1473. Meeting with IRRI to Strengthen Research Collaboration

On April 3, 2026, we welcomed Dr. Virender Kumar (Research Director), Dr. SAITO Kazuki (Senior Scientist), and Dr. IWANAGA Masa (Board Member) from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for a courtesy visit and technical exchange. During the visit, we introduced our institutional framework and research projects, followed by broad discussions on strengthening future collaboration with IRRI.

We presented the structure of our 6th Medium- to Long-Term Plan, progress in past collaboration with IRRI, and potential areas for future cooperation, including capacity development, along with an overview of related projects. In response, Dr. Kumar highlighted opportunities for enhanced collaboration, particularly in aligning institutional strategies, advancing talent development, and establishing frameworks to scale up promising technologies at the international level.

IRRI also presented its research structure and ongoing initiatives. In addition to breeding, IRRI promotes an integrated research approach that combines social sciences, agronomy, and digital analytics to support sustainable rice-based systems. An analysis of long-term experimental data suggests that intensive cropping systems in paddy fields can promote soil carbon sequestration; however, it also highlights challenges such as trade-offs with methane emissions, underscoring the importance of further research in this area.

The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including balancing soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, potential collaboration to enhance rice productivity and environmental sustainability in Africa, strategies for biofortification (e.g., iron and zinc), and the application of big data to inform agricultural policy.

President Hasegawa emphasized the importance of data-driven science and the critical role of public research institutions, expressing strong expectations for further strengthening collaboration.

This visit reaffirmed shared strategic directions and highlighted broad opportunities for cooperation in areas such as capacity development, data utilization, and sustainable agricultural technologies. Further development of concrete research collaboration and researcher exchange is anticipated.

(Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki, Strategic Coordination Office)