Rice Methane Action Alliance

Scaling Business-Driven Climate Action in Rice Agriculture 

WBCSD has launched the Rice Methane Action Alliance (RMA) in 2025, which aims to mobilize and scale business-driven actions and co-investments to accelerate the global transition to low-emission and climate-resilient rice cultivation at field-level (for landscape-level considerations see the linked Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative: SRLI). The Alliance links corporate ambition with practical information about methodologies and tools relevant to rice fields, ensuring that technical guidance yields impactful outcomes for climate, nature and farming livelihoods. This is done in full alignment with core outcomes and indicators for regenerative agriculture and sustainable land use outcomes and indicators, developed by WBCSD and its partners.

Action and Accountability Guidance for Field-Level Uptake

As part of its commitment to actionable impact, the Rice Methane Action Alliance has developed a comprehensive Guidance Report titled ‘Action and Accountability in Cutting Rice Methane Across Agri-Food Value Chains: Scalable Strategies for Business Implementation and Impact’. This resource consolidates best practices, scientific evidence, and implementation frameworks to support the practical adoption of low-emission rice cultivation methods.

This guidance aims to support companies and organizations across the rice value chain in advancing low-emission and resilient rice production systems, with a particular emphasis on reducing methane emissions. It responds to growing demands for clarity, consistency, and action in aligning rice sector efforts with global climate goals, emissions reduction targets and action planning. The guidance is for all companies and implementing partners across the rice value chain involved with scaling low-emission rice production.

The ‘Action and Accountability in Cutting Rice Methane Across Agri-Food Value Chains: scalable strategies for business implementation and impact’. The Guidance report can be downloaded here.

Download the guidance

1.

The Challenge

Conventionally flooded rice fields are a major contributor to global methane emissions, responsible for an estimated 12% of global methane releases. These emissions stem from anaerobic decomposition processes in waterlogged fields and are shaped by a complex interplay of water management practices, organic inputs, soil composition, and climatic conditions. 

Because methane is both potent and short-lived in the atmosphere, reducing methane emissions from rice cultivation constitutes one of the most strategic and immediate levers for climate action within the agricultural sector, while simultaneously delivering a host of environmental and socio-economic co-benefits. 

2.

The Business Case

Transitioning to sustainable rice production systems is not solely an environmental imperative; it is also a compelling proposition for the private sector.

Through the Rice Methane Action Alliance, WBCSD harnesses:

• The influence of corporate leadership and global supply chains;
• Harmonised Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) standards; and
• Innovative blended finance models to unlock and scale investment in sustainable landscapes.

This approach empowers companies to fulfil their climate and nature-related commitments, whilst fostering greater supply chain resilience and enhancing the well-being of farming communities.

3.

The Solution

Mobilizing and scaling up business-driven actions and co-investments to accelerate the transition to low-emissions and resilient rice production systems that benefit farming livelihoods, food security, climate and nature. 

1. The Challenge 2. The Business Case 3. The Solution

Action Areas & Key Outcomes

The Alliance focuses on 3 prioritized action areas that engages corporate rice supply chains:

Action Area 1:

CONVERGE on defining low-emissions rice and MRV best practices

Harmonizing low-emissions and resilient rice guidance, disclosures, & MRV transition action planning.

Action Area 2:

ADOPTION to drive collective actions across value chain

Facilitating uptake of the Technical Guidance, action plan implementation and reporting, and promoting innovative actions and knowledge-sharing across the rice value chain.

Action Area 3:

CO-INVEST to accelerate collective investments for low-emissions rice

Catalyzing public-private co-investment partnerships across the rice value chain in priority countries and landscapes, incl. via SRLI. 

Priority countries identified to date include: China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia. 

Supported by WBCSD-involved initiatives with regional co-investment opportunities for rice incl. the Sustainable Rice Landscapes Initiative (SRLI) and its Blended Finance Facility for resilient rice in Asia.