“Rice, Oryza sativa, is the staple food
for half the human population,
and growing it is the single most
important economic activity
in the world.”
Washington Post / The New York Times
August 4, 2000
The International Rice Research Institute
Reduce poverty and hunger,
improve health,
ensure environmental
sustainability
through rice science.
The International Rice Research Institute
• 1960; Ford and Rockefeller Foundations,
•
•
•
and the Philippine Gov’t
Today, 1,350 staff from over 34 countries
HQ in Philippines; 16 country offices
Funded by governments, philanthropies
Rice: The global staple
• oldest food
crop
• staple for billions
(~ 50% of world;
>70% of poor)
The green revolution
1960s-70s
• yields ~1.5
tons per ha.
Today
• yields ~4 tons
per ha.
Most hungry people in Asia
Source: FAO
Population by 2040?
10b
7.5b
People like rice!
Consumption per capita in kg/person
70
65
60
55
Global,
per =
person
65 kg
50
Philippines = 120 kg
45
Data Source: USDA, 2013
Additional global rice needs:
8 - 10 MMT/ year
600
550
500
450
400
350
Asia
Africa
Americas
Rest of World
35
20
33
20
31
20
29
20
27
20
25
20
23
20
21
20
19
20
17
20
15
20
13
20
11
20
09
20
07
20
05
20
03
20
01
20
99
19
97
19
95
19
93
19
19
91
300
Growth in rice yield has slowed
%/yr
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1970-1990
Source of raw data: FAO, 2013
1990-2011
Worsening resource scarcity
Land
Labor
Water
Climate change WILL reduce
rice productivity
Rice ready for climate change
salinity
drought
heat
submergence
Rice genetic diversity
120,000+ varieties of rice conserved in
IRRI’s International Rice Genebank
Conserving traditional /
heirloom rices
Climate Smart
Flood-tolerant rice
Jul 31
India
Oct. 31
Now used by
5m++ farmers
Climate smart
17 days after flooding
IR64-Sub1
Samba-Sub1
Samba
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR64
IR42
Samba
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR42
IR64
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR64-Sub1
IR64
Samba
IR64-Sub1
Samba-Sub1
IR42
IR49830 (Sub1)
IR42
IR64-Sub1
Samba
IR49830 (Sub1)
Samba-Sub1
IR64
Restoring ecosystem resilience
to control against insect pests
Mekong delta,
Vietnam
More
nutritious!
Global micronutrient deficiency
zinc, iron and vitamin A
Affects over 2 billion,
globally
Healthier rice
pro-vitamin A; iron; zinc
Climate Smart Technologies
Alternate wetting
and drying reduces
water use by 30%
without yield loss.
Particular attention to women
stakeholders
Burundi: ex-combatant women trained in novel rice
farming technologies
“In my family…
we were eating
only once a
day… Now we
eat twice a day”
Nutrient management products
Web
Smartphone
GSM mobile
phone
Local Language real
time interaction
Web and smart
phone output
Indonesia,
Philippines:
farmers increase
returns 100$ per
ha
SMS output
Rice Knowledge Bank
A brief history of the International Rice Congress
IRRI organized 1st Int’l Rice
Research Conference (IRRC)
in 1962
Past Int’l Rice Congresses
(IRC)
Hanoi - 2010
New Delhi - 2006
Beijing - 2002
IRC2014
October 27-31 2014
Bangkok, Thailand
Around 2,000 attendees expected at IRC2014
Rice researchers
and scientists
Traders, millers,
manufacturers,
transporters
Gov’t officials
and donors
IRC2014: 5 principal events
29th Int’l Rice
Research
Conference
Forum on funding
agricultural
research
International Rice
Industry Exhibition
Council for
Partnership on Rice
Research in Asia
(Ministerial Meeting)
IRRI Global Rice
Market and Trade
Outlook Conference
www.ricecongress.com
"Precious things are not pearls and
jade but the five grains, of which rice
is the finest”
Ancient Chinese saying