Launch of Rice Paddy Methane Emissions Reduction Project in Cambodia
―Expanding to the Asian Monsoon Region and Challenging International Rule-Making―

On September 26, 2024 (Thu), JIRCAS hosted a commemorative ceremony in Phnom Penh, the capital city of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to mark the launch of the Rice Paddy Methane Emissions Reduction Project."

This project targets the Damnak Ampil Irrigation Area in Pursat Province, where irrigation and drainage facilities have been developed through Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). It aims to develop wide-area water management techniques to reduce methane emissions while maintaining rice yields and methods for monitoring and evaluating greenhouse gas reductions. The outcomes will be utilized in the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) to help Cambodia achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for greenhouse gas reduction.

The project details are as follows:

• Title of Research Project: Development and Social Implementation of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Technologies in Paddy Fields of West Tonle Sap Lake by Establishing a Large Paddy Area Water Management System
• Implementation Period: Five years (from April 2024)
• Representative Institution (Japan): JIRCAS
• Representative Institution (Cambodia): Royal University of Agriculture
• Collaborative Research Institutions: 5 institutes in Japan (NARO, Tokyo Gakugei University, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kyushu University), 1 institute in Cambodia (Institute of Technology of Cambodia)
• Cooperating Institutions: 4 institutes in Japan (Japan Association for International Collaboration of Agriculture and Forestry, Green Carbon Inc., Kubota Corporation, EarthShift Global Asia LLC)

The ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Cambodia; the Rector of the Royal University of Agriculture; the Deputy Director General of the Institute of Technology of Cambodia; an official from the Embassy of Japan in Cambodia; the Deputy Director of the JICA Cambodia Office; the Director of the Overseas Land Improvement Technology Office, Rural Development Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan; executives from JIRCAS; and the Director of the Research Promotion Department, Rural Engineering Research Division, NARO. They delivered congratulatory addresses and expressed their expectations for the project, and both countries confirmed their commitment to working together to achieve and implement the research results.

To mark the project's launch, an international workshop was held on September 27 (Fri), with experts from Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, as well as international organizations (Asian Development Bank, Mekong River Commission) participating. This workshop is expected to promote the developed technologies in the Asian monsoon region and build networks for international rule-making.

Rice cultivation is common in the Asian monsoon region, including Cambodia, and methane emissions from rice paddies are a major source of greenhouse gases. JIRCAS is conducting research to further promote the reduction of methane emissions from rice paddies through intermittent irrigation in the region, in alignment with Japan's "Green Food System Strategy," the "Japan-ASEAN Green Cooperation Plan," and the "Global Methane Pledge," among other climate change mitigation measures in the agricultural sector.

• JIRCAS President: KOYAMA Osamu
  Research Promotion Leader:
  • Program Director: HAYASHI Keiichi (Environment Program)
• Research Staff:
  • IZUMI Taro, WATANABE Mamoru, SHINDO Soji (Rural Development Division)
  • MINAMIKAWA Kazunori (Crop, Livestock and Environment Division)
• Press Coordinator:
  • OMORI Keisuke (Head, Information and Public Relations Office)
    Press e-mail: koho-jircas@ml.affrc.go.jp