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Al Leedahl of Engineering Design Concepts (www.friendlyinnovators.com/mn /20080200.html) Singapore has been experimenting with the use of hydroponics. This system grows crops without the use of soil and dates as far back as the Hanging Gardens in Babylon. Canada's "City Farmer" publication says "Singapore's developments over the next five to 10 years are expected to startle the world" (quoted by Al Leedahl).

Hydroponics provides several benefits, but can also prove costly. The results can be amazing, and with a suitable investment, change the tide of this food crisis.

The Philippines

Duncan Macintosh of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI; www.irri.org) reported that "a new international research initiative, linking the private and public sectors for the first time and launched today [November 9th, 2007] at the 2007 Asian Seed Congress, aims to boost the research and development of hybrid rice for the tropics" (www.researchasia.com/html/art icle.php/aid/2461/cid/2).

This hybrid rice initiative is expected to revolutionize the yields of rice crops all over the tropics. China has been using this process to increase yields by 15-20%.

According to Duncan Macintosh the initiative has three objectives:

* support research on developing new hybrids

* support research of best managed practices

* and improve information sharing, public awareness and capacity building

Viet Nam

In some of the poorest regions in Viet Nam progress is being made toward helping local farmers. The International Development Research Center (IDRC) supports the Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry in the region to institute a project geared toward sustainable development. Le Van An is the project head.

The goals of project include:

* replace slash and burn agriculture with a home garden economy

* limit forest destruction

* diversify crop production

* increase household income

Several issues need to be overcome in the region, including low-yielding rice strains and inefficient pig-rearing techniques, but initial efforts in the region have been successful. Quynh Dien, a farmer in the region, is quoted by the IDRC as saying, "before there was always a lack of food, now there's enough."

China

In China science and reality have long been two distinct and separate entities. Scientific research on seed variation has long produced results, but in practice these methods were too expensive for the average farmer. The IDRC reports that "researchers breed exotic hybrids in the laboratory that are successful only under ideal conditions for many farmers such conditions simply don't exist."

The Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy (CCAP) and the Guangxi Maize Research Institute (GMRI) came together to solve this issue. They put together a agricultural biodiversity fair in GuzHai township that attracted hundreds of local farmers along with officials, merchants, children and even a television crew (www.idrc.ca/seeds).

The purpose of this fair is to "exchange many opinions, ideas, experiences, and of course seeds." This is the first fair of its type in all of China, and more are planned. Opportunities like these allow researchers to see what unique crops the local farmers are able to grow and to work with them to develop sustainable crop variations.

China is bringing researchers and farmers together to work on sustainable development.

Several Asian nations have taken the initiative to find solutions to the food crisis. These solutions, from sharing crop information and actual seeds to growing crops out of the soil on rooftops, will provide for the sustenance of the poor today and everyone on the planet tomorrow.

Learn more about this author, Daniel Xiao Wang.
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