Rice For Everyone!

Or at least a lot more people. Today's Illumination comes to us from Dubai by way of China. Scientists have been experimenting with strains of rice plants that are salt-tolerant, specifically for areas where fresh water is too precious to use in the quantities needed to grow rice. In January, the project began the practical research and planted several of the strains in parts of the desert in the United Arab Emirates.

Not only did the rice grow and thrive, but it yielded more than twice the amount of food as the average rice production. The researchers plan on rolling out a bigger test next year, eventually building up to covering 10% of the desert in rice fields. This is the kind of thing that can go a long way toward solving food insecurity while not forcing countries in the Middle East to rely completely on other parts of the world.