How many pounds of rice do you think you eat in a year? According to USA Rice, the average American enjoys 27 pounds annually — equivalent to the weight of a case of bottled water. In fact, rice isn’t just a mainstay in pantries, it’s a staple for more than half the world, and a vital source of income for 19%1 of the world’s population.
With extreme weather events—such as droughts, floods, pests, and diseases—threatening rice yields and demand for rice in the United States continuing to rise, it is crucial for industry leaders like Mars to advance supply chain resiliency strategies to secure the future of rice.
Rising to the Challenge: How Mars is Supporting Rice Farming Resilience
The Arkansas Delta is a region in the eastern part of Arkansas that stretches along the Mississippi River and is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the country. This area accounts for 49.3% of total U.S. rice production and 49.9% of the total acres planted in 20242. Today, its once-fertile fields are grappling with droughts, saltwater from rising sea levels and floods, among other challenges. These challenges all point to an urgent need for innovation to secure and maintain this essential crop’s environment — one grain at a time.
As the manufacturer of iconic brands like Ben’s Original™— one of the world’s most recognized rice brands — as well as Tasty Bite® and Seeds of Change™, Mars, the maker of more than 40 U.S. food, snacking and pet brands, deeply understands the role rice plays in kitchens across the U.S. and around the world. Rice is more than just a staple ingredient; it’s a cornerstone of culture and nourishment for more than four billion people worldwide. That’s why our role goes far beyond simply selling products — it’s about honoring rice’s global significance and supporting the communities, farmers and families who depend on it.
“As a leader in the rice industry, we recognize our opportunity to help farmers across our value chain address environmental challenges that threaten their livelihoods,” said Dave Dusangh, President Mars Food & Nutrition, North America. “By collaborating closely with our partner farmers, we are working to build a more sustainable, resilient and innovative rice supply chain that benefits both people and the planet.”
Innovating for a Water-Smart Future
We’re using our longstanding expertise and global resources to help farmers adopt and scale advanced agricultural techniques that conserve water while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Conventional rice cultivation often relies on continuously flooded fields, which is water intensive and restricts oxygen in the soil and creates conditions for methane-producing bacteria — leading to greenhouse gas emissions. Mars is helping farmers adopt innovative water management techniques and technologies that improve water efficiency, strengthen climate resilience, and cut emissions. A few of these examples include:
- Alternate wetting and drying (AWD): A water management technique that allows rice fields to alternate between periods of flooding and drying, rather than maintaining continuous flooding throughout the growing season. This approach has been shown to reduce the amount of water used by up to 30% and reduce the amount of GHG emissions produced by over 40%3 each growing season.
- Multiple inlet rice irrigation (MIRI): This system optimizes how water is delivered using multiple inlets in pipes placed across a field. This distributes water more efficiently, cutting down on water usage, and reducing emissions.
- Row rice, or furrow irrigation: A method that bypasses the need to flood fields, while improving ease of crop rotation. Using this technique, water is applied in rows rather than flooding across the entire section of the field.
- Zero-grade fields are precision-leveled to ensure a flat surface with no slope, allowing water to flow evenly across the field and eliminating the need for internal levees or side inlets. This minimizes the need for intensive tilling, further improving efficiency and enabling farmers to save up to 37%4 more water each growing season compared to traditional contoured or leveed fields.
While these are promising solutions, shifting away from traditional methods can be challenging. The cost of new systems, concern about potential yield loss and difficulty of changing longstanding habits all make adoption a challenge for many farmers. Mars is supporting farmers by paying premiums on top of the commodity price to incentivize the adoption of new practices, as well as sharing data so Mars can measure the environmental benefits of these practices. This data sharing has helped show farmers in the Mars rice supply chain that embracing these practices hasn’t negatively impacted their crop yields. In fact, research has shown that using zero-grade fields with the AWD irrigation method reduces water usage by 65%5 while still providing the same crop yields.
“The role Mars plays in helping us adopt climate-smart agriculture practices is critical because it gives us an incentive to go out there and try something new,” says Terry Gray, an Arkansas rice farmer in the Mars Food & Nutrition rice supply chain. “We’re trying out these practices to grow the same yields with less strain on the land — and the results are showing it’s better for the environment all around.”
Partnering to Protect Farmers and the Planet
“The challenges faced by rice farmers today demand bold leadership, and partners like Mars are vital in driving meaningful change,” said Peter Bachmann, President and CEO, USA Rice. “By leveraging its resources, expertise and scale, Mars is helping farmers adopt climate-smart agriculture practices that not only sustain their livelihoods but also safeguard the environment.”
At Mars, mutuality is one of our core guiding principles. Collaboration with partners throughout our supply chain is essential to how we’re working to shape a more secure future for farmers, communities and the planet. Our approach to rice farming reflects this value, as we address challenges and build the future we envision together, every step of the way.
Through a steadfast commitment to our Sustainable in a Generation plan, Mars is championing impactful innovation that strengthens U.S. rice farming, setting an example across global food systems in an ever-evolving world.
1. Rice – Rice Sector at a Glance | Economic Research Service. n.d. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/crops/rice/rice-sector-at-a-glance
2. Handbook, IPM, AND-STaR | Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/crops-commercial-horticulture/rice/
3. Mars & Riceland Sustainable Rice Program (Arva Intelligence)
4. Massey et al. 2022, Direct Comparisons of four rice irrigation systems on a commercial rice farm, Agricultural Water Management, Vol 266, 31 May 2022 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378377422001536
5. Mars & Riceland Sustainable Rice Program (Arva Intelligence)