The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has brought together government agencies, researchers and development partners in Dhaka for a two-day workshop aimed at strengthening Bangladesh’s capacity to measure, report and verify greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation.
The workshop, held on October 27–28, focuses on developing a national measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system and advancing a methane mitigation roadmap for the rice sector.
Organized under the Accelerating the Scaling of Low-emissions Rice Production in Southeast Asia (AcceLER) project and CGIAR’s Climate Action and Scaling for Impact science programs, the event seeks to improve emissions tracking and institutional coordination.
Rice cultivation supports approximately 13 million farming households in Bangladesh but is also a major source of agricultural methane emissions.
Addressing the workshop, Agriculture Secretary Md Salim Khan emphasized the need to reduce emissions without compromising food security or farmers’ livelihoods.
“What we cannot measure, we cannot manage,” he said, adding that a transparent MRV system would strengthen Bangladesh’s greenhouse gas inventory and reporting under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), while creating opportunities for climate finance.
Department of Agricultural Extension Director General Md Abdur Rahim stressed the importance of reliable data systems for expanding climate-smart agricultural practices and accessing international climate finance.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute Director General Dr Md Rafiqul Islam said the proposed MRV system must be cost-effective, scalable and transparent.
He identified alternate wetting and drying (AWD), climate-smart rice varieties, improved fertilizer management, direct-seeded rice and better residue management as potential measures to reduce emissions.
IRRI Bangladesh Country Representative Dr Humnath Bhandari highlighted the potential of digital MRV systems to provide reliable emissions data at farm, project and national levels.
IRRI Senior Scientist Dr Bjoern Ole Sander said research had identified practical approaches to reducing emissions from rice production, emphasizing methane’s contribution to global warming and ground-level ozone formation.
Technical discussions examined existing agricultural reporting systems, institutional responsibilities, data gaps and a proposed national MRV framework.
Participants also reviewed experiences from Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in promoting low-emission rice cultivation.
The workshop includes practical greenhouse gas quantification exercises using IRRI tools, alongside discussions on remote sensing, digital data management and institutional requirements.
Organizers said the initiative aims to support Bangladesh in developing a coordinated, science-based system for monitoring agricultural emissions and implementing low-emission rice production practices.