Life Cycle of Rice

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Life Cycle of Rice Rice is the main source of food for over fifty percent of the world’s population. Rice has to be cultivated, harvested, processed and transported before it is ready to be consumed. Although rice is important to many of us, it takes a toll on the environment, which in return can impact us. Before rice is produced, a paddy field is needed to cultivate the crop. Although China's agricultural output is the largest in the world, only 15% of its land area can be cultivated. Rice production takes about 25% or 30.1 million hectares of the cultivated land area (Jason Clay World Wild Life Fund Staff, 2003). Rice is mostly grown on paddy fields. A paddy field is arable land that is flooded to cultivate rice plants. In order to create paddy fields, a great amount of intensive labor and a great amount of land is required. Paddy fields require large amounts of water for it to be irrigated. Most of China’s rice production takes place in paddy fields near the Yangtze River. Deforestation is a major problem in the Yangtze River area. Deforestation can lead to erosion of land, it can also cause soil to harden and it can make the supply of fresh water unstable. Deforestation affects the climate and causes changes in the environment. These changes include less rainfall and at the same time more water in places where water should not be. This could lead to flooding in many cases. For example, in 1998, China admitted that they were clear cutting trees that led to the massive flood of the Yangtze River. The flooding in 1998 caused 3704 deaths and left 15 million people without homes. The clear cutting of forests also causes climate change, which leads to global warming. Forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which makes the air cleaner. Carbon dioxide causes many environmental problems and issues. Acid rain is
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