Sustainable Rice production in the Philippines – Day 1

Our reporter Carl Gierstorfer has just started filming in  the Philippines for one of our upcoming reports. Here is his first dispatch:

"First day filming at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) south of Manila. How could rice be possibly interesting? Well, it's mankind's most important crop. The main source of carbohydrates for more than half the world's population. Employer, source of income, pillar of urban settlements. Rice has been farmed for thousands of years, different varieties bred and selected. What's common to all is that they need a lot of water. And therein lies the problem. Climate change will make water supplies very unpredictable. What's more: when rice paddies are flooded with water they emit methane, a powerful greenhous gas. In rice producing countries like Thailand, China, the Philippines this means lots and lots of it. Rice, the staple of billions also contributes to global warming.

How to change this? How to make rice both climate friendly and resistant to climate change ? People here at IRRI have some very smart ideas. Stay tuned."