7 April 2010: The April-June edition of Rice Today, a publication of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), includes an update on an Environment and Climate Change Seminar Series of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and highlights the need for rice farmers to adapt to a changing climate.

During the seminar, which took place in Singapore on 10 March 2010, Bas Bouman of the IRRI noted that “to produce one bowl of rice, it takes about 500 liters of water.” He said climate change will reduce water availability in large parts of the world and, by 2025, 15-20 million hectares of irrigated rice will face water scarcity, underscoring the benefits of water saving technologies. Bouman’s visit to Singapore was part of IRRI’s 50th anniversary celebrations, which included the launch of the IRRI Fund Singapore and a campaign to raise $300 million for rice research.
Other articles in the newsletter describe adaptation measures by Australian rice farmers in the face of an eight year drought, and the role of IRRI’s rice breeding programme to improve the cultivation of japonica varieties of rice under the warmer climate of the Philippines. IRRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [Rice Today]