Rice Growers Research Articles

Resource Use Efficiency and Constraints in the Production of Direct Seeded Rice in Haryana, India

The present study was conducted during 2022-23 in three districts namely, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Yamunanagar in Haryana with the objective to analyse the resource use efficiency and constraints in the production of direct seeded rice (DSR). To achieve the objective of the study Cob-Douglas production function technique was used. The result of the study revealed that inputs like machine labour and irrigation in direct seeded basmati paddy and seed, human labour and irrigation in direct seeded non-basmati paddy were greater than one indicating underuse of these resources. The seed, chemical fertilizers and human labour in direct seeded basmati paddy while chemical fertilizers and machine labour in direct seeded non-basmati paddy were less than one which indicated the overuse of these inputs. As DSR technology is a water, labour and energy saving practice, it needs to be popularized among the farmers by offering viable solutions the problems faced by the rice growers. Weed infestation and management, iron deficiency, non-availability of DSR drill and difficulty in land preparation were the major problems faced by the farmers in the production of DSRs which warrant appropriate remedial solutions.

Social safety nets and productivity outcomes: Evidence and implications for Bangladeshi rice growers

AbstractUsing national representative cross‐sectional data from 8846 rice growing plots in Bangladesh, we analyze the impact of social safety net programs (SSNPs) on rice farmers' productivity and efficiency. This study applied the propensity score matching (PSM) approach to correct the possible self‐selection biases arising from observed and unobserved factors affecting a household's SSNP participation decisions. The stochastic frontier production function is estimated separately for participants and non‐participants to compare yield and technical efficiency. Our results show that the output elasticities of all inputs except land and fertilizer are significantly higher for non‐participants than participants. The SSNP participants are estimated to have 1.95% higher technical efficiency than the non‐participants, while their frontier yield is 11.75% higher. The average treatment effect on treated (ATET) also confirms the yield and efficiency‐enhancing role of SSNPs, particularly in climate‐stressed areas. The study argues for widening the SSNP coverage to increase the marginal farmers' efficiency in climate‐vulnerable areas. Other policy interventions include policies to increase farmers' access to land through the proper functioning land market, education, providing literacy training, and different production inputs.

Impacts of the joint adoption of improved varieties and chemical fertilizers on rice productivity in Bolivia: implications for Global Food Systems

Rice research and technology development in Latin America has increased yields and offered the opportunity for several countries to contribute to global food security by becoming net exporters of this cereal. In spite of the broad availability of rice technologies in the region, rice yields remain substantially low in countries like Bolivia. This study examines how Bolivian rice growers make simultaneous decisions about adopting improved varieties and chemical fertilizers and how this joint decision influences the productivity of this crop. By exploiting a nationally representative survey of rice producers, we use a multinomial logit model and an optimal instrumental variable approach to study both the correlates of technology adoption and the impacts of this adoption on rice yields. Our findings suggest that partial adoption of rice varieties or fertilizers does not affect yields, but the joint adoption of these technologies can almost double rice productivity. Promoting packages of agricultural technologies—instead of single technologies within efforts to make these technologies available for small farmers—would exploit the complementarities of different technologies and boost rice yields in Bolivia. The implications would not only be to achieve the desired self-sufficiency in rice production but also to follow similar pathways of other countries in the region that have become net exporters of rice and are contributing to Global Food Systems.

