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Venuprasad Ramaiah: Ending Poverty and Hunger in Rice-Based Agri-Food Systems

Venuprasad Ramaiah: Ending Poverty and Hunger in Rice-Based Agri-Food Systems

Jan 01, 2025 Posted by: Sujit Kunte Philippines,  SDG 1,  SDG 13,  SDG 2,  SDG 3,  Venuprasad Ramaiah

 

Ladderworks is a publishing platform of diverse picture books and online curriculum with the mission to empower over a million kids to become social entrepreneurs. Our current series features interviews by our interplanetary journalist Spiffy with inspiring Social Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builders, and Changemakers who are advancing the UN SDGs.

Hi friends, it’s Spiffy, back again on Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs making the world a more equitable place! I have one more interview for you this week. Today I’m excited to cruise around with Venuprasad Ramaiah, research unit leader, FFGR Unit, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Are you ready to be inspired?

Spiffy: Hi Venu, thanks a million for talking to me today. Tell me, what challenge is IRRI addressing?

Venu: It’s great to be here, Spiffy! IRRI is dedicated to abolishing poverty and hunger among people and populations that depend on rice-based agri-food systems. Through our work and partnerships, we aim to improve the health and welfare of rice farmers and consumers, promote environmental sustainability in a world challenged by climate change, and support the empowerment of women and youth in the rice industry. Our unit manages the International Rice Genebank (IRG), which conserves the world’s largest collection of rice genetic diversity.

Spiffy: Wow! What motivates you to do it?

Venu: We are a non-profit organization. We are proud of the legacy of IRRI and IRG and feel honored to be a part of it. The very thought that our work can impact the livelihoods of millions of rice farmers and consumers in developing countries motivates us.

Spiffy: That’s great! What would you say is the impact of your work?

Venu: We conserve rice biodiversity and make it available to various researchers and farmers. We create and deliver the knowledge, material, and tools required to enable users of genetic resources to take full advantage of the naturally occurring diversity of cultivated rice and its wild relatives. Every year, we distribute over 20,000 samples of rice seeds freely and on demand to researchers worldwide. This helps create new and improved varieties that will address the dynamic needs of millions of rice producers and consumers in developing countries, particularly in Asia and Africa.

Spiffy: Thanks for speaking with me today, Venu—it’s been an honor!

Venuprasad Ramaiah is the research unit leader in FFGR Unit at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). He has 20 years of post-doctoral experience in international agricultural research on topics related to plant breeding, genetics, and genebanks. He has worked in different regions (South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Africa) and has been based at several international agricultural research centers. He has authored over 50 publications with more than 4,100 citations. (Nominated by Ricki Meyer at Google.org. First published on the Ladderworks website on January 1, 2025.)

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Ladderworks LLC.

© 2025 Ladderworks LLC. Edited by Sujit Kunte. Spiffy’s illustration by Shreyas Navare. For the Ladderworks digital curriculum to help K-3 kids advance the UN SDGs, visit Spiffy's Launchpad: Creative Entrepreneurship Workshops for K-3 Kids and their caregivers here.