Singapore research breakthrough cuts rice farming methane emissions by 50%

A Singapore research institute's breakthrough in sustainable rice farming is showing promising results in trials across Indonesia, India, and Laos. The Temasek Life Sciences laboratory's 'Decarbonising Rice' project uses a three-pronged approach — alternate wetting and drying irrigation, a scientifically developed fertiliser cocktail, and optimised rice varieties — to cut methane emissions from flooded paddy fields by up to 50 per cent, while boosting farmer yields by 6 per cent.

Flooded rice fields account for roughly 12 per cent of global methane emissions, about 60 million tonnes annually. A second season of large-scale trials is underway, with plans to scale adoption across Asia by 2027. The project aims to produce 50,000 tonnes of low-methane rice within two years and 1 million tonnes by 2032. Funded by the Philanthropy Asia Alliance, the initiative also seeks to bring climate-friendly rice to supermarket shelves, proving that scientific rigor can align with community and environmental benefits.