This BBC Learning English podcast discusses the challenges of rice cultivation due to climate change and introduces a new water-saving technique called Alternate Wet Drying (AWD). The hosts introduce the topic, discuss the global importance of rice as a staple food, and interview experts from the International Rice Research Institute and a rice company about AWD's implementation and impact. AWD reduces water usage by decreasing the number of flooding/drying cycles, leading to lower methane emissions and increased rice yields. The podcast concludes by reviewing key vocabulary terms and highlighting the potential of AWD for sustainable rice farming. Listeners learn about the water requirements of rice cultivation (3,000-5,000 liters per kilogram) and a practical solution to improve water efficiency.
