“If the world wants to reduce GHG, you have to look at rice,” according to scientists

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A report on social media is creating a stir in the agriculture community for its attack on the world’s number one staple: rice.

The report by AFP News Agency claims rice is responsible for 10 percent of global methane emissions, and if the world wants to reduce greenhouse gases it cannot ignore rice.

The post was fact-checked by Twitter, which added “rice per se is not causing a 10 percent increase of greenhouse gases. Rice as a crop is efficient: the CO2 and Methane increases are caused by the burning made in ‘burning season’ made after the harvest.”

The story generated intense backlash, as rice is the world’s top staple, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. More than 50 percent of the world relies on rice for 85 percent of their food needs, and 95 percent of global output is grown in developing countries.

Twitter users expressed displeasure in everything from eating bugs and cultivated meat, to fears of mass famine, to possible attacks on our food systems.

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