By Abdullahi Lukman
The Global Methane Hub has unveiled a $30 million Rice Methane Innovation Accelerator to speed up the development of technologies that lower methane emissions from rice cultivation while maintaining yields and profitability.
Announced during the Singapore International Agri-Food Week and the Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Conference in Brasília, Brazil, the initiative seeks to mobilize at least $100 million from philanthropic, public, and private sectors.
It already has backing from major partners including the Gates Foundation, Philanthropy Asia Alliance, Quadrature Climate Foundation, and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory.
The Accelerator will focus on four key research areas—plant genetics and physiology, soil microbiome, agronomy, and emissions measurement—to expand current mitigation options and enhance rice system resilience.
Rice is a staple food for half the world’s population, particularly in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America.
Yet flooded rice paddies, which account for over 90 percent of global production, are also responsible for roughly 8 percent of human-caused methane emissions and use about 40 percent of the world’s irrigation water.
For decades, methods like Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) have aimed to cut emissions and save water, but their impact has been limited by local conditions and infrastructure.
Without scalable, adaptable low-emission strategies, rice methane emissions could rise by 7 percent by 2030.
“Methane is a powerful but short-lived greenhouse gas,” said Hayden Montgomery, Director of the Global Methane Hub’s Agriculture Programme.
“Reducing it from rice farming is essential for both climate action and food security, but this must not come at the cost of farmers’ livelihoods.”
The Accelerator’s strategy, due in early 2026, will outline pathways to improve the readiness and real-world performance of emerging solutions.
It will build on existing practices such as AWD, developed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which can cut emissions by up to 70 percent.
Dr. Yvonne Pinto, IRRI’s Director General, welcomed the initiative, saying it strengthens global efforts toward sustainable rice cultivation.
The Accelerator will collaborate with research partners including AfricaRice, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and members of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.
This marks the Hub’s second major agricultural research program, following its Enteric Fermentation Accelerator focused on livestock emissions.
