Brown rice is unpolished whole grain rice that is produced by removing only the hull or husk. It had been popular among Filipinos until the early 1950's. Brown rice then was in the form of partially polished rice produced by hand pounding using mortar and pestle or stone grinder. With the introduction of milling machines that produce the white polished rice, consumers' tastes and preferences started to shift in favor of white rice.

The Asia Rice Foundation launched the promotion of brown rice as health food in the Los Banos science community on August 11, 2000 at University of the Philippines at Los Banos. It aimed to rekindle the interest in and initiate with its partners a nationwide campaign to promote the consumption of brown rice in the Philippines.

The brown rice promotion has resulted in a noticeable increase in demands for brown rice, both in the Los Banos area and in the Metro Manila. Brown rice can now be found in some major supermarkets in Metro Manila.

A 4-page brochure on Brown Rice: Beyond the Color has been produced as a public educational material. Its topics include Reviving a Lost Health Food, What is Brown Rice, Why is Brown Rice better than White Rice, Production, Processing, Grading, Packaging, Availability and Cooking of Brown Rice, and Sample Recipes.

Copies are available upon request made to the Asia Rice Foundation.
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Have you ever asked what would happen if the ricefields disappeared overnight? Many aquatic plants would probably immediately disappear from our environment. Plants and animals that spend part of their life cycles in the water would also disappear, as well as those animals such as birds that depend on insects and other small animals living in the ricefields.

Appropriate policies are needed to maintain the biodiversity and sustainability of the ricefield. Land use must be critically evaluated and strictly enforced. Better appreciation by the population of the need for and importance of ricefields will ensure a better environment for future generations.

In most countries in Asia, ricelands are vital to the life support system of the people. They form a part of the base to support the agricultural economy of the Philippines. They should be nurtured as an ecosystem by continually designing and implementing ways and means of bringing about their improved, sustainable productivity.

The publication of the 21-page booklet on Ricefields, Biodiversity and Landscapes was made possible with the cooperation of the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Maligaya, Science City of Munoz, 3199, Nueva Ecija, Philippines) and the Pundasyon sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kaalaman sa Pagtuturo ng Agham, Ink. (c/o National Institute for Science and Mathematics, Education Development, Science Teacher Training Center, U.P. Diliman, Quezon City). Request for copies of the publication can be addressed to any of the institutions involved.

The 10 BIG Facts About Rice

1. FUEL FOR ASIA. More than 90 percent of the world's rice is grown and consumed in Asia, where people typically eat rice two or three times a daily.
2. THAT'S A LOT OF RICE. Asians ate about 300 million tons of rice in 1996. The average person in Myanmar eats 195 kg of rice annually; in Lao PDR and Cambodia, it's about 160 kg. The average European eats 3 kg, the average American, 7 kg.
3. RICE ALONE. Hundreds of millions of the poor spend half to three fourths of their incomes on rice--and only rice.
4. MUD, SWEAT, AND A BUFFALO'S BACK END. To plow 1 ha of land in the traditional way, a farmer and his water buffalo must walk 80 km.
5. THIRSTY CROP. It takes 5,000 liters of water to produce 1 kg of irrigated rice.
6. THAT'S DIVERSITY! More than 140,000 varieties of cultivated rice (the grass family Oryza sativa) are thought to exist--but the exact number remains a mystery.
7. RICE COUNTRIES. Three of the world's four most populous nations are rice-based societies: People's Republic of China, India, and Indonesia. Together, they have nearly 2.5 billion people--almost half of the world's population.
8. NEW RICE EATERS. Every year, 50 million people are added to Asia's soaring population of 3.5 billion.
9. BOUNTIFUL RICE BOWLS. Improved varieties are planted on three fourths of Asia's rice land and are responsible for producing most of the continent's rice.
10. TINY FARMS. Asia is home to 250 million rice farms. Most are less than 1 ha.

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