Giving Compass' Take:

• The New Food Economy reports how climate change is affecting rice crops and farmers, not only from the challenge to meet demand but also when the crop itself contributes to the emissions.

• What are some alternative crops that can survive the detrimental effects of climate change? 

• Here’s an article on the more adequate, equitable, and sustainable way to meet global rice demand. 

Mark Isbell is a commodity rice farmer in England, Arkansas whose 3,000-acre Isbell Farms supplies large buyers like Knorr, a Unilever company. The Isbell family has grown rice for more than a century; Mark, a fourth-generation farmer in his late forties, works alongside his father, mother, brother-in-law, and cousin.

The work is getting harder. While overall rainfall amounts remain relatively stable, weather patterns have become more erratic, making it tough to gauge yield in a given year. Short, intense periods of rain can make farming difficult.

The challenge, for farmers, is how to meet demand for an inexpensive food source when Mother Nature has other ideas.

Although rice consumption is up, rice production is down in commodity rice-growing regions that are becoming prone to inconsistent weather patterns. The challenge, for farmers, is how to meet demand for an inexpensive food source when Mother Nature has other ideas—and when the crop itself contributes to the emissions that are making it harder to grow in traditional locations.

Read the full article about climate change impact on rice by Ximena Greenhouse at The New Food Economy.