Assessing the sustainability impacts of rice cultivation

Publication date: 09/05/2017
Extent: 20 pages

Contributions by: Wyn Ellis, Sustainable Rice Platform, Thailand

Chapter synopsis: In an increasingly crowded, volatile and fragile world, rice represents a crucial driver of global food security. This chapter explores the environmental and broader sustainability challenges posed by rice production. After considering trends in rice production and consumption and its strategic importance as a crop, we consider key environmental and sustainability challenges posed by rice, including resource-use efficiency, how rice production contributes to climate change and how it will be affected by a changing climate. We then address the challenge of quantifying these environmental impacts of rice production, and introduce the approach of the Sustainable Rice Platform, which offers a framework for assessing sustainability and encouraging the adoption of best practices.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2016.0003.29