Farmers in Vietnam are growing rice using a new method thought to reduce emissions of methane gas and labor costs.
越南农民正在使用一种新的方法种植水稻，这种方法被认为可以减少甲烷气体的排放和劳动力成本。
The method is called alternate wetting and drying, or AWD. It uses about 30 percent less water than traditional ways of growing rice. It also uses small flying vehicles called drones to put nutrients in the soil.
这种方法被称为交替干湿，或AWD。与传统的水稻种植方式相比，它的用水量减少了30%。它还使用被称为无人机的小型飞行器向土壤中输送养分。
Traditional rice farming methods flood fields with water. The water stops oxygen from entering the soil. Low amounts of oxygen permit more methane-producing bacteria to grow.
传统的水稻种植方法用水淹没田地。水阻止氧气进入土壤。低氧含量允许更多的产甲烷细菌生长。
Scientists say methane can trap 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a short period of time. Climate scientists say releasing methane into the atmosphere increases the warming of the earth. A 2023 United Nations report said rice farming makes up about eight percent of all human-made methane in the atmosphere.
科学家们表示，甲烷在短时间内捕获的大气热量是二氧化碳的80倍。气候科学家表示，向大气中释放甲烷会加剧地球变暖。联合国2023年的一份报告称，水稻种植占大气中人造甲烷总量的8%左右。
Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter. Boats carry rice up and down the Mekong River, and the grain is an important food in Vietnam.
越南是世界第三大大米出口国。船只载着大米在湄公河上下穿梭，而大米是越南重要的食物。
Vo Van Van is a 60-year-old rice farmer who lives along the Mekong River. For the past two years, he has been using the AWD method with support from one of Vietnam's largest rice exporters, the Loc Troi Group.
Vo Van Van是一位60岁的稻农，住在湄公河沿岸。在过去两年里，他一直在越南最大的大米出口商之一Loc Troi集团的支持下使用AWD方法。
Van said using the drone to add organic fertilizer saves on labor costs. He says it is becoming harder to find people to work on the rice farms because more people are moving to the cities. The drone also puts the exact amount of fertilizer needed. Too much fertilizer causes the soil to release nitrogen gas. Nitrogen also traps heat in the atmosphere.
范说，使用无人机添加有机肥可以节省人工成本。他说，由于越来越多的人搬到城市，在水稻农场找工作变得越来越困难。无人机还会投放所需肥料的准确数量。肥料过多会使土壤释放出氮气。氮还能在大气中吸收热量。
After the harvest, Van does not burn the remains of the rice plants. Instead, the Loc Troi Group collects the extra plant material. It then sells it to other companies. These companies can use the remains to feed livestock and grow mushrooms.
收获后，范不烧掉水稻植株的残骸。取而代之的是，Loc Troi集团收集额外的植物材料。然后再卖给其他公司。这些公司可以用这些残留物来喂养牲畜和种植蘑菇。
Van said the AWD method helps him in several ways. It lowers his costs while the amount of rice he produces is the same. Using organic fertilizer helps him sell for a higher price in European markets. He also has more time to take care of his own garden. "I am growing jackfruit and coconut," he said.
Van说，AWD方法在几个方面帮助了他。这降低了他的成本，而他生产的大米数量不变。使用有机肥料可以帮助他在欧洲市场卖出更高的价格。他也有更多的时间照顾自己的花园。“我在种菠萝蜜和椰子，”他说。
Nguyen Duy Thuan is the chief of the Loc Troi Group. He said the AWD method uses 40 percent less seed and 30 percent less water. The Loc Troi Group said the method is used on 100 hectares of rice farms. Thuan said the company wants to expand AWD farming to 300,000 hectares.
Nguyen Duy Thuan是Loc Troi集团的负责人。他说，AWD方法节省了40%的种子和30%的水。Loc Troi集团表示，该方法已在100公顷的水稻农场上使用。Thuan表示，该公司希望将AWD农场扩大到30万公顷。
The Vietnamese government aims to grow low-emissions rice on 1 million hectares by 2030. Vietnamese state media reported that officials said the method could reduce production costs by about 20 percent and increase profits by more than $600 million.
