“Using an innovative planting technique, Javier Munoz has been trialling the ‘Jaspe’ strain created by experts at the Agricultural Research Institute’s (INIA) Rice Breeding Program.

It is one of several research efforts worldwide to come up with less resource-hungry crops at a time of increased water scarcity in parts of the world due to global warming.

Using Jaspe in combination with a growing method that requires only intermittent watering cut the Munoz family’s water consumption in half in a country that has for generations cultivated rice in flooded fields, or paddies.

At the same time, yield rocketed, with each seed yielding about thirty plants — nearly ten times more than a conventional rice field.”

From FRANCE 24.