Bintu and Her New African Rice

In West Africa where the population is booming, but food and money are not, rice, "the world's most important crop," has seen a huge increase in demand. Native African rice does well in dry cultivation, but a large amount of the precious grain is wasted due to the plant's easy scattering of seed. Asian rice, on the other hand, produces much higher yields but also is finicky in droughts and competes poorly with Africa's aggressive weeds. Seen through the eyes of Bintu, a woman African rice farmer, the program shows how Central and West African women (and most farmers are female) ceaselessly work to clear fragile forests in order to support the soil-exhausting crop. After years of research, the West African Rice Development Association has cross-bred the two types of rice and produced a hybrid grain that has the best qualities of both plants: drought and weed resistance with much heavier yields. This moderately-priced video could be used in a wide variety of settings, from high school biology and agriculture classes to university women's studies programs or for community programs dealing with issues like world hunger and the role of women in developing countries. The only concern that is not clearly addressed in the video is whether the new African rice will exhaust the soil as badly as the old Asian varieties, and if so, what will be done to stop the deforestation and ultimate desertification? Still, this is an interesting video which gets to the heart of "food fairness" and concerns over the developing world's ability to feed itself. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)