 Rice is a staple food for more than half the world's population. Two-thirds of the world's porous depend on it in some way, and it is thus a very important crop. Some rice farmers, however, have to plant rice in unfavorable environments, where drought, flooding, salinity, iron toxicity, and cold significantly reduce the yield of the rice crop. Climate change has made conditions even worse in these rice environments, with flooding and drought becoming more frequent and severe, causing the sea level to rise and making soil more salty in coastal areas. Environmental stresses damage crops, reduce the income of farmers, drive them deeper into debt and poverty, and effect the general quality of life for them. In some places, they are forced to sell farm animals and equipment and forgo some basic needs of their families, including food, education, health care, clothing, and shelter. Farmers need rice varieties that can cope with unfavorable conditions and thrive in areas affected by environmental or abiotic stresses, and they need these urgently. In 2007, a project was started to develop and deliver rice varieties that are tolerant of abiotic stresses to help marginalize farmers cope with unfavorable soil and weather conditions. The project was called the Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and South Asia, or STRASA. The mission of STRASA is to reduce poverty and hunger and increase food and income security for resource for farm families and rice consumers. The main challenge for us is how can we be able to do this in areas that are less productive because they are affected by drought, by flooding, low temperature, or in areas where the soils are either saline or affected by toxicity, just like iron toxicity as a case in Africa. Recent advances in genetics and breeding have made it possible to develop rice varieties that not only survive, but actually thrive in stressful conditions. Cultivating stress-tolerant rice can greatly help alleviate poverty among rice farmers in unfavorable environments and among poor rice consumers worldwide. For the past seven years, STRASA aimed to increase rice yield by 50% in farmers' fields affected by abiotic stresses. It also aimed to give the farmers access to improved varieties and knowledge on good management practices suitable for these new varieties. In its second phase, the STRASA project aimed to develop stress-tolerant rice varieties and disseminate these to at least 5 million farmers in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of the second phase of the project in March 2014, STRASA had surpassed its initial target and was able to reach over 10 million farmers in South Asia alone. More than 30 new stress-tolerant varieties were also released. Similar dissemination efforts are underway for Sub-Saharan Africa. From having one agricultural research and extension partner in 2007, STRASA now has more than 550 partners in South Asia and a similar large number in Sub-Saharan Africa. Collaboration with partners from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sub-Saharan Africa have helped STRASA's scientists develop and evaluate stress-tolerant varieties. Over 140,000 tons of high-quality seeds were produced and distributed to farmers. The project helped train thousands of partners including young scientists, extension personnel, and farmers. STRASA also facilitated policy dialogues both at the national and regional levels. In its third phase that began in April 2014, STRASA will continue implementing coordinated research initiatives on improved varieties. Collaboration with Africa Rice, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, the governments of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and 18 countries in Africa, and other research and extension partners in Asia and Africa will continue as the project aims for delivery of improved varieties on a large scale. The impact of all these initiatives will be analyzed and capacity strengthened in each participating country. STRASA will work harder to facilitate the rapid delivery of helpful information and improve technologies to more farmers, as well as other stakeholders across socio-cultural sectors in marginalized areas. With access to seeds, knowledge, and proper training, farmers were able to adapt their rice farming practices to their respective field conditions. More than just providing a means to survive for a season, STRASA has played a major part in enhancing the lives of millions of people. Once they are food secure, farmers are given opportunities to make meaningful and positive changes in their lives.