San Francisco, California, USA
April 22, 2010
In the face of unrelenting pressure on Asian rice farmers to grow more rice to feed the poorest people in the region, a US$300 million fund-raising campaign has been launched in the United States.
The campaign supports new breakthroughs in rice research and their delivery to rice farmers, educational and training scholarships, the building of world-class scientific facilities, and the protection of thousands of unique rice varieties.
These activities will help farmers grow more rice in an environmentally sustainable way, helping them feed their families and communities and boosting economies to improve the lives of Asia’s millions of poor rice farmers and consumers.
Organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to mark its 50th anniversary this year, the five-year campaign has already raised over $90 million, with just over $50 million being provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “We are very grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for giving the campaign such a strong philanthropic start,” said IRRI Director General Dr. Robert Zeigler. "Now we’d like to invite all those in the U.S. who care about the 3 billion people in Asia who depend on rice for life, to join the campaign."
IRRI is partnering with the San Francisco-based Give2Asia, which will accept tax-deductible gifts from U.S.-based donors in support of the campaign, which will run to 2012.
“Access to rice impacts the livelihoods and health of people across Asia,” said Mr. Ray Klinke, interim CEO of Give2Asia. "These two issues inspire thousands of donors to work with Give2Asia each year, and to support innovative groups like IRRI."
“IRRI’s campaign will also create a bridge for U.S. philanthropy to help poor farmers around the world, and to ensure access to rice for those who would otherwise be threatened by hunger,” he added. "Give2Asia is pleased to be working alongside IRRI on this global issue."
The campaign’s launch – on Earth Day – comes at a key time for rice production and food security in Asia and around the world. Extreme droughts and floods have put increasing pressure on rice production and rice farmers in rice-producing countries such as India, the Philippines, and China.
“For more than four decades, rice production has steadily increased in Asia, pushed ahead by new varieties and technologies developed through research. Over the past decade, however, investments in rice research and production in Asia have slipped,” Dr. Zeigler said.
“What we need now is to revitalize investments in rice research, especially with the looming threat of climate change,” he added. IRRI is famous for its work developing new rice varieties and holds in trust the world’s largest collection of rice types numbering more than 110,000.
The campaign will open the door for Asian communities in the U.S. who know the importance of rice as a traditional staple and important cultural symbol for Asia to support the sustainable development of rice production. However, Dr. Zeigler stressed that support was welcome from all those who understand the importance and impact of public rice research, especially the private sector and foundations.
“IRRI was founded by the philanthropy of the U.S.-based Rockefeller and Ford Foundations in 1960,” said Dr. Zeigler. “We would like to invite the Asian communities of the U.S., especially their many philanthropists, to look at the success and enormous impact of public rice research in the past and support it in the future.
“We want to reach out to all Asians and ask for their support as rice research touches the lives of all rice consumers,” he added. ”After all, in Asia, rice is life.”
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