With a view to recovering its cultivation, the University of Puerto Rico in Utuado (UPRU) will lead a research project on the ways in which rice is planted in the archipelago and how its production can be increased in a resilient, sustainable way that does not contribute to the climate change.
“’Rice with beans and food is what it is,’ sings El Gran Combo. Rice is so important in Puerto Rico, and “This project seeks to be an example of how it is possible to sustain a large part of our diet by growing rice in Puerto Rico, which has already been done.”said Luis Rodriguez Cruzprofessor at UPRU and co-principal investigator, about the first phase of the project.
Katia Aviles Vazquezexecutive director of Institute for Research and Action in Agroecology and also a co-researcher, explained that, in the country, rice used to be produced, “mainly in the mountains.” In 2013, for example, 63 acres of rice were planted, which produced a harvest of 3.24 million pounds of grain, which was destined, above all, to the School Lunch Program, according to press reports.
According to Rodríguez Cruz, the research seeks to “make visible and understand” existing rice planting projects in Puerto Rico, and answer “what can help them expand and what can help them replicate,” while studying the varieties. and the climate resilience of upland rice.
“Rainfed rice is the alternative, it is where an irrigation system or flooding is not needed, but the plant is directly in the ground. You can have a good area of land, but the main source of water for this rice is the rain itself,” added Avilés Vázquez.
Along these lines, he assured that one of the “main purposes” of the project is to study and adapt crops, so that they do not contribute to climate change. “We can have many other rice experiments, which are of a type of production that contributes more to the causes of climate change, producing exacerbated amounts of methane or requiring brutal amounts of energy, because they require a irrigation system. pumping or flooding certain areas that are not normally flooded,” he illustrated.
On the other hand, he explained that part of the research will consist of contacting a network of farmers throughout the country, which will allow them to examine how the crop adapts to the climate. “Being able to have test plots in each of these areas also provides us with space to make a comparison of production between what would be the big island and the two municipal islands.also taking into consideration the microclimates (diversity of climates in a sector with a specific climate) within the big island,” said Avilés Vázquez, specifying that Vieques and Snake are included in the network.
Rodríguez Cruz and Avilés Vázquez explained that, at the moment, the project is in its first phase, in which a “co-design” will be carried out with a participatory approach of farmers to plant dry rice in various climatic zones of Puerto Rico.
“When we say agroclimatic or microclimates, it means that, in Puerto Rico, the climate is subtropical, but, even within those extensive areas, there are some that, due to the topography of the mountains, perhaps, receive less rain than the average for that area. area, and that is a microclimate. It is an area in which there are particular characteristics that deviate from the characteristics of the area,” said Rodríguez Cruz.
The rice planting project is carried out through collaboration with the Columbia University, the Institute for Research and Action in Agroecology, the Foundation for Agricultural and Food Research (FFAR, in English) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, in English).
Rodríguez Cruz highlighted that the group of researchers was one of three chosen, out of 97 throughout the United States, who submitted proposals to win a $500,000 grant from the FFAR. On the other hand, the project seeks to employ about 20 students, create practical courses at UPRU and assist farmers.
“This project reflects what is being worked on at (the UPR in) Utuado: participatory approaches that include farmers’ knowledgeknowledge beyond academics and that different voices are integrated into the research and community development processes,” he pointed out.