Improve Rice Production
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Economics
Authors: Project Drawdown
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This article examines how current rice production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, different techniques that make rice production more sustainable, and the potential benefits of widespread improvements.
- Students will learn that flooded rice paddies lead to methane emissions, that mid-season drainage is one technique that could make rice production more sustainable, and that applying sustainable methods to worldwide rice production can sequester many gigatons of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will enjoy seeing options for taking action based on the reader's role.
- This article is concise and easy to understand.
Prerequisites
- Students need to understand how methane emissions impact the Earth's climate.
- Students need to understand the process of decomposition.
- Some students may need the terms anaerobic, microbe, sequester, and others defined before reading the article.
- Some of the links under References may not work.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can use this article for a research project on how greenhouse gas emissions and food production are connected.
- Teachers can use this article as a conceptual introduction to different types of greenhouse gases and how each one contributes to climate change.
- Students can research the cultural history of rice production and discuss the complications associated with trying to change practices with strong cultural roots.
- This article can support a lesson on the environmental impact of various agricultural processes.
This article explores changing how rice is produced and cultivated as a climate solution. The article introduces a few different alternatives to the current method of rice cultivation. It acknowledges that rice is a prominent crop for many cultures worldwide. The article has the organization of a scientific paper, as it includes the introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion sections. The authors address the limitations of the study. This format makes this resource a simplified example of how scientific articles are often structured. The article acknowledges its resources. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
