Biodiversity and Rice Climate Change, Museum of the Filipino People: Manila

Rice (Oryza sativa Linneaus) persists as the primary crop of Asia. One probable reason is its high productivity - which is essentially a type of grass - in this particular environment, although it is well distributed in the tropics across the world. Local terms for "eating" is synonymous to "eating rice", particularly in the south, southeastern and eastern regions of the continent. Many Asian communities have been assumed to have been founded on rice production, which maybe the probable foundations for their deep cultural traditions on rice. Similar regard and importance on rice fields has also been observed and practiced in the Philippines.

Rice Ecology of the Philippines

Rice Fields Birds

Habitat plays an important role for bird species. Rice field for instance provide a wide variety of food items (a variety of insects and invertebrates, frogs, small lizards, freshwater fish and others) which attracts a relatively diverse assemblage of birds particularly wetland species of both resident and migratory birds. These includes but not limited to Bitterns, Rails, Moorhen, Snipes, Doves and Kingfishers.

Golden Apple Snail

Native to Argentina, the golden kuhol was introduced to Asia as an alternative food source as it reproduces mush faster than the local apple snails. Unfortunately, it is also a voracious consumer of rice seedlings, and has since been considered an invasive pest in Asia. Causing economic loss in rice production, mechanical and cultural measures have been alternately used to control their manifestation of rice paddies. 

Locust basket, Rice Bird Swatter, Mouse Trap

Ritual of Rice Production. In spite of its high adaptability to various environments, rice production is a painstaking process requiring several months of specialized work that basically involve tilling the land, selection and sowing of the seeds, planting and transplanting of seedlings for more of wet rice varieties, crop care against weeds, pests and diseases during its growth stage, harvesting and storage for seeds and foods. 

All of these entails corresponding tools and energy in terms of human physical labor, and required religious rituals for some ethno-linguistic groups particularly those who cultivate dry rice. The insistence of groups to engage in this despite the difficulty of cultivation supports the idea that rice is a prestige food and highly desirable good in ritual exchange.