Economic and environmental impacts of rice straw management in the Philippines

Rice straw management has become a crucial process in rice production, driven by a changing climate, environmental protection concerns, and economic factors in rice cultivation. Recent statistics showed that rice straw burning has been a prevalent practice among farmers due to difficulty in handling during land preparation for rice cropping, but it bears a detrimental effect on the environment and human health. This study aims to determine current rice straw management practices in the Philippines. To identify different rice straw management practices and determine how they contribute to energy efficiency and environmental footprint, a survey was conducted across six major rice-producing provinces. Among the major questions are field size, harvesting method, biomass yields, and farmers’ rice straw management practices. The average straw yield was 2.5 t ha − 1, while total straw production was 18 Mt. Rice straw management varied across provinces. Rice straw incorporation was the predominant practice in the country, with an average of 67(± 17) %, while open-field burning accounted for 25(± 19) %, with Ilocos Norte and Bukidnon being the lowest and highest, respectively. This was followed by ruminant feeding practice at 15(± 20) % rice straw. Meanwhile, the use of rice straw for composting, mulching, and mushroom production is lowest at 10%. This study found significant changes in rice straw management, perhaps driven by farmers’ growing awareness of health and environmental issues, as well as by its use for food and feed. This resulted in a significant increase in net energy and decreased human air pollution while adding value to rice straw in the Philippines.