Could the answer to world hunger lie in something as uncomplicated as waterproof rice?
About half the world's population eats rice as a staple of it's diet, and two-thirds of the diet of subsistence farmers in India and Bangladesh is made up entirely of rice. If rice crops suffer, it can mean starvation for millions.
University of California-David professor Pamela Ronald & her colleagues have spent the last decade tirelessly working to find a rice strain that could survive flooding for longer periods - yes, waterproof rice.
As sea levels rise and world weather patterns worsen, flooding has become a major cause of rice crop loss. Scientists estimate 4 million tons of rice are lost every year because of flooding - that's enough rice to feed 30 million people.
- "People [in the United States] think, well, if I don't have enough rice, I'll go to the store," said Ronald, a professor of plant pathology at UC-Davis. "That's not the situation in these villages. They're mostly subsistence farmers. They don't have cars."
The researchers anticipate that the flood-tolerant rice plants will be available to farmers in Bangladesh and India within two years, where it has been successfully field tested. Because the plants are the product of precision breeding, rather than genetic modification, they are not subject to the same regulatory testing that can delay release of genetically modified crops.
- "I feel a great sense of gratitude that I was able to contribute in this way," she said. "But the farmers have asked us, 'Can you develop varieties that are drought tolerant, salt tolerant? Can you develop varieties that are insect resistant?' There are always more things to work on.""I feel a great sense of gratitude that I was able to contribute in this way," she said. "But the farmers have asked us, 'Can you develop varieties that are drought tolerant, salt tolerant? Can you develop varieties that are insect resistant?' There are always more things to work on."
One in seven people worldwide suffer from malnutrition - something like this could have a tremendous impact on changing that number. Isn't science wonderful? What are your thoughts?
via CNN
