Tainan experimental rice farm reduces water use by 34% and electricity use by 1,111 kWh per hectare by paper film transplanting and alternate wetting and drying irrigation
March 18, 2024 | Foodnext.net |
Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (Tainan DARES) introduces innovative alternate wet-dry (AWD) irrigation cultivation methods for rice paddies, aiming to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions in agriculture. By combining this approach with biodegradable rice paper-mulch transplanting technology, they address methane emissions caused by traditional flooded rice fields while conserving water and minimizing weed growth.
Traditional organic rice farming, reliant on manual weeding due to herbicide restrictions, often leads to methane emissions from flooded fields. Tainan DARES's alternate wet-dry irrigation model reduces these emissions by 32.5% and irrigation water usage by 21% per hectare, as per the DNDC model.
The integration of paper-mulch transplanting complements this strategy, significantly reducing weed proliferation and labor requirements while conserving water. The biodegradable mulch decomposes within 40-50 days, ensuring no adverse effects on subsequent planting cycles. Tainan DARES underscores its dedication to innovation and sustainability, aiming to enhance agricultural efficiency while mitigating environmental impact.
Viewed Articles
March 18, 2024 | Foodnext.net |Â Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (Tainan DARES) introduces innovative alternate wet-dry (AWD) irrigation cultivation methods for rice paddies
Read More
As global populations and incomes grow, so does the demand for meat, eggs, milk and other animal source foods, making livestock increasingly important for nutrition, food security and farmers’ livelih
December 18, 2025 | Yunlin County Government (In Chinese) |Â Yunlin County Government announced the adoption of probiotic technology to reduce GHG emissions from paddy rice cultivation as part of its l
February 18, 2026 | Open Access Government |Â A study by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), published in Nature Communications, proposes that Europe can reduce agricultural GHG
May 21, 2026 | Central News Agency (CNA) (In Chinese) |Â Taiwan's domestically grown soybean acreage expanded from approximately 680 hectares in 2014 to 4,473 hectares in 2024, a more than 5.5-fold
May 31, 2026 | AP News |Since Iran's war began on February 28, disruption to Strait of Hormuz shipping has driven fertilizer prices up 40-50%, per World Bank and IFPRI data, pushing farmers across