University of SaskatchewanTreasury Department

Published purpose

This project focuses on accelerating rice breeding in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region to enhance climate resilience and food security. It does so through innovative technologies like genomic selection, genome editing, double haploid methods, and climate-controlled phenotyping. The project aims to conduct a 5-day workshop at Bogor Agricultural University in Indonesia on hands-on training, policy analysis, and collaborative planning. It seeks to involve 40 participants from over 20 organizations, including government institutes, universities, seed companies, and policymakers. The project aims to cut breeding timelines in half, strengthen Canada–ASEAN partnerships, address regulatory barriers, and produce policy briefs and an actionable roadmap for integrating advanced breeding technologies across the region. Project activities include: (1) providing technical sessions and panel discussions; and (2) developing a digital platform to foster regional cooperation.