July 26, 2023 | IRRI | Source
Gold Standard has launched a new carbon credit methodology, developed with input from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation. Rice cultivation is responsible for about 10% of human-made methane emissions globally, primarily from bacteria in flooded rice paddies. Reducing water use can significantly cut methane emissions from rice fields by up to 50%. The new Methodology for Methane Emission Reduction by Adjusted Water Management Practice in Rice Cultivation provides instructions for estimating baseline and project emissions, monitoring guidelines, and requirements for field stratification. It can be applied to projects of various scales and offers a practical pathway for smallholder farmers to earn carbon credits from emissions reductions.
Key IRRI scientists, including Dr. Bjoern Ole Sander, Dr. Katherine Nelson, and Dr. Reiner Wassmann, contributed technical inputs to the methodology, addressing the lack of guidance for field stratification and accounting for changes in nitrous oxide emissions. The methodology's interventions and technologies focus on mitigating anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in rice-cropping soils through various water management practices and cultivation methods. This initiative was part of a Gold Standard-IRRI partnership funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with co-funding from the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and additional technical inputs from the Eurecat Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya. A webinar presenting the methodology is scheduled for July 28, 2023.