UN Declares 2004 International Year of Rice
"Almost a billion households in Asia, Africa and the Americas depend on rice systems for their main source of employment and livelihood," FAO Director General Jacques Diouf said last Friday in launching the Year, the slogan for which is 'Rice Is Life'.
While the world's population was continuing to grow, however, land and water for rice production were diminishing and 'its production is facing serious constraints', he said.
Rice is the most rapidly growing food source in Africa and has a major influence on human nutrition and food security all over the world.
"About four-fifths of the world's rice is produced by small-scale farmers and is consumed locally. Rice systems support a wide variety of plants and animals, which also help supplement rural diets and incomes. Rice is therefore on the frontline in the fight against world hunger and poverty," the FAO director general said.
The Year was declared in response to a proposal by 44 UN Member States submitted last year, noting a 'pending crisis' in rice production even though rapid increases in the last three decades had contributed significantly to improving world food security.
Of the 840 million people still suffering from chronic hunger, over half lived in areas dependent on rice production for food, income and employment, it said.
FAO Assistant Director General Michel Savini said the decision to dedicate next year to rice was an indication of the important role its sustainable production could play in achieving the Millennium Development Goals on the eradication of hunger and poverty.
Rice was a staple food for more than half of the world's population and it provided 20 percent of the world's dietary supply, as opposed to just 19 percent for wheat and 5 percent for maize, Savini said.