2008年6月13日 星期五

From Rise Paddies to Golf Courses

Insight | 14.06.2008 | 04:30

From Rise Paddies to Golf Courses - Causes for the food crisis in Asia

Younger people in Asia are choosing less labour-intensive work than farming. Is rice farming a dying profession?

From Bali to the Philippines, rice paddies are being replaced by golf courses, hotels and residential housing. That is one factor that has been cutting into rice production and causing current shortages. Alarmed by its inability to feed a fast-growing population, the Philippine government has even ordered a halt to the conversion of farmland to other uses. Global stocks of rice are the lowest in two decades, and as a result, rice prices have almost tripled since the start of the year. Indonesia, once a rice exporter, is now importing rice.

Report: Rebecca Henschke

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