Rice science for a better world

About IRRI
IRRI, the International Rice Research Institute, is a nonprofit independent organization that, through rice research, aims to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable. IRRI develops new rice varieties and rice crop management techniques that help rice farmers improve the yield and quality of their rice in an environmentally sustainable way. We work with our public and private sector partners in national agricultural research and extension systems in major rice-growing countries to do research, training, and knowledge transfer. Our social and economic research also informs governments to help them formulate policy to improve the equitable supply of rice.

The challenges
Food security: the world needs 810 million tons more rice each year (or an extra 1.5% per year) to meet peoples needs and keep rice affordable. Climate change: massive areas of rice-growing land in coastal regions and low-lying deltas are highly vulnerable to sea-level rises. More intense droughts, floods, and tropical storms are also predicted to affect rice. Poverty: 1 out of 6, or more than 1 billion people, live in dire poverty many of them rely on rice as their staple food. Resource availability: water scarcity is predicted to affect 1520 million hectares of rice within 25 years. Reduced availability of land, nutrients, and labor will also affect rice production.

Our science
IRRI is a global leader in rice science. Since 1960, we have helped farmers boost their rice production through improved rice varieties and other technologies averting famine, lifting people out of poverty, and saving millions of hectares of natural ecosystems from being turned into farmland. In the future, rice research will continue to contribute to a secure and plentiful global rice supply. Our current science expertise includes: rice breeding (conventional, marker-assisted, and using biotechnology) rice crop and natural resource management conserving and understanding rice genetic diversity postharvest technologies to add value and reduce grain losses improving sensory and nutritional quality of rice crop informatics climate change (adaptation and mitigation) rice knowledge and capacity building rice policy support and economics

Research delivery
IRRI engages rice farmers, extension officers, and end users in our research to help ensure that the solutions we generate are relevant, helpful, and practical. We also work closely with our research and extension partners in Asia and Africa across the public and private sector to share our research and adapt our technologies to local conditions and needs. This broadens our reach and multiplies our impact.

Recent IRRI achievements

Delivered climate change-ready rice tolerant of drought and submergence. Built local capacity by freely sharing rice know-how online through the Rice Knowledge Bank. Conserved rice genetic diversity by maintaining more than 109,000 types of rice at the International Rice Genebank. Promoted smarter nutrient use to reduce fertilizer wastage and input costs while improving yields and local environmental health. Put healthier rice in the pipeline thanks to innovative technologies to improve the amount of iron, zinc, and pro-vitamin A in rice. Boosted irrigated rice yields through the release of high-yielding rice varieties suited to these production systems. Discovering genes to speed up the delivery of salt- tolerant rice varieties.

Our people
Our key asset is our staff of about 1,300. Most are located at our headquarters in the Philippines and we have small teams in our country offices. We recruit our science leaders internationally and they are considered among the best in the world in their fields. They are supported by nationally recruited staff that bring their expertise, local knowledge, and skills to IRRI and help us connect with the local communities where we work. IRRI staff embody and uphold our values that include cultural diversity and gender consciousness. Women and citizens of developing rice-producing countries are particularly encouraged at IRRI.

Capacity building
IRRI trains rice extension officers and scientists from all over the world to build rice knowledge, skills, and scientific capacity, particularly in developing countries. International students and visiting scientists also come to do research at IRRI and to work with our staff their contribution is critical to our success. In these ways, IRRI helps to educate tomorrows rice scientists and build effective research collaboration.

More than 3 billion people, half of humanity, eat rice as their staple food.

A global IRRI
IRRIs research benefits rice consumers and farmers worldwide particularly those in Asia, where 90% of rice is produced and consumed, and Africa, where rice is emerging as a major food crop. Our headquarters in the Philippines houses modern laboratories and glasshouses, a 252hectare experimental farm, the Riceworld museum, library, training center, and the International Rice Genebank. We facilitate global rice science networks with our partners and have offices located in major rice-growing nations. These provide links to each countrys national agricultural research and extension systems, helping IRRIs research reach rice farmers worldwide.

IRRI offices

Our goals
1 2 Reduce poverty through improved and diversified rice-based systems. Ensure that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative environmental impact, and can cope with climate change. Improve the nutrition and health of poor rice consumers and farmers. Provide equitable access to information and knowledge on rice and help develop the next generation of rice scientists. Provide rice scientists and producers with the genetic information and material they need to develop improved technologies and enhance rice production.

3 4

IRRIs goals contribute to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and ensure environmental sustainability. Our research agenda and policies are determined by a board of trustees who are guided by input from our partners, donors, end users such as farmers, and our staff.

Our funding
IRRI is a nonprofit organization that sources funding worldwide from governments, philanthropy, the private sector, and through the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Donor investment is fundamental to achieving our goals. In 2009, IRRIs budget was US$54 million.

www.irri.org
Contact
IRRI headquarters (Philippines) +63 2 580 5600 irri@cgiar.org