Participating organizations
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Context
Rice is one of the world’s staple crops – accounting for over 20% of human calorie requirements. At the same time, rice is responsible for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, 12% of methane emissions and 40% of the world’s irrigation water use due to the common practice of field flooding.1 India is a key player in national and global food security: it has the largest area under rice cultivation and is the second largest producer and a key exporter of rice globally. However, its production is confronting the effects of climate change and water scarcity. Rice cultivation in India faces challenges including water scarcity, climate change, soil degradation, labor shortages and issues with stubble management. The water-intensive nature of paddy farming contributes to groundwater depletion. Climate change impacts yields through erratic weather patterns and increasing temperatures.2
of human calorie requirements are met by rice
of global greenhouse gas emissions are from rice
of methane emissions are from rice
of the world’s irrigation water is used for rice
Key facts
Ambition
DirectAcres started as a proof of concept on 100 hectares in 2021. Leading agrichemical company Bayer officially launched it at the 6th International Rice Congress in Manila in 2023. DirectAcres combines the vision to support the modernization and mechanization of rice cultivation in India, which relies on back-breaking transplanting of the rice seedlings from nurseries to flooded fields, with the mitigation of environmental challenges. The program supports farmers in the switch from the resource-intensive cultivation practice of transplanted paddy rice (TPR) to the sustainable practice of mechanized dry direct seeded rice (DSR). This practice improves economic outcomes, reduces farmers’ physical burden and minimizes environmental impacts. DirectAcres aspires to support the adoption of direct seeding on 1 million hectares in India by 2032, benefitting up to 2 million farmers.
DirectAcres started as a multidisciplinary project across Bayer’s research and development (R&D), digital, commercial and strategy teams. It is an excellent example of a private sector-led initiative scaled in collaboration with critical partners, including farmer producer organizations, the Indian government, the IRRI and other service providers.
DirectAcres aspires to support the adoption of direct seeding on
hectares in India by 2032
The program at a glance
Farmers enroll in DirectAcres via Bayer’s FarmRise mobile application. As part of the program, they receive a tailored package of high-yielding hybrid seeds, a reliable weed management solution, agronomic advice and access to mechanization services such as sowing machines. In this way, DirectAcres guides farmers in the transition to DSR, addressing their key concerns and helping them succeed in the transition in their first attempt.
Direct seeded rice is a crop establishment system wherein farmers sow rice seeds directly into the field, as opposed to the traditional method of growing seedlings in a nursery, then transplanting them into flooded fields. Compared to the conventional transplanted puddled rice method prevalent in Asia, DSR drives faster planting, is more conducive to mechanization and less labor intensive, conserves water and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The rice crop matures early, enabling farmers to plant the following crop in time, helping avoid burning from crop residues.3
By promoting the transition to mechanized, direct seeded rice, DirectAcres mitigates key social, economic and environmental risks in rice-producing Indian landscapes, particularly labor shortages, drudgery, high demand for irrigation in water-scarce areas and high methane emissions due to anaerobic conditions in flooded fields.
Credits: Bayer
Leveraging public investments in agriculture
DirectAcres, conceptualized and commercialized by Bayer, works in collaboration with the Indian government and leverages public investments to support agricultural modernization. The program uses the mechanization services and incentives provided under the Sub Mission on Agricultural Mechanization. This national scheme aims to increase the reach of agricultural mechanization among smallholder farmers through the provision of agricultural machinery at preferential prices. In the states of Punjab and Haryana, DirectAcres farmers also benefit from cash incentives provided by the state governments to accelerate the transition from transplanted paddy rice to direct seeded rice.
Mechanization services represent a critical lever in the wider adoption of direct seeded rice in India and are thus essential to further scaling up DirectAcres. While government incentives have motivated farmers in their journey towards DSR, further scaling DirectAcres will require an innovative financing mechanism to accelerate mechanization and continued capacity building efforts to ensure the widespread adoption of sowing and harvesting machinery across the country’s ricescapes.
Farmer-to-farmer peer learning
DirectAcres is a farmer-centric program, with training, peer learning and farmer-to-farmer networks and demonstrations in the field as key drivers of adoption and scale. A formal partnership between Bayer and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) delivers the program. The two work together to develop resource-efficient and climate-resilient agricultural solutions, as well as to promote mechanization. Together with Bayer, the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) – ICAR’s extension services network – provided 46 field demonstrations in 8 provinces during the 2024 season, which
Table 2: TPR vs DSR
proved instrumental in training farmers in the adoption of new practices and machinery.
Simultaneously, farmer producer organizations (FPOs) and a Bayer ForwardFarm partner – a member of a global knowledge-sharing network specialized in regenerative agricultural practices – in India serve as program ambassadors and champions and play a crucial role in disseminating it. The Bayer FarmRise mobile application provides additional knowledge and expertise, including step-by-step video tutorials, up-to-date advice in many local languages, and the possibility to ask questions through a chatbot.
DirectAcres regularly runs internal and third-party customer surveys with farmers implementing the program as a feedback mechanism. These surveys allow for program upgrading and improvements over time, ensuring it is tailored to producers’ needs and implementation realities.
Generating proof-points
Bayer partners with IRRI – a globally recognized research partner – to generate scientifically sound proof-points on the economic and environmental benefits of DSR. IRRI and Bayer run field trials to measure the impact of shifting from transplanted paddy rice to direct seeded rice on water productivity, soil health, GHG reductions, yield and farmer economics. This study is ongoing, with Bayer and IRRI planning for a peer-reviewed research publication focusing on the outcomes of DSR.
Additionally, DirectAcres leverages data generated by The Good Rice Alliance – a joint venture between Bayer, Shell, Mitsubishi Corporation and Temasek’s GenZero investment platform. The Alliance runs gas chamber measurements on methane and nitrous oxide to determine GHG emissions reductions when shifting from TPR to other rice cultivation methods, such as DSR. The Good Rice Alliance is in the process of getting the project validated for the issuing of carbon credits using the Verra methodology.
“I have observed that in DSR, the roots of the plant go deep and spread wider. The strength of the root system is reducing the problem of the plants falling over. In puddled paddy fields, we repeatedly plough and run the tillage equipment to create a hard layer in the soil. However, in DSR this is not the case, so the physical structure of the soil remains intact. As a result, the subsequent crops produce 10–15 % more.”
– Jasbir, grower in Haryana
Table 3: Objectives and progress monitored per impact area
Endnotes
1 WBCSD (2023). RICE+ hub for regenerative ricescapes – Mission paper. Retrieved from: https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/rice-hub-for-regenerative-ricescapes-mission-paper/?submitted=true.
2 Earth Security Group (2019). Financing Sustainable Rice for a Secure Future: Innovative Finance Partnerships for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation. Retrieved from: https://earthsecuritygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ESG-Financing-Sustainable-Rice.pdf.
3 WBCSD (2023). RICE+ hub for regenerative ricescapes – Mission paper. Retrieved from: https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/rice-hub-for-regenerative-ricescapes-mission-paper/?submitted=true.
