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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.