Energy Food Nexus: Case of Rice production in Mekong Region Dr. Abdul Salam Associate Professor Energy Field of Study Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Thailand 1
Presentation Outline Rationale Objective Research Methodology Stages in rice production Classification of energy inputs in rice production GHG emission from rice production Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) applicable to rice production 2
Rationale Rice provides about 60% of dietary calories to more than 3 billion people and globally it is the second most cultivated cereal after wheat. By the year 2025, it is estimated that it will be necessary to produce 60% more rice than what is currently produced (Biomass Now, 2013). 95% of the world s rice is grown in less developed nations, with 44.1% of the world s rice produced in the Greater Mekong Sub region (GMS region) (FAOSTAT, 2015). In the GMS, agriculture contributes over 40% of the GDP and provides employment to as much as 75% of the population. Thailand and Vietnam are two of the large exporter of rice in the Mekong region In the case of Vietnam, 75% of the populations are farmers with 60% being rice farmers 3
Rationale (cont.) Food sector accounts for 30% of the global energy consumption, met largely with fossil fuels (FAO, 2011) Rice production and agriculture in general is increasingly becoming energy intensive with the use of modern technologies and fertilizers Climate change without adaptation will negatively impact production of major crops (rice, wheat and maize) due to local temperature increase by 2 C. Ex: rice yields in Cambodia could fall by 5% by 2020 (ADB, 2014). Integration of renewable energy in the rice food chain could contribute to food security objectives Bioenergy development, when sustainably and efficiently managed, can positively affect both energy and food security. 4
Objective of Research Objective 1: Analyse current energy and food nexus in the case of rice production in the Mekong Region and estimate the relevant GHG emissions through-out its life-cycle. Objective 2: Identify possible options for substituting the present energy usage by renewable energy sources, especially, using residues and waste generated during rice production and estimate their the GHG emission reduction potential. The Greater Mekong region that covers 5 countries 5
Research Methodology Objective 1: 1. Identification of different types of Rice production practices in the GMS region 2. Understanding and mapping of energy usage during the lifecycle of rice production. 3. Identification of renewable and non-renewable energy input and estimate the GHG emission. Objective 2: 1. Identification of improved rice production practices and their applicability in the GMS region. 2. Identification and assessment of adaptation of efficient technologies and Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) in rice production process and their impact, i.e. GHG emission reduction, Income generation etc. 6
Different types of Rice production systems in the GMS region Rice is produced in a large diversity of agro ecological systems: 7
Different types of Rice production systems in the GMS region (cont.) Irrigated lowlands occupy 75% of world rice production In Thailand, Laos and Cambodia rice is grown mostly as a mono-crop in the rain-fed lowlands Deep-water rice and floating rice are grown on the floodplains and deltas of river such as Irrawaddy of Myanmar, the Mekong of Vietnam and Cambodia, and the Chao Phraya of Thailand. Area (000 ha) under Irrigated and rainfed lowland rice in South East Asia (Area- 000 ha) (Source: Rice in Southeast Asia, Susan et. Al, 2002) 8
Stages in Rice production Rice production is an energy intensive process, every step of which requires energy input. Thus it is required to understand the different stages in rice production: Land Preparation Planting Water Management Fertilizer Ploughing Tilling Clod crushing and smoothening Puddling Seed selection Nursery Planting Preparing bunds. Pump water Transportation of manure Application of manure Transportation of fertilizer Application of fertilizer Post Harvesting Harvesting Nutrient Management Drying Milling Transport Storing Manual harvesting Mechanical harvesting Weeding/ weeding's application Application of pesticides Application of growth regulator Application of micronutrients 9
Stages in Rice Production Land preparation : Wet preparation or dry preparation to ensure that the rice field is ready for planting which typically involves: a) ploughing to "till", mix, and overturn the soil; b) harrowing to break the soil clods into smaller mass and incorporate plant residue, and c) levelling the field Initial ploughing with water buffalo (from left) or mechanised systems (to the 10 right)
Stages in Rice Production Seeding and Planting: Many Asian countries haven t mechanized their farming practices, seeds are sown by hand Seeds can also be sown by machines called a drill that place seed in the ground Seedlings are manually transplanted depending on the labour availability or it is mechanized Manual seeding (left) and drum seeding (right) which is less labour intensive Manual planting (left) and Machine Planting (right) 11
Stages in Rice Production Fertilizing and Nutrient Management: Chemical fertilizers are widely used by farmers. They are spread manually in the Mekong region. Weed control is done either manually, mechanically or chemically to maintain the health of the plants. Manual weeding is labour intensive and environmentally sound. However mechanical weeding and chemical weeding are cost effective and are generally used if labour availability is low. Different weeding techniques manual (left), mechanical (middle) and chemical (right) 12
Stages in Rice Production Harvesting: Harvesting consists of cutting, threshing, and cleaning. These activities can be done in individual steps or in combination using a combine harvester. Manual harvesting is the most common method in Asia. This method includes cutting the rice crop by simple hand tools like the sickle (best for cutting 15 25 cm above ground level), and simple hand-held knives (best for cutting just below the panicle) Mechanical cutting uses reapers, though this is not widely used in Asia. Reapers are hand-driven or mounted on the front of a tractor. A reaper with a cutting-width of 1.5 m can operate at a rate of 2 to 4 ha per day Manual harvesting of rice with sickle Mechanized harvesting of rice with hand driven reapers 13
