IRRI and Innovaon

The Internaonal Rice Research Instute (IRRI) is a non-prot independent rice research

and training organizaon with headquarter in Los Banos, Laguna in the Philippines and

oces in seventeen countries including India. IRRI’s innovaon is known for its work in

developing rice variees that contributed to the Green Revoluon in the 1960s which

preempted the famine in Asia. IRRI’s mission is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the

health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability through

collaborave research, partnerships, and the strengthening of naonal agricultural research

and extension systems.

IRRI’s one of the major innovaon for the farming sector is developing rice variees

(Popularly known as STRVs-Stress tolerant rice variees) that can withstand condions

forecast to become more frequent and intense with climate change. This includes drought,

3ood, heat, cold, and soil problems like high salt and iron toxicity. IRRI breeders use a

breeding method known as marker-assisted breeding. It helps breeders incorporate specic

desirable traits into new variees with more accuracy and speed. Through di4erent 3agship

projects like STRASA, Stress tolerant rice for Africa and South Asia; with support of naonal

instuons and di4erent extension networks; these STRVs or climate smart rice are showing

substanal, posive impacts in the lives of poor farmers.

In another breakthrough, IRRI has developed Rice Crop Manager, an ICT

based decision making tool, to provide farmers with crop and nutrient management advice

for Rice -Based cropping systems customized to farming condions and needs with an aim to

increase farmer's income and improve livelihood.

In an approach towards improve livelihood in addion to food security, the project CSISA,

Cereal Systems Iniave for South Asia ; works towards increasing the producvity of cereal-

based cropping systems in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. Resource conversaon,

mechanizaon, improved agronomy, cropping system etc. constute the major approaches

in the iniave