Deep Learning Approach for Paddy Field Detection Using Labeled Aerial Images: The Case of Detecting and Staging Paddy Fields in Central and Southern Taiwan

Detecting and mapping paddy fields in Taiwan’s agriculture is crucial for managing agricultural production, predicting yields, and assessing damages. Although researchers at the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute currently use site surveys to identify rice planting areas, this method is time-consuming. This study aimed to determine the optimal band combinations and vegetation index for accurately detecting paddy fields during various phenological stages. Additionally, the Mask RCNN instance segmentation model in the ArcGIS Pro software was employed to enhance the effectiveness of detecting and segmenting paddy fields in aerial images. This study utilized aerial images collected from 2018 to 2019 covering Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Tainan in central and southern Taiwan, with a label file comprising four categories of rice growing, ripening, harvested stage, and other crops. To create different image datasets, the image pre-processing stage involved modifying band information using different vegetation indices, including NDVI, CMFI, DVI, RVI, and GRVI. The resolution of the training image chips was cropped to 550 by 550 pixels. After the model training process, the study found that the ResNet-50 backbone performed better than the ResNet-101, and the RGB + DVI image dataset achieved the highest mean average precision of 74.01%. In addition, the model trained on the RGB + CMFI image dataset was recommended for detecting paddy fields in the rice growing stage, RGB + NIR for the rice ripening stage, and RGB + GRVI for the rice harvested stage. These models exhibit Dice coefficients of 79.59%, 89.71%, and 87.94%, respectively. The detection and segmentation results can improve the efficiency of rice production management by using different band combinations according to different rice phenological stages. Furthermore, this method can be applied to large-scale detection of other crops, improving land use survey efficiency and reducing the burden on researchers.

Impact of pesticide outsourcing services on farmers’ low-carbon production behavior

Introduction: Promoting low-carbon development in agriculture is crucial for achieving agricultural modernization. One practical issue worth studying is whether outsourcing services can encourage farmers to adopt low-carbon production practices. This study analyzes the impact of pesticide outsourcing services on the low-carbon production behavior of farmers to provide China with practical recommendations.Methods: This empirical study investigates the impact of pesticide outsourcing services on farmers’ low-carbon production behavior using survey data from 450 rice growers in the Ningxia and Shaanxi provinces by endogenous switching regressions (ESR) model.Results and Discussion: Results showed that 1) outsourcing services have a significant negative impact on farmers’ manual weeding behavior, leading to a reduction in the frequency of manual weeding; 2) outsourcing services have a significant positive impact on farmers’ herbicide application behavior. In other words, participation in outsourcing leads to excessive pesticide application; 3) outsourcing services do not support a green and low-carbon production model where manual weeding replaces herbicide application. Due to the imperfect development of the outsourcing market in China, especially in the northwest region, the construction of outsourcing service system is lagging, and it is difficult for non-professional outsourcing services to play a driving role in green and low-carbon production for farmers, who will often choose the lower-cost mechanical application for maximum profit. The policy implication of this study is the need for a comprehensive and objective understanding of the impact and role of pesticide outsourcing services on farmers’ low-carbon production behavior. This understanding can help improve the market, policy, and other external environments for farmers to participate in outsourcing, ultimately promoting the sustainable development of green and low-carbon agriculture. This paper adds to the discussion of pesticide outsourcing services and farmers’ low-carbon production by drawing different conclusions from previous studies, providing a fresh foundation for policy-making.

Impact of Rice Seed Production, Processing, and Distribution Training on the Stakeholders in Bangladesh

The study examined the impact of rice seed production, processing, and distribution training on the rice seed stakeholders. Ten one-day training events were conducted by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and funded by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Sample size of trainees included 199 rice seed dealers, 62 rice growers, and 29 dealers cum growers across four divisions of Bangladesh. The perceived impact of training was determined by employing a t-test. Almost all of the stakeholders showed improvement in their learning of the subjects designed and the correlation between their knowledge before and after training sessions were highly correlated.. Dealers expressed their views of moderate use of the training outcomes in determining seed demand, storage, and sale, whereas growers and dealer cum growers were highly optimistic about using their knowledge and skills obtained in seed production, processing, storing, and marketing in a better way. Significant changes in knowledge and skills and favorable perceptions were observed among all the stakeholders for better production, processing, and utilization of rice seed.

