Established in 1960, we are the largest non-profit agricultural research center in Asia, with headquarters in the Philippines (photos above) and offices in 14 nations. Supported by donors and partners around the globe, we are known as the home of the Green Revolution in Asia. We help feed almost half the world’s population. Our mission is to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure that rice production is environmentally sustainable.
What's New
IRRI-bred rice varieties for the PhilippinesNews & Events (Press Releases)
Three new rice varieties designed to help Filipino farmers grow more rice in difficult conditions have been officially recommended for approval for release in the Philippines. Developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), one variety is flood-tolerant variety, one is drought-tolerant, and one is salt-tolerant.
We're turning 50!News & Events (Press Releases)
In 2010, IRRI celebrates 50 years of rice research that has helped feed the world. Activities lined up include: * Anniversary launch by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, 17 November 2009, in Los Baños, Philippines * The 6th International Rice Genetics Symposium, 16-19 November 2009, in Manila * A board meeting and an alumni and scholars' homecoming in 12-17 April 2010 in Los Baños.
The global food crisis: the end of plentyNews & Events (Rice News Worldwide)
Everyday at the dinner table, we take juicy bites oblivious to the fact that our beef comes from Iowa, fed by Nebraska corn. Our grapes come from Chile, our bananas from Honduras... we simply assume there is more where they came from. However, after miracle rice varieties doubled yields in Asia in the 60s, growth has stalled since the mid-1990s, as investment in agriculture has declined. "Governments thought we'd won the war on food security," says IRRI Director General Robert Zeigler. "So they put money elsewhere.”
Golden rice an effective source of vitamin ANews & Events (Rice News Worldwide)
The beta-carotene in so-called "Golden Rice" converts to vitamin A in humans, according to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) and Tufts University in an article that appears in the current issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Golden Rice was developed in the early 1990s with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation with the goal of creating rice that had beta-carotene -- a vitamin A precursor – in the rice grain. In its current form, Golden Rice contains 35 micrograms of beta-carotene per gram.
