Overview of Rice Production
Rice is a major staple crop that millions of people use in their daily diets, particularly those living below the poverty line in Asia, Africa, and South America. For this reason, improvement of food security and reduction of the poverty level are more likely to occur as commercialization of rice production increases. Rice farming is expected to increase by 25% over the next 25 years as populations continue to grow (“Rice May Be Cheap,” 2019). However, global rice production contributes to adverse environmental impacts, jeopardizing sustainability. Rice fields release damaging greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and consume massive amounts of water, and productivity has already started to decline.
Environmental Problems from Rice Production
Rice is a major water-intensive crop and has an adverse climate impact than other plants. Research shows that commercial rice farming uses over a third or 40% of the earth’s freshwater resources (Yavad, 2018). The uncontrolled groundwater consumption has led to the depletion of springs supplying water to urban areas. Besides being wasteful, flooding increases water-logging and soil salinity (Manik et al., 2019). This further complicates some of the negative impacts of climate change, such as water shortages and droughts. This is expected to reduce yields and the nutritional value of rice as temperatures also continue to rise due to global warming. The use of excessive water resources during rice production also encourages methane emissions. Microbes in flooded rice fields produce large quantities of methane, some of which are released into the atmosphere. This gas is 80 times more harmful global warming pollutant than carbon dioxide (McArthur, 2021). Methane is the key driver to the formation of ground-level ozone, a dangerous greenhouse gas, and air pollutant. Its exposure is responsible for millions of premature deaths annually. Therefore, since it is projected that rice production will grow, it will also be essential to reduce methane levels if global warming is to be maintained within the required limits. Intermittent flooding of rice paddies leads to negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, an increased call to control the use of water resources to address droughts and issues concerning methane has failed to address climate change because it leads to nitrous oxide production, another potent pollutant (Salimi et al., 2021). This shows that the environmental impacts of rice production have been underestimated because most data do not report nitrous oxide emission. This gas is 300 times more hazardous than carbon dioxide. It is also responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer, which prevents ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth’s surface (Shankman, 2019). Like other greenhouse gases, nitrous oxide absorbs radiation and traps heat in the atmosphere. The utilization of agrochemicals has been linked to significant environmental pollution and the emission of greenhouse gasses. Most farmers increasingly use herbicides and fertilizers in rice farming to double the production rate and reduce labor costs during rice weeding. However, the excessive use of these farm inputs contributes to less soil microbial biomass and other microbial communities (Pose-Juan et al., 2017). Consequently, it leads to acidity or alkalinity, which leads to the loss of soil fertility and disturbance in the soil ecosystem. Besides destroying microbial diversity, these chemicals move from rice paddies into different water reservoirs through drainage or runoff induced by irrigation or rain, contributing to eutrophication and contamination of coastal zones and freshwater systems.
Drivers of Rice Production and their Impact on Environment
Despite increasing evidence linking rice production to global warming, some of the political interests behind the cultivation of this crop are also a threat to sustainability. Most economies across Asia-Pacific regions highly depend on rice production. Thus, due to its financial value, the policymakers are influenced to decrease production deficits by producing extra quantities to meet the expected demands. This poses a significant risk because it is difficult to realize high production annually, using less water, land, pesticides, and little fertilizer to close the yield gap (Runkle et al., 2021). In this case, boosting production implies more irrigated rice areas, competing uses of water reservoirs, and environmental concerns due to methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Cultivating bare lands using agricultural technologies like heavy tractors is a significant problem leading to soil erosion and degradation. In addition, driving machinery on the soil used to grow rice leads to compaction characterized by increased soil density, reduced air volume, and the ability to drain off surplus water (Keller et al., 2019). This leads to permanent damage to the soil and contributes to fewer crop yields. It also increases pollution and siltation in rivers, reducing irrigation water availability for crop production in the fields and water needed in urban areas. While countries continue to use ‘state-of-the-art machinery to boost productivity, most of these tools contribute to the environmental crisis. In this regard, farming techniques in their design and use have failed to help rice production adapt to the more environmentally sustainable future it needs.
How to Use a Sustainable Approach in this Case
Governments need to incentivize farmers to adopt sustainable rice farming practices. Examples include alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and micro-irrigation. These methods can ensure that farmers’ approach to farming is resource-efficient and more sustainable to reduce the time rice fields are flooded, which helps conserve water and minimizes methane emission (Enriquez et al., 2021). Research shows that AWD has the potential of reducing greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide emissions by 45–90%, as well as saving irrigation water by 15–35% without significant yield loss (Setyanto et al., 2017). However, switching to these sustainable practices will require increased access to training and knowledge about their use. Future machineries will need to be efficient, lean, precise, and intelligent to minimize the negative impact on the soil to promote environmentally sustainable rice farming (Mondejar et al., 2021). Conservation agriculture is one technique that can reduce pesticide use and soil tillage that have the most significant impact on the environment (Naab et al., 2017). In addition, special -lighter machinery is needed to apply fertilizers and plant seeds because it also has the advantage of not compacting and damaging the soil as a heavy one would. Alternative irrigation methods like micro sprinklers are sustainable ways of producing rice because they consume less power, save water, and promote sustainability. Sustainability in rice production agriculture involves proper management of resources to ensure that land and water are allocated equitably and efficiently. This may ensure that limited resources are utilized to achieve socially, economically, and environmentally beneficial outcomes (Hodge, 2019). While governments can enact and enforce bylaws to control the expansion of rice farming in areas that will lead to siltation and wetland degradation, they can also invest in modern technologies that reduce irrigation input and boost yield. These measures can help countries meet import and export demands and benefit farmers and consumers by expanding irrigated rice areas during the dry season. With climate change challenging the future of rice production, farmers need to breed new strains of this crop to reduce environmental impact. In this case, planting rice varieties with shorter growing seasons during dry seasons when water is scarce can help reduce water use and potentially cut the emission of greenhouse gases (Win et al., 2021). Therefore, farmers need to adopt alternative ways of rice production by using sustainable farming practices in order to conserve water protect the environment and limit climate change while at the same time providing farmers with better sustainable incomes.
Conclusion
Although millions of people around the globe use rice as their staple diet, the impacts of global warming due to its production show there is a need to improve farming methods. Greater sustainability will lead to more and better consistent output in the future, and the livelihoods of farmers and consumers will also be improved. Adopting efficient and effective rice production methods would positively assist developing countries where people are most dependent on rice as their staple food and source of income. This can help fight hunger and reduce poverty around the world. Therefore, if rice production is to meet increasing demand, adapting to more sustainable practices will be necessary to protect natural resources and the environment.
References
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