Leveling Paddy Fields Before Flooding Reduces Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 17.7%

Rural Development Administration Promotes Widespread Adoption of Low-Carbon Rice Cultivation Technology
Integrating Smart Precision Agriculture with Traditional Paddy Field Management

It has been found that performing "seorejil," the process of breaking and leveling soil in a dry paddy field without flooding, can reduce emissions of both carbon dioxide and methane. The Rural Development Administration has established this low-carbon rice cultivation technology and plans to promote its widespread adoption.

On April 23, the Rural Development Administration announced that "dry paddy seorejil" can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 17.7% compared to the conventional method of repeatedly operating agricultural machinery in flooded fields. Additionally, methane emissions from the soil decrease by 14.0%, and the method also prevents muddy water runoff, which helps protect the river ecosystem.

Kim Byungseok, director of the National Institute of Crop Science at the Rural Development Administration, is explaining the 'Low-Carbon Rice Cultivation Technology' at the government Sejong Government Complex on the 23rd. Photo by Rural Development Administration

Kim Byungseok, Director of the National Institute of Crop Science at the Rural Development Administration, stated, "The low-carbon rice cultivation technology is characterized by minimizing management costs for farmers while maximizing carbon reduction effects," adding, "The core technologies include dry paddy seorejil, multi-stage water drainage, and ICT-based paddy field water management compliance measurement devices."

Dry paddy seorejil has been recognized for its effectiveness in reducing environmental pollution and was consecutively registered in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "Agricultural Environment Conservation Program" in 2024 and the "Low-Carbon Agricultural Product Certification System" in 2025.

Multi-stage water drainage is a water management technique in which, during the rice growth period, smaller water drainage events are repeated at least twice after the initial mid-season drainage. This method can reduce methane emissions by up to approximately 44% compared to continuous flooding.

The "ICT-based paddy water management compliance measurement device" is a technology that automatically monitors compliance using cameras and water level sensors, storing the data on a server. Previously, farmers had to take photos of their paddy fields themselves and submit them as evidence of water management compliance. With this technology, compliance with low-carbon paddy water management can be objectively verified, thus reducing the time and labor required. Furthermore, since it provides the basic data to scientifically verify greenhouse gas reduction from low-carbon paddy field management activities, the Rural Development Administration expects it will serve as a foundation for future participation in the carbon market, in connection with carbon credit acquisition or low-carbon certification systems.

The Rural Development Administration is actively promoting the distribution of low-carbon rice cultivation technology to support the national Green Transformation (GX) policy. The dry paddy seorejil technique, which was piloted in eight regions nationwide last year through a new technology demonstration project, will be expanded to 12 regions (over 60 hectares) this year, and will also be implemented as an independent project in six regions in Jeollanam-do Province.

The paddy water management compliance measurement device will be distributed more widely in connection with the Rural Development Administration's new technology demonstration projects and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' low-carbon agriculture program. The multi-stage water drainage technology will be promoted after on-site verification, in conjunction with the low-carbon agricultural product certification system.

Director Kim stated, "Low-carbon rice cultivation technology is a practical alternative that can simultaneously reduce carbon emissions and the burden on farmers amid the climate crisis and unstable energy supply chains," adding, "We will do our best to disseminate and scale up these technologies in the field so that they can serve as a stepping stone for transitioning to a low-carbon agricultural system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.