We’ve been raising warnings about the war on farmers and farmland for a while now. It’s happening, and it is alarming.

But it is going further than many people even realize. 

In addition to regulating the crap out of the dairy and meat farm industry, now rice farmers are under attack.

Yes, you read that correctly. Rice farms are in danger of being heavily regulated and forced to stop growing rice.

Why? Because those pushing green initiatives argue that rice production is bad for the environment.

The issue is that these regulations are coming at a time when rice farmers are already struggling due to drought conditions, and they are being pushed to make huge changes without being provided adequate time or financial backing. 

Let’s break down the rice issue. 

Rice Is a Staple Food across the World

Rice is critical to the global population.

For more than half of the world’s population (or about 3.5 billion people), rice is a staple food and the foundation of dishes.

Rice alone “provides one-fifth of the calories consumed worldwide.”

Rice is also the third largest crop in the world.

And farming rice is a way of living for 15o million farmers around the globe.

In other words, we need rice to sustain life here on Earth. And now, it’s being threatened.

Somini Sengupta writes, “Rice is in trouble as the Earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people. Sometimes there’s not enough rain when seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water. As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop.”

As a result of the environmental factors affecting rice farming, scientists and farmers are looking for new ways to grow rice crops.

[Related Read: Protect Your Seeds. Lawmakers Are Coming for Them.]

The World Economic Forum Is Coming for Rice

The attack on rice isn’t new. 

The World Economic Forum published an article titled “This is how rice is hurting the planet” in 2019.

In the article, WEF claims, “Global rice production is releasing damaging greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, doing as much harm as 1,200 average-sized coal power stations.”

This is due to rice paddy fields.

WEF claims, “Microbes that feed off decaying plant matter in these fields produce the greenhouse gas methane. And because rice is grown so prolifically, the amount being created is not to be sniffed at – around 12% of global annual emissions.”

Since 2019, the idea has picked up steam.

For instance, according to The Verge, “Beef and other ruminant meat, a category that includes hoofed mammals with four stomach compartments like goats and sheep, are at the top of the list when it comes to causing climate change. Rice and dairy are next, the other two food groups responsible for a whole lot of methane emissions.”

First, it was the dangers of cows’ methane gas.

And now they’ve added rice to the list of climate dangers – even though the danger is significantly less.

The Verge continues, “After ruminant meat, rice is the food item responsible for the most global warming. […] And rice is a staple food for much of the world, which is also why it has such a big environmental footprint. But on a per-calorie basis, rice and other plant foods are much less greenhouse gas intensive than animal foods.”

Scientists are looking into several different ways to continue producing rice but also lower methane emissions.

One initiative does away with leaving straw on rice paddies and burning it, and instead removes straw from the paddies and turns it into organic fertilizer.

This initiative is part of the Global Methane Pledge, where countries pledged to lower emissions by 30% by 2030.

However, VOA News reports, “Several of the world's biggest rice producers, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, are on board – although the two largest, China and India, failed to sign.”

It costs money and takes time to make these types of significant changes.

According to the World Bank*, “Adopting CSA practices such as Alternate Wetting and Drying water management combined with good agriculture practices, such as Vietnam’s 1M/5R, have shown the potential to cut methane and nitrous oxide emissions significantly. These approaches include a package of improving irrigation water delivery, land leveling, and use of improved seeds (e.g., drought-, pest-, and flood-resistant high-yielding varieties), improved tillage practices, soil testing combined with improved fertilizer application, and farmer training, often facilitated by digital technology.”

Who is going to pay for all this?

In reports from Vietnam, there is a serious push for investors, as well as “international climate financing.” 

East Asia Forum suggests, “These funds could channel resources into green agricultural development projects in rural regions and secure funds for low-income farming populations heavily threatened by climate change.”

In other words, it is not affordable for everyday rice farmers to change their farming methods to meet new climate initiatives.

*Note – Why is the World Bank weighing in on how rice is grown in the first place? Think about that for a moment.

The Danger of Going Green Too Fast

We don’t want to suggest we think we should continue to do things the same way when we can improve things – especially if it does significantly harm our planet.

However, we have seen the danger of what going green too fast does to a country.

When you push green initiatives with a short deadline, you run the risk of making things even worse.

Take Sri Lanka as an example.

Sri Lanka issued a government ban on chemical fertilizers, which led to mass crop failures and food shortages.

This is such a shame, especially considering Sri Lanka used to be self-sufficient in food. 

In 2022, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pushed the country to adopt organic agriculture (which included banning chemical fertilizers), and the ban was imposed overnight.

However, Sri Lanka did not boost the production of organic fertilizer or import the necessary soil nutrients.

What may have seemed like a good idea went sour very quickly. 

Food prices soared, and people went hungry. 

In a report about the Sri Lankan president fleeing for his life, Farm Progress explains, “As politicians tiptoe around the problems of industrial agriculture, they have found out that people still like to eat and natural fertilizers will not fill the gap.”

Going Green Initiatives Are Benefitting the Elite

Brett Craig, CCO of Big Studio Group, tweeted: 

“Rice is bad. Beef is bad. Your affordable gas car is bad. The Davos/WEF crowd’s private jets? They’re good. And insect protein is very good. But just for you. For the elites, it’s Wagyu at 30,000 ft + a $100 glass of vino, as they belch more carbon into the atmosphere than you will in a lifetime.”

Craig’s tweet nails it.

We have already written about Bill Gates buying up farmland and pushing for people to eat synthetic meat.

Gates (and others like him) benefit by taking away food that is readily available and forcing people to eat food they produce in their factories.

Stock Up on Quality Rice Products Now

The cost of rice is already on the rise, and we should anticipate the costs to continue to rise amid the push for rice farms to go green.

In the meantime, stock up on rice. 

While you can certainly buy bags of rice at the grocery store, it is wiser to invest in white rice from Ready Hour, which is designed to stay shelf stable for up to 30 years. 

In addition to plain rice, consider adding long-term emergency foods that use rice as a base, such as Creamy Chicken Flavored Rice or our delicious Rice Pudding. 

Pay attention, friends, and prepare now!

In liberty,

Elizabeth Anderson

Preparedness Advisor, My Patriot Supply