Half the world's population depends on rice for their staple food, and it is one of the most politically sensitive of agricultural commodities. In South-East Asia, where people have farmed rice paddies for thousands of years. It is eaten twice, often three times a day across the region. Today, in an exclusive FSRN documentary, we'll go to Indonesia, and hear, “Disappearing Rice Paddies,” Produced by Rebecca Henschke.

Spanish language version of the New Year's Day documentary.

The North American Free Trade Agreement comes into full effect today with the cancellation of all remaining tariffs and so-called "trade barriers" protecting Mexican agricultural products. The trade deal, which began to come into force on the first of January, 1994, has been largely blamed for the ongoing crisis in the Mexican countryside, the growing disparity between rich and poor, and the unprecedented rate of migration of Mexicans towards the United States. Join us today as we take a look at the intersection of culture, food, migration and trade.

After September 11, 2001, militarism and real estate boomed in Hawaii.  Military expansion brought real estate speculation, and for the first time in Hawaii, a market for wealthy people looking to buy a second home. The combined increase in militarism and private land ownership have set housing prices beyond the reach of average workers who simply cannot afford rents that have doubled in just a few short years.

While Senegal has long been held up as a model of social stability – achieving a peaceful political transition in 2000 – that much-admired stability is threatened by price hikes today. This year, Senegal's vaunted social instability was dramatically tested by intense criticism of the government and a massive riot at the end of November. Join us today, as FSRN's Ndiaga Seck examines the effects of high oil prices on the damaged economic and social fabric of the West African nation of Senegal.

Millions of migrant workers worldwide live and work in conditions of enslavement. Currently there are over 200 million migrant workers worldwide – and roughly half of them women. Unemployment and household poverty, which have significantly affected developing countries, pressured these women to find jobs abroad. Join us today, as FSRN's Simba Russeau brings us The New Slavery: The Plight of Lebanon's Domestic Workers.

Migration from Africa to Italy is steadily increasing. The trip from Africa is long and can be quite dangerous. Once the decision is made to leave home, immigrants must first cross the desert, and then set sail on the Mediterranean. And many don 't survive the journey. Some travelers reach the south of the country by crossing the Mediterranean in small boats, landed by immigrant smugglers on the Sicilian shore. Many arrive in poor health after the difficult journey. Others come over land via Spain or France with the goal of earning enough to send money back home, save some for themselves and, one day, go back to their homelands, buy a house and raise their children.