Discussion Paper: Does Dry Rice Cultivation Reduce Methane Emissions?

The discussion paper may be downloaded by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.

Rice is the primary source of calories for over 3 billion people, and the flooded paddies that produce rice are a major source of methane emissions. China’s national agricultural water-saving strategy has promoted controlled irrigation in rice-growing regions since at least 2012 – prompting the more rapid adoption of dry rice cultivation practices. The authors investigate whether such adoption has led to reduced methane emissions, combining satellite land-use data that classifies rice area as rainfed or irrigated with methane-emissions estimates from the CAMS atmospheric inversion model.