|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mission Statement: The International
Year of Rice promotes improved production and access to this vital food
crop, which feeds more than half the world's population while providing
income for millions of rice producers, processors and traders. Development
of sustainable rice-based systems will reduce hunger and poverty, and
contribute to environmental conservation and a better life for present
and future generations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Download the complete
Concept paper
(21pp) in PDF
THE INITIATIVE FOR AN INTERNATIONAL
YEAR OF RICE (IYR) came in 1999, when the International Rice
Research Institute - responding to its members' growing concerns over
the serious issues facing rice development - requested FAO's collaboration
in having an IYR declared. This led to Resolution 2/2001 of the Thirty-First
FAO Conference, which requested the United Nations General Assembly
(UNGA) to declare the IYR. The Philippines, co-sponsored by 43 countries,
submitted this request to the Fifty-Seventh Session of UNGA, which declared
2004 the IYR on 16 December 2002. The dedication of an International
Year to a single crop was unprecedented in the history of UNGA. FAO
was invited to facilitate IYR implementation in collaboration with other
relevant organizations.
The theme of the IYR - "Rice is life"- reflects
the importance of rice as a primary food source, and is drawn from an
understanding that rice-based systems are essential for food security,
poverty alleviation and improved livelihoods. Rice is the staple food
of over half of the world's population. In Asia alone, more than 2 billion
people obtain 60 to 70 percent of their energy intake from rice and
its derivatives; it is the most rapidly growing food source in Africa
and is of significant importance to food security in an increasing number
of low-income food-deficit countries. Rice-based production systems
and their associated post-harvest operations employ nearly 1 billion
people in rural areas of developing countries and about four-fifths
of the world's rice is grown by small-scale farmers in low-income countries.
Efficient and productive rice-based systems are therefore essential
to economic development and improved quality of life, particularly in
rural areas.
There are about 840 million undernourished people,
including more than 200 million children, in developing countries. Improving
the productivity of rice systems would contribute to eradicating this
unacceptable level of hunger. However, rice production is facing serious
constraints, including declining yield growth rates, natural resource
depletion, labour shortages, gender issues, institutional limitations
and environmental pollution. Enhancing the sustainability and productivity
of rice-based production systems, while protecting and conserving the
environment, will require the commitment of many parts of civil society,
as well as government and inter-governmental action.
Many countries attach great importance to sustainable
rice development, and there are a growing number of global initiatives
aimed at promoting it. These include the Agenda 21 chapter on Sustainable
Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) approved by 1992 Rio Summit;
the 2002 World Conference on Sustainable Development; the 1996 Declaration
on World Food Security and the World Food Summit Plan of Action; and
the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000. Among the intergovernmental
regulatory instruments that are of key importance for rice are those
related to: food quality (CODEX Alimentarius); climate change; trade,
and non-tariff trade barriers; biological diversity and the safe movement
of modified living organisms; and ensuring equal access to and benefit
sharing from plant genetic resources. Together with the IYR, these initiatives
recognize that, in a world of increasingly interlinked institutions,
societies and economies, it is essential that efforts are coordinated,
responsibilities shared and participation included at all levels, from
the local to the international.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Rice
is life": Aspects of rice-based systems
The IYR envisions rice as the focal point through which the interdependent
relationships among agriculture, food security, nutrition, agro-biodiversity,
the environment, culture, economics, science, gender and employment
can be clearly viewed. Rice Production. From its Asian homeland, rice
is now cultivated in 113 countries and on all continents except Antarctica.
It is grown in a wide range of soil moisture regimes, from deep flood
to dryland, and in different soil conditions. Rice plays a variety of
roles that are related to the following important aspects of food security
as well as rural and economic development. Nutrition. In the developing
world as a whole, rice provides 27 percent of dietary energy supply
and 20 percent of dietary protein intake.
- Agro-biodiversity.
Rice-based systems are hubs of biodiversity. They combine well with
other agricultural production activities, such as the raising of fish
or ducks on waterlogged rice fields, and the feeding of rice straw
to livestock. In turn, ducks and fish feed on weeds and small aquatic
organisms, while livestock help with transportation and land preparation,
as well as providing organic fertilizer. Rice is also grown together
with vegetables and fruit trees such as banana and coconut. Rice fields
also host a wide variety of natural enemies that control harmful insects
and pests. In these ways, rice-based systems provide great opportunities
for improved nutrition, diversified agriculture, increased incomes
and the protection of genetic and agricultural resources.
