CHINA'S RICE TECHNOLOGY NOURISHING AFRICA'S NEEDS

Perennial varieties reduce costs, provide higher yields, have potential to boost continent's food security

In China's vast rice breeding community, Hu Fengyi is in the minority.

Over the past two decades, the plant scientist at Yunnan University has maintained a sharp focus on mining the potential of a perennial rice variety originally from Africa, which can be harvested multiple times and reduces labor costs.

Unlike hybrid rice and other conventional high-yield varieties, perennial rice has received limited academic attention in the past.