Rice feeds more than half of the world’s population and is central to global food security. Yet one of the world’s most important crops is also a significant source of methane emissions. As populations grow and climate pressures intensify, the challenge is clear: how do we produce more rice while reducing its environmental footprint?

Rice paddies average about 7,870 kg CO₂e per ha, accounting for roughly a 1.5 per cent share of total greenhouse gas emissions and a whopping 48 per cent of cropland emissions globally every year. However, in addition to the amount emitted, what makes rice truly climate-intensive is the composition of emissions.

Rice fields primarily emit methane, whose global warming potential is 27 times higher than carbon dioxide. Rice cultivation, in fact, accounts for 10 per cent of global methane emissions, and its demand is set to rise significantly as population growth places increasing pressure on global food systems. Unless cultivation practices evolve, the climate impact of rice production will continue to grow alongside it.

As demand for rice continues to grow, farmers are under pressure to produce more from every hectare. At the same time, they are expected to reduce agriculture’s climate footprint. The solution is emerging in the form of low-methane rice cultivation, an approach that enables higher productivity with significantly lower emissions.

A low-methane system moves rice cultivation away from the traditional method of flooding the paddy field. Instead, it relies on alternate wetting and drying (AWD). AWD, as the name suggests, involves alternating between wet periods - when the field is flooded - and dry periods when the water is allowed to drop below the soil surface. It allows rice fields to dry intermittently between irrigation cycles, unlike the traditional practice of keeping paddies continuously flooded.

In 2022, UPL launched a low-methane rice cultivation pilot involving 6,000 farmers across nearly 10,400 hectares. The results were encouraging - greenhouse gas emissions declined by around 23 per cent, water-use efficiency improved by 40 per cent, yields increased by 5 per cent, and farmer profitability rose by 5 per cent. The benefits are visible not only in numbers but also in farmers’ lives and incomes.

Take Satyavathi, a rice farmer in India, for instance. Satyavathi overcame centuries of convention and the skepticism of peers when she shifted from flooding the fields to water-efficient rice-growing techniques and improved soil management. She cut back on inputs, reduced expenses, and conserved water, while maintaining strong productivity. Her costs went down, productivity improved, and income went up.

Bulliraju Maddipati, from the Andhra Pradesh village of Ramannagudem has a similar story to share. Bulliraju is demonstrating how small changes in his 4.05-hectare paddy field can make a big difference for the planet. He adopted AWD. As a result, the methane emissions from his field reduced sharply, and the soil is healthier and more productive.

These stories highlight a simple but powerful truth: #AFarmerCan adapt, innovate, and lead the transition to climate-smart agriculture when equipped with the right knowledge, technologies, and support. Farmers are active agents of change, demonstrating every day that productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand.

The impact of this work takes on new significance this week, as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings take place in Bangkok. In the course of these meetings, a report of the work will be presented as we look to develop new incentives and rewards to fast-track the transition to sustainable rice.

Scaling such solutions will require collaboration across the agricultural value chain, but one thing is already clear: #AFarmerCan help build a future that is both food-secure and climate-resilient.

The author is Chairman & Group CEO, UPL

Published on October 17, 2026