The UK rice industry is worth nearly £1 billion annually.
Rice provides around 20% of the daily calories consumed worldwide
A growing global population by 2050 makes sustainable, resilient rice production urgent
Rice is a staple food for around half of the world's population and a vital source of calories and protein. It is grown across diverse and often challenging environments, from flooded lowlands to marginal upland soils, making it particularly vulnerable to climate change.
With a projected global population of 10 billion by 2050, improving the sustainability, resilience, yield, and nutritional quality of rice is critical. Rice research plays a central role in enhancing food security, strengthening livelihoods, and supporting climate resilience worldwide.
The UK delivers world-leading rice research across genetics, plant science, nutrition, computation, and social science, but greater coordination is needed to maximise its global impact.
OryzaNet brings this community together.
OryzaNet is a BBSRC-funded network that connects people, capability, and knowledge across the UK and internationally to strengthen rice research and its global impact.
Together, we aim to shape the future of rice science and production.
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Be part of a growing international network of researchers and industry partners working to advance rice science.
Free to join • Open to researchers and industry collaborators
Connecting UK-based rice research with global partners and programmes.
What happens at the root–soil interface in rice? New bioimaging research reveals how rice roots reshape flooded soils, creating dynamic micro-scale patterns of nutrients and elements. These insights could improve nutrient efficiency, reduce toxic element uptake, and support the development of better-adapted rice varieties.
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Rice gene discovery could cut fertiliser use while protecting yields. In field trials, rice plants with a natural, improved version of the gene had yield increases of up to 24%
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UK authorities have reinforced basmati rice authenticity standards after uncovering counterfeit products. Four people were arrested in an investigation by the Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit. The legally enforced Basmati Code of Practice, backed by DNA testing pioneered with Bangor University’s expertise, aims to protect consumers and genuine producers.
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OryzaNet is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