Economic, environmental, and social sustainability of Alternate Wetting and Drying irrigation for rice in northern Italy

Italy is Europe's leading rice producer, with over half of total production almost totally concentrated in the north-western part of the Padana plain. In this area, rice irrigation has traditionally been carried out by wet seeding and continuous flooding. The replacement of this technique with the dry seeding and delayed flooding in the last 15 years brought economic benefits to farmers but also strong impacts to the water resource system of the area, characterized by a strong interaction between irrigation and shallow aquifer levels. Wet seeding and Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) could be seen as an alternative irrigation strategy; however, its environmental, economic and social sustainability must be investigated before supporting the dissemination of this “water-saving” irrigation technique over the territory in cooperation with decision-makers and water resource managers. In this paper, the results of an experimental activity carried out in a platform established in the main Italian rice district to compare three irrigation strategies (wet seeding and traditional flooding—WFL, dry seeding and delayed flooding from around the 3-leaf stage—DFL, wet seeding and alternated wetting and drying from the tillering stage—AWD) and data further provided by the farm holder (agronomic inputs and economic costs for the three options) were used to assess their economic and environmental sustainability through an assessment procedure based on quantitative indicators. Interviews with rice growers in the area were used to identify barriers to the adoption of AWD and subsequently propose ways to overcome them. AWD proved to be economically viable and to reduce the irrigation need in the peak month (June) without significantly affecting rice yield or quality (cadmium and arsenic content in rice grain). Additionally, it guarantees the recharging of the phreatic aquifer in the first period of the irrigation season, while reducing the methane (CH4) emissions, facing another significant environmental challenge of rice cultivation. Rice growers in the region stated their willingness to adopt AWD, although they would need technical, technological and financial support. The assessment procedure adopted in this paper proved to be effective for comparing rice irrigation techniques and is available for further studies.

Socio-economic Impact on livelihood of Black Rice Growers in Manipur: Heckman Selection Model Approach

"The present study was carried to examine the influence of socio-economic factors on earning of black rice growers in Manipur. A sample of 120 black rice growers was collected from two selected districts of the Manipur state viz., Imphal West and Imphal East. Heckman selection two stage model was employed to analyse the result of the study. The study was revealed that factors like education, gender, organic farming motive of production and land area employed under black rice cultivation has found to be significant and responsible to change the income of the farmers. In second stage of the model, number of earners of household and organic farming motive of production were found to be significant to change the income of farmers. Moreover, it was also found that more educated farmers had secured more income from black rice production. If farmers are produced black rice with business motive can be emerged as major source of income and ultimately would be helpful to reduce the unemployment and strengthen the economy of the state."

The knowledge of rice growers about the guiding recommendations for rice cultivation in Dar in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.

The knowledge of rice growers about the guiding recommendations for rice cultivation in Dar in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate.

Encouraging adoption of green manure technology to produce clean rice product

Green manure is used as an environmentally friendly technology to produce clean agricultural products. This technology not only helps reduce environmental and health concerns, but can also increase productivity. Green manure is especially needed in the production of paddy. Because rice as a strategic product is the main food of people in many countries of the world. Rice production using green manure can enable countries to develop and increase healthy production. However, the acceptance of this technology is low in many rice producing countries. In this regard, this study used an integrated and extended version of the theory of planned behavior to predict and encourage the adoption of green manure technology in Iran. To collect the required data, a cross-sectional survey was performed among Iranian rice growers and the results of hypothesis testing were analyzed using partial least squares-based structural equation modeling. The results revealed that moral norms of green manure, attitude towards green manure, perceived behavioral control on using green manure, and trialability of green manure have positive and significant effects on intention towards using green manure. In addition, bootstrap analysis showed that moral norms of green manure and trialability of green manure positively and significantly mediated the (indirect) effects of subjective norms towards application of green manure on intention towards using green manure. The results led to important practical and theoretical implications that could provide new insights for policy-makers, planners, and practitioners to develop and encourage the adoption of green manure technology to produce clean and healthy agricultural products.

