Resource information
Food, land, and water systems face daunting challenges in the future, and the body of research exploring these challenges is growing rapidly. This note is part of a series developed by the CGIAR Foresight Initiative to summarize what we know today about the future of various aspects of food systems. The goal of these notes is to serve as a quick reference, point to further information, and help guide future research and decisions.
Key messages
Global rice production remains more stable than maize and wheat in recent years, while rice consumption continues to increase, albeit at a slower pace.
Rice production and consumption is projected to increase worldwide, and Asia to continue as the world’s leading source of rice through 2050.
Southeast Asia’s rice surplus will increase by 2040 by closing the exploitable yield gap by half.
The global rice sector will experience an increasing economic surplus and declining number of undernourished children and population at risk of hunger with faster productivity growth.
Demographic changes and rice trade policy reforms will be the main drivers of rice demand and prices in rice-producing and rice-importing countries.
