Northern Rivers a Natural Rice Growing Area
Southern Cross University and The Department of Primary Industry are
joining forces to
create new varieties of rice appropriate to the climate and soils of the
Northern Rivers.
They have found that this area is ideal for rice growing. In fact some
local farmers are already growing niche varieties of rice.
This rice is based on varieties of rivergrass that are indigenous to this area and grow naturally
in the shallow waters of the Clarence and Richmond rivers. The grains from these grasses were a traditional food source for the local indigenous population.
The research team hopes to encourage the domestication of these native Australian grasses to such
a point, where they can contribute to world rice production. The price of rice has been rising steadily
due to changing climate natural disasters and increasing demand from growing populations in traditional rice growing cultures.
Rice is one of the world's most important food crop with almost half of the world's population dependent on it.
This appears to be an intelligent change in agricultural policy, moving rice growing from arid areas using massive irrigation to an area where there is
plenty of rainfall, suitable soils and the availability of locally adapted rice varieties, and closer to the areas where it will be consumed.
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