The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in collaboration with CGIAR and with the support of the Gates Found-ation (the private American foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates) launched a project to boost investments in sustainable rice production.
The initiative includes an initial allocation of US$ 1.5 billion to the Asia-Pacific region, shared between Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Pakistan and the Philippines. The plan is part of a broader plan, announced in May, to mobilise US$ 40 billion by 2030.
The goal is to make the rice sector more resilient to climate shocks, thanks to more efficient cultivation methods that increase productivity while reducing environmental footprint.
Rice, a staple in the Asian diet, is now at the centre of a heated debate in many parts of the region. In the Philippines, the government has declared a state of “food security emergency” to deal with soaring prices, while in Indonesia, more and more land is being allocated to rice.
In Japan, the authorities are grappling with a major crisis that has had serious political repercussions. The drastic drop in harvest yields is one of the main causes of the emergency in the wake of excessively high temperatures recorded in the summer of 2023.
Spanish bishops speak out after leaks of their meeting with Leo XIV
The executive committee of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, (CEE, by its Spanish acronym) meeting in Madrid this week, issued an official statement regarding the leaks
