The Japanese consider rice as their mother. The Chinese form of the greeting “How are you?” is “Have you had your rice today?” – implying that a person who has eaten rice is well. Vietnamese farmers consider themselves “not poor” if they can have rice every day of the year.

Indeed, rice has been the foundation of cultures and civilizations in many parts of Asia.  Rice was first grown in the river deltas of East and South Asia thousands of years ago and it was the productivity of wetland rice that gave birth to the first civilisations in India, China and along the Mekong Delta. Rice has evolved together with these communities and today, come in a myriad of colours that range from white to brown to red to black; textures that may be grainy or sticky, and flavours, with the highly priced Jasmine and Basmati being the most famous.

Rice still forms the cornerstone of the socio-economic and political landscape in many Asian countries in the 21^st century. Asia is still the most important continent where rice is grown, consumed and exported.  Because of its role in food security, income generation and political stability, rice production is subject to much government intervention. From Japan to India, Asian communities are strongly protective of their rice fields and resist global pressures to liberalise the rice trade. For developing countries and those still highly dependent on agriculture, improving rice production reduces poverty and hunger and promotes food security and economic development.

Nutritionally, more than 2,000 million Asians derive more about 60-70% of their daily caloric needs from rice. Rice is so important to the Asian diet that it may be the main component of almost all the meals Asians consume. Yet it is this dependence on rice that mires millions in chronic micro-nutrient deficiency. While rice is able to provide adequate energy, it has an incomplete amino acid profile and contains limited amounts of micronutrients. Milling, which produces white rice – the most commonly eaten form – removes large amounts of protein, fibre, fat, iron and B vitamins.

Therefore, the most common nutritional problems in poor rice-eating communities are protein-energy malnutrition and iron, iodine and vitamin A deficiencies. About half of women in their reproductive ages in Asia suffer from iron deficiency while vitamin A deficiency affects 10-25% of children and pregnant women. In South Asia, the level of sub-clinical vitamin A deficiency in pre-schoolers may be as high as 1 in 3.

Iron deficiency reduces a child’s ability to learn and is a leading cause for maternal deaths. Vitamin A deficiency may lead to blindness, and is a major risk factor in infant and maternal mortality even at low levels.

Hence, it is imperative to improve rice’s nutritional profile to ensure that communities most at risk and those most dependent on rice as their staple food obtain adequate nutrition from eating rice.

Research into improving the nutritional value of rice has been progressing at an exciting and fruitful pace. Scientists use a variety of tools at their disposal – traditional breeding of different rice strains, improving the genetic sequence of rice strains and fortifying rice by adding nutrients during the milling process – to make rice more nutritious.

The discovery of the African rice species, Oryza glabberima, has given scientists the raw ingredients to develop more nutritious rice, especially in Africa. O. glabberima may range from 1-6 mg of zinc and iron (two minerals not found in Oryza sativa) and between 5-14 g of protein per 100 g rice. Incorporating these traits into commercial rice varieties could substantially improve current levels of global micronutrient deficiency.

A group of 300 Catholic nuns in the Philippines volunteered to test out the high-iron rice and the preliminary results have been promising. The trial showed that nuns who consumed the high-iron rice had a 10% increase in their body iron while those who ate normal rice actually lost 6% of their body iron. The results of the trial shows that biofortification of rice with iron is possible and effective and creates impetus for both continuing efforts to improve iron content of rice, and to improve micronutrient concentrations of other crops.

Another promising project is to fortify rice with vitamin A. Since rice does not produce vitamin A naturally, scientists resorted to genetic tools to introduce a gene that produces beta-carotene, a substance that the human body converts to vitamin A. The work, pioneered by Swiss scientist, Ingo Potrykus, has now been passed to IRRI for further development. While a lot of work still needs to be done before vitamin A-enriched rice appears on consumer tables, the project showcases the potential to use innovative tools in improving rice’s nutritional profile.

In addition to these methods now being pursued, rice fortification – a process of adding nutrients into rice during milling – is also being studied as a quick and inexpensive method of improving rice’s nutritional profile. Studies have been carried out to fortify rice with iron, B vitamins, Vitamin A and calcium, with varying degrees of success.

In Asia, the Philippines has been at the forefront of fortifying rice, with experiments that began in the 1940s. However, despite successful feeding trials and a law mandating the enrichment of rice, progress to date has been limited.  The Philippines is trying to revive rice fortification with iron and the preliminary results of the trials are promising. But as illustrated by the earlier Philippines experience, political will and governmental involvement is crucial in ensuring the success of a rice fortification project.

Developing new rice varieties that are more nutritious is both promising and challenging. As more of the earth’s population discover rice, it is imperative that new rice strains keep up with the demand that rice provide adequate nutrition. Indeed, the Food and Health Organisation asserts that nutritional considerations are essential to the International Year of the Rice and to fulfil the concept that Rice is Life.