Rice crop innovations and natural-resource management — A glimpse into the future

Publication Type

Contribution to conference

Authors

Asch, F., Brueck, H.

Year of publication

2011

Published in

Innovation and Partnerships to Realize Africa’s Rice Potential

Editor

AfricaRice

Conference name

Second Africa Rice Congress, Bamako, Mali, 22–26 March 2010

Conference location

Bamako, Mali

Rice is and will be the major global food crop. Cultivars, rice-based cropping systems and the rice itself will have to undergo adaptations and improvements in order to meet future demands for both food security of the growing population and environmental conservation. Growing more food will increase the pressure on natural resources such as land, water and nutrients, which must be used efficiently and sustainably. The challenge posed by imminent climate change forces the speeding-up of the innovation process, which will require collaboration by a large number of scientific disciplines and stakeholders. Rice’s path into the future will have to follow several parallel lanes. On one hand, we cannot slacken our efforts to improve existing cropping-systems management to decrease the gap between potential and current productivity. On the other hand, we need to increase our knowledge base of the genomic, proteomic and metabolic make-up of rice to pave the way for future innovations through genetic-engineering based on in-depth knowledge of physiological processes. A third highly important approach is to maximize productivity in clearly defined high-input environments, such as irrigated rice and intensive rainfed production, using a strong systems approach. Another parallel approach must focus on the low-intensity production systems and those environments most vulnerable to changes in climate. Here, in contrast to the intensive systems, genotypic elasticity and region-specific management options need to be exploited to ensure a secure level of production in highly variable environments and those undergoing transition. Finally, existing networks addressing some or all of these options should be more tightly knit to increase information flow among, and the innovative power of, the scientists involved. This includes a strong focus on scientific capacity-building through North–South collaboration in research and education, with a strong role of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research in streamlining the combined efforts.