Spatial-Temporal Changes of Limoto Wetland Land Use/Cover Before, During and After Restoration Activities in Eastern Uganda

Purpose: Limoto Wetland is an arm of the Mpologoma wetland system in the Kyoga basin and is a vital ecosystem that supports rural livelihoods through the provision of various ecological goods and services. However, this ecosystem has been undergoing rapid degradation arising from competing land uses particularly paddy rice growing. In turn, this led to reduced capacity of the wetland to provide ecosystem services, thereby reducing the resilience of both the ecosystem and the livelihoods of adjacent communities. Interventions through a restoration program that introduced alternative livelihood options were instituted. It’s important to document these changes to obtain insights that can aid decision-making for effective restoration and conservation. This study, therefore, sought to examine the spatial-temporal changes in Limoto wetland land use/cover transitions for the years 2015, 2020, and 2022.
 Methodology: To quantify the wetland changes, remotely sensed imageries for 2015, 2020, and 2022 were utilized in classifying land use and land cover dynamics on Limoto Wetland through the Maximum Likelihood algorithm. A total of 500 points were collected from different land use/cover types and used as reference points to develop the image error matrices. Overall accuracy, producer’s and user’s accuracies as well as Kappa statistics were generated from the error matrices. A Kappa test was carried out to measure the extent of classification accuracy; the Kappa coefficient, K, being a coefficient of agreement. It reflects the difference between the actual agreement of classification with reference data and the agreement expected by chance.
 Findings: Results generally showed that five years after the restoration program (2020), Limoto wetlands regained over 50% of previously converted wetlands to farming. Papyrus coverage also more than doubled from 3.4% to 11.35% of the total wetland coverage. Farms degraded over the past years (1986-2019). However, in 2022, wetland coverage declined drastically as farming took up more than half of the coverage (55%) land, and built-up areas also increased. These changes between 2015-2020 were majorly driven by the introduction of alternative livelihood options which vacated communities from the wetland.
 Recommendation: The changes after 2020 were due to the unsustainability of the livelihood options and the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown which rendered only farming as the socio-economic activity, coupled with movement restrictions that curtailed monitoring and control of activities in wetlands by enforcers. The study recommends community-tailored, tenable, and sustainable alternative livelihood options to influence community-led wetland restoration and conservation to curb the continuous loss of this wetland.

INSECT PESTS OF RICE IN PAKISTAN: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF BIOLOGY, DAMAGE, AND MANAGEMENT

Rice is one of the most significant food crops in the world. It is predominantly a subsistence crop because half of it is consumed where it is grown. The main insect pests of rice in Pakistan include Stem borers, Plant-hoppers, Leafhoppers, rice grass-hopper, leaf-folder, African pink borers, and many others. There have been noticeable changes in Pakistan’s insect pest complex with the introduction of high-yielding cultivars. Many species that work earlier thought to be minor pests are now regarded as serious pests in Pakistan. In traditional Basmati growing regions, stem borers remain a serious issue. From ancient times, the Pakistani farming community used different management strategies to deal with the insect pests of rice. The management strategies involved are cultural, biological, physical, and chemical. Cultural practices have changed, such as the use of greater fertilizers rates in high-yielding varieties, and the leaf folder complex. Rice growers throughout Pakistan are strongly reliant upon traditional cultural practices. But this tendency has slowly changed towards chemical methods. Chemical pesticides are now used more frequently as a primary method of control in Pakistan. Biological control or the use of living organisms as pest control agents is a common natural process in which insects population in crops are continuously decreased by predators, parasites, and pathogens of the pests. Pakistan now has a problem with insect pests, thus utilizing an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy that is effective, affordable, and safe for the environment. Other techniques for pest control include the use of pheromones as attractants, insect growth regulators, insect growth inhibitors, repellents, and sterile insect release systems.

