Dr. Phetmanyseng is the key rice breeder for the National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) and deputy director of the Agriculture Research Center under NAFRI. A breeder and researcher with almost 20 years of experience, his contributions to Lao PDR include the development of more than 15 high-yielding rice varieties that have been adopted by rice farmers throughout the country and have made a positive difference in their livelihoods. With the adverse impacts of climate change, such as prolonged droughts and floods, he has worked on breeding rice varieties that are “climate-resilient” or able to withstand both drought and floods. Several climate-resilient varieties have been developed under his watch and multiplied and distributed to Lao farmers to ensure that they are able to mitigate the effects of climate change. Dr. Phetmanyseng also actively engages directly with farmers, the private sector, and local and international institutions to ensure that helpful rice farming technologies directly reach the farmers and communities.