Mitigating risks of hybrid rice use in terrace agriculture

A critical threat to the UNESCO-listed Honghe Hani Rice Terraces—China's emblematic cultural landscape—has been identified: hybrid rice technologies, while improving water efficiency and livelihoods, may undermine the long-term sustainability of traditional terracing systems when combined with migration patterns. This study, conducted through expert-validated field observations, interviews, and literature reviews in a pioneering village, reveals that despite short-term benefits, these innovations risk destabilizing the ecological, social, and economic foundations of rice terrace agriculture. The authors propose an integrated resilience strategy to safeguard the terraces' longevity while advocating for broader research into hybrid rice systems in other terracing regions like the Philippines and Vietnam.

D’Angelo, J., Palmate, S. S., & Descroix, L. (2023). Mitigating risks of hybrid rice use in terrace agriculture. Geography and Sustainability, 4(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2022.11.002