Description

Rice is the main source of food for about half of the world's population. It is cultivated in more than 100 countries on every continent except for Antarctica, although 91 percent of the world's rice is grown and consumed in Asia.

Cultivated rice belongs to two species, Oryza sativa (which is more widely used) and Oryza glaberrima-- an African rice. The two main strains of O. sativa are japonica and indica. The differences between these two evolved both geographically and culturally over thousands of years as farming groups relocated to different ecosystems. Some groups moved to new land at higher elevations, while others established lowland rice fields in dry areas, seasonally flooded ground, or tidal swamp areas. Over the millennia, different types of rices evolved that were cultivated under different ecological conditions. There are now four recognized ecosystems under which rice is grown: irrigated, rainfed lowland, upland, and flood-prone.

About 20 million hectares (50 million acres) of land on which rice is grown face the hazard of uncontrolled, sudden flooding that can submerge plants in up to 4 meters of water for several months at a time. The deepwater and floating rice plants that grow in these areas have the ability to elongate so that they can rise above or float on the water. However, traditional varieties of such rices do not produce much grain. CGIAR scientists have created modern deepwater rice that can produce the same amount of grain as irrigated rice while thriving in water up to 1 meter deep. Traditional deepwater rice can produce only about 1 ton per hectare (2.5 acres), while the new modern varieties produce up to 4.7 tons per hectare. These new varieties are considered to be "smart" based on their ability to detect the depth of the surrounding water and elongate themselves accordingly. In the future, scientists and farmers will apply these smart varieties to deepwater areas to transform them into more productive lands. In Bangladesh, for instance, a country regularly subjected to massive flooding, these new rices could be grown over land now considered unsuitable for rice production.

Today, there are thousands of varieties of japonica and indica rice grown in more than 100 countries. Some of these varieties include traits such as stiff straw stems, which prevent the plant from falling over, and upright leaves, which absorb and use solar energy more efficiently. Some varieties are also adapted to the higher temperatures and shorter days of the tropics. For example, Taichung Native 1, which was released in 1956 combined short stature with high-yield potential. When adopted by Taiwanese farmers, it yielded six to eight tons per hectare. During the 1960s CGIAR scientists further improved these varieties by using 38 crossbreeds to eventually produce IR8, the first of the modern, high-yielding rice that became known as "miracle rice," for its high yields. IR8, which doubled rice production yields, was the catalyst for the Green Revolution in rice. Today, more than 60 percent of the world's rice fields are planted with varieties whose origins originate from the work of CGIAR scientists and breeders and their partners. A later variety, IR36-- with the ability to withstand a wide range of pests-- has been planted on more than 27.5 million acres, setting a world record for the only single food crop to have been planted so widely.

Statistics

In 2005 the global area harvested to rice was approximately 154 million hectares. (Wheat is the leader with approximately 209 million hectares). The area harvested in Asia in 2005 was 137 million hectares and in Africa almost 9 million hectares.

Rice production for the same period was almost 621 million tons globally. Statistics by region were as follows:

Africa: 19,219,810.00 tonnes
Asia: 562,056,846.00 tonnes
Europe: 3,366,900.00 tonnes

Nutritional Value

Globally, rice is the most important crop in terms of its contribution to human diets and value of production. Rice provides between 35% and 80% of the calories consumed by 3.3 billion people in Asia, and 8% of food energy for 1 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Although rice protein ranks high in nutritional quality among cereals, protein content is modest in rice. Rice also provides minerals, vitamins, and fiber, although all constituents except carbohydrates are reduced by milling. Milling removes roughly 80% of the thiamine from brown rice.

CGIAR Center Work on Rice

Three CGIAR research centers focus on rice research: the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, the Africa Rice Center (WARDA) in Benin and the Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) in Colombia. IRRI also offers an award winning website dedicated to rice called the Rice Web . This is a compendium of facts and figures from the world of rice. The three research centers collaborate to improve yield potential , to develop hybrid rice for the tropics, to improve nitrogen use efficiency in rainfed systems, and to combat pests, diseases, and weeds.

In 2005, the CGIAR invested approximately $ 51 million on rice research.

For more information on rice from the IRRI site, click here.

For more information on rice from the CIAT site, click here.

For more information on rice from the WARDA site, click here.

Sources

FAO. FAOSTAT.

CGIAR Financial Report 2005.

International Rice Research Institute.
Rice Almanac. Third Edition. 2002. FAO.
Production Yearbook 2003.

Technical Advisory Committee.
Priorities and Strategies for Resource Allocation
during 1998-2000. April 1997