Executive Summary

Half of the world’s population depends on rice as a daily staple and rice cultivation provides livelihoods for 144 million resource-poor, smallholder farmers. It also is the second-largest source of man-made methane emissions contributing to climate change, draws on increasingly scarce water resources, and is responsible for agrochemical overuse. To feed the growing world population, production must increase 44 percent by 2050, compounding stress on the rice production system.

The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) is a holistic system to meet the demand for rice sustainably, with smallholders in developing countries as the primary beneficiary. SRP incentivizes the adoption of sustainable best practices, strengthens stakeholders’ capacity to make changes, and measures the impacts of change. Benefits include improved farmer income and health; minimized emissions, water use, and adverse impact on biodiversity; and a safe, responsible, sustainable rice supply.

This proven system enhances rice production in any geography. We can reach one million farmers in five countries to create transformational change in the global rice sector.

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Accomplishments

In 2020, SRP established an independent, not-for-profit legal entity and received approval of €2 million funding from BMZ (Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and private sector partners under the develoPPP.de initiative. Those measures enabled expansion of the Secretariat and support for key programs over the next three years. Normative documents—SRP Standard and Indicators—were updated, and the new SRP-Verified on-pack label and Assurance Scheme were launched. The Assurance Scheme allows major food retailers and brands, including Lidl and Riso Gallo, to offer SRP-Verified rice to consumers. Those enhancements were followed by the SRP Chain of Custody Standard v 1.0 and Internal Management System Standard v 1.0. 

SRP also expanded its participation in development initiatives, including the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded Water Productivity Project in India and Pakistan, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation/SDC-funded Myanmar Climate-Smart Rice Project, and proposed GEF-7 Large-scale Global Impact Programme—Inclusive Sustainable Rice Landscapes in Thailand (with UNEP and GIZ). Recently, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development joined SRP, further broadening the alliance.