越南政府的目标是到2030年种植100万公顷低排放水稻。越南官方媒体报道称，官员们表示，这种方法可以降低约20%的生产成本，并增加6亿多美元的利润。
Effects of a changing environment
环境变化的影响
In recent years, the Mekong River's water quality has changed. Dams in China and Laos have reduced water flow. Building projects cause problems because they use a lot of water and sand from the river. And rising sea levels have increased the amount of salt in the river's large delta.
近年来，湄公河的水质发生了变化。中国和老挝的水坝减少了水流。建筑工程会产生问题，因为它们使用了大量的水和河流中的沙子。不断上升的海平面增加了河流大三角洲的含盐量。
A recent study by Vietnam's Water Resources Institute estimates rice farmers lost millions of dollars every year because of salty water.
越南水资源研究所最近的一项研究估计，由于咸水，稻农每年损失数百万美元。
Lewis H. Ziska is a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University in New York City. He said that using different methods of farming can improve water use. Growing more kinds of rice would also help. Some kinds can better resist hot weather or need less water, Ziska said.
刘易斯·h·齐斯卡是纽约市哥伦比亚大学环境健康科学教授。他说，使用不同的耕作方法可以改善用水。种植更多种类的水稻也会有所帮助。Ziska说，有些品种可以更好地抵抗炎热的天气，或者需要更少的水。
Some rice farmers in Vietnam are already growing different kinds of rice. Nguyen Van Nhat is director of a rice export company. He said growers are using rice that can grow in salty water and in hot weather.
越南的一些稻农已经开始种植不同种类的水稻。Nguyen Van Nhat是一家大米出口公司的主管。他说，种植者正在使用可以在咸水和炎热天气中生长的大米。
He also said the export company is using different methods to dry the rice because of changes in the weather. He said unseasonal rains are making it harder to dry the rice in the sun. As a result, the company has built places to dry it in their factory. The company will also put machines to dry the grain closer to the rice fields.
他还表示，由于天气的变化，出口公司正在使用不同的方法来干燥大米。他说，非季节性降雨使得在阳光下晒干大米变得更加困难。因此，该公司在他们的工厂里建造了晾晒的地方。该公司还将把机器放在离稻田更近的地方烘干谷物。
"We don't know which month is the rainy season, like we did before," Nhat said.
“我们不知道哪个月是雨季，就像以前一样，”一行说。
越南农民正在使用一种新的方法种植水稻，这种方法被认为可以减少甲烷气体的排放和劳动力成本。
The method is called alternate wetting and drying, or AWD. It uses about 30 percent less water than traditional ways of growing rice. It also uses small flying vehicles called drones to put nutrients in the soil.
这种方法被称为交替干湿，或AWD。与传统的水稻种植方式相比，它的用水量减少了30%。它还使用被称为无人机的小型飞行器向土壤中输送养分。
Traditional rice farming methods flood fields with water. The water stops oxygen from entering the soil. Low amounts of oxygen permit more methane-producing bacteria to grow.
传统的水稻种植方法用水淹没田地。水阻止氧气进入土壤。低氧含量允许更多的产甲烷细菌生长。
Scientists say methane can trap 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a short period of time. Climate scientists say releasing methane into the atmosphere increases the warming of the earth. A 2023 United Nations report said rice farming makes up about eight percent of all human-made methane in the atmosphere.
科学家们表示，甲烷在短时间内捕获的大气热量是二氧化碳的80倍。气候科学家表示，向大气中释放甲烷会加剧地球变暖。联合国2023年的一份报告称，水稻种植占大气中人造甲烷总量的8%左右。
Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter. Boats carry rice up and down the Mekong River, and the grain is an important food in Vietnam.
越南是世界第三大大米出口国。船只载着大米在湄公河上下穿梭，而大米是越南重要的食物。
Vo Van Van is a 60-year-old rice farmer who lives along the Mekong River. For the past two years, he has been using the AWD method with support from one of Vietnam's largest rice exporters, the Loc Troi Group.
Vo Van Van是一位60岁的稻农，住在湄公河沿岸。在过去两年里，他一直在越南最大的大米出口商之一Loc Troi集团的支持下使用AWD方法。
Van said using the drone to add organic fertilizer saves on labor costs. He says it is becoming harder to find people to work on the rice farms because more people are moving to the cities. The drone also puts the exact amount of fertilizer needed. Too much fertilizer causes the soil to release nitrogen gas. Nitrogen also traps heat in the atmosphere.
