For rice growing countries such as Bangladesh, the methane produced by rice paddies is a significant portion of their total greenhouse gas emissions. Growing rice in flooded paddies produces methane, a greenhouse gas many times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming our atmosphere.
Since 2014, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has implemented a Climate and Clean Air Coalition initiative to provide technical and policy guidance to governments to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice production. This effort involves work on the ground to promote new ways to grow rice that will increase production and save farmers money while protecting the climate.
Rice is a staple crop in Bangladesh, with around 75% of agricultural land used to cultivate rice. The common practice of continuously flooding rice paddies creates the anaerobic conditions in which methane is produced. This method is also costly for resource-poor farmers, requiring fuel to power irrigation pumps and as much as 5,000 litres of water to produce just one kilogram of rice.
Research from IRRI has found that the 'Alternate Wetting and Drying' (AWD) rice cultivation technique has the potential to reduce paddy rice emissions by half and help farmers manage their resources more efficiently. Instead of keeping their fields continuously flooded, farmers drain rice paddies two to three times during the growing season. This limits the amount of methane that is produced, does not compromise yield, and saves money for farmers, as it requires a third less water.
Since 2004, the AWD technique has been promoted to small groups of farmers for testing, evaluation, and adoption. However, the total benefit, in terms of amount of water conserved and greenhouse gas emissions reduced, will only be significant if the AWD technique is adopted at scale. This is why the Coalition is supporting organisations such as IRRI to promote the benefits of the technique and enable adoption.
The Coalition is providing support to multiple stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), and the Northwest Focal Area Network (NW FAN) to introduce the AWD technique to governments and farmers and create enabling conditions for adoption.
Field measurement and greenhouse gas calculation
Work began with the collection of data necessary to assess opportunities and barriers to large-scale implementation of the AWD technique, including measurement of the greenhouse gases emitted by rice paddies and the environmental, social, and economic benefits of applying the AWD technique. The 'SECTOR tool' and Paddy Rice Information Kiosk were used for field measurement and for greenhouse gas calculations at the national and sectorial scale.
Farmer training
The Focal Area Network (FAN) was leveraged to outscale AWD technology among rice farmers in Northwestern Bangladesh. FAN mobilized its stakeholders to conduct participatory AWD field trials, implement awareness and information campaigns, and encourage new collaborations. An estimated 13,000 farmers were reached through these activities.
Policy advocacy
Project members attended political outreach and advocacy events in Bangladesh to help enhance awareness and political will for national policy development and implementation. Events included: the 2019 workshop, "Scaling climate-smart agriculture in Bangladesh" (see report) and the Gobeshona Annual Conferences in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
About 13,000 farmers have been reached over the last 3 years through the work of FAN members (including CCDB) and the IFC-CocaCola funded project in Northwest Bangladesh. On average, a farmer has 0.5ha of cropped land (calculated based on data from Bangladesh’s Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics 2017). It is thus estimated that the adoption of AWD by 13,000 farmers will lead to a reduction of methane emissions by 19,500 tCO2-eq per year (3t CO2-eq/ha/yr). Farmers have also reported saving at least 30% of irrigation water, in addition to reduced cultivation costs.
Lead Partner: A Coalition partner with an active role in coordinating, monitoring and guiding the work of an initiative.
Implementer: A Coalition partner or actor receiving Coalition funds to implement an activity or initiative.
The new greenhouse gas calculator named SECTOR (Source-selective and Emission-adjusted GHG CalculaTOR for Cropland) is based on the IPCC Tier 2 approach for rice as well as other crops. The new...
This website serves as an information kiosk for greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options in rice production systems. It covers rice management practices, data on biophysical and...
Rice is a staple for half the world’s population, thus its impact on land and water use is immense. Standard production practices using continuous flooding (CF) are resource intensive and...
Case studies on farmers' perceptions and potential of AWD in two districts of Bangladesh.
Alternate wetting and drying (AWD) is a simple and inexpensive way of reducing water consumption in rice production by 30%, thus, enabling farmers to cut down on production cost without yield...
