Pila, Laguna — October 9, 2025. The Philippines’ first Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub was officially launched in Pila, Laguna on October 7, bringing together national leaders, local officials, international partners, and farmers to showcase groundbreaking solutions that transform rice straw from waste into valuable products.
The event was attended by the Economic and Climate Counsellor Lloyd Cameron of the British Embassy Manila, Regional Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-A Fidel L. Libao, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture for the Province of Laguna, Hon. Karla Adajar-Lajara, representatives from other DA agencies, institutional partners, farmer leaders, and local government officials from the province of Laguna.
The Hub demonstrates how rice straw, an abundant but often wasted by-product of rice farming, can be transformed into valuable products such as renewable energy, biochar, and soil amendments. This innovation offers solutions to some of the Philippines’ most pressing challenges in rice farming: open-field burning, greenhouse gas emissions, high production costs, and low farmer incomes.
The Hub, developed by Straw Innovations Inc. with partners Aston University, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Koolmill Systems, Takachar, and Innovate UK, demonstrated how rice straw can be upcycled into biochar, renewable energy, soil amendments, and livestock bedding—while also providing farmers with new business opportunities and reducing harmful methane emissions.
Technologies Showcased
At the launch, participants witnessed live demonstrations of:
Straw Traktor® – a world-first 3-in-1 machine that can collect rice straw even in wet conditions, while spreading soil amendments and rotavating land.
Takavator™ (by Takachar) – a portable system that converts rice straw into biochar, improving soil health and enabling carbon credit opportunities.
Koolmill – a next-generation rice mill that uses up to 90% less energy and reduces grain breakage, increasing profits.
Biogas Production – a demonstration of how low-quality rice straw can be used to produce clean, renewable energy for rural communities.
A Farmer-Centered Approach
Beyond technology, the Hub is designed to put farmers at the center of innovation. By making machinery financially accessible, local farmers and entrepreneurs can run profitable businesses offering harvesting and land preparation services. In pilot sites, some operators have already improved their livelihoods to the point of renovating their homes and supporting their families’ education.
Rice straw is also being piloted as deep-litter bedding for swine farmers, reducing waste management costs and producing compost as an additional income source. These early interventions demonstrate how straw management can support farming communities socially, economically, and environmentally.
“What Straw Innovations has done is a huge help—not only are they a business, but they are truly helping the farmers. Not just for us, but we are also able to provide our services to our fellow farmers at a lower cost. That’s why Straw Innovations’ arrival is such a big deal.”
— Leonardo Lospe Jr., Farmer, Straw Innovations Partner
Partnerships with Local Government and Agencies
The success of this initiative relies on close collaboration with Philippine government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST), as well as municipal agriculture offices in Laguna and nearby provinces.
“DA-CRAO welcomes partnerships that can help integrate rice straw solutions into local programs and pilots, supporting productivity, emissions reduction, and rural livelihoods.”
— Director Agnes Catherine Miranda, Department of Agriculture - Climate Resilient Agriculture Office
“Aligned with SEARCA’s mission to empower farmers, the development of rice straw management solutions will not only contribute to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions but also enable communities to turn agricultural wastes into livelihood opportunities that increase incomes. The promotion of policy-backed innovative technologies and strategies indeed help drive the use of climate smart practices that are beneficial to agriculture and environment.”
— Dr. Mercedita Sombilla, Center Director, SEARCA
“Businesses which treat climate risks as opportunities will define the markets of the future. When UK science meets Philippine innovation, rice straw becomes more than a byproduct, it becomes part of the solution. That partnership lies at the core of the Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub: harnessing new technology, developing local business models, and increasing productivity.”
— Mr. Lloyd Cameron, Economic and Climate Counsellor, British Embassy Manila
Driving Climate Action and Food Security
Rice is the lifeblood of the Philippines, feeding over 115 million Filipinos and sustaining millions of smallholder farmers. But it also sits at the heart of a global challenge. As a staple food for more than half the world’s population — with 90% of rice grown in Asia — the crop is increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes. Floods, droughts, and typhoons threaten harvests, while rising demand continues to put pressure on food systems.
At the same time, rice farming comes with a steep climate cost. Across Asia, rice straw is often left to rot or is burned in the field, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than CO₂ in the short term. In the Philippines alone, millions of tons of straw are burned each year, contributing to poor air quality, respiratory health issues, and climate-forcing emissions. In fact, rice cultivation is the country’s largest source of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change.
The Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub offers a game-changing solution. By deploying innovations like the Straw Traktor®, which works even in flooded fields, farmers can now collect straw efficiently, halve methane emissions, and prepare land quickly enough to unlock an additional harvest each year. With complementary technologies like the Takavator™ biochar system, Koolmill’s energy-efficient rice mill, and biogas production, the Hub transforms what was once a waste problem into a suite of solutions that enhance soil fertility, sequester carbon, generate renewable energy, and improve rural livelihoods.
This integrated model directly supports the Philippines’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement by cutting methane and carbon emissions from agriculture, while also strengthening food security and farmer income. Beyond climate targets, the approach delivers immediate co-benefits: healthier air for rural communities, reduced costs for farmers, and a pathway towards low-emission, regenerative agriculture that helps the Philippines to remain resilient in the face of global food and climate crises.
