Drought-tolerant rice

It takes a lot of fresh water to grow rice: up to 3,500 litres per kilo. Climate change means that more and more rice farmers are facing drought and shortages of fresh water. Researchers from Wageningen have joined forces with colleagues from India, China and the Philippines to search for ways of making rice more resistant to drought.

Agriculturalists can use this knowledge to develop varieties of rice that can tolerate drought and can be cultivated using less water, like wheat. This is contributing to long-term food security.