Rice
- Rice is a vital staple food for more than half of the world’s population, primarily for poor people living in Asia, Africa and Latin America. (International Rice Research Institute [IRRI])
- Approximately 90 countries cultivate rice. Farmers from irrigated, upland, lowland, and the flood-prone areas across Asia are the major producers of rice. (IRRI)
- Rice provides a high percentage of total caloric intake in developing countries. The crop accounts for more than half of the calories consumed in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos, and between 30 and 50 percent in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Mali. (IRRI)
- Due to the high consumption of rice in developing countries, increasing its nutritional value can lead to significant positive health outcomes. (HarvestPlus)
- In the Philippines, rice accounts for 41 percent of daily dietary energy intake. (“Iron-Biofortified Rice Improves the Iron Stores of Non-Anemic Filipino Women,” Journal of Nutrition, 2005)