After Heading IRRI Pushing “Green Revolution” For Asians, MS Swaminathan Intellectualized “Evergreen Revolution” For All!

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In 1987, Indian scientist and leader MS Swaminathan, former IRRI Director General, 1972-1980, became the very first World Food Prize winner “for developing and spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India during the 1960s when that country faced the prospect of widespread famine” (World Food Prize Foundation, worldfoodprize.org).

After that, Swaminathan outperformed himself and brainchilded the “Evergreen Revolution” that ANN says “involves the integration of ecological principles in technology development and dissemination” (Author Not Named, 16 April 2017, “Father Of Green Revolution Gives Call For ‘Evergreen Revolution’,” Times of India, timesofindia.indiatimes.com). My translation of the technical: “Go Organic!”

Santiago Rigonan Obien (SRO) is the founding Executive Director (ED) of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) – he was ED from 1987 to 2000 (when age forced him to retire from government service). 13 years – thus, it was SRO who brought up PhilRice from initial idea to international importance, yes!

Surprise! I saw SRO’s Facebook post Thursday, 23 Feb 2023 (middle image, partly shown above), and this was my comment:

After the Green Revolution (chemical agriculture), Indian Swaminathan is now into the "Brown Revolution" (organic agriculture) – why is Filipino PhilRice still in the Green Revolution stage? asking as a friend!😎

“Brown Revolution” is my term for people today turning away from the Green Revolution and going organic.  

Today, I am urging PhilRice, whoever is the Executive Director, to bring this institution from being a national climate-change Goliath into a national climate-change David – “Go Organic Rice!”

That goes with the Rockefeller-Ford funded International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) – this local agriculturist alumnus of UP Los Baños is advising that international agency to “Go Organic Rice!”

Unsolicited, my additional advice to both PhilRice and IRRI – Remember to test and grow your favorite rice variety/ies in all the ways you want, in all the places you can go – but please don’t forget to “Go Organic”!

My question: “Why can’t IRRI and PhilRice go Organic Rice when private company Renucci Rice can? No, I am neither family nor writer-from-home (WFH) for the Renuccis. From the Renucci website, we have this (renuccirice.ph):

The Rice Revolution

Transforming the Rice Industry – Renucci Rice is the game-changer. The first of its kind in the Philippine market. While most rice brands are mixed with imported grains, stale and laced with artificial fragrance and pesticides, Renucci Rice is 100% produced in Leyte, 100% traceable, and 100% safe. Now Filipinos know exactly where their rice comes from. Only Renucci Rice is from the source. Renucci Rice is pure, unmixed, clean and delicious.

As a communicator for community development (ComDev) and as a fighter against Farmer Poverty and Climate Change, I endorse Renucci Rice because I believe that it is “Healthier White Rice” and that it is “Safe and Clean” – yes, Ma’am, there’s “Goodness in every grain” (renuccirice.ph).

In my 43 years of communicating for community development, starting with print media in 1975 and, starting 1991, scouring the digital media as I blogged, the uncommon story of Renucci Rice farmers uplifts my heart!@517

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