In the tropics, the higher temperatures could be expected to cut yields of the primary food crops, maize and rice, by 20-40%, the researchers said.
Deep in the jungle of southern Burma (Myanmar) live 40, 000 villagers who tend to maize and rice farms, raise livestock and fish in the rivers.
They predict that the world's three biggest crops in terms of calories provided - maize, rice and wheat - will decrease in many developing countries.
In the fields, in the shadow of giant billboards giving motivational advice or productivity targets, women in headscarves bend over crops of maize, corn and rice.
The government bought rice and maize seed abroad, but Hondurans are choosy about beans: they like a local red variety.
Consumption of wheat, rice and maize roughly tracks population growth but at a higher level, so demand for them will add about a billion tonnes to the 2 billion produced in 2005-07.
The futures and options markets for rice are, compared to wheat and maize, woefully undeveloped.
FORBES: Speculation Reduces Price Volatility, Not Increases It
Over the past few years, it has convened a series of meetings that brought together leading experts for each of the main food crops, such as wheat, rice, lentils and maize.
The futures and options markets for rice are tiny as compared to maize or wheat.
FORBES: Commodity Speculation Kills People: So Says the World Development Movement
In Tanzania rainwater harvesting allows farmers to grow rice or vegetables instead of staples like sorghum and maize.
And the rice price has been much more volatile than those of wheat or maize.
FORBES: Speculation Reduces Price Volatility, Not Increases It
No, rice is rarely used to make them but the two close substitutes, wheat and maize are.
应用推荐