Climate-Smart Agriculture: Transforming Rice Farming for a Greener Future

Climate Confident

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In this episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I’m joined by Dev Dalal and Xavi Laguarta, co-founders of Mitti Labs, for an insightful chat about the critical role of sustainable agriculture in combating climate change.
Dev and Xavi explain how traditional rice farming, particularly in India and Southeast Asia, is a significant source of methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas. We dive into how Mitti Labs is addressing this through innovative solutions like alternate wetting and drying, direct seeding of rice, and carbon credit incentivisation. These practices not only reduce emissions but also conserve water and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
One of the most compelling points we discuss is the importance of scaling these solutions. Dev and Xavi are clear that without large-scale adoption, the environmental impact will be limited. Their work, currently impacting over 30,000 farmers, is proof that this can be done effectively, and they share their vision of expanding into other Southeast Asian countries.
For anyone interested in the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and innovation, this episode offers practical insights into how we can make global food systems both more productive and more climate-friendly. Be sure to listen in to learn more about the exciting potential of climate-smart farming!

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Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper

Chapters

1. Climate-Smart Agriculture: Transforming Rice Farming for a Greener Future (00:00:00)

2. [Ad] Rumi.ai (00:27:40)

3. (Cont.) Climate-Smart Agriculture: Transforming Rice Farming for a Greener Future (00:28:29)