Rice cultivation is one of agriculture’s most significant sources of methane emissions due to the traditional practice of continuously flooding paddy fields. For Tilda, reducing the environmental footprint of basmati production has become a key priority, prompting the company to significantly expand its sustainable farming programme across northern India.
Speaking to AgNavigator as part of the Climate Smart Food Broadcast Series, Tilda Managing Director Jean-Philippe Laborde said the company initially launched the initiative to address the emissions challenge associated with conventional rice production.
“There are many challenges within basmati rice cultivation. The number one is methane emissions,” he explained.
Because rice fields are typically kept under water for much of the growing season, oxygen-deprived soils create conditions that generate methane. Tilda wanted to find a practical way to reduce those emissions while maintaining or improving farm performance.
The company’s solution was to trial alternate wetting and drying (AWD) on 50 farms before gradually scaling the approach across its supply chain.
From pilot project to large-scale deployment
What began as a small trial has evolved into a programme spanning nearly 4,000 farmers and supplying around 80% of Tilda’s basmati requirements.
Laborde stressed that the initiative can no longer be considered a pilot.
“Now we have reached a particular scale with 4,000 farmers,” he said. “We cover 15,000 hectares and more or less 80% of our basmati needs.”
The company’s next objective is to reach full coverage of its basmati supply while continuing to reduce the carbon footprint of rice production.
Tilda has already achieved a 36% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per tonne of rice and is targeting a 50% reduction by 2030.
The techniques behind the programme
At the heart of the initiative is AWD, a water management technique that moves away from permanently flooded rice paddies.
Rather than continuously irrigating fields, farmers use a simple perforated tube inserted into the soil to monitor water levels. When the soil remains sufficiently moist, irrigation can be delayed, allowing the field to periodically dry before being re-flooded.
According to Laborde, these drying cycles significantly reduce methane formation while lowering water consumption.
The programme has also evolved beyond irrigation management.
Dr Emily Servanté, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Cambridge Crop Science Centre, said the partnership is now investigating how beneficial soil microbes can further improve sustainability outcomes.
Research is focusing on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), naturally occurring soil fungi that help plants access nutrients more efficiently.
Because AMF thrive in drier soil conditions, the intermittent drying periods created by AWD offer a more favourable environment for these beneficial microbes.
The partners are now exploring the use of microbial biofertilisers as a way to reduce dependence on conventional fertilisers and further cut emissions associated with rice cultivation.
Alongside AWD, Tilda has also implemented integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. According to the company, participating farmers have reduced their use of plant protection products by around 70% over the past two to three years.
Delivering measurable results
A key factor behind the programme’s expansion has been the consistency of its results.
Laborde emphasised that the figures are based on three years of real-world farm data rather than a single growing season.
The outcomes include: 45% reduction in methane emissions; 36% reduction in overall CO₂-equivalent emissions per tonne of rice; 20% reduction in fertiliser use; 37 billion litres of water saved; and water savings of approximately 20-25% compared with conventional cultivation.
The scale of water savings alone has been substantial, highlighting the potential role of improved irrigation management in regions facing growing water pressures.
Making sustainability pay for farmers
While environmental performance is important, Tilda believes farmer profitability is the critical factor determining whether sustainable farming practices can scale.
Farmers participating in the programme receive extensive support from the company’s agricultural extension teams, who provide guidance on AWD implementation, crop management and pest control.
However, technical assistance is only part of the equation.
Tilda also offers participating growers a market-linked premium payment, providing additional financial security regardless of fluctuations in rice prices.
According to Laborde, demonstrating tangible economic benefits is essential because Indian farmers remain free to sell their crop elsewhere.
“If you don’t demonstrate what you do, you can’t convince them next year,” he said.
The economic performance data appears to support that approach.
Over the past three years, participating farmers have achieved 7% higher yields compared with conventional rice cultivation; lower input costs due to reduced water, fertiliser and crop protection use; and a minimum 7.5% increase in net revenue.
For Tilda, those gains help align long-term sustainability goals with farmers’ short-term business realities.
The company argues that lower-emission farming will only succeed at scale if it also improves livelihoods.
Looking beyond AWD
Although AWD has delivered significant results, researchers believe further innovation will be needed to continue reducing the environmental footprint of rice production.
Servanté noted that some studies have suggested intermittent flooding could increase nitrous oxide emissions, creating an opportunity for additional mitigation measures such as microbial biofertilisers.
She also highlighted growing interest in direct-seeded rice systems, which move away from the traditional practice of transplanting seedlings into flooded paddies.
Direct seeding offers the potential to grow rice under far less flooded conditions, potentially unlocking further water and emissions reductions. However, challenges remain around identifying varieties suited to those production systems.
For now, Tilda’s immediate focus remains scaling its existing programme to achieve full coverage of its basmati supply chain while continuing to build on the environmental and economic gains already achieved.
Editor’s note: The full filmed interview with John Philippe Laborde, Managing Director of Tilda, and Dr Emily Servanté of the University of Cambridge Crop Science Centre was featured as part of the Climate Smart Food Broadcast Series, produced by the teams at AgNavigator and sister publication FoodNavigator, both part of the William Reed group.