Delivering wildlife habitat on productive agricultural lands cost‐effectively: The case of migratory shorebirds on California rice lands

AbstractPromoting wildlife habitat on working agricultural land is a growing conservation priority, and agri‐environment schemes are using payments for environmental services (PES) to reach these privately owned lands. PES can be ecologically effective, but also expensive, putting pressure on these schemes to be cost‐effective, maximizing the conservation value of their limited resources. This study assesses the cost‐effectiveness of four PES schemes in California that paid rice growers to provide temporary flood habitat on their working lands in support of shorebirds. It examines whether the schemes (1) paid for flood habitat only when needed (targeting); (2) paid for habitat that was actually delivered and would not otherwise be provided (additionality); (3) sacrificed as little habitat as possible when the habitat competed with production (ag/wildlife balance); and (4) fostered a commitment among growers to maintain the habitat after payments ended (permanence). Results show that the schemes fell short in each of the four goals, and they expose several factors that undermined their cost‐effectiveness. First, variable weather patterns altered the date in which the shorebird‐habitat gap emerged year‐to‐year, creating a dynamic and unpredictable target for the schemes to address. Second, growers' views on the compatibility of the flood habitat with their rice production varied widely and changed rapidly as the agricultural calendar progressed, making it a challenge to mitigate potential ag/wildlife conflicts. Third, water for flood habitat is expensive, and growers proved unwilling to shoulder that expense once payments ended. These results highlight the need for schemes to adopt design elements that can add flexibility, such as cancelation clauses, so that they can adjust to dynamic targets and adapt to changing ag/wildlife relationships. Results also suggest that PES schemes operating on working lands may require long‐term external support. That finding amplifies the imperative that schemes use their conservation resources cost‐effectively.

Unraveling the genetic potential of native rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces for tolerance to early-stage submergence.

Direct-seeded rice (DSR) is a promising alternative to the traditional puddled rice system. It has become more popular among rice growers as a result of socioeconomic shifts and global climate change. Although DSR offers advantages, rice plants experience greater anaerobic stress at sowing from unpredicted rainfall. Rice is unique among cereals in its ability to germinate under anaerobiosis. The coleoptile of rice rapidly elongates above the water surface to obtain more oxygen and enhance vigorous seedling growth. A panel of 115 landraces and four check varieties were subjected to anaerobic stress with a water level of 10 cm for up to 15 days. The present study observed significant variation in anaerobic germination percentage (AGP) (10%-100%) and anaerobic vigor index (AVI) (150-4,433). Landraces Karuthakar, Poovan samba, Mattaikar, Edakkal, Manvilayan, and Varappu kudainchan were identified as genotypes tolerant to early water submergence. The shoot and root length of susceptible landraces were significantly lower than the tolerant landraces under hypoxia condition, implying that landraces with longer shoots and roots had a higher survival rate. The response index substantiated this. The results clearly show that tolerant and moderately tolerant landraces possessed higher mean values for root and shoot lengths than susceptible landraces. The landraces grouped under the long-bold category had superior AGP and AVI scores to other grain type groups. This raises the possibility that differences in kernel breadth, which is linked to grain type, could affect anaerobic germination potential. Molecular confirmation using gene-specific markers, viz., DFR, TTP_G4, RM478, RM208, and RM24161, for which the polymorphic information content (PIC) value ranged from 0.36 (RM478) to 0.68 (RM206) suggests that this diverse panel of landraces must be assessed further using advanced molecular tools to precisely clarify the genetic mechanism behind this phenomenon. The tolerant landraces thus identified may become donors in breeding programs. The introduction of these traits would contribute to the development of rice varieties tolerant to anaerobic stress, resulting in sustainable yields. This solution could promote the DSR system across the world.

