Exciting news from Manila, Philippines! On UN World Food Day, Bayer made a groundbreaking announcement at the 6th International Rice Congress. They revealed their new direct-seeded rice (DSR) system, which has the potential to revolutionize rice cultivation as we know it.
The switch from transplanted puddled rice to direct-seeded rice can have a huge impact. The DSR system can help farmers reduce water use by up to 40 percent, cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45 percent, and decrease their dependence on manual labor by up to 50 percent, all while producing more rice!
The potential of this new system is astounding. It’s projected that 75 percent of rice fields in India will adopt this method by 2040. Bayer aims to bring the DSR system to one million hectares in India by 2030, supporting over two million smallholder rice farmers through their DirectAcres program.
DirectAcres has already shown great success in India, with 99 percent of farmers achieving successful plant establishment and 75 percent seeing a higher return on investment compared to traditional methods. This program will soon make its way to the Philippines, with even more countries in the Asia Pacific region to follow.
Bayer’s Head of Strategy & Sustainability, Frank Terhorst, is optimistic about the future of regenerative agriculture and the positive impact it can have on global food security. He sees this new system as a fantastic opportunity to make a difference.
Rice farming is evolving, thanks to Bayer’s innovative approach. By utilizing advanced R&D, climate-resilient rice hybrids are being developed to thrive in different farm environments and deliver higher yields. This, paired with crop protection solutions and digital platforms like FarmRise, is set to empower farmers to make informed decisions and increase their productivity.
