STRASA has brought forth a new era of scientific excellence in rice science through its shared platforms for targeted innovations in trait and gene discovery and deployment through resilient, high yielding, and marketable varieties, to needy farmers in areas frequently devastated by abiotic factors. This is catalyzed by partnerships and building of capacity and empowerment of our valued stakeholders, including the private sector. The project capitalized heavily on national and regional networks for product evaluation, quality seed production, and targeted and timely distribution. The impact of drought, flood, salt, cold and iron toxicity tolerant varieties was remarkable in both South Asia and Africa in securing food and income for smallholder farmers commonly devastated by weather calamities, poor soil conditions and climate change adversities. With achievements that include production and distribution of over 500,000 tons of seeds of stress-tolerant varieties to an estimate of over 18 million farmers, STRASA has built an expansive and robust framework for future R4D programs, and advanced efforts for more productive and climate-resilient rice-based systems in Asia and Africa.

The STRASA project achieved remarkable success addressing a very difficult scientific challenge. For the past 11 years, STRASA has cultivated an extensive network of research and development expertise built upon the combined efforts of IRRI, national and regional research partners, universities, farmer groups, NGOs and private sector. This is due to great team work among the IRRI scientists, as well as close collaboration with research teams in the National Agricultural Research Systems and in the private and NGO sectors. They are all to be congratulated.

STRASA may have reached its end but the project leaves a legacy that will continue to boost food security in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with the development of multi-stress tolerance in mega rice varieties, Swarna, Sambha Mahsuri, Sahbhagi dhan, and their accelerated dissemination to farmers’ fields in both South Asia and Africa.