•  pingveno   ( @pingveno@lemmy.ml ) OP
    link
    fedilink
    English
    11 year ago

    Yes, that should absolutely be included as part of an “all of the above” strategy. That said, that rice still retains its other problems, like the poor nutritional value of white rice. It may also have another issue that wasn’t included in the article, a tendency to absorb and retain certain toxins like arsenic.

      •  pingveno   ( @pingveno@lemmy.ml ) OP
        link
        fedilink
        English
        11 year ago

        Then let people choose how much rice they want to eat instead of subsidizing only rice. Many alternative grains are already part of the culture at every point along the income spectrum. For example, sorghum’s largest producer is Nigeria, with the other large producers being the US, Sudan, Mexico, Ethiopia, and India. Governments can promote these more nutrition and climate friendly grains without forcing anyone to do anything.

          •  pingveno   ( @pingveno@lemmy.ml ) OP
            link
            fedilink
            English
            11 year ago

            I was contrasting it with your claim of “telling people to not eat rice”. Governments can recommend that people not eat as much rice and then simple not put their thumb on the scale.

            But now that you mention it, the current effect is that poor people are forced to eat rice. When governments buy up rice and give it to poor people for free, the poor people have little choice but to eat the less nutritious rice. It is similar to how the US subsidizes corn.