Building climate-ready crops: IRRI and USAID support Bangladesh’s breeders in stress-tolerant rice development

In a strategic move to bolster rice production against the backdrop of climate change, IRRI Bangladesh, supported by USAID’s Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, hosted a day-long training in Dhaka on November 12, 2024, focused on developing rice varieties capable of withstanding abiotic stresses like cold, submergence, heat, and salinity.

An extensive training program by IRRI Bangladesh and USAID empowered 39 rice breeders to enhance climate resilience in Bangladesh’s agriculture, specifically on rice breeding for abiotic stress tolerance.

This hands-on training, part of the FTF Bangladesh IRRI Rice Breeding Public-Private Partnership Platform Activity, provided 39 breeders from Bangladesh's leading seed companies with the essential tools and knowledge to breed rice varieties resilient enough to thrive under challenging environmental conditions.

A collaborative initiative to build agricultural resilience

This initiative brought together six major seed companies including ACI Ltd, BRAC Seed and Agro Enterprise, Ispahani Agro Ltd, Lal Teer Seed Ltd, Metal Agro Ltd, and Supreme Seed Company Ltd. Under the guidance of IRRI experts and Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) scientists, participants learned about the latest advancements in breeding strategies specific to different types of stresses.

Dr. Amelia Henry, Senior Scientist at IRRI shared insights on breeding rice for heat and submergence tolerance

Dr. Amelia Henry, Senior Scientist at IRRI, led a session on breeding for heat tolerance, while Dr. KM Iftekharuddaula, Chief Scientific Officer at BRRI, discussed methods for breeding rice that can survive under submergence. Other sessions were conducted by Dr. Mohammad Akhlasur Rahman, who focused on salinity tolerance, and Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Project Lead and Senior Scientist at IRRI, discussed cold tolerance.

Dr. Mohammad Akhlasur Rahman, BRRI Principal Scientific Officer, highlighted strategies for breeding salinity tolerance rice varieties

The training served as a platform for distributing specialized germplasm of stress-tolerant rice varieties to the six partner companies. Dr. Md. Mehedi Hasan, Activity Manager at USAID, highlighted the critical importance of such partnerships in building resilience at the grassroots level. ″By providing advanced tools and resources, we empower breeders to tackle some of Bangladesh’s most pressing agricultural challenges, ensuring the continuity of productive, resilient rice farming.″

Dr. Md. Mehedi Hasan, USAID Activity Manager, emphasizes the power of partnerships in empowering breeders to ensure resilient rice farming in Bangladesh

Empowering breeders to strengthen food security

Dr. Md. Sirajul Islam, Chief of Party at IRRI Bangladesh, opened the training with his welcoming remarks, emphasizing the critical role that stress-tolerant rice varieties play in maintaining Bangladesh’s food security amidst rising climate-related risks. Dr. Islam said, ″As climate change intensifies, equipping breeders with cutting-edge skills to develop stress-resilient varieties is more important than ever for our agricultural sustainability.″

Rice is central to food security and livelihoods in Bangladesh, but the crop faces significant risks due to unpredictable climate patterns, with issues like flooding, heat waves, and salinity on the rise.

Specialized germplasm of stress-tolerant rice varieties distributed to six partner companies, fostering resilience in Bangladesh's rice farming

Project Lead and Senior Rice Breeder Dr. M. Rafiqul Islam remarked, ″These abiotic stresses directly impact yield and stability, posing challenges for smallholder farmers who rely on rice for income and sustenance. Training programs, backed by USAID’s FTF initiative, are instrumental in addressing these threats by providing breeders with the scientific knowledge and breeding techniques necessary for developing resilient rice varieties″.

With the knowledge gained from the training, participants are now poised to apply these advanced breeding methods to their ongoing projects. Future efforts will continue to support breeders in developing and distributing climate-resilient varieties to farmers across Bangladesh, securing a more stable and productive rice supply.