It is the second time in the history of the United Nations that a year is dedicated to rice. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) had declared 1966 as the International Rice Year. Rice deserves the spotlight because it is an indispensable ingredient for the achievement of the Millennium Declaration's first goal: eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.

Approximately 840 million people around the world suffer from chronic hunger. Malnutrition hinders physical and mental development in children and impedes adults in performing adequately in the workplace. Fifty per cent of the hungry live in regions that depend on rice production for nutrition. Pre-school children in Bangladesh serve as an example, for they derive 76 per cent of their caloric intake from this grain.

The IYR focuses on improving the efficiency of rice production in order to maximize crop yields and feed an ever-increasing number of individuals. It calls for collaboration between Government and civil society to help developing countries grow more rice with fewer resources. Reducing the need for land resources is a pressing concern, because the world loses one hectare of fertile land every eight seconds.

The General Assembly demands that public funding be made available for rice research. Scientific research promotes agricultural breakthroughs that can enhance the condition of the world's hungry and is responsible for the discovery of new varieties that out-yield all others in certain climatic ecosystems, such as the "Miracle Rice" that thrives in the tropics.

Current research proposes to raise the nutritive value of staple foods like rice. Innovative methods could facilitate access by malnourished individuals to foods that are more nutritious and easier to produce. This process, known as bio-fortification, "requires an interdisciplinary alliance of research and implementing institutions", says Dr. Howard Bouis, Director of the Biofortification Challenge Program of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. One of the missions of the IYR is precisely the promotion of this kind of alliance.

The General Assembly and FAO hope to highlight the economic relevance of rice for developing countries that are responsible for 95 per cent of the grain's production. Rice permits the poorest members of the international community to participate in global commerce because they control a high proportion of its imports and exports. The economic potential of this crop was made evident in the nineties when its global trade increased at an annual rate of 7 per cent, reaching 25 million tons.

In addition to health and economic benefits, the IYR intends to emphasize the cultural importance of the grain. Rice production and consumption often shape and reflect a region's customs, traditions and landscape. Despite numerous cultural differences, the symbolic meaning of rice is similar throughout the world: it is usually a metaphor for life, fertility and abundance. From a cultural perspective, rice embodies the conflict between individuality and collaboration that characterizes today's world.

Several events, meetings and publications will commemorate the International Year of Rice throughout the world in 2004. While some participants will visit a permanent exhibit at the FAO atrium in Rome, Italy, others will sing and dance at MTV Asia's "Rock for Rice" concerts in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia. Expert meetings will take place from Italy to China and from South Africa to Peru. The International Rice Research Institute will double the frequency of its publication and FAO will publish an International Year of Rice newsletter.

Meeting the challenges put forth by the IYR is a demanding task. However, it is well worth the effort. A larger and more efficient rice production would ensure food security, facilitate long-term economic growth and improve the living standards of the rural and urban poor, in addition to reinforcing cultural identity.

The "Rice-Azolla-Fish" system-rice grown under the ridge culture- in China, showing inter-rows being prepared for Azolla inoculation. FAO photo/J. Dent