Towards Green Agriculture: Insights from Rice Hero App Testing
Rice Hero is an initiative by Oxfam in Vietnam to help farmers and businesses improve sustainable production processes towards low-emission labeling for rice products. According to the latest pilot results with 2,000 farming households in An Giang in 2023, it takes farmers less than 10 minutes to measure emissions from rice cultivation using the Rice Hero app on their phones.
The app simplifies the process by requiring users to input basic details like the size of the cultivation area, rice variety, planting schedule, and inputs such as water and fertilizer. Test results show that the app has an accuracy of up to 99.7% compared to the calculation formula of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a low margin of error under 10% compared to standard measurement methods.
Mr. Trinh Cong Minh, a farmer in An Giang, is one of the 2,000 small-scale producers that participated in the Rice Hero pilot
“I input what I use for the crop into the app. For example, 5 kg of fertilizer, a water level of 5 cm, and so on. The app then automatically calculates the emissions”, Mr. Trinh Cong Minh, a farmer in An Giang, confidently shares. Having attended training on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and learning how to use the app, he now takes only 2 minutes for each measurement, doing so four times per crop cycle.
Mr. Luong Dinh Lan, Senior Manager of the Secured Livelihoods and Resilient Communities Program, Oxfam in Vietnam sharing about the app on channel VTV1
Rice Hero offers valuable data for regulatory bodies to monitor and manage agricultural emissions effectively. This contributes to informed advisory services that aim to lower emissions while improving farming profitability. The application also provides a data history as a foundation for the commercialization of carbon credits in the future.
One of Vietnam's goals is to commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020. Rice production contributes 50% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector in Vietnam. Therefore, focusing on measuring and reducing emissions in rice production and processing is an important direction for the emission reduction goal. Oxfam accompanies people, businesses, and the government on the journey towards net zero.
