Tackling climate change
IRRI has been working on research issues that are related to rice and climate change since 1991 – a time when climate change was considered a marginal topic within agriculture research.
This perception on the significance of climate change has fundamentally changed.
Over the years, a wide range of institutions, including IRRI, have embarked in diverse climate change initiatives and projects that deal with adaptation and mitigation in the rice production system. The Institute has defined a coherent research portfolio on rice and climate change emphasizing on three areas: adaptation, mitigation, and policy. This sets rice production into the broader context of food supply and food security alongside socioeconomic issues, such as rural development and gender mainstreaming.