Tropentag, September 16 - 18, 2026, Göttingen "Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures"

Transforming Asia’s rice systems: Integrated pathways to climate-resilient, low-emission, and inclusive futures

International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines

Abstract

Rice is fundamental to Asia’s food security, rural economies, and cultural identity, yet the systems that sustain it are under growing pressure. Climate extremes, water scarcity, environmental degradation, labour shifts, and changing markets are reshaping rice production, rural livelihoods, and the wider food systems in the region.
Meeting these challenges requires more than a series of stand-alone innovations. It calls for coordinated change across crop improvement, water and soil management, climate and digital services, risk reduction, markets, and institutions. IRRI’s experience and partnerships across the region demonstrate how research can shape policy, guide investment, strengthen national capabilities, and support the wider adoption of solutions suited to local conditions.
Progress will depend on sustained collaboration among governments, researchers, the private sector, and farming communities. The task is to build rice systems that remain productive under a changing climate, reduce emissions, widen opportunities, and protect the natural resources on which Asia’s long-term food security depends.

Contact Address: Alice Laborte, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Banos, Philippines, e-mail: a.g.labortecgiar.org