In plain English
Adjusted Water Management in Rice
Adjusted Water Management in Rice is a reduction method run by Gold Standard. People often refer to it by its code, GS-RICE. It works in the agriculture space.
In short
Methane reductions from adjusted water-management practice in rice cultivation.
What it is
This Gold Standard methodology reduces methane emissions through adjusted water management in rice cultivation. It applies to measures that limit anaerobic decomposition of organic matter in rice soils, such as shifting the water regime from continuous flooding to intermittent flooding, mid-season drainage, or alternate wetting and drying. The approach follows IPCC guidance and replaces the Clean Development Mechanism methodology AMS-III.AU under Gold Standard for the Global Goals. Each credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent reduced, mainly as avoided methane.
What it rewards
The reward is a credit called a Verified Emission Reduction (VER). One credit stands for one tonne of carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere (or taken back out of it). One tonne of CO₂-equivalent verified-and-issued. A whole period of work is issued as one batch of credits at a time, in the same way a registry issues a batch.
What gets measured
To earn VER credits, a project has to measure and prove a few things. An independent reviewer checks the evidence before any credits are issued.
The baseline: what would most likely have happened to the land or the emissions if the project had not gone ahead.
The activity data for the period, with clear units and a clear source for every number.
The net result actually achieved, checked by an independent reviewer before any credits are issued.
Who takes part
Standard Registry. Owns the policy, approves participants, anchors each issuance to its evidence.
Project Proponent. Registers the project and submits monitoring reports.
Validation & Verification Body. Independently validates the design and verifies monitored data.
How it works
- 1
The project team registers the project and its plan.
- 2
An independent reviewer checks that the plan is sound and that the benefit is real and would not have happened anyway.
- 3
The team looks after the site and measures the agreed indicators over time.
- 4
The independent reviewer verifies those measurements.
- 5
Credits are issued for the verified result, and a buyer can retire a credit to claim the benefit once.
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