- Water
and land management. Rice is the only major cereal that can withstand
water submergence and rice-based systems can make productive use of
all the available water and land resources. Terracing allows cultivation
on steep slopes, helps prevent soil erosion and landslides, controls
floods, minimizes weed growth and generates water percolation and
groundwater recharge, while submerged conditions enable organic matter
to accumulate in soils.
- Employment
and income. Rice cultivation is the principal activity and source
of income for about 100 million households in Asia and Africa, and
several countries are highly dependent on rice as a source of foreign
exchange earnings and government revenue. In addition, the threshing,
milling, processing, market transport and cooking of rice helps support
rural livelihoods. Other rural people generate income from producing,
servicing and maintaining tools, implements and equipment for rice
cultivation and post-harvest operations. Gender. Women and men often
develop different agricultural expertise and knowledge, and women
play important roles in both rice production and post-harvest activities.
However, women have less access to credit, farm inputs, marketing
facilities, extension services and information, and often miss out
on the benefits of improved rice cultivation at the field level.
- Science.
Improved technologies enable farmers to grow more rice on limited
land with reduced need for water, labour and agro-chemicals. Genomic
studies by public and private research laboratories have resulted
in a comprehensive database of rice DNA, which is useful for breeders
in developing rice varieties with higher yield and tolerance to pests
and diseases. These varieties also have greater tolerance to abiotic
stresses, such as drought and salinity, and higher nutritional value.
Golden rice, a product of genetic engineering, has high vitamin content
and is being evaluated by international and national research systems
for its biosafety. The introduction of integrated crop management
systems also helps increase efficiency while reducing production costs
and negative environmental impacts.
- Economic
policy issues. For many decades, rice was one of the most heavily
protected agricultural commodities. Since the 1980s, structural adjustment
programmes and the 1994 WTO Agreement on Agriculture have changed
this situation, and world rice trade is expanding strongly. However,
urban consumers enjoy most of the benefits (especially lower rice
prices), while small-scale, low-income farmers in developing countries
bear the brunt of change. Developing countries now face the challenge
of reaping the benefits associated with more efficient resource allocation,
while alleviating the plight of small producers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IYR: Challenges and opportunities
The IYR offers an important opportunity to use a collective approach
towards resolving the increasingly complex issues that affect the sustainable
development of rice and rice-based production systems. This has important
technical, political, economic and social dimensions, including enhancing
the role of rice in meeting human needs.
- Improving
food security and nutrition. Although rice is a rich source of energy
and protein, it has an incomplete amino acid profile and contains
limited quantities of essential micronutrients. Nutrition can be improved
by better rice processing and cooking techniques, the use of rice
varieties with high nutritional values, and the fortification of rice
with vitamins and minerals (e.g. through applying food technology).
Food security can be enhanced by promoting complementary crops, livestock
and fisheries activities within rice-based systems. IYR can help countries
develop the infrastructure to support the responsible utilization
of biotechnology. It can also increase awareness of the need to support
the diversity of rice varieties to reduce genetic vulnerability and
to enhance both rice productivity and quality. Diversity in rice-based
systems greatly contributes to rural income and complete nutrition
in a more balanced diet.
- Enhancing
the productivity of rice-based systems. Sustainable rice development
requires: i) genetic improvements for higher yield potential, e.g.
hybrid rice; ii) better crop management techniques; iii) reduced post-harvest
operations; and iv) the development of integrated production systems.
It also requires improved national capacity, through training and
information exchange, and the national-level transfer of safety-tested
new technologies to the field. Managing water resources. There is
growing concern about the sustainability of global water resources.
Water scarcity can be addressed by reducing the quantity of water
required (through developing new rice varieties or improved irrigation
systems) or by recycling water through multiple uses. The cultivation
of rice in low-water regimes will lead to changes in water and nutrient
management, cropping patterns and tillage practices. IYR can help
improve understanding of the costs and benefits of water use in rice-based
systems (e.g. the diverse life forms that such systems sustain). Technological
developments and management interventions will also be required.
