Organized in 1999 as Asia Rice Foundation USA
Making grants for travel and research on rice in the developing world.
Apply via the “Apply for an Award” page.
Our Mission: Contribute toward a world that can feed itself, treasure the rich heritage of rice cultures, and value rice growing land as a precious resource .
August 1-3, 2025 in in Davis, CA
for more information visit our News page
Applications for Global Rice Leadership Awards Now Being Accepted
GRRF makes travel and study grants – Global Rice Leadership Awards – to help scholars and artists learn more about rice in developing countries.
Applicants must be students registered at an accredited US institution of higher education or academic staff at such an institution and have a supporting letter from a scholar in the developing world with whom they propose to be associated. GRRF may be able to help you identify and link with an appropriate scholar in the developing world if you request that when you inquiry about support.
We support research and education to improve understanding of:
- the role of rice in farming,
- rice as an element in art and culture, and
- rice as a food with a unique role.
We support efforts to help:
- farmers to produce enough rice to meet world needs while conserving the environment,
- preserve the rich artistic and cultural heritage of rice
JOIN GRRF AND HELP SUPPORT THE RESEARCH OF YOUNG SCHOLARS ON RICE PRODUCTION, MARKETING AND CONSUMPTION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Fostering a world that can feed itself, appreciate the rich heritage of its rice cultures and value its rice growing land as a precious resource to be shared with future generations.
DeDatta Award for Rice Research
The Global Rice Research Foundation is proud to announce a very generous gift of US$130,000 to create the SK and Vijji De Datta Award for Rice Research. Dr. Surajit Kumar (SK) De Datta, world recognized leader in rice agronomy and agricultural sciences in general, and his supportive wife, Vijayalakshmi (Vijji) De Datta wish to memorialize their life – long commitments and enormous contributions to, and global impact on, rice production and human well-being. By establishing this Award, the benefactors wish to promote novel, innovative, and transformational technologies for the improvement of the sustainable cultivations of rice and for expanding the appreciation of rice as a major cultural and social determinant in global society. Funds from this gift will be used to award at least one Global Rice Leadership Award annually and is intended to operate over at least 20 years.
What previous winners of the Global Rice Leadership Award say about their experience:
Liberty Galvin, 2018 Award Winner
The award enabled me to take the IRRI Research to Production short course and travel to the Batad Rice Terraces, a World Heritage Site in Banaue, Philippines. That greatly added to my rice knowledge, but also made me realize how much I don’t know about rice production, not to mention the cultural importance that rice holds for different people.
As a PhD student, I didn’t have a choice to study rice cropping systems. This trip significantly increased my interest in rice, inspiring me to become more driven in my studies. And, because we all have the same weeds, the rice research knowledge that is generated in my lab by my peers, myself, and our research advisor can provide valuable information to many people across many countries.
Hussain Sharifi, 2015 Award Winner
The International Rice Research Institute is certainly a premiere institute for rice science. I found the work being done there fascinating. The 3-week Rice Research to Production course that I participated in there provided me with a great opportunity to be exposed to many different topics and issues. A high point for me was getting to know and become friends with the course participants from 12 countries. I’m sure I will come across many of these people again as colleagues at some point in my career.
Alice Beban, 2013 Award Winner
My GRRF experience was extremely enriching for me as I continue with my PhD research on the gender dimensions of land reform in Cambodia. It not only provided me with resources to undertake an extended period of research, but also connected me with a whole new network of wonderful Cambodian and international scholars.
Colby Reavis, 2016 Award Winner
Working with Dr. Ryu’s group was a great opportunity to have as a Master’s student. It was a rewarding learning experience in collaboration and will hopefully continue into the future. As a rice researcher, it was beneficial for me to see how impactful rice is culturally within South Korea. Rice has increasingly heavy ties within their economic process as a country, and rice continues to be present in many cultural traditions. I also enjoyed meeting students in my same position that have a strong appreciation for rice, both culturally and scientifically. I hope to continue studying rice and the effects it has in the global arena. I am incredibly thankful to Asia Rice USA for making this experience possible, and I hope to continue fostering relationships between my research and other places in the developing world where rice is influential.
Ana Bossa Castro, 2014 Award Winner
At the International Rice Research Institute, I was impressed by the fields and the labs, the genebank, and the genotyping facility. My GRRF grant gave me the chance to learn more about the cutting-edge rice research done in different topics and meet several scientists. Through the Rice Research to Production course, I got hands-on experience in field practices and was even able to interact with farmers.