United Kingdom
February 21, 2008
Advances in crop science can
contribute to global food security and mitigate the risks
associated with climate change. Today,
NIAB announced major new
funding for research on rice genetics that will lead to the
creation of climate resistant strains of rice for Africa and
Asia.
It was one of 12 new research projects launched by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
and the Department for International Development (DFID) at
Westminster as part of their joint initiative, Sustainable
Agriculture Research for International Development (SARID).
NIAB has been awarded a total of £733,000 for their three year
rice research project. It will be led by NIAB in collaboration
with the International Rice Research Institute, based in the
Philippines.
Prof Wayne Powell, CEO of the Cambridge-based plant research
organisation, said:
“This is the most wonderful time to be a crop scientist. The
opportunity to exploit our cutting edge science for developing
world agriculture is very exciting and will help deliver
solutions to the major challenges facing society.”
Rice is the staple food for over two billion people, but lack of
water and disease limit its production across the developing
world. There is an urgent need for new breeds of rice that can
cope with changing climatic conditions and to improve food
security across the developing world.
Researchers at NIAB will work collaboratively with the
International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. They
will look at the genetic make up of rice as well as its genetic
expression to identify genes which may be crucial in developing
new types of rice resilient to climate change and diseases.
The inherited make-up of rice is well understood, but using
their SARID grant, the researchers will use new techniques,
usually used in human and animal studies, to look at gene
expression in rice in response to different conditions. By doing
this they hope to identify genes which are naturally tolerant to
climate extremes and diseases and go onto use this knowledge to
develop rice breeding programmes in Africa and Asia.
Welcoming the new research, Ian Pearson, Minister for Science
and Innovation, said:
"This is a true demonstration of how scientific research can
help find solutions to the major challenges facing the world and
improve the quality of life for millions in developing
countries."
BBSRC Interim Chief Executive, Steve Visscher, said:
"Bioscience research can make a vital contribution to improving
sustainable agriculture across the globe. These projects will
build on the world-leading research on fundamental plant science
and plant disease in the UK and apply this to crops of
importance in the developing world, increasing yields and
helping to alleviate the suffering of millions living in
poverty."
About BBSRC. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council is the UK funding agency for research in the life
sciences. Sponsored by Government, BBSRC annually invests around
£380M in a wide range of research that makes a significant
contribution to the quality of life for UK citizens and supports
a number of important industrial stakeholders including the
agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical
sectors.
About DIFID. The Department for International Development is
leading the British Government's fight against world poverty.
DFID has allocated £200m over five years to fund its Strategy
for Research on Sustainable Agriculture which was launched in
March 2006. Support to SARID falls under this strategy.
Further information is available from
Prof
Wayne Powell at NIAB. |
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