-Promoting efficiency in J-credit creation through the use of the Smart Cultivation Calendar®.-
(Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Satoshi Koike, President & CEO; hereinafter referred to as “Vegetalia”), which plans and operates the “Smart Cultivation Calendar® (for paddy rice),” a climate change-responsive and agricultural DX application, for the purpose of reducing paddy methane gas for J-credit generation.
◆Background of Collaboration
Green Carbon is developing a business that supports carbon credit creation, J-credit/voluntary credit registration, and sales in a single integrated process.
On March 1, 2023, the J-Credit Steering Committee approved a new methodology for “Extension of Mid-Drying Period* in Rice Cultivation,” which J-Credit defines as: 1) measuring emission reductions and the amount of carbon credit generated, and 2) requiring a 7-day extension of the mid-drying period from the average of the last two years. The following is a summary of the methodology.
While the efficiency of (1) has been improved through the development of a simulation tool that allows the measurement of emission reductions and the amount of carbon credits generated by entering the required five items, many farmers are concerned that extending the drying-out period will reduce yield and quality, so a decision was made to start the drying-out period at the appropriate time for each variety and region. However, many farmers were concerned that extending the drying period would reduce yield and quality.
By partnering with Smart Cultivation Calendar® (for paddy rice), a climate-responsive and agricultural DX application tool designed and operated by Vegetalia, it will be possible to monitor rice growth during the mid-drying period and determine the optimal period to extend mid-drying while minimizing the impact on yield and quality.
Taking advantage of this business collaboration between the two companies, the system will be expanded to rice paddy farmers nationwide, with the aim of achieving a nationwide reduction of 40,000 ha (120,000 t-CO2e) by 2025, following a demonstration of the system on approximately 4,000 ha (12,000 t-CO2e) in FY2023.
A new methodology for methane gas reduction and carbon credit generation by extending the period of drying out has been approved in J-Credit.
◆About Smart Cultivation Calendar
Due to the recent abnormal weather conditions, farmers are finding it difficult to cope with the conventional cultivation calendar (a cultivation calendar that shows the growth of each crop according to the region and its cultivation methods). In response to this situation, Vegetalia offers the Smart Growing Calendar®, a solution for reducing pesticides, chemical fertilizers, environmental concerns, and climate change, based on its accumulated knowledge and experience in smart agriculture.
In addition to algorithms that maximize quality and yield, the Smart Crop Almanac® system enables methane reduction through water management. The system aims to realize reduction of methane production by keeping the soil as aerobic as possible while minimizing the impact on rice growth, and by controlling the amount and timing of organic matter input.
Main Characteristics (1) [Achieving both methane gas reduction (extension of medium-dry season) and securing yield and quality].
The average number of days (target value) of the most recent two or more years of implementation and the water level for the current year are displayed in an easy-to-understand manner on a graph.
The status of paddy drying can be checked at a glance.
The AI growth monitoring (grass length, number of stems, SPAD), field environment measurements (air temperature, water temperature, soil temperature), sunlight status, amount of rainfall, and field cameras enable constant monitoring of the growth status, allowing more precise monitoring of the growth status, making decisions on when to start drying out, and judging when to add fertilizer and finish drying out based on growth monitoring during the drying out period. This allows us to increase income through the acquisition and sale of J-credits and reduce the risk of reduced income by extending the drying-out period.
Main Feature (2) [Support for “Visualization” label for greenhouse gas reduction under the Green Food System Strategy
Along with effective water management of paddy fields, we provide support for label acquisition through fertilizer information management and input management of materials necessary for acquiring the “Visualization” label, such as biochar application, reduction of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides, etc.