부산대학교 도서관

One of the major challenges in Asian countries is the effective management of rice straw. These countries grow more rice, and hence, more straw, to ensure food security for their ever-growing population. The unfortunate instances of burning rice straw are detrimental to environmental as well as human health. Rice straw, if managed effectively, has the potential to safeguard the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems and to uplift the economic security of the population dependant on rice farming. Judicious management of rice straw involving minimum soil disturbance alongwith retention of residues alters the soil carbon cycle through reduced carbon emissions and increased levels of total soil organic carbon. At the same time, several alternate uses of rice straw like livestock feed, production of bioethanol, biochar, biogas, electricity generation, single-cell protein like mushroom, paper and other metabolites can add prosperity to rice farmers’ life by fetching extra income. It is evident that efficient management of rice straw has enormous economic values; hence, it is essential to create technical awareness among different rice stakeholders about the alternate economic avenues associated with rice straw. This review is an attempt to provide a synthesis of effective management options for sustainable rice straw management and rice straw value chains for harnessing its economic potential. It further identifies gaps in our understanding of effect of rice straw on ecological sustainability, particularly concerning the multifaceted connections occurring between the diverse mechanisms of rice agro-ecosystems, which may well influence food security in the 21stcentury.