Reiner Wassmann

Bjoern Ole Sander International Rice Research Institute

Mitigation potential in rice production

Outline

• Background: Rice as a source of GHGs

• Possible Options for Mitigation in Rice

• Feasibility assessment for

Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying

• Outlook and Conclusion

Significance of Rice Fields for GHG budgets

(IPCC 4th AR, 2007)

Forestry,

17.4%

Rice, 1.5%

Agriculture

(w/o rice),

12.0%

All others ,

69.1%

Country

National Scale in Asia:

Emissions from rice

production

Percentage of total

Vietnam 24.8 %

Bangladesh 7.2 %

Colombia 0.8 %

Data from the most 2nd National

Communication of respective country

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Rice

Methane emissions: 100 – 500 kg CH4/ ha season

=> 2 – 12 tCO2eq/ ha season

Nitrous Oxide

Emissions from

Fertilizer

Application

IRRI Climate Change projects since 1991

Capacity building

Outline

• Background: Rice as a source of GHGs

• Possible Options for Mitigation in Rice

• Feasibility assessment for

Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying

• Outlook and Conclusion

Days after planting

0

10

20

30

20 40 60 80 100 120

-300

-200

-100

0

100

water level (cm) / line Eh (mV) / dots

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

20 40 60 80 100 120

methane emission (mg CH4 m-2 d-1)

0

10

20

30

20 40 60 80 100 120

-300

-200

-100

0

100

water level (cm) / line Eh (mV) / dots

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

20 40 60 80 100 120

methane emission (mg CH4 m-2 d-1)

Impact of Mid-season Drainage

on Methane Emissions

Field experiment at Hangzhou, China (Wassmann et al., 2000)

Continuous Flooding Mid-season Drainage

Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying (AWD)

• Irrigation water saving technique: drainage

and re-flooding

AWD Experiment in Central Vietnam

Rice,

Maize,

Peanut...

Rice,

Maize… Ha Noi

HCM City

Minh et al. (in prep.)

Results from Field Measurements

Measured Data

supplied

by Hoa et al.

Delta Lowland

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110DAT

kg C

H4/h

a/d

ay

CF Measured

CF Simulated

AWD Measured

AWD Simulated

Hilly Midland

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

DAT

kg C

H4/h

a/d

ay

CF Measured

CF Simulated

AWD Measured

AWD Simulated

From national level…

Farmers should use/apply

AWD irrigation technology to

not only greatly save water

consumption and reduce

GHGs emissions in irrigated

rice fields, but also increase

rice productivity.

New Policy on Mitigation in Agricultural Sector in VN

to implementation at provincial level.

20-20-20

Decision

AWD is directly mentioned as one

mitigation option by Ministry of

Agriculture

Mitigation through Optimized

Fertilizer Applications

Farmers need to know

• Correct timing…

• Correct amounts…

• Correct sources…

… of fertilizer applications

Rice fields are typically

small and can substantially

differ from each other

Operation of Mobile Phone App

Provide

management

recommen-

dation

Cloud based server

Rice Crop Manager

• Nutrients

• Weeds

• Irrigation

• ….

Obtain site-specific

information from

farmer/ operator

New Modules

• GHG emission

calculator

• Climate-adjusted

yield targets

Climate-Informed Rice Crop and Low Emission Manager

=> CIRCLE Manager

Outline

• Background: Rice as a source of GHGs

• Possible Options for Mitigation in Rice

• Suitability assessment for

Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying

• Outlook and Conclusion

AWD projects in the Philippines (Central Luzon)

Angat Irrigation

(AMRIS): B1; B2

Climatic AWD Suitability: Water Balance

Rainfall (Rf) Potential Evapo-

transpiration (pot_ET)

Potential Seepage&

Percolation (pot_S&P)

Rf pot_ET

pot_S&P

Climatic AWD Suitability of Central Luzon

0

2

4

6

8

10

CF AWD

t C

O2

-eq

/ha*

seas

on

B1 -77%

0

2

4

6

8

10

CF AWD

t C

O2

-eq

/ha*

seas

on

T -70%

Pump irrigation

operated by

farmer association

Pump irrigation

operated by

irrigation authority

Very suitable

for AWD Very suitable

for AWD

Infra-structural AWD Suitability:

