“Scuba Rice”: ensuring food security during a flood by Abdelbagi M. Ismail, David Mackill, Reiner Wassmann and Bas Bouman
46 · Issue 04/2012 ·
A
s Asia’s population continues to grow both in terms of economy and population, food security continues to be an issue of major concern for policy makers. During times of crisis, from tropical storms and tsunamis to their ensuing floods, food security is of particular concern, to feed the local population as well as for economic exports. Rice is a staple food for over half the world’s population. Rice farming is the dominant agricultural activity in tropical coastal zones of South and Southeast Asia, including low-lying deltas.1 Flooding currently affects more than 20 million hectares of rice lands in South and Southeast Asia, costing the region an estimated US$1 billion annually in crop losses. Where there is too much water for other crops, or for other uses, rice is the only agricultural staple capable of flourishing in such areas. This provides opportunities to grow rice on lands that are unfavorably affected by heavy floods. While rice plants typically thrive in shallow waters (paddy fields), most rice varieties die after a few days of complete submergence. Developing rice varieties that flourish and produce well following submergence will alleviate flood damage in many rice-producing areas and thus, add to global efforts for food security and poverty reduction, as these floodaffected lands are mostly over-populated with impoverished communities.