Supporting National Strategies to Reduce Methane Emissions through Low-Emission Rice

"Key messages for decision-makers • Methane mitigation in rice can deliver near-term climate benefits, but making low-emission rice technologies an economically viable choice for farmers and value-chain actors depends on strengthening the scaling ecosystem. • Strengthening the scaling ecosystem requires: • Functioning MRV systems: Robust national MRV systems grounded on Tier 2 methodologies are public goods. They reduce the risk of paying for non-additional reductions, lower transaction costs, and reduce barriers of entry for private-led mitigation projects - increasing the share of benefits going to farmers. • Incentives for Farmers and Value Chain Actors: There is a need to provide clarity on how shifting to low-emission rice production practices are linked to tangible economic benefits to farmers and viable business models for value chain actors. Carbon finance can contribute, but it will not be sufficient on its own. Strong incentives combine carbon revenues with input savings, price premiums, public support, concessional finance, and corporate investments from rice buyers. • Supportive Policy Environment: National strategies should move from pilots to nationally appropriated mitigation action plans with costed implementation pipelines supported by a common regional approach to standards, taxonomies of green finance, and verification. • Research and development investments are critically needed to expand the portfolio of low-emission rice technologies and practices, such as methane-inhibiting rice varieties, microbial soil amendments, targeted paddy nitrification inhibitors, biochar/straw-to-energy, precision water automation with low-cost sensors, and digital MRV using remote sensing and farmer traceability across irrigated and rainfed smallholder systems."