WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Ending hunger and malnutrition in Southeast Asia is essential and rice plays a critical role. Rice is the single most important staple in the region as it provides 50% of calorie intake for its population. The region’s rice areas comprise 48 million ha or almost 30% of the world rice harvest.

Detailed explanation-2: -Rice is a plant that requires plenty of water and heat. It is well suited to the tropical climate of places like Indonesia and Thailand, where it grows well if the rains are plentiful. In Thailand, and in Bali in Indonesia, and on the island of Madagascar it is possible to grow two or more rice crops each year.

Detailed explanation-3: -White rice, which is most common in Vietnam, is brown rice that has had its husk, bran and germ removed. White rice is prepared in a variety of ways in both savory and sweet Vietnamese dishes.

Detailed explanation-4: -The six major rice-producing countries in Southeast Asia were selected for our analysis: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam (Supplementary Table 2). Altogether, these countries account for 97% of total harvested rice area and production in Southeast Asia3.