Dr. Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr.

Director,
Philippine Rice Research Institute
Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
et.rasco@philrice.gov.ph

Eufemio T. Rasco, Jr., Executive Director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), advocates energy in rice farming, coping with climate change, and rural transformation through a science-based support system for rice farmers. He has a PhD in Plant Breeding from Cornell University, and is an academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, scientist, and R&D administrator. His decades in research and public education at the University of the Philippines have inspired him to address young minds’ curiosity toward plant biotechnology and other scientific farming practices. He pays attention to neglected plant species (sago, dragon fruit, pitcher plant, and nipa); has bred hybrid varieties of vegetables still used today in Asian countries, 25 years since their introduction; proposed for and became editor-in-chief of the multi-disciplinary journal, Banwa; founding research director of East-West Seed Co.; headed the UPLB Institute of Plant Breeding; and helped the International Potato Center in Asia to grow.

Session 1A: Plant Breeding for a Productive, Sustainable, and Resilient Agri-Biosystem