Reducing green house gases through efficient water mgm't

MANILA, Philippines - The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is looking at ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in irrigated rice farms through efficient water management to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Reiner Wassmann, an IRRI rice specialist, said changing water management potentially addresses the threat of water shortage and appears as the most promising option in reducing GHG emissions in rice production, particularly in irrigated areas.

Experts had warned against potential water crisis due to pollution which is aggravated by the climate-triggered long seasons of drought, which is now being strongly felt in the country.

According to Wassmann, who presented the “Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mitigation Potential of Agriculture: Highlighting Rice Production System” during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Symposium on Climate Change held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Manila on Feb. 6-8, “irrigated rice production has the highest emission potential in the rice ecosystem.”      

The symposium, hosted by the Philippines through the Department of Agriculture, was attended by policy makers and implementers, researchers/scientists and practitioners from APEC economies and selected organizations, Agriculture undersecretary for policy and planning Segfredo Serrano, APEC Cooperation TWG focal point for the Philippines, said.     Serrano said through the symposium, the Philippines and participating APEC members expect to generate a wealth of knowledge about climate change mitigation and adaptation for possible adoption.

Alicia Ilaga, focal person of the DA-APEC and Climate Change which took the lead in the conduct of the two-day event, said technical papers were presented by experts from which possible solution to climate change woes in the agriculture sector may be used.

Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change impacts, but agricultural production also generates considerable amounts of GHG, namely carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, from agricultural sources, Wassmann said.

Being so, he said, there is a need to quantify and mitigate GHG emission in agriculture, particularly rice production.

To provide farmers with specific criteria for draining and watering, from the viewpoint of water saving, the Los Baños, Laguna-based IRRI has been developing and disseminating alternate wetting and drying (AWD) irrigation management technique that provides farmers with specific criteria of soil water for judging the timing of watering.