Dr. David Molden wins PAWEES International Award.

Dr. David Molden has been awarded the 2009 International Society of Paddy and Water Environment Engineering (PAWEES) Award. The PAWEES International Award recognizes individuals who have made significant academic, service or research contributions in the field of paddy and water environment engineering. The award was bestowed at the PAWEES award ceremony on October 7 th 2009, in IBP (Institut Pertanian Bogor - Bogor Agricultural University) International Center, Bogor City, Indonesia.

Rice is a primary source of food for energy consumed by almost half of the world population. Rice production is not only a matter of food production but in most Asian countries also demonstrates environmental, social and even spiritual values, or rural values. Innovation or introduction of new methods to develop paddy fields without bearing in mind these values might end up in failure. However, conventional methods, based on high yield varieties and intensive uses of artificial inputs, are also no longer acceptable, since they contribute to the degradation of natural resources and undermine rural values. Alternative or new methods of rice production are needed which will restore natural resources and rural values, while maintaining high productivities.

The PAWEES 2009 conference will draw together knowledge and experience of the scientists and practitioners from all over the world to find solutions for sustainable rice production. This conference is an annual event of the International Society of Paddy and Water Environment Engineering (PAWEES) and co-organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Bogor Agricultural University, the Indonesian Network of the System of Rice Intensification and the Japanese Society of Irrigation, Drainage and Reclamation Engineering (JSIDRE) and Technical Section I on Land and Water Engineering of the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering (CIGR).

The PAWEES conference will also distribute awards, based on assessment by a team of panelists, as appreciations to those authors whose articles were published in the Journal of PAWEES in 2008, and to scientists who have shown significant contributions to the development of sustainable paddy fields, and/or agricultural engineering as a whole.