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Rice production in Africa

The rapid increase in rice production in Africa is being investigated as another significant factor contributing to the rise in regional surface temperature.

The authors estimate that rice production in Africa increased by 436% (14 million hectares) during the industrial period (1960-2018), resulting in a 603 million ton increase in agricultural methane emissions. This makes rice production the largest source of methane among all economic sectors.

Swain, B., Vountas, M., Singh, A. et al.Africa’s booming rice cultivation is fueling regional warming. Sci Rep15, 42895 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-27436-5

Figure:
Figure: The annual anomaly of GHG, Aaer, and NAT Surface Air Temperature in Africa during the pre-industrial and industrial periods. The figure illustrates the annual SAT anomaly of various radiative forcing agents in Africa. The anomaly is calculated with respect to the pre-industrial period from 1850 to 1900. The radiative forcing ALL encompasses both natural and anthropogenic forcing agents. The natural forcing agents include solar insolation and volcanic eruptions. The shaded line represents a 95% confidence interval. The pre-industrial and industrial periods are depicted as blue and red shades, respectively.
First results of the XBAER aerosol optical depth The NASA Exceptional Public Service Medal 2025