Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
I. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Rice (
Oryza sativa
) is the most important food crop in the developing
world and the staple food of more than half of the world
'
s population.
Globally,
20% of their daily
calorie intake (GRiSP 2013). Rice is a relatively new staple food in
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as it was not until 1948
>
3.5 billion people depend on rice for
>
1950
that rice production spread and became a major source of food and
income (Sanint 1992). Yet today, rice is a key component of the diet,
especially in northern South America, Central America, and the Carib-
bean. In South America, the average annual per capita rice consump-
tion is
-
45 kg, whereas in Central America and some parts of the
Caribbean, it is as much as 70 kg (GRiSP 2013). Uruguay and Argentina
are the traditional exporters in the market and Brazil is also becoming
important as a rice exporter. These exports are directed to other coun-
tries in LAC and to countries in the Middle East and Africa. Thus,
increases in rice production in LAC are important for food security
not only for the LAC region but also for Africa and the Middle East.
Rice is grown in 26 countries in LAC under diverse agroclimatic/soil
conditions and production systems (upland, irrigated, temperate irri-
gated, and favorable rainfed) (Pulver 2003). The average production of
paddy rice during 2010
∼
-
2012 was 26 million tonnes (Table 5.1), which
provided
US$8.8 billion for thousands of farmers in LAC. An approxi-
mately equal amount of revenue was generated in rice processing, dis-
tribution, and retail sales (Pulver 2003). These bene
∼
ts help to reduce
poverty and increase income in the region.
Direct seeding has been used successfully in Latin America since the
early days of rice cultivation. In the beginning, rice was planted as an
upland crop like corn (maize). Later, the system evolved with the
introduction of mechanization and semidwarf cultivars. Currently, three
systems are recognized in the region: the pregerminated system, in
which sprouted seeds are sown by broadcasting over a puddled soil;
the conventional system, in which dry seeds are planted (in different
ways) into a well-prepared dry seedbed; and, in recent times, variations
of zero or minimum tillage systems have become more common in the
Southern Cone and are being introduced into tropical areas. As direct-
seeded rice becomes more important in Asia and Africa (Pandey and
Velasco 2002; Farooq et al. 2011; Kumar and Ladha 2011), the LAC
region is positioned to provide well-adapted germplasm, technology,
and expertise to other regions in the world where this planting system
proves advantageous.
