The United Nations General Assembly declared during its 57th session the International Year of Rice 2004: never before had a single crop achieved such recognition from the global community. The first part of this book presents the International Year of Rice and hundreds of events that took place worldwide in 2004 to implement the Year with the enthusiastic and extensive participation of people from rural and urban areas, developed and developing countries, and of governments and non-governmental organizations.

The second part of the book offer an opportunity to expand the understanding of the importance of rice in our planet by describing the Facets of Rice is Life - rice production and hunger reduction; rice and human nutrition; rice as a symbol of cultural identity and global unity; rice and environment; rice and agricultural biodiversity; and labour, gender and livelihood in rice. The last part of the book focuses on the importance of rice and, indeed, of agriculture, in and beyond the new millennium. The pages of the book are enriched by photographs - many of the images from around the world were taken by the amateur and professional photographers who participated in the "International Year of Rice" Global Photography Contest.