Innovating rice decarbonization in smallholder farms

Paddy rice is the largest emitter of the GHG methane in many Asian rice-growing countries. A multi-partite private sector (Temasek Holdings/GenZero, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Wavemaker Impact) project working with public-sector national programmes was initiated in October 2022 to create impact through reducing methane emissions with yield improvement/proftability as a first target. The corporate entity, RIZE, was formally incorporated in April 2023 in Singapore. The main tool is to encourage farmers to practice Alternate Wetting Drying (AWD), strongly integrated into a whole farm approach which includes input financing and in-season crop management advisories. Pilot trials using a novel cluster approach were conducted during the 2022/23 off-seasons in Vietnam (Dong Thap, Mekong Delta) and Indonesia (Subang, West Java) with gas chambers deployed to measure methane emission from trial fields in conformation with the World Bank's "MRV" recommendation. Farmers were recruited into the scheme after RIZE teams conducted extension meetings which involved the local agriculture department. Results from the two pilots show significant reductions in methane emission, yield profitability and high levels of farmer adoption in AWD fields compared to control (non-AWD) fields. The pilots that involved 650 farmers in the Mekong Delta and 1500 in West Java, respectively, will be expanded in the 2023 main rice-cropping season. The target in 2023 is to reach 5000 farmers. The desired outcome in the Theory of Change/Impact pathway is to contribute to national netzero targets by tackling one key contributor to global warming, Methane, and subsequently to build on the experience to reduce other GHGs.