rt vol. 10, no. 1 rice in the city
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7/31/2019 RT Vol. 10, No. 1 Rice in the city
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43Rice TodayJanuary-March 2011
SciencecentreSingapore
Mention the island country Singapore
and rice growing may not be the
rst activity that springs to mind.
However, like most countries in
Asia, rice is an indispensable food
grain in Singapore, as it is not only a
signicant ingredient in local cuisines
but it is also an integral part of the small
nations culture and traditions.
In an effort to raise awareness about
ricehow this cereal starts as seeds
planted in plots to a steaming bowl of
rice served in Singaporean diningthe
Science Centre Singapore (SCS) and the
International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI), with support from the Lee
Foundation, launched a rice exhibit and
education program on World Food Day
2010 on 16 October.
Bearing the themeRice and the
Cycle of Life, the exhibit introduced
Singaporeans to the rice plants
anatomy, different rice varieties, tools
Rice may soon thrive once more in urban Singapore
and implements used in rice farming,
and consumer products with rice
as an ingredient. Visitors also got
a chance to dehusk rice grains and
create a rangoli, a traditional Indian
oor decoration made from brightly
colored rice our. Moreover, SCS handed
out illustrated booklets about rice and
a 5-gram packet of IR64 seeds that
included instructions on how to grow
rice so people could try planting them at
home with the family.
To supplement this informal
learning, master teachers of geography
from Singapore high schools also
attended a training workshop conducted
by SCS. Because of this, rice education
has been ofcially incorporated into the
school curriculum.
These activities aimed to help
Singaporean youngsters understand
the relationship between their food and
the environmentparticularly climate
rice in the citybyTara Shyam
changeand to inspire more young
people to become plant scientists. Even
though Singapore is a small country that
does not grow rice commercially, its next
generation of agriculture advocates has
much to contribute to the future of rice
research.
Ms. Shyam is a development ofcer with
IRRI Fund Singapore.
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