SRP and the decade ahead: Accelerating impact for food system transformation 
 
Background 
The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) is delighted to convene SRP and the decade ahead: Accelerating impact for food system transformation as part of the 6th International Rice Congress (IRC2023) in Manila. The 1-day symposium offers rice stakeholders insights into the efforts of SRP, in collaboration with its members and partners, to address critical sustainability challenges facing the rice sector through market-led value-chain and development-driven approaches.&nbsp; 
Rice is both a contributor to and a victim of climate change. Conventional rice production uses up to 5,000 liters of water per kilogram of rice and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, extreme weather events are affecting rice yields, threatening farmers&rsquo; livelihoods, and jeopardizing global food security. With around 3.5 billion people worldwide relying on rice as their staple food, it is important more than ever to transform the global rice sector by implementing sustainable best practices.&nbsp; 
In 2015, SRP launched the world&rsquo;s first voluntary standard for sustainable rice farming dedicated to the needs of smallholders and based on proven science-based sustainable best agricultural practices. The Standard was complemented by additional tools to monitor impacts, link farmers to markets, and offer a quantitative framework to inform policymaking, deliver on Nationally Determined Contributions commitments under the Paris Agreement, and work to accelerate broader food system transformation. 
Today, rice products that carry the SRP-Verified Label are marketed in over 20 countries, reflecting a growing commitment of private-sector actors to contribute to this transformation towards a resource-efficient, sustainable global food system. 
Achievements, innovations, opportunities? 
The SRP Symposium will take stock of the experiences of its members and present innovative approaches to scaling impact over three thematic sessions, including presentations and panel discussions. Speakers will discuss how rice sector interventions can contribute to sustainable food systems, water security, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
Sessions will feature lessons learned from SRP member initiatives from around the world, the market prospects for sustainable rice, the future of assurance, as well as large-scale rice-based Global Environment Facility-funded projects in South and Southeast Asia, to be implemented under the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative consortium. 
With new important developments underway on linkages to digitization, carbon markets, and financing sustainable rice, this symposium is a must for rice stakeholders interested or engaged at a strategic level and working towards systemic transformation. 
The event will offer stakeholders insights into the efforts of SRP in collaboration with its members and partners, to address critical sustainability challenges facing the rice sector both through development-driven and market-led value-chain approaches. 
Why should I join? 
The Symposium will be attended by senior representatives from global and national rice value chain actors, service and input providers, researchers, civil society, and financial actors as well as the international development community offering significant networking opportunities. The three thematic sessions will broaden awareness of the linkages between rice and the UN SDGs, provide a forum for face-to-face exchange on scaling pathways, and help create a broader circle of stakeholders with a shared mission to transform the global rice sector. 
The SRP Team will also be onsite to meet with members and interested partners throughout the event. 
How to register 
The SRP Symposium will take place on&nbsp;17 October 2023&nbsp;as part of <a href="https://bit.ly/LIhomeIRC">IRC2023</a> in Manila (16-19 October 2023) organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Department of Agriculture. IRC2023&rsquo;s theme is Accelerating Transformation of Rice-Based Food Systems: From Gene to Globe. 
 
To register or learn more about IRC 2023, visit:&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/LIhomeIRC">bit.ly/LIhomeIRC</a>. 
 
About the SRP 
The SRP is a multi-stakeholder partnership to promote resource efficiency and sustainability both on-farm and throughout the rice value chain. Originally co-convened in 2011 by IRRI and the UN Environment Programme together with private sector partners, SRP is a not-for-profit member organization comprising 110 institutional members.&nbsp; We work in collaboration with our members across the stakeholder spectrum to catalyze transformation of the global rice sector.&nbsp; 
Contact: <a href="mailto:info@sustainablerice.org">info@sustainablerice.org</a> 
Web: <a href="http://www.sustainablerice.org">www.sustainablerice.org</a>&nbsp; 
 
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