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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