News Overview

HYDERABAD, India (01 May 2025) – To accelerate the adoption of newly released, high-performing rice varieties in India, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) convened a national-level gathering of the country’s key rice seed system stakeholders at the Seed Accelerator Meet 2025 in Hyderabad. The event aimed to strengthen India’s rice seed delivery ecosystem by enhancing coordination between research institutions

Can Tho, Vietnam (April 8, 2025) — The Mekong River Delta, Vietnam’s leading rice-producing region, generates over 24 million tons of rice straw annually. Despite its potential as a valuable agricultural biomass, about 70% is either burned or returned to the soil, resulting in resource loss and higher greenhouse gas emissions. Such challenges were addressed at a recent forum in

From 4-6 March 2025, evaluation specialists and practitioners from across the globe gathered for 2025 joint evaluation conference: International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)/New Development Bank (NDB) Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) Conference, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Through 36 selected panels and roundtables, nine professional development workshops, and contributions

By Sara Gustafson and Rob Vos May 27, 2025 As the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on in the Gaza Strip, the territory’s entire population of more than 2 million remains under threat of severe food crisis. The latest alert from the IPC Integrated Phase Classification for Acute Food Insecurity reports that one in five people in the Gaza Strip—upwards of 500,000—are on the

Smallholder farmers in Kenya are transforming their farming practices through a bundled service model by ECREA, KALRO, KMD and the county government of Nakuru. In March 2025, a donor visit in Nakuru showcased how this model boosts resilience to climate shocks. For years, smallholder farmers in Kenya have faced fragmented access to essential agricultural services. Weather and climate information

Farm mechanization is reshaping rural Tanzania, giving women and youth new tools to reduce labor, grow income, and lead community change. Beneath vast Tanzanian skies, where fields stretch like patchwork quilts of promise, a quiet revolution is taking root. It doesn’t shout—but whispers change with every turn of a wheel and every hand freed from the weight of tradition.

by Veronica Mae Escarez Rice is a staple crop in the Philippines, and it serves as the main source of calories for millions of Filipino households. However, the country is vulnerable to various climatic threats and shocks such as flooding and drought, driving millions in capital losses for smallholder rice farmers and threatening the nation’s food security. The Philippine

PHOTO: An irrigation project in Mozambique. Marcos Villalta / Save the Children, CC BY-NC-ND By: Kalle Hirvonen, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute; Research Fellow, UNU-WIDER, United Nations University & Olli-Pekka Kuusela, Research Fellow, UNU-WIDER, United Nations University As global temperatures rise and climate-related disasters become more frequent, the need to adapt is rapidly increasing. That need for adaptation – from