Argelia Lorence News Today

JONESBORO -- On the third floor of the Arkansas Biosciences Institute, amid rows of glassware and lab equipment, sits a rack of seeds researchers hope contains the secret to sustaining one of Arkansas most valuable crops.

Rice is in trouble as Earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people. Sometimes there's not enough rain when seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water. As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop. As nights warm, yields go down.

RICE is in trouble as Earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people.

Rice is in trouble as Earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people. Sometimes there’s not enough rain when seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water. As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop. As nights warm, yields go down.

As the world heats up, rice farmers are facing never-before-seen problems that will require never-before-seen solutions that will take years to implement.

Over 50% of the food calories eaten daily by the world’s 7.9 billion people come directly from grains.

The three most important grains, in order of production, are corn, wheat, and rice. All are critical elements in global food security but all are not equal, Alan Guebert writes.

Much of food calories eaten daily come from grains like corn, wheat and rice. Rice, though, is the worlds most widespread and critical foodgrain.

The key element of informed decision-making is facts. And not just any facts; the best, most tied-to-reality facts are needed to make the best decision.

From the Mekong to the Mississippi, people are exploring new ways to grow one of the world’s most important staple crops in the face of climate crisis