NEWS AND EVENTS

IYR launch at the United Nations in New York, United States

The formal launch of the International Year of Rice 2004 took place at the United Nations in New York on 31 October 2003. The Director-General of FAO officially launched the observance of IYR with an address to the ECOSOC chamber. The Director-General's speech highlighted the importance of rice for food security, poverty alleviation and environmental resource management, and it called for addressing the pressing need for a new commitment to sustainable rice production. The launch of IYR generated much global media interest through the breakfast Press Conference and regular UN press briefing attended by Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, Mr Michele Savini, Directeur de Cabinet of FAO, and Mr Mahmoud Solh, Director of the Plant Production and Protection Division of FAO and Chairperson, FAO Organizing Committee for IYR. The launch was accompanied by a weeklong IYR exhibit in the UN lobby featuring IYR and IRRI-sponsored information booths and rice plants donated by Cornell University.

Second Meeting of the Informal International Working Group (IIWG) on the International Year of Rice 2004

The Second Meeting of the IIWG on IYR 2004 will take place on 11 February 2004 at FAO, Rome, Italy. The purpose of the meeting is to review the progress in preparations and discuss observance activities of IYR 2004 in addition to the medium- and long-term efforts to support the development of sustainable rice-based production systems. The IIWG members comprise countries: Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, France (CIRAD), India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, United States of America and Viet Nam, in addition to the European Union; international organizations: FAO, UNDP, UNEP, Unesco, UNICEF, WHO and IFAD; CGIAR centres: IRRI, WARDA, CIAT/FLAR, IFPRI and IPGRI; NGOs: IFAP; and the private sector: IAFN. The meeting will precede the FAO Rice Conference to be held at FAO, 12-13 February 2004.

IYR launch in Rome, Italy

The official launch of IYR in Rome, Italy will take place during a special FAO Rice Conference: Rice in Global Markets and Sustainable Production Systems on 12 and 13 February 2004. The two-day Conference is being jointly organized by the Agriculture Department and Economic and Social Department of FAO. On the first day, there will be expert lectures on the topic "Rice in Global Markets", while the following day will be devoted to "Sustainable Rice-Based Production Systems: Challenges and Opportunities". The Director-General of FAO will open the Conference and launch the observance of the Year in Italy. The Conference will be accompanied by a cocktail reception following presentations on IYR.

IYR 2004 Web site

The official IYR Web site was launched in August 2003 and is continuously updated with new information and documents in preparation for and during the Year. The Web site is envisioned as a dynamic, interactive clearinghouse of rice-related information and provides a forum for global IYR observance. Information is available in the five official FAO languages and includes sections about the history and background of IYR, media resources, information about rice, news and a children's section. The following can be accessed from the IYR Web site:

• ABOUT IYR: UN Declaration, Concept Paper and Rice Fact Sheets, Calendar of IYR Activities, Links to Key Partners, IYR Logo and Slogan

• MEDIA RESOURCES: Facts and Statistics, Press Releases, Speeches, Guidelines on IYR Logo and Slogan, Visual and Multimedia Resources

• NEWS: Global Contest on Rice Guidelines, Project Announcements, Monthly Spotlights and Newsletters

• ALL ABOUT RICE: Key Facts about Rice around the World including FAOSTAT by country information and rice recipes

• CHILDREN'S SECTION: Games, quizzes and information on rice for curriculum enrichment

Reflecting the IYR mission of the initiation of long-term projects on sustainable rice-based development, the IYR Web site will develop a new section in 2004 entitled "Moving Forward: Solutions to Problems". This section will aim to evaluate the best practices and offer recommendations for future developments in rice-based production systems in the areas of technology, economics, culture, environment, gender and nutrition.

IYR 2004 Global Rice Contests

The main objective of the Global Contest on Rice is to stimulate interest in the various areas involving rice and rice-based production systems by holding worldwide competitions in scientific research papers and photography. In addition to the Global Contest, FAO will work closely with member countries on the development of national-level contests for farmers and farmer associations as well as contests that engage children for curriculum enrichment.

Recognition will be given to the top participants in the scientific research and photography contests at the World Food Day 2004 celebrations at FAO in Rome, Italy. Top participants in the children's and farmers' contests will be acknowledged on the IYR Web site.

• The Photography Contest administered by FAO will acknowledge the most original photo related to the IYR theme "Rice is Life", with the aim of enhancing awareness of rice-related issues among lay people, artisans and those who may not realize their stake in rice production. The Selection Committee comprising a panel of distinguished photographers and senior members of the FAO Information Division and FAO Organizing Committee on the International Year of Rice will evaluate the photos submitted and establish a short list of nominees for the IYR 2004 Global Contest in Photography Award.

• The Scientific Article Contest, administered by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in collaboration with FAO, will evaluate scientific articles in two categories: agronomy and genetic resources. The panel of judges will comprise technical experts from FAO, WARDA (West Africa Rice Development Association), IRRI and CIAT/FLAR (International Centre for Tropical Agriculture). Top recipients of the Scientific Award will be invited by IRRI to attend the International Rice Research Conference to be held in Tokyo, Japan in November 2004, in addition to having their papers published in the FAO IRC Newsletter and IRRI's IRRN Magazine.

