Growing rice with drip irrigation is a miracle possible, as demonstrated by an Israeli startup active inprecision agriculture.
This solution saves huge amounts of fresh water but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Rice, global production
Rice, Oryza sativa, is one of the most important and consumed crops in the world. About 787 million tons per year are produced on an area of 162 million hectares. (1) It represents the staple food for two-thirds of the world’s population. China, India, Japan and Indonesia account for 90 percent of total rice demand and production.
Rice is also a very important product for Italy. Fifty percent of the rice circulating in Europe is produced in our country. And for such grain we are able to cover domestic needs self-sufficiently. The main rice fields are found in Piedmont and Lombardy, which cover 90 percent of production, and then in Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia where mostly seed rice is grown. (2)
Rice farming: unsustainable?
Rice has always been grown by flooding the soil before or after planting with about 10-15 cm of water. This practice is to keep the plant from suffering from temperature changes or water shortages and to protect it from weeds. However, this practice that has remained unchanged for 5,000 years has consequences from an environmental point of view.
According to one study (K. Kritee et al.) published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (3),
- paddy fields use about 40 percent of the world’s fresh water
- standing water in crops generates methane equal to one-fifth of global emissions,
- where intermittent flooding is practiced, 45 times more nitrous oxide is emitted than in rice fields that are always flooded, a very polluting and long-lasting greenhouse gas.
Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from rice fields would have the same impact on global warming as about 600 medium-sized coal-fired power plants, according to an analysis by theEnvironmental Defense Fund. (4)
Drip irrigation in rice cultivation
Revolutionizing rice cultivation after 5,000 years has been done by Netafim. The Israeli company has employed the technology it pioneered, drip irrigation, in rice fields. With enormous advantages.
For the same output, in comparison with traditional rice fields:
- water consumption is more than two-thirds less,
- fertilizers are reduced by 30 percent,
- energy is lowered by 36%,
- emissions of methane gas and nitrogen peroxide are reduced to zero, since there is no longer a need to flood the land.
Testing in the LaFagiana company
Drip irrigation in rice cultivation has been applied on an Italian farm, La Fagiana, located near Venice. Emissions have decreased enough for the company to obtain the certification needed to sell its carbon credits.
“If even 10 percent of rice farms switched to drip irrigation, the emission reductions would be equivalent to taking 40 million cars off the road,” says Gaby Miodownik, precision agriculture president for Netafim.
“Netafim is very proud to lead this initiative. On climate change, the only way forward for sustainable agriculture is to grow more with less. Less land, less water, and far fewer emissions“.
The convenience of investment
Drip irrigation system requires pumps, pipes and sensors to be installed. Therefore, it is normal for there to be hesitation on the part of farmers, especially in rice cultivation, which has been the same for many years. However, Netafim is convinced that the new method could become the norm.
According to John Farner, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Netafim, the affordability of the investment depends on many factors, such as “where you are in the world, what your yield is, the cost of water, which is different globally, and the cost of fertilizers.”
However, again for Farner, if a company decides to invest time and money in making its business more sustainable, it is important to find a way to offset its investment.
Another opportunity that drip irrigation brings is the possibility of growing rice on previously unsuitable land. In fact, the practice of flooding requires flat soils, which are sometimes leveled with lasers to avoid stagnation. With drip irrigation, it is also possible to grow rice on slopes. (5)
Alessandra Mei
Notes
(1) Faostat data for 2021 https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL
(2) Ente Risi Italy, %20Italia%
(3) K. Kritee, D. Nair, D. Zavala-Araiza, et al, High nitrous oxide fluxes from rice indicate the need to manage water for both long-and short- term climate impacts. PNAS, 10.9.2018 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1809276115
(4) K. Kritee, J.Proville and others, Global risk assessment of high nitrous oxide emissions from rice production. Environmental Defense Fund and partners. 10.9.2018 https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/documents/EDF_White_Paper_Global_Risk_Analysis.pdf
(5) J. Jeffay, A better way to grow rice, after 5,000 years of paddy fields. NoCamels. 18.12.2022 https://nocamels.com/2022/12/a-better-way-to-grow-rice-after-5000-years-of-paddy-fields/
Graduated in Law from the University of Bologna, she attended the Master in Food Law at the same University. You participate in the WIISE srl benefit team by dedicating yourself to European and international research and innovation projects.
