Implementing more sustainable agricultural practices is one way to combat climate change, not only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also by reducing water usage. In the specific case of rice cultivation, the application of these sustainable agricultural practices is mainly aimed at reducing methane emissions produced by the flooding of the fields where rice is grown.
Launched in 2018, the ORYZONTE project, funded by EBRO FOODS and MARS FOOD & NUTRITION in the Guadalquivir Marshes, has successfully implemented the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) technique (through a prolongated single aeration). The AWD technique has been implemented over more than 580 hectares during the 2024 season, without any yield loss, contributing to a reduction of over 2,0001 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to the criteria of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This reduction is equivalent to the CO2 emissions produced by a petrol car that has travelled 16,2 million km!2
One of the producers who has successfully adopted this technique in the 2024 season is Las Playas SCA. Thanks to the cooperation of Mr. Eleuterio Alfonso Garrido, the cooperative’s manager, this technique was implemented on 320 hectares of his land between July 1 and July 31, taking advantage of the lowering of water levels required for phytosanitary treatment application.
“It has not been difficult to implement the technique on our farms,” acknowledges Eleuterio. “At this stage of the season, lowering water levels benefits the crop by strengthening the root system. The process required a closer monitoring of the fields, but the ORYZONTE project team has always supported us in overseeing the cultivation and implementing aeration. All the impacts have been positive, and there have been no negative effects on the crop or yields. If this program were to be repeated in 2025, I would do it again,” concludes Mr. Eleuterio Alfonso Garrido.
Both farmers and the project team are hopeful that water reserves will allow rice cultivation to continue in Seville in 2025, enabling further progress towards more sustainable farming.
[1] : The reduction has been calculated using COOL FARM TOOL and corresponds to the difference between 2 scenarios (baseline = 15529,2 kg CO2e/ha and project intervention = 11972,4 kg CO2e/ha) multiplied by the surface (584,57 ha), that sums 2,079,198.5 kg CO2e.
[2] : 123.4 g of CO2 emission per km on average for a petrol car in the EU: https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/average-co2-emissions-from-new#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20the%20CO2,decreased%20from%202017%20to%202018.