Efforts to curb methane emissions from rice production continue to gain momentum, yet many of the practices remain out of reach for the smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of the world’s rice.
While methods like alternate wetting and drying (AWD) have been touted as one of the go-to practices for reducing emissions, it is not always straightforward to implement on the ground.
“Alternate wetting and drying involves intermittently draining paddy fields so oxygen can reach the soil and prevent methane-producing microbes from thriving as they do under traditional puddled conditions. However, draining and flooding fields relies on farmers having a reliable water supply, and some form of irrigation system, which many small-scale producers do not have,” said Kofi Boateng, Agriculture Program Officer at the Global Methane Hub.
The Global Methane Hub believes that a wider set of options is needed to ensure that methane reduction efforts are both practical and inclusive for all producers.
“AWD has been shown to reduce methane emissions but rice farmers who cannot implement the practice will need new and additional innovations that reflect their realities,” said Boateng.
While there is a range of alternative low-emission practices, these options also face adoption challenges.
“A number of potential low-emission solutions exist for rice farming, including direct seeding, which reduces the time that fields are flooded. But a major barrier to scaling these approaches is that their emissions reduction potential is limited to specific regions and tied to some level of mechanisation. Without validation at the local level, farmers will be less inclined to adopt them,” said Boateng.
At the same time, there are approaches such as breeding low-emitting rice varieties or developing microbial strategies to suppress methane production. However, these methods still need to be validated.
“Other strategies, such as improving rice plant genetics and physiology through selection and breeding of low emitting varieties and developing microbial based emission strategies, have received little attention to date because their long-term effectiveness at scale are yet to be locally demonstrated in key rice geographies. But ongoing advances offer the promise of improved breeds, including aerobic rice, which grows in non-flooded conditions and can offer near-zero emissions,” said Boateng.
Why methane matters
Reducing methane emissions is viewed as being one of the most significant things to do to slow down climate change.
“Methane is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years, making it a much more potent and short-term climate pollutant. Reducing methane emissions is therefore the fastest way to slow down global warming,” said Boateng.
“Given agriculture, specifically livestock and rice farming, is the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions, the sector offers a great opportunity to tackle climate change while also meeting rising demand for food.”
Rice cultivation is particularly significant, not only because it is a staple for billions of people, but also because the traditional flooded growing conditions make it a major source of methane emissions.
“Rice is one of the world’s most important crops, but its cultivation contributes almost 10 per cent of global human-caused methane emissions… Rethinking rice production to lower emissions will help limit the global temperature rises that imperil food security, rural livelihoods and healthy human development. Reducing methane emissions is vital to the future sustainability of rice production,” said Boateng.
Accelerating innovation
Recognising these barriers, the Global Methane Hub launched a new research and development accelerator aimed at fast-tracking innovations that are both effective and practical for farmers.
The initiative will invest in the development and local validation of field-ready solutions that reduce methane emissions while aligning with the day-to-day realities faced by rice producers.
The goal is to build a pipeline of options that not only cut emissions but also work for farmers who lack irrigation infrastructure, mechanisation or the assurance that new practices will perform reliably in their fields.