Irrigation Specifics

Methane emission reductions through AWD (vs. Continuous Flooding)

0

2

4

6

8

10

CF AWD

t C

O2

-eq

/ha*

seas

on

B2 -66%

0

2

4

6

8

10

CF AWD

t C

O2

-eq

/ha*

seas

on

N1 -65%

Infra-structual AWD Suitability:

Irrigation Specifics

Canal irrigation

(motivated

farmers)

Canal irrigation

with imposed

AWD

Canal irrigation

(non-motivated

farmers)

Very suitable

for AWD Very suitable

for AWD

Not suitable

for AWD

0

2

4

6

8

10

CF AWD

t C

O2

-eq

/ha*

seas

on

N2 -5%

Methane emission reductions through AWD (vs. Continuous Flooding)

Introducing AWD

Lessons learned in case studies

• Stress the co-benefits of AWD (such as stronger

lodging resistance) to motivate farmers to adopt

• Focus on ‘tail-end’ farmers to showcase the

feasibility of AWD

• Offer alternative irrigation options -- from single

drainage to full AWD

• Try to identify local ‘champions’ for technology

adoption

• Include irrigation authorities right from the onset

of the project

Assist in Carbon Crediting?

http://cdm.unfccc.int/methodologies/DB/D6MRRHNNU5RUHJXWKHN87IUXW5F5N0/view.html

“Methane emission

reduction by adjusted

water management in rice”

Small Scale Methodology Approved by UNFCCC (May 2011):

CDM Pipeline

Project

Developer Project

Proposal

Project

Developer

Designated

Nat. Auth.

Project

Design

Docum.

Letter of

‘no objection’

Designated

Operating

Entity #1

Validation

Report Designated

Nat. Auth. Letter of

approval

CDM

Executive

Board

Approved

Methodology

Project

Regis-

tration

Certified

Emission

Reduction

Project

Developer Monitoring

Report

Designated

Operating

Entity #2

Verification

Report

CDM

Executive

Board

Project

Implementation

and

Monitoring

Project

Design

Methodology AMS-III.AU. Version 3.0 (since 03 Aug. 2012)

Example:

• AWD in dry season

• Multiple aeration (1.8 kg ha/d)

• 100 d period

180 kg CH4/ ha season

= 3.78 t CO2 eq/ ha season

@ 0.50 $/ t CO2 eq.

= < 2 $/ ha season

Good Agricultural Practice

(GAP) Guidelines

Vietnam

Mot Phai/ Nam Giam

(1 Must Do/ 5 Reductions)

Philippines

Palay Check

Examples:

Outline

• Background: Rice as a source of GHGs

• Possible Options for Mitigation in Rice

• Feasibility assessment for

Alternate-Wetting-and-Drying

• Outlook and Conclusion

New Project:

“Mitigation Options to

Reduce Methane

Emissions in Paddy Rice”

CCAC:

• Partnership of governments, inter-governmental

organizations, private sector (40 governments,

53 non-state entities)

• Mission: Fight global warming and improve human

health

• Focus on SLCP (short-lived climate pollutants)

• Operates under UNEP

CCAC initiatives

• Open Agricultural Burning

• Livestock/ Manure Management

• Paddy Rice Production

3 components

New Project:

“Mitigation Options to

Reduce Methane

Emissions in Paddy Rice”

Overall Objective:

Road maps for implementing replicable

and scalable mitigation options focussing

on AWD in 3 target countries:

Vietnam

Bangladesh

Colombia

New Project:

“Mitigation Options to

Reduce Methane

Emissions in Paddy Rice”

Specific Objectives:

1) Improved information platforms

2) National networks, enhanced capacity

and plans

3) Pilot studies in areas with AWD

experience for extracting ‘lessons learnt’

Conclusions

Policy makers are getting increasingly

interested to integrate mitigation into

development targets

… BUT …

different stakeholders will need

diversified information packages and

decision support tools

Conclusions

Scientific findings and publications will

NOT be sufficient as such to stimulate

mitigation

… BUT …

should be translated into clear spatial

and temporal priorities at different

scales

Thank you