World's Poor Pay Price As Crop Research Is Cut
New York Times:
The brown plant hopper, an insect no bigger than a gnat, is multiplying by the billions and chewing through rice paddies in East Asia, threatening the diets of many poor people.
The damage to rice crops, occurring at a time of scarcity and high prices, could have been prevented. Researchers at the International Rice Research Institute here say that they know how to create rice varieties resistant to the insects but that budget cuts have prevented them from doing so.
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First Posted: 05-17-08 04:04 PM | Updated: 05-25-08 05:12 AM