The Food‐Water‐Energy Nexus in Modern Rice Cultivation in Bangladesh and Competing Discourses of Rice Research Institutions

In Bangladesh, rice is the staple food and a primary source of renewable energy in rural regions. This chapter examines dominant discourses within public rice research institutes in Bangladesh and internationally, namely of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), expressed in text published by such institutions between 1971 and 2015, primarily to investigate how rice modernization has been framed by them, and whether this has been beneficial for Bangladesh, in particular for rice farmers. It also investigates rice farming using a “food‐water‐energy” nexus, and tries to understand whether such discourses are prevalent in BRRI and IRRI. It suggests that the approach of these two institutes has not been holistic but focused on rice production, and has ignored the full relevance of rice to rural communities.