Rice farming has an annual value of over $150 billion, and directly or indirectly affects over 2 billion
people who either depend on rice as their food staple or are involved in the production or processing of it.
Rice provides 20% of the world’s food calories. Some 400 million chronically hungry people depend on rice
for their livelihood. Rice is also rapidly rising in its importance as a food staple in Africa and Latin America.
Changing environmental, economic, demographic and social landscapes will change the way rice will be
grown in the future, towards eco-efficient production systems, including diversified cropping systems and
value chains. This will require innovations derived from strategic, increased R&D investments. It will also
require a transformation of the agricultural research and extension systems to ensure that these innovations are
what farmers and others in the value chain need, and to get them to these users faster.
This paper will provide an overview of global priorities for rice research and examples of recent innovations
and developments to better serve the needs of rice producers and consumers, and also make major
contributions to the world’s pressing environmental and social issues. The Global Rice Science Partnership
(GRiSP, www.grisp.net) provides a new strategy and work plan for global rice research through which
hundreds of R&D partners can contribute more effectively to solving development challenges - regionally,
nationally, and locally. GRiSP also provides new opportunities for Japanese rice researchers to participate in
international research or lead that research in key areas, and thus also benefit for addressing high-priority
challenges in Japan.