First prize winners of both contests will also be invited to the World Food Day 2004 celebrations at FAO in Rome, Italy on 16 October 2004.

Detailed guidelines and terms of reference for both awards will be published on the IYR Web site at www.rice2004.org by January 2004.

Other news

Meetings of ASEAN plus 3 (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea)

The FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Changchui He, was invited to introduce IYR 2004 at the Senior Official Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers of Agriculture and Forestry, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 18-19 and 21 August 2003.

The inclusion of IYR 2004 in the agenda of the ASEAN Summit is an exceptional opportunity for generating the necessary government support for the implementation of the short- and long-term plans and projects for the Year. In his address, Mr He elaborated on the significance of rice in the promotion of sustainable rural development in Asia and laid out the context and strategy for IYR 2004 in its aim to contribute to poverty alleviation and livelihood enhancement. The full text of Mr He's "International Year of Rice Informational Address" to the ASEAN Summit is available on the IYR 2004 Web site.

African Development Bank (AfDB) grants EU37.05 million to New Rice for Africa (NERICA)

In July 2003 the AfDB approved EU37.05 million of loans and grants to New Rice for Africa (NERICA) to help increase rice production in seven West African countries. The NERICA programme envisions raising the combined production of Benin, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sierra Leone by 600 000 tonnes a year, which in turn would enable these countries to save US$100 million a year on food imports. The NERICA varieties were developed during the 1990s by WARDA (West Africa Rice Development Association), which received financial and technical assistance from UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), WB (World Bank), FAO, Japan, USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Art of Rice Exhibition at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles, United States of America

The special exhibition entitled "The Art of Rice: Spirit and Sustenance in Asia" will run at the University of California Los Angeles Fowler Museum of Cultural History from 5 October 2003 until 25 April 2004. The exhibition is the result of 6 years of research by an international group of 24 anthropologists, arts and museum specialists and artists examining the interplay between rice and culture in Asian society through study of the visual arts. The exhibition features works from China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and other Asian countries and comprises more than 200 objects ranging from Japanese Zen painting to intricate Indonesian textiles to modern works created for popular festivals of the agricultural cycle. In addition, a "festival theatre" will be showing video footage of many Asian rice festivals, such as the offering of the first grains of the new harvest to Buddha in a Thai monastery. Following its Fowler debut, "The Art of Rice" is scheduled to travel to other venues including the American Center for Wine, Food and Arts in Napa, California and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. For more information, contact Stacey Ravel Abarbanel at [email protected].

Workshop on "Sustainable Use of Agricultural Resources and Environment Management with Focus on the Role of Rice Farming"

The Workshop, which will take place in Tokyo, Japan from 21 to 23 January 2004, is organized in concurrence with the International Year of Rice. It aims first, to discuss those pressures, either positive or negative, induced by agricultural globalization on various aspects related to agricultural resources and environment management, with special attention to the role of rice farming in sustainable agriculture, and second, to exchange information on technical, institutional, infrastructural and other countermeasures to cope with the pressures.

World's oldest rice found

The world's oldest known domesticated rice was found by archaeologists from Chungbuk National University when 15 000-year-old burnt grains were discovered in the village of Sarroi in the Republic of Korea. Radioactive dating of the 59 grains of carbonized rice has pushed back the date for the earliest known cultivation of the plant. DNA analysis shows the early rice sample to be different from the modern intensively farmed varieties, thereby offering scientists the opportunity to study the evolution of one of the world's principal food sources. The region in the central part of the country where the grains were found is one of the most important sites for understanding the development of Stone Age man in Asia.

International Year of Rice Calendar of Global Events

Updated 31 October 2003

The IYR Calendar of Global Events is updated on a monthly basis.
The IYR Secretariat and FAO, unless indicated otherwise, do not hold responsibility for the content and organization of the IYR events listed.

* See List of Acronyms following Calendar of Global Events.

LIST OF ACRONYMS

Information Note on the FAO Rice Conference

Rome, 12-13 February 2004

At its 57th Session in December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly designated 2004 as the International Year of Rice. The declaration reflects the importance of rice for global food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Rice is the staple food of more than half the world's population; rice cultivation, products and traditions attached to the crop have become an integral part of the world's cultural heritage.

To celebrate the International Year of Rice, an FAO Rice Conference has been convened at FAO Headquarters in Rome, from 12 to 13 February 2004.

The Conference aims to raise awareness over leading issues that may shape the world rice economy and the development of sustainable rice-based production systems in the coming years. On the first day, the focus will be on global rice market developments, shifts in the structure of rice trade and demand and changes in rice policies, including those related to the WTO Multilateral Trade Negotiations. On the second day, the Conference will concentrate on important technical and production aspects of the crop, spanning from biotechnology to challenges and opportunities in sustainable rice-based production systems. Presentations will be made by world leading experts and FAO.

PROVISIONAL AGENDA