Stages in Rice Production Post harvesting: Drying: Sun drying is the traditional method for reducing the moisture content (MC) of paddy. Heated air drying or mechanical drying is used to obtain better quality of rice compared to sun drying. Medium-sized grain dryers are commonly used throughout Asia. In-store drying is the ideal second stage drying method because the slow and gentle drying process maintains the grain quality and low energy requirement leads to low energy cost. In recent years in-store drying has become popular in Thailand as the second stage drying method Different drying techniques, sun drying (left), mechanized air drying (middle) and secondary in-store drying (right) 14
Stages in Rice Production Post harvesting: Milling: A rice milling system can be a simple one or two step process, or a multi stage process. In a one step milling process, husk and bran removal are done in one pass and milled or white rice is produced directly out of paddy. In a two step process, removing husk and removing bran are done separately, and brown rice is produced as an intermediate product. In multistage milling, rice will undergo a number of different processing steps. Depending on whether the paddy is milled in the village for local consumption or for the marketing. Village milling: hand pounding of paddy in a mortar with a pestle Commercial milling done in different stages called multi-stage or multi pass rice mills. 15
Classification of Energy inputs in Rice Production Energy input in agriculture is classified as: Direct energy sources are labour energy, tractor and/or other implement/machinery used for the particular operation and electric/diesel motors to run water pump; Ex: Power of machinery for tillage, harvesting and pumping, Drying of crops, Milling of rice, Transporting. Indirect energy sources include seed of high yield varieties, fertilizers and chemicals used in the production process; Ex:Manufacture and repair of farm machinery, Manufacture and packaging and transport of fertilizer Renewable sources include human, labour, manure and seed; Non-renewable sources include diesel, electricity, 16 chemicals, fertilizers, machinery;
Energy input in Rice Production Example: Energy inputs to three sizes of lowland rice farm in Central Thailand (Source: GIZ, 2013) 17
Direct and Indirect Energy Consumption Under Different Tillage options (MJ/ha) for Rice Production (Source: GIZ, 2013) 18
GHG emission from Rice Production System boundary of each stage to understand the GHG emission of Rice production during life cycle (Source: Yoshikawa et. Al., undated) 19
GHG emission from Rice Production From a study done in Ghana show that approximately Approximately 477 kg CO 2 equivalents of greenhouse gas is emitted per hectare of rice production. The total diesel usage is 46.1 kg of fuel per hectare. 20
Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) applicable to Rice Production (1) Biomass: Resources available for Biomass Energy: Region Rice production (million tonnes)* Estimated rice straw (million tonnes) ** Estimated rice husk (million tonnes) *** Asia 671.02 805.22 107.36 Africa 28.742 34.49 4.60 Europe 3.895 4.67 0.62 Oceania 1.172 1.41 0.19 Americas 36.08 43.296 5.77 World 740.91 889.09 118.55 (Source: FAOSTAT, 2014) **RPR of 1.5, ***RPR of 0.2, collection ration of 80% Rice straw ~ 3 kg Rice Straw can produce 1 kwh ofelectricity Rice husk ~ 2 kg Rice Husk is equivalent to 1 kwh electricity 21
RETs applicable to Rice Production (1)Biomass: Rice residues can be used to produce the following: Rice straw as feedstock for bio-ethanol to replace diesel Rice husk and Rice straw as feedstock for gasification for heating and electricity production The liquid biofuel obtained from rice straw can be substitutes in any activity where diesel fuel is used Ex: Tractors for land preparation, harvesting machines, post harvest activities such as milling and drying and transporting 22
RETs applicable to Rice Production (2) Solar Energy: The Mekong region being in the tropics has abundance of solar radiation throughout the year to support rice production process. Solar energy can support in the following stages: Pumping to support irrigation and reduce dependence on grid electricity or fossil fuel. Drying of paddy during post harvest. Electrification in the mills Identified Technologies Solar Photo-Voltaic Solar based pumping (offers a cost-effective alternative to pump sets that run on grid electricity or diesel) Solar dryers 23
RETs applicable to Rice Production (3) Micro-Hydro power: Mekong region has number of irrigation canals and streams which are used as sources for small and micro hydro power generation. Electricity produced from the hydro power can be used to operate harvesting machines Electricity can also be used for pumps during irrigations Electricity produced can be used for weeding and spraying activities Benefits Compared to solar energy and biomass energy, micro-hydro is less capital intensive Small scale farmers can easily generate electricity not only for their farms but also for their household activities 24
Regional Forum on Climate Change (RFCC) Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Societies: Bridging Science, Practice and Policy Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Conference Center, Thailand July 1 3, 2015 Objectives: Provide a platform for discussions to ease the translation of science into practice and policy Offer ASEAN negotiators a venue to build positions of increased ambition prior to the COP21 Core contents: Presentations on Contemporary scientific research on climate change related topics On-the-ground evidence (case studies) of climate change mitigation and adaptation Current and proposed national (or regional and international) policy initiatives Special content: Science and climate change-call for research proposals COP21 media training ASEAN scholars Program Asian Working Group on Climate Change round-table discussions (closed) Side events (e.g. LoCARNet)
Regional Forum on Climate Change (RFCC) Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Societies: Bridging Science, Practice and Policy Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) Conference Center, Thailand Keynote speakers: July 1 3, 2015 José Ramos-Horta Nicolas Hulot (to be confirmed) Saleemul Huq Nobel Laureate, 1996 Climate Adviser to French President Burtoni Award Winner, 2007 Important dates: Deadline for receiving abstracts: 15 April 2015 Deadline for applications for ASEAN Scholars Program: 15 March 2015 More information: Website: www.rfcc2015.ait.asia Email: rfcc2015@ait.asia
Thank you 27