Research underway to curb carbon footprint of rice farming

MANILA, Philippines  —The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has partnered with a German chemical producer to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in rice production, particularly on fields in Laguna province.

According to IRRI, it had collaborated with Ludwigshafen-based BASF Group to pursue the Optimizing Management for Reduction of GHG in Rice (Optima Rice) project, which it said supported BASF’s goal of reducing emissions from crop production by 30 percent per ton by 2030.

“The joint effort is planned for multiple rice seasons in the Philippines and will take place in Laguna, where both organizations maintain research centers for rice,” IRRI said in a statement on Wednesday.

Data from the World Bank show that rice production in Southeast Asia—considered one of the world’s largest rice producers—accounts for up to 33 percent of the region’s methane emissions.

READ: Dry soil to curb Asia’s early 2024 rice output, pressure supply

As rice is grown in flooded fields, the World Bank explained that this was an ideal environment for bacteria feeding on decomposing organic matter, allowing these to release methane, a type of greenhouse gas.

IRRI and BASF

In this context, both IRRI and BASF want to explore direct-seeded rice varieties, among others, to further cut emissions.

This method involves directly planting seedlings on the field instead of transferring them from nurseries, thus reducing water use and methane emissions.

“This collaboration presents immense opportunities for methane and other GHG reductions to create value for farmers and help improve the production of rice in Asia, and the Philippines in particular,” said Bas Bouman, research director and head of IRRI’s sustainable impact department.

READ: Low-carbon rice production helps Vietnam meet emission target

Additionally, IRRI said it would study new algorithms to better measure greenhouse gas emissions in rice production.

BASF, on the other hand, plans to use its so-called AgBalance tool to estimate “greenhouse gas emission intensity” while working with IRRI on product field tests to obtain more accurate emission data.

In 2023, the Philippines produced 13.2 million metric tons of rice, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. —Meg J. Adonis