Rice is a staple food for half of the world’s population. However, rice cultivation is a major contributor to global warming, accounting for over a third of all emissions from the food sector (as of 2021). In addition, climate impacts are driving major losses in yields and income, including for farmers working some of the smallest plots of land.
The future of this essential crop—and the billions of farmers who depend on it—is at a crossroads. As demand continues to grow, enhancing rice yields, output, and quality is vital to support both human and planetary health.
In partnership with the International Rice Research Institute and other stakeholders, the “Scaling NextGen Rice” Impact Program will look at how to scale up adoption of new production methods across countries.
“Scaling NextGen Rice” will connect rice-producing countries across East Asia, the Pacific, and South Asia to take innovations and sustainable practices to scale. In this program, select country representatives set the agenda for knowledge creation, peer learning, and policy dialogue for the next three years based on their experience and national priorities.
Participants will:
- Develop plans to take resilient rice production to scale within their country based on their unique needs;
- Exchange lessons from their national experience across a broad range of issues such as research and extension, technology, policy, and markets to accelerate the pace of scaling across all countries.
- Identify, together with a host of stakeholders operating in the field, models for transforming the rice industry at every level.
Program Launched: June 10, 2025