Where Have All the Rice Fields Gone?
Rice farmers are already having difficulties coaxing more rice from their fields. But in the future they will have even less land for growing rice as factories, roads, houses, skyscrapers, and parking lots devour fields. In Java alone, 30,000 hectares of agricultural land vanish each year–which could supply rice for 800,000 people. Rice will also have to compete with more lucrative crops for field space. Water Fights Although the amount of water on Earth doesnt change, its availability for rice farming will become only a trickle of what it once was. The battle for water is becoming fierce as population balloons and economic development intensifies. Governments will most likely continue to divert water from agriculture to give priority to water for drinking, sanitation, and industry. Few options are left for economically expanding irrigation in profitable and environment-friendly ways. Who Wants to Be a Rice Farmer? Simple economics dictates that when people see an opportunity to earn
