-「Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company」
-Project aim to Create 28 Billion Yen Carbon Credit Market-
Green Carbon Inc (CEO: Jun Okita, hereinafter referred to as “Green Carbon”) is pleased to announce our collaboration with Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company (General Director: Nguyen Xuan Long) Vietnam, launching a methane gas reduction project through water management in a 30,000 ha rice paddy field, managed by the company.
◆Background story of Partnership Collaboration
According to the World Bank publishing in 2022 from the『Socialist Republic of Vietnam SPEARHEADING VIETNAM’S GREEN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION : Moving to LowCarbon Rice Agriculture and Food Global Practice』※1 Vietnam’s agricultural sector accounts for about 19% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, approximately 75% of total methane gas emissions from agriculture come from paddy fields, and the Vietnamese government is working to solve the urgent issue of reducing methane gas emissions from paddy fields. On the other hand, the total area of paddy fields in Vietnam is approximately 7 million hectares, or about three times the size of Japan. If a methane gas reduction project is implemented across the entire land, it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 28 million tons※2 and generate an economic impact of 28 billion yen※3 in terms of carbon credits.
Since June 2023, We have been conducting a demonstration experiment with Vietnam National University of Agriculture to reduce methane gas emissions from paddy fields. We have been verifying the reduction effect through the demonstration experiment over a period of about 4 months. This time, in collaboration with Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company, which manages irrigation facilities for paddy fields in Nghe An Province Vietnam, we will implement a methane gas reduction project in a 30,000 ha paddy field
▲Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company 訪問の様子
※1：https://vietnam.opendevelopmentmekong.net/announcements/report-spearheadingvietnams-green-agricultural-transformation-moving-to-low-carbon-rice/
※2：Calculated as a reduction of 4 tons of CO2 equivalent per hectare of paddy fields
※3：Calculated as 1,000 yen per ton
▲Large irrigation facilities
▲ Paddy fields in Nghe An Province
◆Project Overview
A method called AWD is used to reduce methane gas emissions from paddy fields. Specifically, the project will reduce methane gas emissions by repeatedly filling the paddy fields with water and drying them out every few days to suppress the activity of methanogenic bacteria in the soil. Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company will support the project in terms of water management, such as watering the paddy fields.
Difference between mid season drainage and AWD (Alternate Wetting and Drying)
“Extension of Drying Period in Paddy Rice Cultivation” methodology which is covered by the J-Credit Program, is a method of drying paddy fields by stopping water inflow for a few days. AWD, on the other hand, refers to a method in which water is supplied and natural drying is repeated every few days based on the water level of the paddy field, thereby reducing the amount of water used compared to the average mid season drainage method.
◆Future Developments
Implementation will begin in January 2024 on 5,000 ha and is planned to spread out to 30,000 ha by 2025. Green Carbon will collaborate with the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the Research Center for the Promotion of Organic Agriculture, and the Institute of Crop Research and Development, who will provide farmers with guidance on AWD, and general support and advice on rice cultivation, aiming to promote the AWD projects and increase rice crop yields.
◆Nghe An Province, Vietnam
Nghe An Province is located in North Central Vietnam, about an hour’s flight from Hanoi, and most of the province’s population is made up of farmers. The average annual income per capita is around US$1,604. In 2013, an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) supported the recovery of large irrigation facilities in the north and the development of a training center to strengthen irrigation facility maintenance.
◆Northern Nghe An Irrigation Management Limited Company
The state-owned company manages a large irrigation facility and training center that received support as part of the JICA ODA project mentioned above.