Partners & Projects

China: Climate-Friendly Rice Growing China Program

Project Date:

November 2021 to May 2025

Partners:

Zhenro Foundation

Background

Climate change and agricultural production are closely interconnected. Agriculture – particularly plantation and livestock farming – is not only a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions but also one of the sectors most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Specifically, according to a World Bank study, methane emissions from rice cultivation contribute to 10% of anthropogenic methane emissions globally. Rice cultivation also consumes 40% of the world’s total irrigation water, while simultaneously providing one-fifth of the world’s food calories. Consequently, climate change-induced events such as droughts and water scarcity, which adversely affect rice yields, pose a substantial threat to livelihoods.

China, one of the world’s leading rice producers, faces unique challenges. Given its large population and large number of small-scale producers, critical questions arise: How can greenhouse gas emissions from rice production be reduced? How can chemical pollution from agricultural practices be minimized? How can the farmland labour shortages due to urbanisation be addressed? Moreover, how can locally adapted green and low-carbon cultivation methods be developed to suit the diverse agricultural conditions across the nation? This project seeks to explore and resolve these pivotal issues while safeguarding food security.

Project Features

  • This project aims to implement climate-friendly rice planting technology through collaboration among various stakeholders, including research teams, social organisations, farmers’ cooperatives, and other institutions. Activities include demonstration planting, technical training, methodology refinement, and the dissemination of results across the provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Heilongjiang, and Guangdong. The project emphasizes the joint development of innovative agricultural practices tailored to local agroeconomical contexts.
  • Each project site presents unique characteristics that enhance the project’s overall informativeness. In Sichuan, village farmers’ cooperatives lead the initiative by adopting conservation farming practices to produce ecological rice and improve soil quality. In Yunnan, the project spans areas from Kunming to Xishuangbanna, where nitrogen fertilizer use is reduced in the Erhai and Fuxian lakes to protect vital water sources. In the Dongting Lake region of Hunan, small-scale rice planting equipment has been developed to counteract labour shortages. Similarly, in Wuchang, Heilongjiang, the project integrates climate-friendly rice technology with traditional rice-duck co-cropping to reduce methane emissions, boost yields, and enhance quality.
  • Throughout the project, comprehensive training is provided to social organisations, farmers’ cooperatives, farms, and farmers on the concepts and techniques employed. These sessions also serve as forums for discussing comprehensive solutions tailored to local conditions.
  • The project emphasises actively documenting and summarising pilot experiences, resulting in the creation of resources such as “Climate-Friendly Rice Farming Practices at Scale” and “Climate-Friendly Rice Farming Technical Guidelines.” These documents lay the groundwork for extending the project’s successes to additional regions.

Project Outcomes

  • The project focuses on transforming scientific research into practical productivity focused techniques, responding to the needs of small and medium-sized farmers and bolstering their adaption capabilities to climate change;
  • The project fully explores the contribution of traditional farming wisdom to green and low-carbon development. It combines new scientific and technological innovations with traditional Chinese farming practices to create practical examples of Chinese solutions to develop green and low-carbon agriculture;
  • The project emphasises the balance between green development, livelihoods and the well-being of rural communities. Different types of production entities, such as small farmers, family farms, and larger farms, require tailored solutions. The project has designed corresponding pilots and facilitated exchanges among these entities to enhance the replication value of the demonstration sites;
  • The exploration of demonstration sites is closely linked to the refinement of lessons learned, which expands the scope and effectiveness of the project’s contributions.

 

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