Context
Agriculture is the second largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector in Thailand and is also highly vulnerable to adverse climate change effects. The Thai rice sector is not only responsible for almost 55% of Thailand’s emissions from agricultural activities but is also the world’s fourth largest emitter of rice-related GHGs – mainly methane.
The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), a multi-stakeholder platform convened by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the international Rice Research Institute created a voluntary standard and successfully pilot tested it to produce sustainable rice. This SRP Standard provides a framework for enhanced farming practices, leading to higher net profits, increased yields, enhanced food safety and lower GHG emissions. In irrigated rice cultivation, switching from conventional farming practices to Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) on laser land-levelled fields can significantly reduce methane emissions.
Goals and approach to transformational change
The project “Thailand – Low-Emission Rice (‘Thai Rice’)” enabled a shift towards low-emission rice production in Thailand through a combination of three core components: 1) enabling farmers to implement low-emission rice farming, 2) supporting entrepreneurs in providing mitigation services (i.e. land laser levelling) and 3) supporting policy formulation and measures promoting low-emission rice production at the national political level (i.e. the development of the “Good Agricultural Practices” – GAP ++ Standard). The project reached over 97,000 farming households and 92 agricultural mitigation service providers in the Central Plains of Thailand. The project worked with farmers and farmers’ associations as well as external service providers in adapting advanced farming practices and developing respective incentive schemes, including financial support.
Components and support mechanisms
The financial mechanism was based on concessional loans and a subsidy element provided for service providers and a grant subsidy element for farmers. The project generated an additional EUR 13.2 million direct financial investments from the private sector and the Royal Thai Government.
Long-term impact
The project intervention resulted in reduced greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect) amounting to 1,923,125 tCO2e. It directly benefitted 446,200 people. The potential for transformational change, measured by the degree to which the supported activities catalyse impacts, was rated at 3. Additionally, the project mobilised EUR 9,011,657 public finance for carbon-neutral investment and development, and EUR 5,392,189 of private finance for the same purpose.
Visit the Thai-German Cooperation webpage to learn more about the project.
