Rice

food · grain · staple crop

The world's grain. Rice is one of the three biggest crops grown on Earth, behind sugarcane and maize. In 2023 alone, farmers grew 800 million tons of rice.

Ancient discovery. People in China started growing rice about 13,500 to 8,200 years ago, making it one of humanity's oldest crops. West Africa developed its own type of rice independently about 3,000 years ago.

Feeds billions daily. More than half of all people on Earth eat rice as their main food, especially in Africa and Asia. It's so important that China, India, and Indonesia grow and eat the most rice of any countries.

Under attack always. Pests like insects, rodents, and birds love rice crops, and diseases like rice blast can damage them too. Farmers use clever methods like raising ducks in rice fields to control pests naturally.

Doesn't travel far. Only about 8% of rice gets traded between countries, meaning most rice stays in the region where it's grown. A lot of rice grown in developing countries is wasted because of poor storage and transportation.