At 60 years old, Vo Van Van has one thing in common. rice Field from a mosaic of thousands of other emerald fields throughout southern Long An province Vietnamsan's mekong delta: Not completely soaked with water.
And giant drones with wingspans similar to those of eagles fly overhead, raining organic fertilizer onto the knee-high rice seedlings that undulate below.
Using less water and using drones for fertilizer are new technologies Van is experimenting with that Vietnam hopes will help solve the paradox at the heart of rice production: the finicky crop is dependent on climate. Not only are they vulnerable to change, but they also have a unique impact on climate change.
Rice must be grown separately from other crops, and seedlings must be planted separately in flooded rice fields. The hard and dirty work requires a lot of labor and generates a lot of water. Methane is a powerful global warming gas that can trap 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a short period of time.
This is a problem unique to rice cultivation because when rice fields are flooded, oxygen is blocked from flowing into the soil, creating an environment in which methane-producing bacteria are more likely to grow. According to a 2023 Food and Agriculture Organization report, rice fields account for 8% of the methane emitted into the atmosphere by humans.
Vietnam is the world's third largest exporter of rice, and the importance of Vietnamese culture is evident in the Mekong Delta. A patchwork of lush fields crisscrossed by silver waterways has helped stave off starvation since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Rice is not only the mainstay of most meals, but is also considered a gift from the gods and continues to be revered to this day.
It is then formed into noodles or sheets and fermented to make wine. In a crowded market, a motorcyclist carries his 10 kg (22 lb) baggage home.Barges transport mountains of grain up and down mekong river. The rice grains are then mechanically dried to remove the husks before being packed for sale at the factory, where rice bags are lined from floor to ceiling.
For the past two years, Van has been working with Loc Troy Group, one of Vietnam's largest rice exporters, using a different irrigation method known as alternate wetting and drying (AWD). Because his rice fields are not continuously submerged, they require less water than traditional farming. It also produces less methane.
You can save on labor costs by using drones to fertilize crops. Climate change is driving migration to cities, making it harder to find people to work on farms, Van said. It also ensures that the correct amount of fertilizer is applied. Too much fertilizer causes the soil to release nitrogen gas, which causes global warming.
Once the crops are harvested, Van no longer burns the rice harvest. Rice harvesting is a major source of air pollution not only in Vietnam but also in neighboring countries. Thailand and India. Instead, it is being collected by the Loch Troy Group for sale to other companies who use it as livestock feed and to grow straw mushrooms, which are popular in stir-fries.
Vans have many benefits. Farm yields remain the same, but costs are lower. Using organic fertilizers has enabled them to sell to the European market, where customers are willing to pay a premium for organic rice. Best of all, he has time to tend to his garden.
“I grow jackfruit and coconuts,” he said.
Loc Troi Group CEO Nguyen Duy Thuan said that with these methods, farmers can reduce their seed rice usage by 40% and water usage by 30%. Pesticides, fertilizers, and labor costs are also lower. Mr. Tuan said that Lok Troy, which exports to more than 40 countries including Europe, AfricaUnited States, and Japan — is working with farmers to use its methods to expand acreage from the current 100 hectares to 300,000 hectares.
This is a far cry from Vietnam's own goal of growing „high-quality, low-emission rice“ on 1 million hectares of farmland by 2030, an area more than six times the size of London. Vietnamese authorities estimate that this will cut production costs by one-fifth. According to state media Vietnam News, farmers' profits will increase by more than $600 million.
Vietnam recognized early on that it needed to rebuild its rice sector. It became the largest rice exporter to sign the 2021 pledge to reduce methane emissions at the annual general meeting, ahead of both India and Thailand. united nations Climate Summit held in Glasgow, Scotland.
According to a recent study by Vietnam's Institute of Water Resources Sciences, the industry suffers losses of more than $400 million every year. This is a matter of concern not only for the country but also for the world.
The Mekong Delta, where 90% of Vietnam's rice exports are grown, is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change. The United Nations' climate change report for 2022 warned that there will be major flooding during the rainy season and drought during the dry season. Numerous dams built upstream in China and Laos have reduced river flows and reduced the amount of sediment carried downstream to the ocean. Sea levels are rising and rivers downstream are becoming saltier. And unsustainable levels of groundwater pumping and sand mining for construction are adding to the problem.
Changing centuries-old rice farming practices is expensive, and methane receives only 2% of climate funding, even though it is a more powerful cause of global warming than carbon dioxide. yeah. Ajay Bangasaid the World Bank President at the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Dubai last year.
Combating methane emissions is a „rare and distinct area“ where low-cost, effective and reproducible solutions exist, Banga said. The World Bank is supporting Vietnam's efforts and has begun helping the Indonesian government expand climate-resilient agriculture as part of more than a dozen projects to reduce methane around the world.
Lewis H. Ziska, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, said there is no „one-size-fits-all panacea,“ but he hopes more countries will follow suit. “The only commonality is that they need water,” he said, adding that different methods of planting and irrigation can help better manage water.
Growing more genetically diverse rice varieties could also help, as some varieties may be more tolerant of excessive heat, require less water, and emit less methane. He said:
Nguyen Van Nhat, director of rice export company Hoan Minh Nhat, said his company's suppliers use rice varieties that can grow in salty water and extreme heat.
The company is currently adapting to unseasonable rains that make drying the rice more difficult and increase the risk of mold and insect damage. Normally, rice is dried in the sun immediately after harvest, but Nut said his company has drying facilities at its packing plant and plans to install machinery to dry the grain near the fields.
“As before, we don’t know which months are the rainy season,” he said.