Scientists Seek New Ways To Feed The World Amid Global Warming

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http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Scientists_seek_new_ways_to_feed_the_world_amid_global_warming_999.html

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Scientists seek new ways to feed the world amid global warming
by Staff Writers
Los Banos, Philippines (AFP) Aug 17, 2007

On an agricultural research station south of Manila a group of scientists are battling against time to breed new varieties of rice as global warming threatens one of the world's major sources of food.
According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) more than half the world's 6.6 billion people depend on rice for nourishment.

"Parts of the world will become drier and apparently that's already happening, and some parts will become even wetter," said Moroccan crop physiologist Rachid Serraj.

"But most importantly it's going to shift the rainfall distribution. It's going to become more unpredictable, and that is the problem for rice cultivation," he said.

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IRRI, based in this university town south of the Philippine capital and a vital part of the "Green Revolution" that dramatically raised cereal yields in the 1970s, has gathered top experts to work on "new frontier projects" to meet the threat.

This is apart from more conventional research to further boost yields, make the plants more resistant to pests and disease, and make the grain more palatable.

Rice yields would fall by 10 percent for each one-degree rise in the minimum temperature at night, time spent by the plant for growth processes, said crop physiologist Peng, a pioneer researcher in this field.

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Drought and salinity are already a major problems. Twenty-three million hectares (57 million acres), or 18 percent of the world's rice farms are considered "drought-prone", Serraj said.

A dry spell in hot spots such as eastern India can push up to 15 million rain-fed rice farmers into poverty in a single year, he said. Even in China, demand for water from industry and elsewhere is putting pressure on high-yield irrigated rice grown there, he added.

The two countries account for nearly half the world's rice growing areas.

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It now takes between 3,000 and 5,000 litres (780 and 1300 US gallons) of water to produce one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice, but IRRI is trying to breed maize qualities into rice so farmers could also grow them on a dry field.

So which side is winning the race so far, climate change or the scientists? The research is being hampered by a funding crunch that has hit IRRI.

"At this stage, I think it is equal, but if we're not going to increase our support, we're going to lose the battle," Peng said.