Farmers’ Perception and Knowledge in Begomovirus Epidemiology and Control in Pakistan

Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan and the growing crops are called as the “spinal cord” of the state but still import bill of the country agricultural products is rising day by day and issues of the food security is also becoming grave because of less knowledge of farmers about the emerging abiotic and biotic stresses affecting the crop productivity. Among various biotic stresses, prevalence of begomoviruses is considered to be a major constraint in reducing the yields of economically important food and fiber crops. Farmers’ perception and their knowledge regarding begomoviruses epidemiology and practices are the pre-requisites for effective virus control. A farmer survey mostly having less than 12.5 acres land mostly of vegetables, rice and maize growers involving 250 randomly selected respondents from five major districts (Nankana, Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Gujrat, and Lahore) of Punjab, Pakistan to inquire from them whether they are familiar with begomoviruses identification, their means of transfer from diseases inoculum to healthy plants and associated losses in fields, proper management of these losses on time, was conducted to better understand the farmer knowledge and practices and to set the possible pathways for intervention of effective virus control. Lack of sufficient technical information regarding vector of begomovirus, their transmission and disease symptoms was the major hindrance to the efforts of farmers for effective virus control. In addition, the farmers did not have sufficient knowledge of locally available methods of begomovirus control. The highest prioritization aspect of virus control for immediate attention were determined by decision making such as spider diagram. Use of effective pesticides, certified planting material, and begomovirus tolerant cultivars were found to be the most attention requiring virus control aspects which could have a greater influence to lower the virus prevalence in field crops. Present study suggests that enhancing the farmer knowledge is a highest prioritized key determinant of effective virus control strategy for implementation in Pakistan.

Target and nontarget mechanisms of AHAS inhibitor cross-resistance patterns in Cyperus difformis

Weed resistance to acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) inhibiting herbicides has been a critical issue for rice growers worldwide since the early 1990's. In California, resistance to bensulfuron-methyl was first detected in Cyperus difformis in 1993. Since then, populations of most major weeds of rice in California have been reported to show resistance to at least one AHAS inhibitor. We sought to describe the magnitude and mechanisms of AHAS inhibitor cross-resistance in California populations of C. difformis. Sixty-two populations were collected and screened for cross-resistance to bensulfuron-methyl (BEN), halosulfuron-methyl (HAL), bispyribac‑sodium (BIS), and penoxsulam (PEN), revealing six major patterns of cross-resistance. Representative C. difformis populations from each cross-resistance pattern were then subjected to dose-response, cytochrome P450 inhibition, AHAS gene sequencing, and metabolic studies with the same herbicides as in the screening. Dose-response confirmed the detected resistances in the representative populations, and suggested that the majority of observed resistance was dose-dependent. Cytochrome P450 inhibition via malathion revealed evidence of increased metabolic activity in resistant populations to BEN, BIS, and PEN. AHAS gene sequencing revealed amino acid substitutions in five of six populations: R3 (Pro197-Ser), R4 (Pro97-His), R10 (Asp376), R41 (Ala122-Asn), and R18 (Trp574-Leu). Metabolic studies confirmed evidence of increased activity of cytochrome P450s in all populations. Metabolic BEN and HAL analysis did not yield similar results to malathion inhibition, suggesting different P450's or other pathways. Taken together, the results of the studies confirm the complexity of AHAS inhibitor cross-resistance in C. difformis, and the presence of both target-site and metabolic resistance in most of the representative populations underscores the importance of proper herbicide selection, rotation, and scouting in fields.

Hyper Low-cost Ultimate Rice Mechanization System

About 480 million tons of rice (milled rice base) are produced annually in the world. It is one of the cereals with a low trade rate for its production. In Asia, more than 90% of the world's production is produced. The top 10 countries in rice production are all Asian countries. The main operation of rice cultivation consists of planting, management while rice growing (weed & pest control, water management), harvesting, and post-harvest processing. In addition to infrastructure development such as irrigation and drainage system through field reclamation, the development of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides contributed to labor saving. However, the introduction of the combine harvester, which can significantly save labor and simplify the harvesting operation, is one of the required parts of the technological innovation.
 In this paper, one direction is shown to realize hyper-low cost of rice cultivation system through these technological innovations, demand and consumption increase of rice, and open up new markets as a response to the future food crisis.

