Environment

By 2050 the demand for water will increase by 50% globally. Rice farmers will compete with growing demand from manufacturing, electricity, and domestic use for this natural resource. Meanwhile, land degradation, pollution, and urban encroachment is constantly diminishing the amount of land suitable for farming. 

IRRI is helping rice farmers improve  the productivity of their farms so they can grow more on the same amount of land using less resources and with a smaller environmental footprint. 

Alternative agronomic management practices such as direct-seeded rice, non-puddled rice, and conservation agriculture, as well as the use of ICT tools like Geographic Information Systems, AutoMon, and Rice Crop Manager are just a few of the solutions that IRRI and its partners offer. These innovations help farmers optimize farm inputs like water and fertilizer to address this challenge.