IRRI 2025–2030 Strategy Driving rice innovations toward food systems transformation
IRRI 2025
IRRI’s Next Chapter: Focused – Integrated - Ready
Dr. Yvonne Pinto - Director General, IRRI “Our new strategy is about more than what we do—it’s about how we do it. IRRI’s research will be fully-integrated, demand-driven, impact-oriented, and rooted in co-creation with our partners. As we respond to diverse national needs across Asia and Africa, we will harness our collective knowledge, learn across regions, and lead with purpose. This is IRRI’s opportunity to define what we want to be known for in the next era—not just for the breakthroughs of the past, but for how we add value today, together.”
Dr. Fayezul Choudhury - Chair, IRRI Board of Trustees “As stewards of IRRI’s mission, the Board views this strategy not just as a roadmap—but as a commitment to coherence, accountability, and relevance in a rapidly changing world. Our role is to ensure that IRRI remains responsive to country-level priorities, agile in a tightening funding landscape, and uncompromising in its pursuit of real-world impact. This is a decisive moment. We will elevate the way we work—aligning efforts across regions, building enduring partnerships, and positioning IRRI as the go-to knowledge partner for resilient, equitable, rice-based food systems
IRRI 2025–2030 Strategy: A Bold Vision for Rice-Based Agri-Food Systems Rice is humanity’s most vital food source—feeding over 4 billion people, more than half of the world’s population, and supporting 150 million farmers across 100 countries. Since IRRI’s founding in 1960, global rice production has tripled to 776 million tonnes annually. Sustaining this growth to meet future demand presents unprecedented challenges. Despite advancements, rice cultivation continues to contribute 1.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 30% of global freshwater. Projected yield losses of 10–15% per 1°C temperature increase, shifting nutritional demands, persistent inequality among smallholder farmers, and evolving partnership landscapes, demand a bold, collaborative transformation of ricebased food systems to ensure they are sustainable, resilient, and equitable for future generations. Given this new context, IRRI is renewing its mission to transform rice-based agri-food systems to deliver a healthier, more resilient, and inclusive future for people and planet. Building on over 60 years of global leadership, our 2025–2030 strategy addresses today’s most urgent challenges.
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