Sustainable Impact through Rice-based Systems (SIRS)

IRRI 2026

Rice is the staple food for half of the world’s population. It is the primary source of calories  for billions of people, primarily from low-income households, making it a critical crop for  achieving food, nutrition, social, and livelihood security. 

Rice and its production process shape cultures and social dynamics. It is a valuable crop  in Asia, positioned at the heart of nations and their economies. Consumer preference is  also growing across Africa due to changing diets and urbanization. Rice production,  particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, has overtaken demand. In a world afflicted by the  impacts of climate change, rice production and its markets worldwide need to evolve and  adapt to these emerging trends and heightening threats. 

Through Sustainable Impact through Rice-based Systems (SIRS), IRRI employs multi- and  inter-disciplinary research approaches to address global challenges. SIRS recognizes that  rice is a crop that drives global agri-food systems. From the soils to the markets, SIRS  presents evidence-based, data-driven, and gender-responsive solutions. SIRS innovates  strategies to improve climate resilience in mixed farming systems through climate change  mitigation, integrated crop management and pest ecology, mechanization, and post harvest technologies.  

SIRS also mobilizes digital and geospatial innovations to help with crop modeling and  technology targeting to boost smallholder farmers’ productivity and resilience, therefore  modernizing rice industries through digital transformation. SIRS looks into markets and  value chains and how data-driven decision-making can make food systems more inclusive and responsive to global trends. With rice as its core to guide sustainable global agri-food  system transformation. SIRS positions rice as a crop that offers solutions for soil, climate,  lands, technology, markets, and livelihoods.

https://www.irri.org/research-focus/sustainable-impact-through-rice-based-systems