AT&T Sustainability integration is a program, through AT&T, that connects sensor technology companies with farmers who are dealing with water management problems. The benefit to the farmers is that they make a profit while increasing their water/energy efficiency and simultaneously reducing their carbon footprint. The example the article uses is about a farm that produces rice.
Just as a point of reference, Rice is very prevalent and the production of rice covers about 1% of all land on earth. There are challenges growing rice. Specifically problems with irrigation because rice is grown on paddies or flooded fields. The problem with the flooding is that it creates methane (greenhouse gas). Methane, has “21-28 times as much warming potential as carbon dioxide”. So, if we can change the way we grow rice that will help. AT&T provides the connection to make water use more efficient and it allows farmers to use a method called “AWD” (Alternate Wetting and Drying) that reduces Methane creation and reduces the carbon footprint of rice farming. Hopefully, this type of technological advancement continues and helps farmers moving forward.
