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Farmers in Vietnam are growing rice using a new method thought to reduce emissions of methane gas and labor costs.
越南的农民正在使用一种新的方法种植水稻，这种方法被认为可以减少甲烷气体的排放和劳动力成本。
The method is called alternate wetting and drying, or AWD.
这种方法被称为交替干湿法，或称AWD。
It uses about 30 percent less water than traditional ways of growing rice.
与传统的水稻种植方式相比，它的用水量减少了约30%。
It also uses small flying vehicles called drones to put nutrients in the soil.
该方法还使用名为无人机的小型飞行工具将养分放入土壤中。
Traditional rice farming methods flood fields with water.
传统的水稻耕作方法用水淹没了田地。
The water stops oxygen from entering the soil.
水阻止氧气进入土壤。
Low amounts of oxygen permit more methane-producing bacteria to grow.
低氧使更多的产甲烷细菌得以生长。
Scientists say methane can trap 80 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over a short period of time.
科学家们说，在短时间内，甲烷在大气中捕获的热量是二氧化碳的80倍。
Climate scientists say releasing methane into the atmosphere increases the warming of the earth.
气候科学家说，向大气中释放甲烷加剧了地球的变暖。
A 2023 United Nations report said rice farming makes up about eight percent of all human-made methane in the atmosphere.
联合国2023年的一份报告称，水稻种植约占大气中所有人造甲烷的8%。
Vietnam is the world's third-largest rice exporter.
越南是世界第三大大米出口国。
Boats carry rice up and down the Mekong River, and the grain is an important food in Vietnam.
船只在湄公河上来回运送大米，而谷物在越南是一种重要的食物。
Vo Van Van is a 60-year-old rice farmer who lives along the Mekong River.
Vo Van Van是一位60岁的稻农，住在湄公河沿岸。
For the past two years, he has been using the AWD method with support from one of Vietnam's largest rice exporters, the Loc Troi Group.
在过去的两年里，他一直在越南最大的大米出口商之一Loc Troi Group的支持下使用AWD方法。
Van said using the drone to add organic fertilizer saves on labor costs.
Van表示，使用无人机添加有机肥料节省了劳动力成本。
He says it is becoming harder to find people to work on the rice farms because more people are moving to the cities.
他说，由于越来越多的人移居城市，在稻田工作的人变得越来越难。
The drone also puts the exact amount of fertilizer needed.
无人机还提供了准确的所需化肥数量。
Too much fertilizer causes the soil to release nitrogen gas.
过多的肥料会导致土壤释放氮气。
Nitrogen also traps heat in the atmosphere.
氮气还能将热量滞留在大气中。
After the harvest, Van does not burn the remains of the rice plants.
收获后，Van不会焚烧水稻植株的残留物。
Instead, the Loc Troi Group collects the extra plant material.
相反，Loc Troi Group收集这额外的植物材料。
It then sells it to other companies.
然后，将其出售给其他公司。
These companies can use the remains to feed livestock and grow mushrooms.
这些公司可以用这些秸秆来喂养牲畜和种植蘑菇。
Van said the AWD method helps him in several ways.
Van表示，AWD方法在几个方面对他有帮助。
It lowers his costs while the amount of rice he produces is the same.
这降低了他的成本，而他生产的大米数量不变。
Using organic fertilizer helps him sell for a higher price in European markets.
使用有机肥帮助他在欧洲市场卖出了更高的价格。
He also has more time to take care of his own garden.
他也有更多的时间打理自己的花园。
"I am growing jackfruit and coconut," he said.
“我种的是菠萝蜜和椰子，”他说。
Nguyen Duy Thuan is the chief of the Loc Troi Group.
Nguyen Duy Thuan是Loc Troi集团的首席执行官。
He said the AWD method uses 40 percent less seed and 30 percent less water.
他说，AWD方法使用的种子减少了40%，水减少了30%。
The Loc Troi Group said the method is used on 100 hectares of rice farms.
Loc Troi集团表示，这种方法在100公顷的稻田中使用。
Thuan said the company wants to expand AWD farming to 300,000 hectares.
Tuan表示，该公司希望将AWD种植面积扩大到30万公顷。
The Vietnamese government aims to grow low-emissions rice on 1 million hectares by 2030.
越南政府的目标是到2030年在100万公顷土地上种植低排放水稻。
Vietnamese state media reported that officials said the method could reduce production costs by about 20 percent and increase profits by more than $600 million.
越南官方媒体报道称，官员们表示，这种方法可以降低约20%的生产成本，增加超过6亿美元的利润。
Effects of a changing environment In recent years, the Mekong River's water quality has changed.
近年来，受环境变化的影响，湄公河的水质发生了变化。
Dams in China and Laos have reduced water flow.
中国和老挝的水坝减少了水流。
Building projects cause problems because they use a lot of water and sand from the river.
由于建筑项目使用了大量的河水和沙子会带来一些问题。
And rising sea levels have increased the amount of salt in the river's large delta.
海平面上升增加了河流大三角洲的盐分含量。
A recent study by Vietnam's Water Resources Institute estimates rice farmers lost millions of dollars every year because of salty water.
越南水资源研究所最近的一项研究估计，水稻种植者每年因咸水而损失数百万美元。
Lewis H.Ziska is a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University in New York City.
路易斯 H. 齐斯卡是纽约市哥伦比亚大学的环境健康科学教授。
He said that using different methods of farming can improve water use.
他表示，使用不同的耕作方法可以提高水利用效率。
Growing more kinds of rice would also help.
种植更多种类的大米也会有所帮助。
Some kinds can better resist hot weather or need less water, Ziska said.
齐斯卡说，有些品种可以更好地抵御炎热天气，或者需要更少的水。
Some rice farmers in Vietnam are already growing different kinds of rice.
越南的一些稻农已经在种植不同种类的水稻。
Nguyen Van Nhat is director of a rice export company.
Nguyen Van Nhat是一家大米出口公司的董事。
He said growers are using rice that can grow in salty water and in hot weather.
他说，种植者正在使用可以在咸水和炎热天气中生长的大米。
He also said the export company is using different methods to dry the rice because of changes in the weather.
他还说，由于天气变化，出口公司正在使用不同的方法来干燥大米。
He said unseasonal rains are making it harder to dry the rice in the sun.
他说，反常的降雨使大米更难在阳光下晒干。
As a result, the company has built places to dry it in their factory.
因此，该公司在他们的工厂里建造了干燥场所。
The company will also put machines to dry the grain closer to the rice fields.
该公司还将在靠近稻田的地方放置烘干谷物的机器。
"We don't know which month is the rainy season, like we did before," Nhat said.
Nhat表示：“我们无法像以前那样预测哪个月是雨季。”
I'm Andrew Smith.
我是安德鲁·史密斯。
And I'm Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。
