Heads of wheat and wheat grain.

Using science to feed the future: Australia and China join forces

CSIRO is partnering with China's leading research agency to develop solutions and partnerships that will bring benefits to millions of people in China and around the world.

• 10 March 2011 | Updated 14 October 2011

CSIRO is teaming up with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to tackle food security.

Scientists from the CSIRO and CAS will meet in Australia next week to discuss and plan for future research collaborations, with a focus on rice and wheat, which along with corn make up the three most widely grown food crops in the world.

Leading CSIRO and CAS researchers in the area of plant genomics will share their latest research findings and also map out the areas where future joint research efforts could speed up the rate of scientific discovery.

CSIRO Plant Industry Deputy Chief, Dr John Manners said the collaboration between CSIRO and CAS is a positive step towards meeting the growing challenge of global food security.

'China is not only an agricultural powerhouse but also a scientific powerhouse and they face many of the challenges that we do in Australia, including drought, hostile soils and plant diseases. The research projects that we will be working on together will not only improve crops in both countries but will play an important role in the battle for global food security,' Dr Manners said.

'This collaboration is about bringing leading scientific minds together to tackle a global issue. Our joint research efforts will be centred around plant genomics – looking at the genetic make-up of these crop plants to improve yield, sustainability and disease resistance.'

The three-day CSIRO-CAS scientific forum is part of CSIRO's partnership with CAS to share knowledge of crop biology and genetics in wheat, rice and other crops and will begin in Canberra on 15 March 2011.

Read more about CSIRO Plant Industry newsletter.