Securing Rice, Reducing Poverty: Challenges and Policy Directions

A take on the Philippine rice problem from a policy perspective, this publication explains why sustainable growth in rice production continues to be a major challenge, thus providing a glimpse of what ails the agriculture and rural sector as a whole. It likewise attempts to provide a systematic and forward-looking assessment of the rice industry, taking into account recent technological, economic, and legislative development and their implications to food security and rural development.

Literature on rice is quite rich, yet very few of the recent works look comprehensively at the rice problem from a policy perspective. Moreover, available literature is likewise wanting in exploring the implications of recent technological, economic, and legislative development in the industry on household food security. This publication attempts to bridge the gap by providing a systematic, organized, and forward-looking assessment of the rice industry.