04/24/08 Rice Wars

With drought causing the collapse of rice production in places like Australia the world is actually facing violent demonstrations over rising prices and shortages. Sound a little familiar? Rather like oil production perhaps? Even in normal times though rice is not a major export. More than 90 percent is consumed in the countries where it is grown. Some speculators and investors are even seeing this as an opportunity for a lucrative or at least safe investment. But this "one man's pain is another man's gain" mentality needs to stop. Now more than ever we need to learn to adapt and change. Thankfully farmers, unlike oil producers, are a different breed. Farmers are seeking solutions, as in using different plant varieties and reducing water use by installing buried pipe to replace irrigation canals that lose up to 90 percent of water to evaporation. The flexibility of farmers has persuaded many climate experts that the effects of climate change may be mitigated, if not totally avoided. Farmers are learning how to do things differently, something we could all stand to emulate.