CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Global demand for rice is increasing from years to years which would require to produce more rice than it does now, and this part of the agenda in food security that has been addressed in the World Food Summit 1996 (Azman et al, 2014). The total area under rice cultivation is globally estimated to be 150 million hectares, with annual production averaging 500 million metric tons. This represents 29% of the total output of grain crops worldwide (Onyango, 2014). Nowadays, due to the growing importance of the crop and increasing challenges of the attainment of food security, it has been estimated that the annual rice production needs to increase from 586 metric tons in 2001 to meet the projected global demand of about 756 metric tons by 2030 (Onyango, 2014).
Meanwhile in Malaysia, rice is staple food for Malaysians and source of income for farmers. Therefore, the government needs to increase self-sufficient level (SSL) in rice production from 73% to 86% in 5 years (Azman et al., 2014). Increasing crop yield is the main agenda of most local paddy growers through measures such as the introduction of new cultivars, reviewing existing planting practices such as fertilizing and pesticide cycle, type and amount of fertilizer and pesticide used and the
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However, it became more widespread recently, which was believed to be partly due to the wide scale planting of a susceptible rice variety, MR 84, for many long consecutive years. Unfortunately, there are several major diseases in paddy cultivation. These diseases have become a resistant to farmers from getting higher production lately. Examples of major diseases in paddy are bacterial leaf blight, blast disease, brown spot and sheath brown rot. Among of the disease, bacterial leaf blight disease caused by Xoo seems to be harmed to the rice
In the first chapter of the book the author discusses a brief world history and evolution of rice crops. It is interesting to see that even though parts of Africa had their own rice crop variety, the globalization of rice crop Oryza Sativa has been slowly replacing the African variety. The author also starts
Food security is the availability, access, stability and utilisation of food for all people. (Beddington et al., 2012) The world’s population is expected to reach nine million by 2050. The main limitations stopping the world from achieving food security is food wastage, inadequate production and economic barriers. Overcoming these barriers is essential to being able to feed an increased population however it must be done in a way that will not exploit our natural resources or environment so that future generations can also to produce enough food.
To cultivate a successful rice paddy Asian farmers had to pay careful and close attention to their crops. It took constant monitoring, which was very different compared to other crop farming which involved digging a field, planting the seed and keeping it sufficiently watered and in sunlight. However, rice farming is a much more complicated, much more attentive process. Gladwell, when comparing rice farming to other crop farming states that it is “a relentless, intricate pattern of agriculture.” Rice paddies are built up rather than dug, they are built into mountainsides in a series of terraces or they are constructed from marshlands and river plains. The paddy has to be irrigated properly otherwise the crop will not grow, to do so a series of dikes and channels are constructed around the field. The paddy has to be watered a very specific amount otherwise it could result in over flooding or under watering. Rice farmers had to be careful with fertilizer, because if applied incorrectly or at the wrong time could be disastrous for the crop yield that year. The paddies had to be carefully weeded, which was usually done by hand. Rice farming was a full time job for Asian farmers. It required their constant attention to make sure
I chose to volunteer at Rice Care Center and Therapy Suites in Willmar, Minnesota. I chose to volunteer here because, I work in Therapy Suites and primarily interact with short-term patients. Since patients are there for rehabilitation, I do not get a lot of time to build relationship as they are busy with physical and occupational therapy and often have company throughout the day. During my time volunteering, I decided to go to the long-term units, Cushman Cottage and Sophia House, and spend time with the residents there. Another reason I decided to volunteer here is because not every resident gets company or a phone call for days, maybe even weeks at a time. I strongly believe everyone, regardless of age and status, craves interaction with another human being.
Every culture has its "staple" food. This is the food product that anchors each meal. For some cultures, it is meat and potatoes. However, for most of the world, regardless of region, rice is the staple that is served most often. . It is “A food staple of half the planet’s population” (Reynolds pg 1). But why rice? Why not bread or potatoes as is common in western countries? Within nutrisional basic food pyramid, rice is part of the breads, cereal, rice and pasta family. This family is the baseline foundation of human nutrition. Rice is a popular crop as it can be grown and cultivated fairly easily. Rice is grown by individual families for their personal needs, or can be cultivated by large farms for supply to the world. Rice is simpler to grow than wheat or potatoes because it does not have a long growing time and can grow in smaller areas and provides a greater yield per square acre than wheat or potatoes. Regardless of how you like your rice, it is basically prepared the same way, boiled. Once the rice is cooked, cultures take a different approach to the completion of a rice-based dish. Rice has a long history of being the perfect accompaniment for even the simplest of foods.
Until now, genetically engineered crops were created to resist insect pests or to control the growth of weeds by using herbicides. However, in this circumstance the genetically engineered rice not only benefits the farmers who grow it, but primarily the consumers who eat it. These consumers include at least a million children who die every year because they are weakened by vitamin-A deficiency and an additional 350,000 people who go blind. In addition to this concern, there is another. It is prospected that by the year 2020, the demand for grain, both for human consumption and for animal feed, is projected to go up by nearly half, while the amount of farmable land will probably dwindle, thus introducing a whole new series of problems.