- Environmental
protection. Environmental concerns in rice production include indiscriminate
use of pesticides, inefficient use of fertilizers, and emissions of
greenhouse gases. At the same time, rice-based ecosystems host a wealth
of biodiversity, and the majority of the planting material used by
poor farmers is derived from seeds that they produce themselves and
that represent generations of local genetic resources. IYR can spread
awareness of the importance of preserving biogenetic and natural resources
and can help stakeholders exchange ideas on environmental issues,
challenges and opportunities.
- Traditional
rice-based systems as part of world heritage. IYR will raise awareness
of the importance of benchmark rice-based systems, and will carry
out activities to safeguard such systems and redress their erosion.
The inclusion of outstanding rice-based systems in the multi-stakeholder,
multi-agency Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
Project represents a major opportunity. GIAHS is expected to lead
to the creation of a new World Heritage for Agricultural Heritage
Systems category under the World Heritage Convention. The institutional
context. More and expanded partnerships between government and non-governmental
(including private sector) development and agriculture institutions
are required in order to increase farmers' - particularly women farmers'
- access to land, credit, information and new technologies and innovations.
This will be a central challenge in many countries.
- The
challenge and opportunity for synergy. The overall challenge for rice-based
systems is to identify and execute synergetic solutions for rice development,
and these are possible only if decision-makers, technicians, farmers
and civil society are well aware of the many factors related to sustainable
rice production. In addition, sound policies on rice development depend
on the harmonization of diverse policy instruments, which are often
under the auspices of different ministries. IYR aims to be an "information
broker" for increasing information exchange, technology transfer
and concrete action among all levels in the rice production chain
and across all nations, for a synergetic approach to rice development
and the improved management of rice-based
systems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A conceptual framework for IYR implementation
The fundamental aim of IYR implementation is to promote and guide the
sustainable development of rice and rice-based production systems, now
and in the future. In order to meet this overarching goal, the IYR strategy
focuses on the following intermediary objectives:
- increasing
public awareness of the contributions that rice-based systems make
to food security, better nutrition, poverty alleviation and livelihood
improvement;
- increasing
public awareness of the diversity and complexity of rice-based production
systems, and the challenges and opportunities for their sustainable
development;
- promoting
and providing technical support to ensure the sustainable development
of rice and rice-based systems at the global, regional, national and
community levels;
- promoting
the conservation and enhancement of rice-based products in order to
derive economic, social, cultural and health benefits for the world's
human population.
In achieving
its objectives, the IYR is committed to the following guiding principles:
- a participatory,
consultative, innovative and proactive approach that acknowledges
the abilities and capacities of all stakeholders to make a valuable
contribution to enhance the sustainability of rice-based production
systems;
- recognition
of the agro-ecological, socio-economic and cultural differences among
rice-based production systems, as well as of the constraints to their
sustainable development in different regions, countries and communities;
- coordination
and harmonization of efforts, contributions and participation among
all stakeholders, through an agreed
framework.
This IYR framework will consist of an organized system
of UNGA-nominated partners at the global, regional, national and local
levels. As the nominated lead organization, FAO has established an IYR
Coordination and Implementation Unit to coordinate IYR activities at
all levels.
The basis of the IYR implementation strategy is to
engage the entire community in initiating combined and mutually beneficial
actions that address the challenges associated with a sustainable increase
in rice production. This is to be achieved through: data collection
and analysis; information dissemination via the multimedia; national,
regional and global workshops, competitions and exhibitions; case studies;
and the provision of technical support to member countries and farming
communities. Reporting activities are particularly important and will
include networking with stakeholders in order to monitor and advise
on their activities, as well as producing a final report for submission
to the Secretary General of the United Nations and to all stakeholders.
The IYR will establish a framework for enhancing
the sustainable development of rice-based production systems, and will
provide some of the means for achieving this. The IYR will utilize its
resources efficiently by helping to establish and assist national IYR
organizing committees; these committees can continue to develop the
IYR vision beyond the Year. After 2004, FAO will collaborate with partners
in establishing and assisting follow-up activities for medium and long-term
sustainable development of rice-based production systems. Sustainability
must continue to be pursued beyond the IYR.
comments? please write to: rice2004@fao.org © FAO, 2004
|