First report on ALS herbicide resistance in barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli) from rice fields of India

AbstractBispyribac-sodium, a herbicide that inhibits acetolactate synthase (ALS), is frequently used in rice fields in India to control weeds, including the most common noxious weed, barnyardgrass. However, rice growers have recently reported reduced control of barnyardgrass with bispyribac-sodium. Hence, a large-scale survey was carried out to assess bispyribac-sodium resistance in Chhattisgarh and Kerala, two rice-growing states. Open-field pot experiments were conducted for 2 yr to confirm resistance to bispyribac-sodium. Of the 37 biotypes tested, 30% (11) survived the recommended label rate of bispyribac-sodium (25 g ai ha−1). The effective rate of bispyribac-sodium required to achieve 50% control (ED50) of putative resistant biotypes ranged from 18 to 41 g ha−1, whereas it was about 10 g ha−1 for susceptible biotypes. This suggests that putative biotypes were two to four times more resistant to bispyribac-sodium. At 6 d after herbicide application, an in vitro enzyme assay demonstrated higher ALS enzyme activity in putative resistant biotypes (66% to 75%) compared with susceptible biotypes (48% to 52%). This indicates the presence of an insensitive ALS enzyme in those biotypes and a target site mutation as a possible mechanism for resistance. Whole-plant bioassays also suggested that the resistance problem is more widespread in Chhattisgarh than in Kerala. This study confirmed the first case of evolved resistance in barnyardgrass to bispyribac-sodium in rice fields of India.

ASSESSMENT OF RURAL AREA FOOD CONSUMPTION STATUS IN THE NATIONAL NUTRITION POLICY OF MALAYSIA

Food consumption is one of the most important components in ensuring household food security. However, there are practices and beliefs that some foods are detrimental to health among low-income people, which affects food consumption in the household. This situation is directly related to nutrition policy. This study aims to investigate the food consumption households in the rural areas of Kedah State, to fulfill the national nutrition policy of Malaysia. The study centers on rural Kedah State, specifically the municipalities of Kubang Pasu, Baling, Pendang, Alor Setar, and Kuala Muda. The technique of stratified random sampling was used to choose 225 rice growers from the rural regions of the chosen districts. SPSS 25 and food intake results scores were used to analyze the information. The results of the reading revealed that food consumption among farmers was low with a value of less than 29.9. Almost the total food intake for each food category is low except for beverages that have a high value of above 80. The study also found that this group believes that some foods have an impact on health. The study suggests that the government should sensitize the rural population in particular to eat balanced foods. At the same time, the restructuring of the primary school curriculum and syllabus needs to be holistic so that awareness of nourishment and fitness can be raised in early childhood education.

FOOD CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR: A CASE STUDY AMONG FARMERS IN RURAL AREA KEDAH, MALAYSIA

Food consumption is one of the most important components in ensuring household food security. However, there are practices and beliefs that some foods are detrimental to health among low-income people, which affects food consumption in the household. The goal of this research is to look into the eating habits of farmers in the countryside of Kedah State, Malaysian. Agricultural Kedah State, including the districts of Kubang Pasu, Baling, Delay or prevent, Alor Setar, and Kuala Muda, is the focus of this research. Utilizing stratified random sampling, 225 rice growers from the rural areas of the chosen districts were chosen. Utilizing SPSS 25 and the findings of the food intake analysis, the information was analyzed. The results of the study revealed that food consumption among farmers was low with a value of less than 29.9. Almost the total food intake for each food category is low except for beverages that have a high value of above 80. The study also found that this group believes that some foods have an impact on health. The study suggests that the government should sensitize the rural population in particular to eat balanced foods. At the same time, the restructuring of the primary school curriculum and syllabus needs to be holistic so that awareness of nutrition and health can be raised in early childhood education.