Brown Rice As Health (& Earth) Food – 22 Years After Asia Rice Foundation Launched That Campaign

Today, my wife Ampy (Tagala) and I (Ilocano) prefer brown rice to white rice. It was not like this before. Some 14 years ago, when Asia Rice Foundation launched its brown rice campaign, I wasn’t enamored. I was thinking of the taste of the rice, not the health of the consumer!

(“Brown rice” from amp.rappler.com), “Regenerative” from flaticon.com)

The last time I talked about the Asia Rice Foundation (Asia Rice) and its campaign for brown rice was 14 years ago when I blogged “Blue Ocean, Brown Rice. If You Can’t Beat Them, Junk Them!” (24 Apr 2009, Frank A Hilario, frankahilario.blogspot.com):

On 11 August 2000, headed by its Chair Emil Q Javier, Asia Rice launched a campaign to promote brown rice as a health food at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, targeting the LBSC, Los Baños Science Community in the town of Los Baños in Laguna, some 60 km south of Manila. I didn’t know about that until today, surfing. I don’t know if they have been successful. I only know they have not been successful in convincing me to advocate brown rice. Of course, I’m rather difficult to please.

Times change. People change. Even the climate changes!

Today, with Climate Change staring everyone in the face, rich or poor, I am looking at Asia Rice and its brown rice advocacy of almost 23 years – well, it has succeeded on me! Today, since Asia Rice is based at the Los Baños Science Community (LBSC), I am challenging the whole of LBSC to rise as one to “sell” brown rice and simultaneously “sell” the basic need for healthy agriculture via:

Regenerative Agriculture (RA), yes. You can simply look at RA as organic farming, with your organic fertilizer. You contradict yourself if you grow brown rice not with black matter or organic fertilizer but with white matter or chemical fertilizer!

In those years, I was visiting Asia Rice at its “borrowed” office space at the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), which is based at the campus of UP Los Baños in Laguna. I am planning to visit Asia Rice and talk to one of its heads, Santiago Obien (SRO). We are both Ilocanos, so there should be no problem in communication! Wen ngarud a.

The science part is the headache. For instance, I still have to convince SRO that Organic SRI (System of Rice Intensification) is best for rice, including any hybrid variety – and best for the environment!

Here is Revelation to me – almost 8 years ago, I find Rappler already campaigning for brown rice AND climate change! I am now reading Renee Juliene Karunungan and her article, “Why Shifting To Brown Rice Matters” (27 May 2015, (amp.rappler.com):

In a country vulnerable to climate change and its impact, brown rice will help us face the threat of food insecurity.

Isn’t it great!? We are listening to a lady whose family name “Karunungan” translates to “Wisdom”! In here, I say the lady is a triumph!@517