The government partnered with the International Rice Research Institute (Irri) for a two-year project that aims to develop technologies using rice straw as part of efforts to improve the income of Filipino farmers.
The Philippine Rice Research Institute, Philippine Carabao Center, and the Irri launched the Sustainable Rice Straw Management for Bioenergy, Food, and Feed in the Philippines program for localized and sustainable rice straw management solutions in the country.
“It is very exciting to see how we are taking further steps, through strong collaboration with our Philippine partners, to find ways to manage rice by-products, for optimal resource-use efficiency in farms in the most environmentally sustainable manner. This is very crucial for us to achieve a sustainable impact in rice–based ecosystems,” Jon Hellin, Irri platform leader on Sustainable Impact, said in a statement.
There is a perceived “poor value” on rice straw in the Philippines because of its difficulty in collection and lack of opportunities to be used as an additional source of income, according to the Irri.
Although the profusion of rice straw can be used for profiting like mushroom production, composting and using it as feed for animals, about 60 percent to 80 percent of rice straw is burned in the open fields by farmers for easier management, the Irri said.
This method of rice straw management, according to the Irri, contributes to greenhouse-gas emission and air pollution.“We must create incentives for farmers to stop burning and to do this under the umbrella of enabling legislative framework,” Hellin said.
The two-year public-private partnership program is funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research.