A Nature Food study reveals paddy cultivation emissions have nearly doubled since the 1960s, highlighting urgent climate-smart agricultural reforms globally.
Current Facts and Data
- Emission Rise: Global paddy emissions reached 1.1 billion tonnes CO₂-e/year (2011–20), 90.4% higher than 1961–80.
- Carbon Reversal: Paddy fields absorbed 289 Mt CO₂-e/year in 1961–80, but one-third became carbon sources by the 2010s.
- Hotspot: Eastern India is a global methane hotspot due to flooded, low-oxygen paddy fields.
- Area Expansion: India’s paddy area grew 25%, covering 55% of rainfed harvested land.
- Methane Output: India’s irrigated paddy emits 3.9 Mt of methane annually, exceeding Germany’s annual methane emissions.
Drivers of Rising GHG Emissions from Paddy Cultivation in India
- Area Expansion: A 25% paddy expansion since the 1970s raised methane emissions to 3.9 Mt annually.
- Flood Irrigation: Continuous waterlogging creates anaerobic conditions, contributing 8–12% of global anthropogenic methane emissions.
- Input Intensification: Excess fertilisers and residue incorporation caused nearly 50% of emission growth through soil carbon loss.
- Climate Stress: Rising temperatures and erratic rainfall could increase rice emissions by 25% during 2031–2050.
- Policy Bias: MSP and irrigation incentives favour paddy, while agriculture contributes about 14% of India’s GHG emissions.
Consequences of Rising GHG Emissions from Paddy Cultivation
- Climate Impact: Paddy emits 1.1 billion tonnes of CO₂-e annually, accelerating warming and intensifying climate change globally.
- Resource Degradation: One-third of global paddy fields became carbon sources, reducing soil fertility and groundwater sustainability.
- Environmental Pollution: Excess fertilizers release nitrous oxide (273× CO₂ potential), while residue burning worsens PM2.5 pollution.
- Biodiversity Loss: Paddy occupies 55% of India’s rainfed harvested area, displacing indigenous crops and agro-biodiversity significantly.
- Economic Burden: 3.9 million tonnes of methane emissions increase irrigation costs, reducing farmers’ profitability and long-term resilience.
Government Initiatives for Reducing GHG Emissions from Paddy Cultivation
- NICRA: Promotes Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), System of Rice Intensification (SRI), & climate-resilient varieties, reducing methane emissions while strengthening climate-resilient agriculture.
- SRI Technique: Encourages intermittent irrigation and younger seedlings, reducing water consumption, methane emissions, and improving rice productivity.
- PMKSY: Promotes “More Crop Per Drop”, improving irrigation efficiency while reducing flood irrigation and groundwater extraction.
- Soil Health: Soil Health Cards encourage balanced fertilisation, minimising excess nitrogen use and nitrous oxide emissions nationwide.
- NMSA: Supports climate-smart agriculture, conservation farming, and sustainable practices for low-carbon, resilient rice cultivation nationwide.
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Challenges in Reducing GHG Emissions from Paddy Cultivation
- Economic Constraints: Over 86% of Indian farmers are smallholders, limiting the affordability of low-emission technologies and mechanisation.
- Institutional Gaps: India has over 146 million farm holdings, but extension services remain inadequate for widespread climate-smart adoption.
- Climatic Risks: India has only 4% of global freshwater supporting 18% of the world’s population, intensifying irrigation stress.
- Policy Distortions: Rice receives the largest MSP procurement, encouraging cultivation even in water-stressed states like Punjab and Haryana.
- Governance Deficit: India has no explicit agricultural GHG reduction target despite agriculture contributing about 14% of national emissions.
Way Forward for Low-Emission Paddy Cultivation
- Climate-Smart Farming: Scale up AWD, SRI, and Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) to reduce methane, water use, and emissions.
- Sustainable Incentives: Link carbon markets, MSP reforms, and green subsidies to reward low-emission rice cultivation practices.
- Regional Strategies: Develop state-specific rice policies based on agro-climatic conditions, water availability, and soil characteristics.
- Smart Technologies: Promote AI, drones, soil sensors, precision fertilisation, and digital advisories for climate-smart rice farming.
- Integrated Sustainability: Encourage crop diversification, soil carbon restoration, efficient irrigation, and alignment with India’s NDCs and LT-LEDS.
“Climate-Smart Fields, Food-Secure Future”; by integrating innovation, farmer-centric incentives, and sustainable practices, India can build a globally resilient and climate-resilient rice production system.
Reference: The Hindu
PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 759
Approach
- Introduction: Write a contextual introduction about paddy cultivation and rising GHG emissions.
- Body: Write about the key drivers and consequences of rising greenhouse gas emissions from paddy cultivation. Also, suggest measures to promote climate-smart and low-emission rice cultivation.
- Conclusion: Emphasise climate-smart and technology-driven rice cultivation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen food security, and enhance agricultural sustainability.
