Phnom Penh, Cambodia, July 8-9, 2026 — Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) organized a two-day training workshop on “Developing Country-Specific Methane Emission Factors” to support Cambodia’s efforts to improve greenhouse gas measurement and reporting in the rice sector. The workshop is an important component of the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation for Methane Mitigation (AKCMM) project in Cambodia, which is funded by the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF) and led by the Global Green Growth Institute together with the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).

Rice cultivation is one of Cambodia’s important sources of methane emissions. While the country has reduction targets of approximately 20% by 2030 and 50% by 2050, its current greenhouse gas inventory for the rice sector still relies largely on IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Tier 1 methodologies and regional default emission factors. These approaches may not fully reflect Cambodia’s diverse rice ecosystems, water management practices, and agro-ecological conditions.

Dr. Yorn Try, Deputy Director General of the General Directorate of Agronomy (GDA), MAFF, said, “Cambodia has set ambitious NDC targets — reducing methane emissions from rice by approximately 20% by 2030 and 50% by 2050 — but achieving them requires accurate, credible, and locally relevant data.” He continued, “This training is a concrete step toward developing Tier 2 country-specific emission factors, strengthening our national GHG inventory, and enabling Cambodia to scale up mitigation practices that support both climate goals and sustainable agricultural development.”

To help address this gap, the workshop aimed to strengthen national understanding of the scientific and technical requirements for developing country-specific methane emission factors, also known as Tier 2 emission factors. The training provided participants with fundamental knowledge of greenhouse gas quantification principles, methane measurement methodologies, experimental design, quality assurance and quality control techniques, and the steps required to generate reliable data for national reporting.

The first day of the workshop was held at Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) in Phnom Penh City. IRRI and RUPP experts introduced participants to methane emissions from rice cultivation, measurement methods, site selection, field experiment set-up, sampling and analytical protocols, and laboratory equipment and processes. On the second day, participants joined a field visit to Kvek village, Kampong Thma commune, Santuk district, Kampong Thom province. The field session introduced participants to practical aspects of the experiment and gas sampling in rice fields, helping connect classroom learning with field-based measurement practices.

Ms. Anantaa Pandey, GGGI project manager, said, “Developing Cambodia-specific methane emission factors is an important step toward making climate data more accurate, credible, and useful for action. By strengthening national understanding of methane measurement and GHG quantification, this training aims to support Cambodia’s efforts to improve its greenhouse gas inventory and advance practical methane mitigation measures in the rice sector.”

The training brought together management and technical officials from MAFF, Ministry of Environment (MOE), GDA, Royal University of Agriculture (RUA), RUPP, GGGI, and IRRI.

By strengthening communication between policymakers, inventory agencies, researchers, and field practitioners, the workshop contributes to building a foundation for more accurate and credible country-specific methane inventory measurement and reporting. It also supports Cambodia’s longer-term efforts to reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation and advance climate-smart agricultural practices aligning strongly with Cambodia’s Pentagonal Strategy and Long-term Strategy for Carbon Neutrality 2050.