Composed of national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) from 16 Asian countries alongside the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Council for Partnerships on Rice Research in Asia (CORRA) has been a critical forum for collaboration and knowledge sharing in research and development, technologies and innovations, and enabling policies for rice systems and rice value chains to promote food and nutrition security, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability.
Last 19 November 2021, CORRA held its 25th annual meeting to discuss current challenges and opportunities for rice-based agri-food systems in the region, and of the role the new One CGIAR will play in contributing to Asia’s food systems transformation.
Hosted by the Rice Department of Thailand, this year’s virtual summit convened NARES and IRRI representatives to discuss CORRA’s milestones and achievements, member country updates, and how cooperation can provide solutions for new challenges such as pandemic disruptions, changing demographics and urbanization, and the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises.
The meeting opened with a welcome message from IRRI Director-General and CGIAR Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Dr. Jean Balie. Welcome Remarks were also given by the Acting Director-General of the Thailand Rice Department and the Inspector General for the Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Mr. Chartree Boonnak. Finally, the inaugural address was given by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thailand Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Mr. Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs.
The meeting also featured key presentations and discussions on the capabilities and potential of digital agriculture and Big Data when applied to rice food systems. Delivered by IRRI Soil Scientist Dr. Sheetal Sharma for digital agriculture and IRRI Head of Bioinformatics Dr. Kenneth McNally for Big Data, the presentations included examples on how the 3000 Rice Genome Project dataset is helping breeders develop…