What is More to Rice in Tinawon Rice

Rice has been known to the world as something very much needed in the aspects of
people’s daily lives. May it be for business, agriculture and specially for filling in the stomachs of
every person. Beyond this, there’s something to know more about rice.

In many areas, we can see rice fields dominating the lands. This production shows the
evident demand and consumption. In 2022/2023 crop year, about 520 million metric tons of rice
were consumed worldwide (statista.com). Rice is a healthy staple that offers many nutrients
(chhs.colostate.edu). As a complex carb, depending on the strain of rice, it can contain decent
amounts of fiber, protein, vitamin B, iron and manganese (kwe.org). With this nutrition contents,
its texture and taste, it became part of everyone’s meal around the world.

In the Philippines, rice is usually taken three times a day, a food for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. It is what completes every Filipino’s “hapag kainan”. With this, we can understand the
relevance of rice to many Filipinos which demands enough production for everyone. Ifugao
province has been known to the country and even to the world because of the Banaue Rice
Terraces. Not only as a tourist spot, the rice terraces in the province also play a vital role in
supplying the people’s stapple food. The rice grown in Ifugao is known as the “tinawon rice”. The
word “tinawon” means once a year which is the characteristic of this traditional rice that can only
be harvested one time in each year. (inquirer.net)

More than serving as a stapple food, tinawon rice also provides a great quality because of
the organic means that it is being planted (businessdiary.com). Its preparation and production are
subdivided in four seasons in the agricultural calendar which includes: the off-season or called as
“kiwang”, the planting season or “lawing”, the dry season or “tiyalgo, and the harvest season or
“ahitulu”. Off seasons starts on late July or early August wherein rice fields are left to fallow or
regain their fertility. Planting season runs from late November until March, in which, terraces are
being prepared at that time for planting. Dry season take place from March until late June wherein
it is expected that rice seedlings are growing, farmers maintain rice crops and irrigation channels,
and when the pests are being destructed.

This four-seasoned preparation made it worthy not only in the Philippine market but also
as a commodity at United States, where it is being exported every year. Since 2006, gourmet
restaurants in US have been serving tinawon rice making their customers ask for more
(philstar.com). Well, it is not shocking to know that because of its fragrant smell, its pinkish-white
and larger grain appearance, its clean, mild, and sweet after taste (sarapnow.com).
However, behind the demand, fewer and fewer farmers are encouraged to plant tinawon
rice because of it only becomes available once in a year which makes it hard to supply. This is
relevant with the fact that historically, this rice was only produced more for social, cultural and
spiritual purposes (Glover & Stone, 2018). The rituals and culture of the Ifugao people revolve
around the cultivation of tinawon, a gift from the sky-world gods, according to Ifugao mythology
(Mongabay.com)

Tinawon rice serves as a treasure that has to be maintained to grow. Aside from aiding
hunger and fighting malnutrition, it shows the vibrance of nature and the Ifugao culture. The
culture that keeps the Ifugao community alive.

References

Glover, D. & Stone, G. (2018). Heirloom rice in Ifugao: an anti-commodity in the process of
commodification. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 45:4, 776-804. DOI:
10.1080/03066150.2017.1284062

Ifugao’s tinawon increases production through CPAR. n.d. Businessdiary.com

Is rice good for you. (2020). Chhs.colostate.edu

Lapniten, K (2021). Sustainable livelihood offers a lifeline to Philippines’ dying rice terraces.
News.mongabay.com

Rice, rice, baby: The global importance of rice. (2019). Kew.org

Sison, C. (2007). Cordillera Heirloom rice wows US grourmets. Philstar.com

Tinawon fancy heirloom rice. n.d. Sarapnow.com.

Tinawon: Ifugao Traditional Rice production. (2022). Nikeprogramme.net

Total global rice consumption. n.d. Statista.com