We commend Syngenta International for opening the door for cutting-edge, privately-funded research to benefit poor people in developing countries. It is extremely important that Syngenta continues its efforts to provide nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and governments free access to data on the rice genome. We encourage Syngenta to make all relevant data freely accessible in the public domain.

Rice provides half of the world's population with 80 percent of their diets. It is a particularly vital food source for Asia, Africa, and Latin America - home to the vast majority of the world's 800 million hungry people. Information provided by the rice genome map, once further understood, will augment scientists' ability to breed improved rice varieties that can benefit poor farmers and consumers in developing countries.

It will be several years before the solutions scientists are working on today are in the hands of small-scale farmers. Nevertheless, an international public-private collaboration on mapping the rice genome, like that proposed by Syngenta, could dramatically reduce the time needed to get this technology to the farmers who need it, accelerating efforts to fight hunger and poverty.

Policymakers and industry leaders need to work together to ensure future access to information such as the rice genome, to keep research in the public domain for the benefit of developing countries.

Michael Rubinstein
202/862.5670
m.rubinstein@cgiar. org

Michele Pietrowski
202/862.5679
m.pietrowski@cgiar.org