Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with CGIAR and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched a significant initiative on June 10, 2025, to promote sustainable and low-carbon rice farming across Asia and the Pacific. This initiative aims to assist millions of smallholder farmers who rely on rice not only for food but also for their livelihoods.
Rice, which serves as a staple food for more than half the region's population and supports the livelihoods of countless rural communities, is increasingly under threat. Issues such as declining productivity, shrinking water supplies, and the sector’s significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions are putting immense pressure on this vital crop. The new initiative aims to tackle these issues head-on through a mix of innovation, investment, and collaboration.
ADB Vice-President Fatima Yasmin highlighted the urgent need to act, stating that rice is not only a staple but a livelihood for hundreds of millions, and that worsening environmental conditions are putting this livelihood at serious risk. To address this, the ADB–CGIAR Clearinghouse Facility has been launched. The facility, supported by cofinancing from the Gates Foundation, will drive the adoption of advanced and resilient rice farming practices that produce higher yields, use water more efficiently, and emit fewer greenhouse gases.
ADB plans to invest up to USD 1.5 billion between 2025 and 2030 under this initiative. The funding will support innovations that improve productivity while reducing the sector’s environmental footprint. This is part of ADB’s wider USD 40 billion food systems transformation strategy, announced in May, which aims to reshape agriculture and nutrition across the region.
Yvonne Pinto, Director General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), a key CGIAR partner, said the initiative marks a new chapter in scaling up proven solutions for rice systems. She emphasized the importance of partnerships with ADB and the Gates Foundation in creating lasting change for smallholder farmers.
Initial rollout of the program will begin in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, and the Philippines. With deep-rooted collaboration and long-term investment, the program aspires to make rice farming more climate-resilient and sustainable, while uplifting vulnerable communities across Asia and the Pacific.