范说，使用无人机添加有机肥可以节省人工成本。他说，由于越来越多的人搬到城市，在水稻农场找工作变得越来越困难。无人机还会投放所需肥料的准确数量。肥料过多会使土壤释放出氮气。氮还能在大气中吸收热量。
After the harvest, Van does not burn the remains of the rice plants. Instead, the Loc Troi Group collects the extra plant material. It then sells it to other companies. These companies can use the remains to feed livestock and grow mushrooms.
收获后，范不烧掉水稻植株的残骸。取而代之的是，Loc Troi集团收集额外的植物材料。然后再卖给其他公司。这些公司可以用这些残留物来喂养牲畜和种植蘑菇。
Van said the AWD method helps him in several ways. It lowers his costs while the amount of rice he produces is the same. Using organic fertilizer helps him sell for a higher price in European markets. He also has more time to take care of his own garden. "I am growing jackfruit and coconut," he said.
Van说，AWD方法在几个方面帮助了他。这降低了他的成本，而他生产的大米数量不变。使用有机肥料可以帮助他在欧洲市场卖出更高的价格。他也有更多的时间照顾自己的花园。“我在种菠萝蜜和椰子，”他说。
Nguyen Duy Thuan is the chief of the Loc Troi Group. He said the AWD method uses 40 percent less seed and 30 percent less water. The Loc Troi Group said the method is used on 100 hectares of rice farms. Thuan said the company wants to expand AWD farming to 300,000 hectares.
Nguyen Duy Thuan是Loc Troi集团的负责人。他说，AWD方法节省了40%的种子和30%的水。Loc Troi集团表示，该方法已在100公顷的水稻农场上使用。Thuan表示，该公司希望将AWD农场扩大到30万公顷。
The Vietnamese government aims to grow low-emissions rice on 1 million hectares by 2030. Vietnamese state media reported that officials said the method could reduce production costs by about 20 percent and increase profits by more than $600 million.
越南政府的目标是到2030年种植100万公顷低排放水稻。越南官方媒体报道称，官员们表示，这种方法可以降低约20%的生产成本，并增加6亿多美元的利润。
Effects of a changing environment
环境变化的影响
In recent years, the Mekong River's water quality has changed. Dams in China and Laos have reduced water flow. Building projects cause problems because they use a lot of water and sand from the river. And rising sea levels have increased the amount of salt in the river's large delta.
近年来，湄公河的水质发生了变化。中国和老挝的水坝减少了水流。建筑工程会产生问题，因为它们使用了大量的水和河流中的沙子。不断上升的海平面增加了河流大三角洲的含盐量。
A recent study by Vietnam's Water Resources Institute estimates rice farmers lost millions of dollars every year because of salty water.
越南水资源研究所最近的一项研究估计，由于咸水，稻农每年损失数百万美元。
Lewis H. Ziska is a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University in New York City. He said that using different methods of farming can improve water use. Growing more kinds of rice would also help. Some kinds can better resist hot weather or need less water, Ziska said.
刘易斯·h·齐斯卡是纽约市哥伦比亚大学环境健康科学教授。他说，使用不同的耕作方法可以改善用水。种植更多种类的水稻也会有所帮助。Ziska说，有些品种可以更好地抵抗炎热的天气，或者需要更少的水。
Some rice farmers in Vietnam are already growing different kinds of rice. Nguyen Van Nhat is director of a rice export company. He said growers are using rice that can grow in salty water and in hot weather.
越南的一些稻农已经开始种植不同种类的水稻。Nguyen Van Nhat是一家大米出口公司的主管。他说，种植者正在使用可以在咸水和炎热天气中生长的大米。
He also said the export company is using different methods to dry the rice because of changes in the weather. He said unseasonal rains are making it harder to dry the rice in the sun. As a result, the company has built places to dry it in their factory. The company will also put machines to dry the grain closer to the rice fields.
他还表示，由于天气的变化，出口公司正在使用不同的方法来干燥大米。他说，非季节性降雨使得在阳光下晒干大米变得更加困难。因此，该公司在他们的工厂里建造了晾晒的地方。该公司还将把机器放在离稻田更近的地方烘干谷物。
"We don't know which month is the rainy season, like we did before," Nhat said.
“我们不知道哪个月是雨季，就像以前一样，”一行说。
