By Regina G. Barber, Berly McCoy, Gabriel Spitzer
National Public Radio
Rice is arguably the world's most important staple crop. About half of the global population depends on it for sustenance.
But, like other staples such as wheat and corn, rice is cultivated annually. That means replanting the fields year after year, at huge cost to both the farmers and the land. For years, scientists have been tinkering with rice strains to create a perennial variety – one that would regrow after harvest without the need to be resewn.