Heritage rice

I shifted to eating brown, red, purple, black (colored!) rice a couple of years back especially after reading so much on the lack of nutrients of white rice. In a recent Good News Kapihan held in Baguio City, hosted by the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), my choice of eating colored rice was given more support. I learned so much about what we call heritage or heirloom rice. Suddenly, my shift to eating brown and red rice was not only for health, but was now for cultural sustainability, too.

Heirloom rice is deeply ingrained in our culture. The indigenous peoples of the Cordilleran mountain ranges have been planting rice on our spectacular Rice Terraces way before the Spaniards even set foot in our land. Today,  however, these face a number of issues: the deterioration of the Rice Terraces, the lack of interest of the younger generation of Igorots to plant rice, the migration of the youth to cities have resulted in abandoned Rice Terraces. What is now harvested in each rice paddy is too little and does not allow for a source of sustainable livelihood. Present statistics show 75 percent of our Rice Terraces are functioning, and there, heirloom rice is being planted. There are many damaged rice terraces that are under restoration and rehabilitation programs. Take for instance the Batad Rice Terraces.

Planting heirloom rice is a cultural tradition. Indigenous communities hold the original seeds of rice varieties, and there has been no intervention in rice production to date. They follow the traditional way, plant, then wait six months for a once-a-year harvest. This is why heirloom rice cannot be sold cheaply and must be positioned in the niche and specialty markets.

Bobby Calingo, executive director of the PEF, shared how the funding institution has redirected its five-year plan towards developing social enterprises to support five commodity groups, which they call C-5. These are cacao, coffee, coconut, cane sugar and climate-smart agriculture under which our aromatic heirloom rice falls under. In the international market, heirloom rice commands a high value as this is positioned for the niche, specialty markets. So the key is to up production and help the small indigenous farmers with technology and market readiness. The issue is not the market, as there is a demand in Canada and the US for heirloom rice. It’s the production that just cannot keep pace.

The Department of Agriculture Cordilleran representative Danilo Dagio states how they try to give special attention to heirloom rice not only for exportation and profit but increasing the yield for health benefits. DA’s advocacy is to push all Filipinos to eat brown rice at least once a week. Interestingly enough, 2013 is the National Year of Rice... and the Cordillera’s “Panatang Makapalay” has been to refocus and go back to production of heirloom rice specifically the tinangon or kintuman variety.

Before we can export, we need to be the main users of the rice. We need to allow our local people to eat this. Local green chefs have started to include heirloom rice in their menus. At ECHOstore, we push to sell tour heirloom rice as part of our alignment with the global Slow Food Movement focused on bringing back real good clean food, naturally-grown, made-by-hand-food, with a lot of care, back to our tables. It is an effort to make eating a pleasure, to bring back a sense of community when we partake of food. The Slow Food Movement also looks at food items that are confirmed to be rare, almost extinct or is at the danger of disappearing from our food systems. Many of the original heirloom rice varieties have been replaced by GMO or new seeds, new hybrids and slowly, the original strains are getting lost or disappearing. To challenge this direction, The Slow Food Movement has the Ark Of Taste — a display of about 1,150 food varieties that have been nominated to the list. Our muscovado sugar and our Igorot heirloom rice like jekot and unoy or tinawon are now part of this list.

This is another way where we develop cultural identity and national pride that can unite us. Thai jasmine fragrant rice is accepted in the international market and the Thais are so protective over this. Or even the Japanese with their soft white rice. Why not authentic Philippine heirloom rice? We Filipinos  should be the main promoters and protectors of this. Our challenge is to go back to our roots and culture. Part of this is literally to go back to the seed purification and identification to preserve our original rice varieties without lending them to GMO manipulation. Our heirloom rice is stronger, and can be stored longer, unlike the newer commercial rice varieties. And it’s definitely healthier. Then we look to protect the traditional production process. Are we changing or deviating the schedule and rhythm of traditional planting as we push export? In the rush to push production, how can we balance tradition through synchronized planting method that also allow natural processes for control of pests?

I left that gathering with such simple information that can make a difference if all of us try to do this:

1. Eat brown (red, black heirloom) rice at least once a week to be healthier and add to the market for our small indigenous farmers.

2. Finish all your rice on your plate! DA stats show that each person wastes three teaspoons of rice a day. This volume can be eaten by 2.6 million people in a year.

3. Buy and eat heirloom rice. Let’s eat the spirit of our land and feed on it. As our farmers try to preserve the seeds and the traditional processes, we eat, promote and take pride in it because it is also about preserving our culture, that essence of who we are as a people.