A new study published today by the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has warned that the increase in temperatures of the last 25 years is affecting rice crops in the world , which have already been reduced by 10 % and 20% in some places in Asia . If the forecasts are fulfilled, that will mean a food disaster of great magnitude, since it is estimated that this cereal is the staple food of 3,000 million people around the world.
An international team of scientists has analyzed over six years a total of 227 plantations in the six main producing countries of Asia, a continent that produces more than 90% of the world's rice. Now they warn that crops could be drastically reduced by the middle of the century if the global warming process continues.
To counteract the effects of climate change on rice crops , the team has proposed developing new agricultural methods and genetically modified (transgenic) rice varieties capable of withstanding higher temperatures.
