Rice Production in Egypt: The Challenges of Climate Change …
297
2 Rice Production in the World
Rice is one of the fundamental agricultural commodities and food sources, feeding
approximately 50% of the world’s population (more than 3.5 billion people) as a
staple food, which directly nourishes people more than any other crop. It is covering
about 160 Mha of the world’s land surface [1–4, 7–11]. Moreover, rice is a key source
of employment and income for the rural people most of whom live in developing
countries. The crop occupies one-third of the world’s total area cultivated by cereals
[2]. Approximately 75% rice is produced worldwide in irrigated lowlands [10]. Staple
foods are well known as reasonable, regularly available, energy-rich and essential
for daily life. Mainly staple foods are resulted from cereals, such as rice, maize,
wheat, and barley. Rice and maize either single and double-crop rice, spring, and
summer maize) are the most staple food crops [4]. Rice is a healthy, nutritious, and
versatile food. Its content of complicated carbohydrates is transformed to glycogen
by digestive processes in the human body. Glycogen is stored in muscle tissues and
released as a required energy for the activities. As the rice being the staple food of
most Egyptians, its local consumption rate is 35–40 kg/capita/annum [12].
Over 90% of rice is produced and consumed in Asian, and the African countries,
where mostly all rice is produced by smallholders on farms ranges from 0.5 to
3 ha. In many Asian counties, rice yield/ha has doubled up through 20 years of
the Green Revolution. There are many reasons contributing in this yield such as
the adoption of high yielding rice varieties and increasing the cropping intensity and
farm inputs. Therefore, during the 1970s and 1980s, global rice production increased
at a rate of 2.3–2.5% per year. Consequently, however, the growth rate declined to
1.5% during 1990s as well during the first decade of 21st century, primarily due
to land degradation problems. The population in major rice consuming countries
are increased at an annual rate of 1.5%, and thus, the present growth rate of rice
production is not enough to feed them; therefore, a gradual annual increase of about
two million tons in production is required to fulfill the rising demand [13]. Rice is
cultivated in 16 countries in the Near East region; Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia,
Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Approximately, 92% of this region rice
yield is produced mainly in Pakistan, Egypt, and Iran [2].
It is stated that to cope with the world’s rising rice consumption level, the world’s
rice production also expanded. Rice production has increased greatly since the 1960s.
During the last decades of 20th century, rice has seen steady increases in demand.
Its growing importance is evident in the strategic food security planning policies.
This is applied in many countries, except in few countries in the Near East Region
that have accomplished self-sufficiency in rice production and imported the large
quantities of rice that overtake the demand to meet demand at a huge charge in hard
currency [2]. It is reported that it is estimated that a 40% increase in rice production is
needed to meet the surging demand from the hastily increasing population by the end
of 2030. Numerous strategies of agricultural management are now being developed
for improving rice productivity as well as soil C sequestration, such as water and
297
2 Rice Production in the World
Rice is one of the fundamental agricultural commodities and food sources, feeding
approximately 50% of the world’s population (more than 3.5 billion people) as a
staple food, which directly nourishes people more than any other crop. It is covering
about 160 Mha of the world’s land surface [1–4, 7–11]. Moreover, rice is a key source
of employment and income for the rural people most of whom live in developing
countries. The crop occupies one-third of the world’s total area cultivated by cereals
[2]. Approximately 75% rice is produced worldwide in irrigated lowlands [10]. Staple
foods are well known as reasonable, regularly available, energy-rich and essential
for daily life. Mainly staple foods are resulted from cereals, such as rice, maize,
wheat, and barley. Rice and maize either single and double-crop rice, spring, and
summer maize) are the most staple food crops [4]. Rice is a healthy, nutritious, and
versatile food. Its content of complicated carbohydrates is transformed to glycogen
by digestive processes in the human body. Glycogen is stored in muscle tissues and
released as a required energy for the activities. As the rice being the staple food of
most Egyptians, its local consumption rate is 35–40 kg/capita/annum [12].
Over 90% of rice is produced and consumed in Asian, and the African countries,
where mostly all rice is produced by smallholders on farms ranges from 0.5 to
3 ha. In many Asian counties, rice yield/ha has doubled up through 20 years of
the Green Revolution. There are many reasons contributing in this yield such as
the adoption of high yielding rice varieties and increasing the cropping intensity and
farm inputs. Therefore, during the 1970s and 1980s, global rice production increased
at a rate of 2.3–2.5% per year. Consequently, however, the growth rate declined to
1.5% during 1990s as well during the first decade of 21st century, primarily due
to land degradation problems. The population in major rice consuming countries
are increased at an annual rate of 1.5%, and thus, the present growth rate of rice
production is not enough to feed them; therefore, a gradual annual increase of about
two million tons in production is required to fulfill the rising demand [13]. Rice is
cultivated in 16 countries in the Near East region; Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan,
Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia,
Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan. Approximately, 92% of this region rice
yield is produced mainly in Pakistan, Egypt, and Iran [2].
It is stated that to cope with the world’s rising rice consumption level, the world’s
rice production also expanded. Rice production has increased greatly since the 1960s.
During the last decades of 20th century, rice has seen steady increases in demand.
Its growing importance is evident in the strategic food security planning policies.
This is applied in many countries, except in few countries in the Near East Region
that have accomplished self-sufficiency in rice production and imported the large
quantities of rice that overtake the demand to meet demand at a huge charge in hard
currency [2]. It is reported that it is estimated that a 40% increase in rice production is
needed to meet the surging demand from the hastily increasing population by the end
of 2030. Numerous strategies of agricultural management are now being developed
for improving rice productivity as well as soil C sequestration, such as water and