Asia Pacific Rice Journalist Award 2008

Rice is Asia’s most deeply revered treasure. It is central to the Asian way of life; its culture, spirituality, traditions and norms. The staple food of three billion people, most of whom live in the Asian continent, Rice is Life to the people of Asia.

This precious rice heritage is, however, under threat from corporate/industrialized agriculture, neo-liberal globalization, private control of the rice seed, and genetic engineering of the rice genome. In addition, rice lands are being torn away from small rice farming communities in the name of “development” projects such as special economic zones, cash cropping, and agrofuel plantations.

Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific has for the last 17 years championed the food sovereignty of the grassroots, namely, farmers, agricultural workers, indigenous people and consumers and launched the SAVE OUR RICE CAMPAIGN in 2003. With the International Federation of Environmental Journalists, we have collectively decided to offer this Award to encourage and recognize serious journalistic efforts on Asia's most prized heritage; Rice.