Dissemination pathways and impacts of low-carbon technologies on yields among Sawah rice farmers in Nigeria

Abstract

The activities related to dissemination pathways and impacts of low-carbon technologies on anthropogenic emissions among Sawah rice farmers in Nigeria were described. It shows that many practices associated with sawah technology can be categorized as low-carbon technology which is unwittingly adopted by rice farmers. Water management, alternate wetting and drying, rice intensification, planting green manure during the fallow season, and optimising fertiliser management practices are some of the sawah technology's features that are fully compatible with low-carbon technologies, while other features are only partially compatible. In terms of the mitigation potentials, Biochar, zero-waste systems of farming, and fertilization in double rice-cropping systems recorded the highest mitigation potentials with 7.24 to 8.43 t CO₂‑eq ha⁻¹, 6.1−11.1 t CO₂-eq ha⁻¹, and 4.1 t CO₂ e ha−1 yr⁻¹ respectively. The prominent pathways for dissemination are On-farm demonstrations and field days, farmer- to farmer, and expansion strategy for Sawah Eco Technology for rice farming. These practices have therefore established that sawah rice production technology contributes to the reduction of methane from rice fields and thus climate smart.

Keywords: Low-carbon technologies, yields, Sawah rice, mitigation, emission