TAC is grateful to the Chairman and members of the IRRI Fourth External Programme and Management Review Panel for a well-written and positive report. The Committee is pleased that, given the critical nature of the Third External Reviews of IRRI in 1987, the Institute has undergone an in-depth institutional transformation and emerged as a very well-managed Centre, with clearly-defined and transparent priorities, a well-focused research programme of high quality, and a continued record of impressive achievements and farm-level impact. The management problems that were evident at the time of the 1987 Reviews have been effectively resolved.
TAC has noted that the Panel's report, while lengthy, contains relatively few firm recommendations. The Committee urges members of the CGIAR to carefully consider the full report, which contains many useful suggestions. TAC endorses, in general, the recommendations of the Panel and offers the following commentary to supplement the Panel's work.
Evolution of IRRI
TAC is impressed by the scope and extent of the transformation that IRRI has undergone, as an institution, with guidance from its Board and Management, during the last six years. TAC sympathizes with IRRI and its staff for the hardship they have endured during this period of rapid change and institutional down-sizing. IRRI has found renewed vigour, is now substantially leaner and a more efficient research operation, appears to have in place a workable matrix research management system, and has able administrative and financial management. This is a credit to the outstanding leadership of the Director General and his senior managers. The directional changes of the Centre have a clear rationale, and most of the Centre's current research work is of a strategic nature. In addition, IRRI has developed effective mechanisms for strengthening national research systems, and is in the process of developing innovative consortia for collaboration with national programmes and other partners in conducting strategic research.
Research Programme
TAC shares the Panel's concern about the threat posed to food supplies by indications of decline, both in yield and factor productivity, in intensively-managed irrigated systems. TAC considers that these emerging sustainability problems in the most favourable rice-growing areas of Asia constitute one of the major issues that must be addressed through international rice research in order to meet the demand for rice. TAC encourages IRRI to make an effort to systematically collect additional information as to the extent and nature of this threat. In TAC's view, it would be premature to mount a 'man on the moon' effort on yield decline, as proposed by the Review Panel, until the nature and extent of the problem(s) have been defined more precisely. Nevertheless, the Committee endorses the Panel's recommendation that IRRI should organize and lead a commensurate research effort in this regard, in collaboration with partners in national programmes and advanced research institutes. TAC will consider the scale of resources required for research on this issue within the framework of its consideration of IRRI's MTP.
The other major challenge is to lift the yield potential of rice, which has not increased significantly since IR8 was released in 1966. Several new approaches for raising the yield ceiling are being explored by IRRI. TAC recognizes that lifting the yield ceiling may possibly exacerbate the problem of sustainability, and does not therefore view the challenge of lifting the yield potential as being totally independent from the challenge posed by the decline in factor productivity.
Scientific Excellence
TAC concurs with the Panel's view that IRRI's future efficiency will depend to a large extent upon its current scientific excellence and the way in which it is maintained. The Committee agrees with the Panel that the emphasis placed on the programme side of the research management matrix may now need to be modified to help the divisions maintain and enhance their disciplinary strengths.
Ecoregional Activities
TAC notes the Panel's observation that IRRI must be cautious about assuming a major ecoregional responsibility for Asia beyond the ecoregional work for rice-based farming systems. The Panel's concern may have been based on its opinion regarding the risks involved in IRRI moving too far away from its central role of a global commodity institute for rice.
TAC is impressed by the attention given by IRRI to sustainability concerns and the extent to which research on natural resources conservation and management is integrated within IRRI's programmes. TAC further notes that centres with global crop mandates have an important role to play in increasing the understanding of the environmental requirements of their mandate crops and the implications for targeting germplasm enhancement and breeding activities. TAC will consider IRRI's ecoregional activities within the context of its medium-term proposals and the systemwide discussion of ecoregional approaches to research.
INGER
TAC draws the attention of the CGIAR to the Panel's observations on the global importance and effectiveness of INGER. The Committee shares the Panel's concern about the 50% reduction in funding for INGER since July 1991. TAC would urge IRRI to aggressively explore options to ensure adequate funding for INGER, which plays a critical role in international rice research.
Relations with NARS
TAC appreciates IRRI's initiatives in developing additional innovative relations with national programmes through collaborative research networks (such as those on systems simulation and analysis in rice production) and consortia to address constraints to rice production in rainfed systems. These appear to hold promise for effective collaboration in strategic research on a partnership basis.
