Reposted from IRRI News
BATTAMBANG, Cambodia, 30 April—Cambodian rice farmers will soon have access to sustainable rice straw management techniques that will curtail the air pollution and potential health risks associated with rice straw burning.
The Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), the Don Bosco Agro-Vocational School (DABVS), and the Postharvest and Mechanization Unit of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) organized a technology demonstration event for extension agents, government agencies, the private sector, and NGOs in Cambodia to help promote better options for rice straw management.
The event (photos), conducted at the DABVS model farm, showcased a rice straw baler machine for collecting the straw in the field, spraying urea or Trichoderma fungi to hasten the decomposition of rice straw, and mechanical equipment for chopping and dispersing rice straw into mulch. These technologies drew a lot of interest from the participants. The rice straw baler technology from Vietnam, in particular, opened a possibility of developing business models to add value for farmers on the use of rice straw either as feedstock or for mushroom production.
Another technology aims to transform rice straw into renewable energy. “The huge energy potential that can be derived from rice straw through the use of an anaerobic digester can generate fuel for cooking and electricity for home lighting,” said Nguyen Van Hung, an IRRI postdoctoral fellow working on renewable energy from rice residues. “This technology on anaerobic digestion of rice straw is being piloted at IRRI to generate sufficient data before further delivering it to farmers.”
Sustainable rice straw management technologies are becoming more important as rice farming produces millions of tons of the material every year. “The increase in mechanization for rice production, through the wide adoption of combine harvesters in Cambodia has been a game changer that has resulted in more rice straw being left in the field, especially in intensive production systems,” said Martin Gummert, IRRI senior scientist and head of IRRI’s Postharvest and Mechanization Unit. “Farmers opted for burning as the cheapest option due to a lack of technology for collection and the short turn-around time between cropping seasons that is not sufficient for decomposition before the next seedbed preparation.”
However, smoke from burning rice straw contributes to air pollution that causes acute and potentially serious health problems. “Moreover, burning rice straw in the field brings minimal benefits to the soil with the addition of potassium silica from charred straw and ash,” said Walter Zwick, senior expert on agronomy from Germany, who is helping in the operation and management of the DABVS model farm.
The project team discussed the next steps for Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which will focus on the promotion of a rice straw baler and further studies on Trichoderma and mushroom production.
The project, Scalable straw management options for improved farmer livelihoods, sustainability, and low environmental footprint for rice-based production systems, is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), which supported the technology demonstration.
Reposted from IRRI News
CAN THO CITY, Vietnam—A new German-funded project on using rice straw in an environmentally sustainable way could bring income opportunities for farmers.
In Southeast Asia, rice straw is a major rice byproduct that is usually burned in the field, a practice that has detrimental effects on the environment and human health.
A new project, Scalable straw management options for improved farmer livelihoods, sustainability, and low environmental footprint in rice-based production systems, has been launched in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It aims to provide a holistic approach to identify and promote environmentally sustainable options to manage rice straw while improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) held an inception workshop on 3-4 March in Can Tho City to lay the groundwork. The workshop gathered major public and private stakeholders from the three target countries and project partners from Germany and project satellite countries such as Indonesia and Thailand. They provided updates on the latest rice straw management research activities and initiated the project's strategic collaborative activities.
According to Martin Gummert, IRRI senior scientist and project coordinator, the project’s main activities include: (1) assessing different straw management options including value adding potential and environmental footprint, (2) building capacity of farmer intermediaries on providing advisory services for best straw management practices, and (3) providing policymakers with information on creating enabling environments for best practices on rice straw management.
Gummert added, “Engagement with the private sector is important to develop business models on how farmers can make use of the equipment to the most benefit.”
These activities will be carried out through interlinked outputs focusing on innovative technologies, management options, and business models; the carbon footprint of mechanization; new technologies such as carbonization of straw that producesbiochar; sustainability assessment; and outreach strategies.
The Mekong River Delta produces about 10 million tons of rice straw, 10% of which comes from the rice fields of Can Tho province, according to Nguyen Thi Kieu, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural and Rural Development. “Hopefully, this project will come up with practical solutions to manage rice straw as well as increase farmers’ income,” said Nguyen.
To initiate outreach, the project linking to IRRI’s existing consortia and projects such as the Closing the Yield Gaps in Asia with Reduced Environmental Footprint (CORIGAP) project, national initiatives such as the One Must Do, Five Reductions in Vietnam, and Better Rice Initiative Asia.
Prior to the workshop, Nong Lam University and Cuu Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) organized a rice straw baler demonstration and a straw collection and management seminar at CLRRI on 1-2 March. Through these events, workshop participants were able to see the equipment in action and exchange views on currently available rice straw management technologies. The field demonstration and seminar were supported by CORIGAP.
CAN THO CITY, Vietnam—Farmers were able to see firsthand the latest technologies that turn rice straw from waste into a useful and renewable resource during a field demonstration at Cuu Long Rice Research Institute (CLRRI) on 1 March.
Although the use of combine harvesters has been a game changer in rice productivity, it leaves behind enormous amounts of rice straw especially in fields using intensive cropping systems. Each year, about 26 million tons of rice straw are left in the vast areas of Can Tho after combine harvesting. Most farmers burn the straw because it is the easiest and quickest method of disposal so that the field can quickly be prepared for planting the next crop.
To give farmers better disposal options, the Postharvest group at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), through theClosing Rice Yield Gaps in Asia (CORIGAP) project, initiated a farm demonstration featuring technologies for gathering rice straw for productive uses. The event was conducted in collaboration with Nong Lam University and the Vietnam National Extension Center.
“We are pleased to see the progress of mechanized rice production in Vietnam,” said Professor Nguyen Hong Son, director of CLRRI. “This initiative that IRRI started also resonates with our vision to make rice farming environmentally sustainable while helping more farmers.”
Through the demonstration, participants learned more about straw balers, which are machines that collect rice straw scattered across the field. They were able to observe the performance of three locally-manufactured balers and one imported brand. They saw how much straw each baler can collect and how many laborers each baler requires.
A multisectoral forum about rice straw management initiatives in the Mekong Delta was held the next day (2 March). It was locally organized by Vietnam’s National Extension Center led by its director, Phan Huy Thong.
The aim was to discuss how research breakthroughs and extension efforts on rice straw technologies can be improved. The forum attracted extension staff from more than 30 provincial branches of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and extension centers in Vietnam. Representatives from IRRI, private institutions, academe, and research institutes in Cambodia, Germany, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia also attended the forum.
Another group attending the forum represented the private sector including local manufacturers, feedstock company owners, and farmers. Members of this sector saw potential areas for improvement being mushroom production technologies, feedstock, organic fertilizer, and equipment subsidies.
According to Thong, the forum is in line with the country’s policy direction on the elimination of rice straw burning in the field.
CORIGAP initiated the rice straw collection business model in 2013, which has led to more rice straw-related activities and the establishment of a rice straw management Learning Alliance in Vietnam.
