Fewer seeds, less pesticide as Vietnam tries to grow greener rice

Farmers adopt sustainable practices as country targets net-zero emissions by 2050

- Tan Hui Yee

AN GIANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM Mr Le Hiep Phuoc takes measured steps on the rice field bunds, the same way he restrains himself when planting the crop.

He sows fewer seeds than his neighbours in An Giang province to avoid stressing the soil. He doesn't burn the rice stubble after harvest.

He drains his field instead of keeping it flooded all year round as per convention. And when insects gobble up his plants, he calls an expert to assess the situation, instead of reaching for pesticide.

"I feel really worried when I see a lot of pests eating my rice. But I will call the company to send someone to my field," the 48-year-old farmer tells The Sunday Times, referring to Vietnamese agriculture conglomerate Loc Troi Group, which works with about 300,000 farmers in the Mekong Delta.

"When they tell me there is no need to spray pesticide, I comply.

But it takes a lot of effort." Mr Phuoc is one of the few thousand pioneers in Vietnam's bid to cultivate greener rice.

Globally, over 500 million tonnes of rice are consumed each year, but the way it is farmed makes the staple a major source of greenhouse gases.

Flooded rice fields are conducive for bacteria thriving on the decomposing rice stubble and other matter to release methane, which traps about 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over 20 years.

In South-east Asia, rice cultivation can account for 25 percent to 33 per cent of the region's methane emissions. The problem is compounded when farmers overuse nitrogen-based fertilisers, which accelerate the production of nitrous oxide, another heat-trapping gas.