From Norman Uphoff, Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development
Anil Ananthaswamy’s article on climate-altering pollutants mentioned that existing methods for growing rice pour large amounts of methane into the atmosphere when the paddies are flooded (20 February, p 38). He bleakly concluded that it would not be easy to get farmers to change their traditional practices.
That may be unduly pessimistic. The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) developed in Madagascar has already demonstrated in some 38 countries that its methods can raise rice yields while using less water, seed and agrochemicals, and often less labour too.
SRI methods make it profitable for farmers to stop inundating their paddies, and so reduce methane emissions. Evaluations of SRI by researchers in Indonesia and Japan have indicated that the extra organic matter recommended for SRI does not lead to any increases in nitrous oxide emissions.
Getting farmers to change their practices to reduce methane emissions may not be so difficult when they will simultaneously increase their rice yields, use less water and generate more profit.
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Ithaca, New York, US
