The global rice agriculture towards 2050: An inter-continental perspective

The growth in rice consumption has either slowed down or become negative in all the continents although additional per capita demand for rice exists in Africa. The future additional rice demand will mainly come from the population growth in Africa and Asia. The production growth during the past led by growth in yield has helped in meeting rice demand around the globe. However, Africa continues to lag far behind other continents in achieving the desired level of yield. Additional research efforts are needed in all continents for the production of varieties with higher yield potential and desired grain quality with more emphasis on the African continent. The global demand for rice will be about 584 million tons or less towards 2050. With positive technological developments in the rice research arena, the shape of rice agriculture will change towards 2050. Asia may lose about 5 million ha and Africa gain about 10 million ha of rice land by 2050.

Automated summary

Although there is additional demand for rice per capita in Africa, the growth in rice consumption has slowed down or become negative in all continents. The future increase in rice demand will mainly come from population growth in Africa and Asia. Global rice production has been able to meet the demand, primarily due to growth in yield. However, Africa still lags behind other continents in achieving desired levels of yield. Therefore, further research efforts are needed across all continents, with a focus on Africa, to develop varieties with higher yield potential and desired grain quality.