Rice Crop and the Economics of an Ecosystem

Is the actual cost of a standard variety of rice we buy from the market in India $0.6 per kilogram (kg)? In general, for a typical variety of rice, the rates vary from $0.6 to $4.7 per kg for Sri Lanka and Japan, respectively. Is this the actual cost of 1 kg rice? These questions are pretty relevant in the first half of the 21st century. The world population always remained below the 1 billion mark up to the 18th century. Just after the spurt of the industrial revolution, it rose exponentially and reached 7.8 billion and is still growing continuously.

The population explosion exerted more pressure on agriculture, which ultimately led to the green revolution. The aim was to increase the productivity of agricultural output. Is agriculture’s success being measured as higher produce per unit area? Further increase in food demand led to unprecedented land use and land cover change on a massive scale. The land use shift has changed one-third of the world’s geographical area; moreover, anthropogenic activity has affected around three-quarters of the earth’s surface in various ways. Agriculture and land use activities significantly influence global climate and conservation strategies. Furthermore, more food requirements shifted the focus on high-yielding varieties, causing the loss of genetic biodiversity.