Los Baños, Philippines (29 October 2025) — The Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and partners have launched Phase 3 of the project “Accelerate Variety Registration and Seed Distribution of Stress-Tolerant Rice Varieties.”

This new phase aims to strengthen partnerships across ten AFACI member countries to accelerate the release and distribution of improved rice varieties that meet the preferences of both farmers and consumers. It supports faster adoption of climate-resilient varieties through reliable seed systems and shared technical capacity.

Delegates from AFACI member countries and representatives from the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of Korea gathered at IRRI headquarters to review accomplishments and plan activities for 2025 to 2029. Building on the results of previous phases, Phase 3 focuses on scaling newly released varieties selected from Phases 1 and 2, testing elite lines with new demanded traits, and capacity-building initiatives in target areas.

“Effective partnerships and shared goals are key to delivering outcomes for farmers,” said Dr. Michael Quinn, Research Director of IRRI’s Rice Breeding Innovations (RBI) Department. “Phases 1 and 2 created a strong scientific foundation. Phase 3 will now expand the reach of stress-tolerant varieties and ensure new breeding products respond to the needs of both farmers and markets.”

Dr. Sankalp Bhosale, Deputy Director of IRRI’s RBI Department, said the project supports countries building resilience to climate change by “focusing not only on developing high-yielding rice varieties but also on ensuring consumer-preferred grain quality traits are met, as this drives market acceptance and farmer adoption.”

In this phase, AFACI partners will also conduct rice market segmentation to analyze current rice ecosystems, farmer and consumer preferences, and emerging key traits. The information and insights from this activity will guide future breeding and scaling efforts, enhancing the likelihood of farmer adoption and consumer acceptance.

Representing AFACI, Dr. Kuk Hwan Seol, Senior Deputy Secretary General, highlighted RDA’s long-standing partnership with IRRI, recalling their collaboration in 1971 that produced Tong-il rice, which transformed Korea’s food security. He also noted AFACI’s growth from six founding members in 2009 to 17 member countries and eight partner institutions, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation in agricultural research.

Dr. O Young Jeong of RDA’s National Institute of Crop Science shared that earlier phases identified rice lines that performed well under stress conditions and encouraged further improvement to make them suitable for release to farmers.

Dr. Mary Jean Du, IRRI’s Southeast Asia Regional Breeding Lead, presented the project framework for Phase 3, which focuses on the varietal registration, release and field demonstrations of identified best performing lines resulting from earlier project phases. The new phase will also aim to align the national breeding programs to farmer and consumer preferences and identify areas where capacity building of partners can be prioritized.

Published Date: November 24, 2025