IMK-IFU is cooperating with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, within the Rice and Climate Change Consortium (RCCC). While IRRI is hosting the RCCC and provided start-up funds for its implementation, Dr. R. Wassmann of IMK-IFU is routinely seconded to IRRI as RCCC coordinator.

The RCCC will ensure synergistic interactions among the different research groups, including joint use of strategic research sites; exchange of data, models, and other information; and integrative regional case studies. The RCCC will also provide linkages with global and regional climate change networks and organizations, provide key data and new information to them, and advise local, national, regional, and global policymakers.

One of the RCCC project clusters focuses on key components of rice ecosystems and how they change under new land uses that may result in response to climate and socioeconomic drivers. Comprehensive field measurements will allow us to not only develop much improved models on element cycling and emissions but also study key systems and intervention options at the production scale.

A second project cluster assesses and implements response options at global, regional, landscape, and farm scales. Adaptation strategies will be derived from 2 components, i.e. regional climate models and decision support tools for improved crop technology under given climatic conditions. To this end, the RCCC will closely coordinate with other projects at IRRI dealing with plant breeding and improved resource management for enhancing the resilience of the rice production systems to climate variability and climate change.