Aiming to reduce GHG emissions in the rice industry, leading Asian retailer, DFI Retail Group has launched a low-carbon rice cultivation pilot programme in 2024 in Thailand

DFI seeks to promote the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices and enhance environmental awareness among its supply chains. This innovative programme successfully produced 110,000kg of certified low-carbon rice in 2024, achieving a minimum 30% reduction in GHG emissions on the rice fields compared to conventional cultivation methods.

Rice constitutes one of DFI's top Scope 3 product categories, accounting for approximately 6% of total Scope 3 emissions based on 2023 data. Traditional rice farming involves flooding fields for extended periods, which creates anaerobic conditions in the soil. This lack of oxygen allows microbes to release methane into the atmosphere, significantly impacting climate change.

In response, DFI collaborated with agricultural experts, the Thai government, and researchers to develop a low-carbon rice cultivation programme. The pilot programme partnered with 30 local farmers to implement sustainable farming techniques. These include:

• Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD): The programme uses an irrigation technique called AWD, reducing flooding to about 10 days. This approach not only conserves water, but also reduces methane emissions while maintaining production yields.
• Straw burning prohibition: Farmers were provided support to eliminate open-field burning of rice straw, significantly reducing carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.
• Soil and fertiliser management: Soil quality and fertiliser application were closely monitored, with guidance from agricultural experts. Soil samples were also analysed to optimise nutrient use and minimise nitrous oxide emissions.

"Beyond value and quality, we are committed to sustainability. This programme exemplifies our dedication to pursuing sustainable goals," said group chief Legal, Governance and Corporate Affairs officer, Erica Chan. "We wish to influence the industry, our stakeholders across the value chain to take collective action towards a sustainable future." 

Following the installation of several agricultural plants in recent years, WELTEC BIOPOWER has now reported an order for a 450 kW plant from the agricultural sector as well as a 250 kW biogas plant in Yamagata Prefecture, with an additional WELTEC BLUE WATER treatment, which is currently being implemented

Thanks to its many years of project experience in earthquake zones – in Japan and Greece – WELTEC BIOPOWER is able to adapt its technical solutions to seismically active areas in the shortest possible time using special structural engineering. Yamagata Prefecture has two digesters available to feed 80 tons of cattle manure per day. This is used to exclusively generate electricity and heat in the 250 kW plant. 

WELTEC's scope of supply also includes two storage tanks, a pump container, a separation unit and the combined heat and power plant (CHP). In addition to the biogas project, a WELTEC BLUE WATER plant with a processing capacity of 50,000 tons of digestate (manure and wastewater from milk production) per year is currently being constructed. The treatment technology works by separating the digestate from the biogas plant in a multi-stage process into solid and liquid fertiliser and dischargeable water. The resulting solid phase offers a wide range of marketing options, which includes its use as fertiliser in the field or as bedding in stables. This enables the operator to make additional savings on transport costs by reducing the volume of the source material. 

Output material distribution varies depending on the amount of dry matter present within the fermentation residue which comprises around 3% solid fertiliser, 29% nutrient concentrate and 68% water. Moreover, the sophisticated modular design of the industrial technology allows an ease in future expansion. 

Everyday, operators of the plant fill it with 18 tons of cattle manure, along with food waste from nearby areas. The modular digester system from WELTEC makes it possible to individually adapt the diameter and height to meet customers‘ volume requirements or local building regulations, such as height restrictions. The fermentation residue from the 450 kW plant is processed in sewage treatment plants near the sites before being used as fertiliser. A further plant is currently being planned in Nagano Prefecture. The height of the digester is also adapted as a special solution to 5.03 m and equipped with a capacity of 450 kW.  Another plant is currently being planned in Nagano Prefecture.

The WELTEC CONTROL software allows Japanese operators to get quick access to a number of important system parameters, with its intuitive user interface also simplifying feeding processes. 

Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 

Global leader in precision farming technology, Topcon Agriculture has announced the launch of its Value Line Steering solution, aimed at increasing accessibility of precision farming for small and medium-sized farming operations

Advanced autosteering capabilities will now be available to a wider range of farmers and provide an affordable and easy-to-use solution compatible with a broad variety of tractors, including front-wheel-steer models and those compliant with ISOBUS-UT standards. Its simple design allows users unfamiliar with high-tech farming equipment to quickly adopt the system.

Moreover, the Value Line Steering solution enables older tractors to operate at sub-5 cm accuracy levels previously reserved for new, high-end machinery.

"With diesel, fertiliser, and chemical costs all rising, it's more important than ever to maximise efficiency," said Aaron Freeman, a fourth-generation farmer from Koolunga, South Australia. "The Value Line Steering system saves resources, reduces overlap, and boosts profitability."