With total global production of 787,293,867 tons in 2021, rice is a staple food for a significant portion of the global population and plays a crucial role in providing nutrition and food security, writes Lynda Kiernan-Stone at Global AgInvesting. As it plays such a important role in the global agricultural system, rice production is one of the most crucial sectors to focus on in terms of food security and the reduction of emissions.

When thinking of the world’s grain production, the mind often immediately jumps to consider how that year’s corn and soybean crops are progressing. However, although corn is the most-grown grain crop in the world, the majority of that production is siphoned toward uses other than direct human consumption. It is rice that is the most critical crop for human consumption, providing more than half the world’s population with their main staple food.

Researchers in China and Japan discovered that levels of protein, iron, and zinc all declined significantly in growing conditions with CO2 levels that mimic concentrations that are expected to be reached in the coming 50 years. These findings have prompted scientists to warn that critical health crises could be on the horizon for billions of people, especially those in poorer nations.

Given mankind’s high dependence on this single grain, along with warnings that climate change could deeply affect its nutrition profile, and the loss of arable farmland to encroaching urbanization and pollution, it falls to technological advances to ensure a healthy future for rice, and therefore, humans.

Published Date: November 18, 2023