Rice is a primary food staple for billions of people, with over half the world's population eating it every single day. Growing it, however, requires huge amounts of fresh water, and yields are being impacted as climate change makes rainfall increasingly unpredictable.
East Midlands environment correspondent
Published 20 May 2026
The full report can be access here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy52g411d67o
Rice is a primary food staple for billions of people, with over half the world's population eating it every single day.
Growing it, however, requires huge amounts of fresh water, and yields are being impacted as climate change makes rainfall increasingly unpredictable.
Professor Erik Murchie, one of the University of Nottingham researchers, said: "A 1C rise in global temperatures cuts rice yields by 6%, and fierce heatwaves worsen this situation."
"UK-based research supports breeding efforts that go straight from our labs and into rice fields in rice-growing countries."
The researchers are experimenting with rice plants with climate-resilient gene variants in special "growth rooms" at the university's Sutton Bonington campus.
For further information contact Professor Erik Murchin (erik.murchie@nottingham.ac.uk)