food security case study
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8/3/2019 Food Security Case Study
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Food Security Case Study
Seoul, South Korea South Korea has received praise for its commitment to
public rice research as a key effort assuring the long-term food security of the
Korean peninsula. Rice and food security is being highlighted at the International
Rice Science Conference in Seoul on 13-15 September, where a keynote speech
by Gurdev Khush, the internationally renowned rice expert, is entitled Feeding 5billion people The role of rice breeding.
Koreas commitment to public rice research is an example for all the worlds rice-producing
countries to follow, said Ronald P. Cantrell, director general of the Philippines-based
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). At a time when international support for such
vitally important research has slumped to worryingly low levels, Korea not only has its own well-
resourced, world-class national rice research system, but is also reaching out to help other
countries in the region.
With strong support from Seoul, IRRI has been working to boost North Korean rice production
and so alleviate food-security concerns there. In addition, South Korea is funding international
rice research that will benefit rice-producing countries around the world.
In Asia, Korea is now second only to Japan in its willingness to support international public rice
research that ultimately benefits the whole region, Dr. Cantrell said. Clearly, Korea does this
not for the recognition but because of its strong commitment to rice production and in
recognition of the importance of rice in Asia.
He added that Koreas commitment was especially important in the International Year of Rice
and at a time when some developed nations that have traditionally supported such rice research
are cutting back. Funding for IRRI slumped from US$46 million in 1993 to $26 million in 2003.
This collapse in support for public rice research coincides with increasing concern over Asias
ability to feed itself with reduced availability of resources.
Asia must continue to produce more rice but must do so using less land, labor and water, Dr.
Cantrell said. Thats why Koreas support is so important.
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Korea joined the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research of which IRRI is a
member in 1991. Its official support to the group is provided through the International
Technical Cooperation Center of the Rural Development Administration. The center has provided
funding support for eight ongoing international rice research projects at IRRI and four
completed projects.
These varied activities include rice functional genomics and wide hybridization, analyzing
resistance in rice, germplasm utilization for adding value, developing water-saving technologies
to improve water productivity in rice cultivation, molecular characterizing and allele mining of
Korean rice germplasm, training workshops on rice technology transfer systems in Asia, and
developing super-yielding japonica rice cultivars suitable for direct-seeding in temperate
regions.
Dr. Cantrell said the achievements of this collaboration can already be seen. In the area of
developing premium-quality rice varieties, 28 such regionally adapted varieties, with an average
yield in 2001 of 5.65 t/ha, have been released to expand the choices open to farmers. Toward
developing specialty rice to increase rice consumption in Korea, the country has released 22
cultivars offering a range of eating qualities, including two notable, moderately late-maturing
cultivars. Goamy 2 has a high amylose content of 28.1% for a hard and fluffy texture when
cooked, as well as high fiber content to keep bowels healthy. Manmi, which has a very low
amylose content of 12.9%, cooks up soft and glutinous.
Other achievements include the development of 12 varieties for direct seeding and 10 varieties
that mature quickly, including Manho, which can be harvested only 118 days after seeding.
Korea has excelled in the development of such labor-saving technologies as partial tillage in dry-
seeded rice and, for machine transplanting, partial tillage and culturing seed mats with
protective mulch.
All this research is being funded by Korea and conducted to world-class standards, Dr. Cantrell
said. Thats why we are so pleased and proud to take part in this weeks International Rice
Science Conference in Seoul.
The conference is organized by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Rural
Development Administration and IRRI, with support from the Korean Society of Breeding and
the Korean Society of Crop Science. Heu Sang-Man, the Korean Minister of Agriculture and
Forestry, was scheduled to open it at the Education and Culture Center on Monday, 13
September.
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