Mitigation options to reduce methane emissions in paddy rice

The Paddy Rice Component of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition's (CCAC) Agriculture Initiative aims to implement the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) technology, on large scale, in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Colombia to significantly reduce methane emissions from rice fields. With support from CCAFS, IRRI coordinates the activities of this component in Vietnam and Bangladesh, while CIAT covers the work in Colombia.

The program will address major constraints to mitigation in paddy rice by identifying (1) best management practices that achieve both mitigation and food security and (2) incentives, technical support mechanisms, and enabling conditions to overcome the barriers that men and women farmers face in using new practices. Based on these assessments, the Paddy Rice Component will produce technical and policy guidance for national governments to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options at large scales.

Phase 1 of the component will produce

1. Improved information for decision-making. A central kiosk will be established that comprises high-quality information and consistent metrics on rice management practices, their GHG mitigation and food security impacts, and opportunities and barriers to implementation. 

2. Suitability maps for AWD. GIS maps will be constructed in each country to show suitability of paddy rice locations for AWD in order to target and prioritize most suitable areas.

3. National networks and capacity. Multi-stakeholder working groups in each country will be established to identify barriers to adopting AWD and approaches on how to overcome them. National policy networks will be created to raise awareness of paddy rice mitigation options. IRRI and CIAT work with policy makers to build needed capacity.

Theory of change

Project activities will work with countries to improve and implement AWD+ at large scales. Activities will fill key gaps in knowledge and practice related to:

1. emissions reductions for diverse settings,

2. best practices and policy priorities,

3. incentives for farmers, and

4. enabling conditions for farmer innovation

By sharing knowledge and testing practices with agricultural development stakeholders in these four areas, this research will catalyze investments and actions at the country and multi-lateral levels.