Kenya is one step away from commercializing Bt cotton following the commencement of National Performance Trials (NPTs) to identify suitable varieties for different agro-ecological zones. This comes after the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) granted an Environmental Impact Assessment license to Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Fisheries Organization (KALRO) to undertake the trials.

Novel ways are being explored to make nutrition interventions more effective and efficient in Kenya. The ICRISAT nutrition behavior change team recently used ‘Photovoice’, a methodology to assess the impact of activities implemented in one of the counties in Kenya. Photovoice is a qualitative research method that uses photography for social action, to raise awareness and to stimulate behavioral change.

In 2017, the IRRI Seed Grant Scheme awarded USD 15,000 each to six research teams led by young scientists. (See Winning science: Meet the awardees of the first IRRI Seed Grant Scheme) The aim was to foster innovative and collaborative research and provide young scientists with experience in securing and managing independent research funding. We report on the outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned from the first year of the scheme.

During the 13th International Rice Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, IRRI joined fellow global experts in a forum where they shared solutions and approaches to sustainable rice production, such as recent developments in post-harvest technologies and learning alliances. According to Martin Gummert,  IRRI’s expert on post-harvest and mechanization, farmers experience rice physical losses ranging from 7 to 30% from harvesting to milling.

Shetkari Sanghatana, a farmers organization based in Maharashtra, India is making a strong pitch for genetically modified (GM) seeds. The group has launched a campaign circulating social media posts and organizing conferences where farmers share knowledge of GM crops even as the state cracks down on use of unapproved GM cotton varieties.

The Government of Ethiopia is the latest African country to authorize cultivation of biotech crops by granting two landmark approvals for environmental release of Bt cotton and research trials on biotech maize. In a letter signed by the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change H.E. Gamado Dale to the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (Applicant), the country will start with two Bt cotton hybrids: JKCH1050 and JKCH1947.

"Innovations in plant breeding are enabling us to develop plants that meet the needs of a changing world," said Jean-Christophe Gouache, President of the International Seed Federation (ISF) during his speech at the opening ceremony of the ISF World Seed Congress 2018 in Brisbane, Australia. "This is down to the ‘power of genetics,'" he stressed.

IRRI works with national partners to promote technologies that maximize water-use efficiency and to reduce rice’s ecological footprint through the Water-efficient and risk mitigation technologies for enhancing rice production in irrigated and rainfed environments (WateRice) Project. In cooperation with the Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC), WateRice Project conducted a demonstration of laser-guided land leveling to farmers of Iloilo, Philippines.
 

More than 60 people composed largely of legislators, legislative staff, and students "feasted on facts" as the film's tagline puts it, during the special screening of the documentary, Food Evolution, held on May 23 at the Philippine House of Representatives. The film was shown as part of the Biotechnology Exhibit themed Bioteknolohiya: Pambansang Hamon, Pambansang Solusyon (Biotechnology: Our Nation's Challenge, Our Nation's Solution) organized by the Department of Agriculture's Biotechnology Program Office from May 21-24, 2018.

On May 24, 2018, the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) released a statement on GR2E Golden Rice, a rice genetically engineered to produce provitamin A carotenoids. The US FDA statement concurs with the assessment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) regarding the safety and nutrition of Golden Rice.