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Rice and climate change: A vicious circle
photo by IRRI Images (Flickr CC)
Since the cultivation of rice contributes to environmental degradation and climate change it is – ironically – a threat to itself. Changing temperatures and more extreme weather threaten the livelihood of farmers, food production and human safety.
Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute, or IRRI, in the Philippines are developing ways to decrease methane emissions and save water during rice cultivation.
From Deutsche Welle:
For more than 3 billion people around the world – 50 percent of the global population – rice is a staple of the daily diet. But not only are rice harvests highly vulnerable to climate change, rice farming is a huge source of methane emissions. Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines are striving to ensure that rice production is sustainable and stable, has minimal negative environmental impact, and can cope with climate change. The future for populations in many parts of the world relies on the success of their research.
In Guyana, similar concerns are facing farmers as well as scientists as reported by AlertNet:
The effects of climate change are threatening the health of Guyana’s vital rice industry, prompting the South American country to take steps to adapt the crop to withstand flooding, drought and other changes in weather patterns.
Watch the following video report from Deutsche Welle for more on the IRRI’s work in the Philippines:
Additional resources:
Manila Bulletin – IRRI rolls out high-yielding rice
Reuters – Stronger cyclones to menace miners, crops in warmer world
Tags: Climate change, cultivation, farming, Guyana, methane, Philippines, rice
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