News Release

Soap operas to the rescue of biodiversity

Peer-Reviewed Publication

International Rice Research Institute

Singapore – Using television and radio to tell stories about how farmers can grow healthier and more productive rice crops with less pesticides, has been successful in helping Asian rice farmers better conserve biodiversity on their farms.

Dr. K.L. Heong, from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), will talk about ways to shift biodiversity knowledge from academia into the hands of farmers to make real changes in biodiversity conservation when he makes a presentation at the Environment and Climate Change Seminar Series of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), SIngapore, tomorrow.

"Biodiversity is fundamental to our lives," Dr. Heong said. "It helps provide food and fresh water, and plays an important cultural role in our lives – including being an essential ingredient in ecotourism."

Dr. Heong is researching pests in rice crops and how building biodiversity into rice paddies can help prevent pest outbreaks.

"In China, Thailand, and Vietnam, the loss in parasitoid biodiversity makes rice production systems vulnerable to planthoppers – a major pest of rice," he added. "Farmers then become dependent on pesticides, which cause losses in biodiversity and biodiversity services such as pollination and pest regulation.

"In addition, losses in genetic biodiversity occur when farmers plant just a few rice varieties over large areas, which can also make rice vulnerable to pests. For instance, in Central Thailand, where about 75% of the rice is planted to 2 or 3 varieties, planthopper attacks have been unrelenting."

In 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, many people have heard of the concept of biodiversity, but knowing what it is and actually doing something to conserve it are very different things. What makes Dr. Heong's research unique is his approach to communicating the outcomes of his research to farmers and changing their behavior toward biodiversity conservation.

"We studied farmers' decision making, distilled scientific information into some simple guidelines and structured them into an entertainment-education program for radio," Dr. Heong said. "This formed part of a multimedia communication strategy that also included television broadcasts, posters, and leaflets designed to inform and motivate farmers to increase floral biodiversity in rice environments.

"This helped change farmers' attitudes and practices. Now, more farmers in China and Vietnam are retaining flowering plants between their rice crops and benefitting from the pest protection they provide with significantly less pesticide use."

Dr. Heong's visit to Singapore is part of IRRI's 50th anniversary activities, which included the launch of the IRRI Fund Singapore and a campaign to raise US$300 million to support rice research to help ensure that rice production is sustainable, to reduce poverty and hunger, and to improve the welfare of rice farmers and consumers.

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Media are invited to attend Dr. Heong's presentation, "Communicating Biodiversity Threats and Functioning of the Ecosystem to Rice Farmers in Asia: Challenges and Trends," at ISEAS on 25 June 2010.

The ISEAS Environment and Climate Change Seminar Series provides a forum for policymakers, academics, business people, NGOs, and practitioners to present and make known their views on issues pertinent to Southeast Asia.

Event details

10:30 am – 12 noon
Friday, 25 June 2010

ISEAS Seminar Room II
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore
30 Heng Mui Keng Terrace
Pasir Panjang, Singapore

Parking is available at the Heng Mui Keng Complex Carpark, located next to the ISEAS Building. At the car park, please take the lift to Level 6 (Lobby) and exit through the main entrance to the ISEAS Building. For the location map see www.iseas.edu.sg/iseaslocation.htm.

Contacts

Tara Shyam, The IRRI Fund: +65 6773 0801, +65 9112 2071 or t.shyam@irri.org
K.L. Heong, IRRI: +63 2 580 5600 (extension 2726) or k.heong@cgiar.org
Lee Poh Onn, ISEAS: +65 6870 4510, +65 9322 7779 or polee@iseas.edu.sg


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