Access to modern, new technologies and farming strategies can make it possible to increase rice productivity in a sustainable manner, reduce losses from drought and flood, reduce the environmental negative impact of rice farming, and make the rice production system “climate-smart”. (6) For this, the entire rice supply chain needs to be transformed according to sustainability principles, which requires cooperation between the public (government and institutions) and the private (companies and entrepreneurs) sectors. (4)

• Helping rice farmers get access to modern technology such as the biomass dryer provided by Rice Inc. can help them reduce their rice losses, scale their rice production and make it more efficient, and increase their income.

• Shifting to sustainable farming practices that have a reduced environmental impact. Almost any farming method that reduces or interrupts the period of rice flooding can reduce methane emissions. (7) Alternating between the wetting and drying of the rice paddies or direct seeding can also cut down on water use and labor and actually produce higher rice yields. (4) The use of organic fertilizers such as manure and compost can also help decrease the negative impacts of rice farming.

• Adapting cropping systems to changing climatic conditions. Helping farmers get access to new rice varieties that are more tolerant to extreme weather is an example of how farmers can make their crops more resilient. (8)

• Empowering rice farmers. Ensuring that the rice supply chain benefits farmers, guaranteeing fair prices and better labor conditions, can have a wide-scale positive impact on rice-dependent communities.

Photo source: Nie Zuguo and Zhu Shaobin/ Xinhua

A cheap and nutritious grain, rice is a daily staple for around half of the world’s population and accounts for 19% of dietary energy globally. (4) However, the cultivation of rice has significant negative impacts on the environment. Rice grows mostly in flooded fields called rice paddies, which use around 40% of the world’s irrigation water. (5) Producing one single kilo of rice requires an average of 2,500 liters of water. (4) Additionally, the water of the paddies prevents oxygen from reaching the soil, which causes the anaerobic decomposition of organic materials - a process that releases significant amounts of methane (CH4). Globally, rice production is estimated to be responsible for around 12% of global methane emissions. (5) Moreover, conventional rice farming uses chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase plant growth, and to kill pests and disease; however, these chemicals have a significant negative impact on the environment and animal and human health.

Unlike other crops, over 90% of all rice is produced and consumed in the same country, mainly in Asia, and around 3.5 billion people on the planet depend on it for food security. (4) This crop is an important source of livelihood for around 140 million rice-farming households and for millions of rural poor who work on rice farms as hired labor. (6) Most rice is grown on farms of less than one hectare, by farmers with little or no access to training or financial resources. (5) Rice’s acute sensitivity to changes in the climate and the large amounts of rice that are wasted during its cultivation due to inefficiencies increase even more the vulnerability of poor people who depend on this crop.

Some of the main challenges in ensuring poor consumers’ access to an adequate and stable supply of rice include the global decrease in rice yield, the need to produce more rice to meet the rising demand of the growing population, the increasing competition for land, labor, and water from industrial and urban sectors, and the unstable rice prices. (6)

Photo source: Asian Development Blog

Access to modern, new technologies and farming strategies can make it possible to increase rice productivity in a sustainable manner, reduce losses from drought and flood, reduce the environmental negative impact of rice farming, and make the rice production system “climate-smart”. (6) For this, the entire rice supply chain needs to be transformed according to sustainability principles, which requires cooperation between the public (government and institutions) and the private (companies and entrepreneurs) sectors. (4)

• Helping rice farmers get access to modern technology such as the biomass dryer provided by Rice Inc. can help them reduce their rice losses, scale their rice production and make it more efficient, and increase their income.

• Shifting to sustainable farming practices that have a reduced environmental impact. Almost any farming method that reduces or interrupts the period of rice flooding can reduce methane emissions. (7) Alternating between the wetting and drying of the rice paddies or direct seeding can also cut down on water use and labor and actually produce higher rice yields. (4) The use of organic fertilizers such as manure and compost can also help decrease the negative impacts of rice farming.

• Adapting cropping systems to changing climatic conditions. Helping farmers get access to new rice varieties that are more tolerant to extreme weather is an example of how farmers can make their crops more resilient. (8)

• Empowering rice farmers. Ensuring that the rice supply chain benefits farmers, guaranteeing fair prices and better labor conditions, can have a wide-scale positive impact on rice-dependent communities.

Photo source: Nie Zuguo and Zhu Shaobin/ Xinhua