Climate-smart rice production approaches for sustainable agriculture

Mechanized DSR offers multiple benefits that enable early rice harvesting, timely sowing of seeds, and higher yields of succeeding crops such as wheat, chickpea, and mustard. (Photo: ISARC)

Developing climate-smart rice production technologies offers a promising strategy to combat climate change, increase rice yields, achieve sustainable agriculture, and help ensure long-term food security. These climate-smart technologies play a crucial role in mitigating climate risks while simultaneously becoming economically viable and reducing environmental footprints.

Rice, a staple cereal in the diets of more than half of the global population, including over 60% of India’s population relying on it as a primary food source. However, its production is confronting a multitude of obstacles. India ranks as the world’s second-leading producer of rice after China, contributing 24% to the global rice yield, but this sector faces a wide range of challenges that need to be addressed.