Ramping Up Rice Production

Rice is a major food crop and staple for billions of people, especially the poor. About 3.5 billion people eat rice, which supplies nearly 20% of global human per capita energy and about 13% of per capita protein. While most rice consumption occurs in Asia, rice is the fastest growing food staple in sub-Saharan Africa and one of the fastest growing foods in Latin America.

Due to the Green Revolution, rice yields increased 2.5% annually from 1965 to 1982. During that time, the average paddy rice …