and international institutions to ensure that helpful rice farming technologies directly reach the farmers and communities.

Mr. Zakaria is an inspiration to his fellow farmers in the community. He has been farming for more than 30 years and has gained a reputation as a “high-yield achiever” for his rice crops that have average yields of from 8 to 10 tons/ha. The normal or average yield in his community is about 6 tons/ha per season. Mr. Zakaria is an eager tester of new technologies and farming programs introduced by the Malaysian government. He shares his successes and lessons learned from these programs with farmers in his community and beyond. Riding on this generation’s penchant for social media, Mr. Jaafar shares his knowledge and insights with farmers as far as Indonesia through a Facebook page, “Kelab Jelapang Padi” that he and his friends maintain. The title of Rice Science and Technology Ambassador fits him perfectly.

Ms. Myint Yi is a rice breeder in Myanmar’s Department of Agricultural Research. She is a dedicated civil servant who exemplifies the value of hard work and continuous improvement in her more than 30 years of government service. Her leadership in the rice breeding program has resulted in the development and release of new rice varieties for different ecosystems including irrigated lowland, rainfed lowland, submergence-prone, and salinity-prone environments. Her hard work, dedication, and remarkable contributions to the rice sector were recognized earlier this year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation of Myanmar, which conferred on her the Outstanding Award for Development of New Rice Cultivars.

“Doc Sai”, as he is known to colleagues, is the acting executive director of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the country’s premier rice research institution. As a rice scientist, Doc Sai specializes in plant breeding and molecular biology/biotechnology. One of his most significant contributions in the field of rice science is the development of tungro-tolerant rice varieties. These varieties were used as “stop-gap” measures to halt the spread of the disease in parts of Mindanao, thus saving the livelihoods of farmers in the region. Not just an exemplary rice scientist and administrator, he is also a visionary who has worked to uplift the livelihoods of farmers in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), one of the poorest regions of the country. He pioneered the tapping of religious leaders to help train farmers in local Moslem communities to use and adopt modern rice-farming technologies to improve their productivity and livelihoods.

For his innovativeness and leadership in rice farming and the community, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Thailand has selected Mr. Bunmee Surakhot for this honor. After experiencing ups and downs in different professions, Uncle Bunmee, as he is known, found his calling in agriculture. He first tried, without success, to grow popular crops, such as shallots, chili peppers, corn, and cucumbers and raising chickens. He then tried organic rice farming. After three years, he felt that ordinary farming was not sustainable. Realizing that there is strength in numbers, the ambitious Uncle Bunmee, a natural-born leader, teamed up with other farmers in his district to increase their competitiveness and bargaining power. This ultimately led to commercial success and the preservation of his community’s popular product of pride, “Loong Bunmee” rice. Mr Bunmee is currently president of the Ban Um-Sang Rice Community Enterprise. He was a recipient of the National Farmers award in 2011.

Mr. Khanh attributes his success in rice farming to hard work, diligence, the drive to live a better life, and the courage to utilize technological innovations. Born to a family of farmers with no land to till, Mr. Khanh worked as a farm laborer and diligently saved his earnings to accumulate enough capital to purchase a 1.5 hectare plot. Despite the small farm size, Mr. Khanh is able to increase his farm’s profitability through adoption of high yielding, high quality varieties. He also applied principles in farm management learned from experts such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the “3 Reductions – 3 Gains,” “1 Must do – 5 Reductions” and Climate-Smart Agriculture. These principles allowed him to significantly reduce farming expenses yet maintain very high yields. His farm currently yields 7-8 tons/ha in the Winter-Spring cropping season, and around 5-5.5 tons/ha during the Summer-Autumn season.