With the rapid growth of our global population pouring into the next millennium, we will witness an ever-growing hunger rate around the world. That is unless we call for a revolution on the global scale. The Green Revolution which already sprouted in the early part of the century only need to add a bit more momentum and we will see a bright future for the human race, a future without hunger and starvation ¡V hopefully.It is becoming increasingly difficult for the planet to support its overwhelming population. And since the amount of arable land available is becoming scarce, we must seek ways to dramatically improve crop yields of existing cropland.
How does rice cultivation affect the biome it’s grown in and the world? Rice cultivation affects the natural biome in a n...
Genetically engineered crops could spur economic growth in developing countries through a combination of eco-friendly practices such as organic farming with genetic modification to create, “a system that slashes pesticide use, insulates crops against floods and drought, and protects the livelihoods of poor farmers in the developing world” (Vance). In addition to providing a means of steady income for such farmers, these crops could be altered to exhibit qualities of environmental resilience to account for greater production of food- enough to feed the world. An example of such produce is flood- proof rice, developed by Pam Ronald and her team to compensate for the predicted increase in frequency and duration of flooding in Southeast Asia as global warming occurs (Vance). This flood- proof rice was created with consideration of accessibility to poor farmers, using marker-assisted breeding to perform the genetic transfer, a cost-friendly and money-saving method, and through Ronald and her team developing a rice crop able to survive two weeks underwater (Vance). As such research and projects continue, through hundreds of more teams such as Pam Ronald’s, a positive outlook emerges on the horizon in terms of supplying the global population’s nutritional needs without increasing
As the global population continues to rise, the amount of food needed to feed the people will increase as well. Two types of agriculture systems have been the backbone for crop production for decades if not centuries: conventional and organic agriculture— both methods could not be any more different. Conventional agriculture, a method that uses synthetic chemical pesticides, technologies or additives, and practices that are unsustainable is the leading producer for our food. On the other side of spectrum, organic agriculture generally, performed in a much smaller scale, does not use synthetic chemicals and utilize methods that are environmentally sound. Most conventional
Improvements in the socio-economic patterns in India, China, Brazil and few other developing countries have opened new channels & opportunities for precision agriculture in these countries (Mondal, P. and Basu, M., 2009)”. India is a land of agriculture with large numbers of crops cultivated and the major pulses like wheat, pulses, rice, cotton, maize within top 10 in the world. However, when you take into consideration the ranking on quality wise it does not reach high. Although crops are being grown in India, The ratio of fertilizers used per area and the nutrition needs of the plants are not met. It is almost 3-5 times lesser to what is used in developed countries. With PA, you can achieve this needs of the plants, but studying the crop, soil and terrains. With the recent advancement in ISRO (Indian Satellite Research Organization) launching GPS and the IT revolution has changed the Indian environment making inroads for new scopes in farm sectors. There is also a misinterpretation that these technologies cannot be used in small scale farms. There are few technologies like chlorophyll meter (SPAD) and leaf colour chart (LCC) hand held portable devices to determine the timing of crop and the nutrient content. Government has been supportive in encouraging growers in small community to use GIS systems, and internet to understand the
Agriculture is considered to be one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. Although at present, the overall impact of climate change on global scale agricultural productivity is not reliably estimated (Gornall et al., 2010). Many studies show serious implications on agricultural productivity for instance IFPRI(2009) projects that in South Asia by 2050 climate change will reduce production of rice, wheat and maize by 14%, 44% to 49% and 9%-19% respectively relative to no climate change situation. Historical temperature yield relationship indicates that at the global scale warming from 1981-2002 very likely offset some of the yield gains from technology advances, rising CO2 and other non climatic factors (Lobell and Field, 2007).
Sustainable agriculture integrates three main goals--environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. A variety of philosophies, policies and practices have contributed to these goals. People in many different capacities, from farmers to consumers, have shared this vision and contributed to it.
People have depended on agriculture for years as the primary source of getting food. We have developed all kinds of ways to manipulate nature so what we can produce higher yield crops, more nutritious crops, bigger crops, crops that withstand cold, and farming equipment that allows us to manufacture these crops with relative ease. Why then are there five billion people being malnourished and forty thousand children dying each day from hunger? It seems as though world hunger is more a result of the lack of distributing the food properly than the lack of quantity. agriculture has turned into a high profit business and biotech companies like Monsanto are constantly trying to come up with better and more efficient ways of farming. Are they doing this to try to solve the world hunger crisis, or merely to make a profit?
Our country has favorable conditions for the development of industrial crops and fruit trees: The climate is humid tropical monsoon with high heat, high humidity. There are many types of soil suitable industrial crops: feralit land in the mountains, alluvial soils of the plains. The labor abundant experience. Processing industry is growing; large market demand. Policies to encourage the development of the state. The development of industrial crops and fruit trees brought many great significance: Supply of raw materials for the processing industry, providing exports. To contribute to job creation, redistribution of labor on a national scale. Promote economic and social development in disadvantaged areas. Speaking of the achievements of agriculture, we will talk to the achievement of food production in our country recently: Rice planted area increased: 5.6 million hectares (1980) to 7.3 million hectares (2005). The crop structure has changed. Productivity increased at 4.9 tonnes / ha / year. Food production in paddy increased: 14.4 million tonnes (1980) to 39.5 million tons, including 36 million tons of rice (2005). Average food at over 470 kg / person / year. Vietnam is one of the leading rice exporter in the world. Acreage and crop production also increased rapidly. The Mekong Delta is the largest food producing countries, accounting