Making Rice Sustainable

By: Jessica Robertson

Perhaps the most urgent of challenges arising from climate change is making agriculture sustainable. In coming years, edible resources will be more important than ever with the growing world population. One of the main staples worldwide is rice, and, at the 3^rd annual LEGATO Conference (Land-use Intensity and Ecological Engineering – Assessment Tools for Risks and Opportunities in Irrigated Rice Based Production Systems), questions were addressed regarding sustainability, productivity, and diversification in the Southeast Asia rice ecosystems.

            One of the most discussed subjects at this year’s conference was the use of silicon (Si) as an enhancement for rice plants, being able to strengthen the plants, improve their immunity to disease and ability to utilize fertilizers, and block the uptake of toxic metal. In case studies from the Philippines, where levels of Si in the soil are higher compared to soil in Vietnam, these beneficial characteristics were observed. Farmers who burn rice straw and apply the ash to the field typically find higher Si levels in their soil, while farmers who export the ash do not reap the benefits of silicon-rich soil. Educating farmers about the benefits of silicon and methods of introducing it to their crops could help increase the sustainability of the rice industry.

            The conference group also discussed topics like natural pest control, biodiversity, education in restoration of landscape biodiversity through entertainment, and the abuse of pesticides.

            However, one crucial topic that was not addressed at this year’s conference was water conservation. Water conservation is one challenge that remains higher in importance than sustainable agriculture in the face of today’s environmental issues. On average, it takes 2,500 liters of water to produce just 1 kilogram of rice. With rice being one of the world’s most popular staples, in order to increase its sustainability, the water use issue must be addressed. Hopefully, that will be one topic on the list for next year’s LEGATO conference. Until then, hopefully these proposed changes will be jumpstarting sustainability in the rice fields of the world. 

The Demise of the Queen

By: Daniela Silva
The beautiful plight of the monarch may be coming to an end, the species are dying out and yes, we can witness the extinction of a wonderful species within our lifetime. Due to the  heavy destruction of the milkweed plant the monarchs have already declined by 44% of their population becoming a critically endangered species.

The steady extinction of the species don't just affect the pollination of flora, but it also affects tourism and the jobs of many in California and mexico, where the Monarchs are big business; but what is killing the butterflies?

GMO corn,soybean crops and GMO herbicides is one of the  leading problems of the butterflies resulting in the destruction of  a majority of the milkweed plants which is the only plant the eggs can be laid on as well. With Monsanto owning 90% of the worlds crops, there is a limited amount of space for the monarch to actually flourish, which leaves it up to us, the people to take control and do something about it.

Do GMO's affect you?

By: Daniela Silva

     When providing a balanced diet for your children, to what extent do you control the nutritional value and safety of their food? One of the most important things you can do to help your child’s overall health is to maintain a healthy diet; full of organic, natural, raw material. Labels also help us make decisions as to what would be a healthier choice for our families. Nonetheless, more than 70% of produce in grocery stores have genetically modified (GM) ingredients that we cannot identify, owing to an absence of labeling. Almost all produce is distributed by Monsanto a company specialized in biotechnology; in other words, specialized in manipulating biological development for their own industrial use. In what way can this be healthy? How may we identify what is safe to eat?  

       Monsanto is a company that seeks to be a hero in a world of famine, using biotechnology to reduce water usage and waste, which by me; that doesn't sound bad at all. However despite their efforts there is more waste being generated and it is impacting the health of consumers, and obviously negatively impacting the ecosystem as well. Mass suicides in India’s agricultural work fields are said to be a result of Monsanto’s Bt cotton, and with further study on Monsanto’s other product; Bt corn, is now considered a pesticide by many.  Both The institute for responsible technology and the organic consumers association are concerned of the long term effects of the toxin as a result of the corn’s capability of producing the pesticide in every kernel of corn. It has been banned in 64 countries to have GM foods without labels.  However it is still kept in our grocery stores

    What is significantly alarming is that we don’t know to what extent genetically modified foods are safe for consumption; how much GM foods occupy our grocery stores. Some tests on store bought produce show that genetically modified foods can link to leukemia, anemia, allergens, and horizontal gene transfer. Whereas Monsanto has stated the food to be”… “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) in the United States, and are considered safe by food safety experts globally.”  Beneficial or not, we are not given the opportunity to make a decision democratically whether or not if it should be on our grocer’s shelves. In addition it is difficult to identify genetically modified products so we are not able to avoid these foods as a whole. As a consumer, I support banning non-labeled GMO foods; do research your local grocery stores and genetically modified products. You’ll be glad you did.