Adam John

Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies

2013

The Impact of Rodent Outbreaks on Rice Production

Rodent damage to pre-harvest yields
Food losses due to rodents are staggering. In Asia alone, annual food losses due to rodents would
be enough to feed 200 million people each year (Singleton, 2003). Rice pre-harvest losses are
estimated to be between 5-10% in most Asian countries, however in some countries it is
expected to be significantly higher, such as Indonesia where yield loss estimates are around 19%
(Singleton, 2003) which is the equivalent of enough grain to feed 39 million more Indonesians
(Meerburg et al, 2009). However, the destruction caused by rodents on a localized level can be
devastating where rodent outbreaks can wipe out entire harvests and lead to famine like
conditions.

The large grey areas of damaged cropland in the picture were caused by rodents.

Causes of rodent outbreaks

While there are different causes of rodent outbreaks, all lead to a situation whereby there are
higher than normal amounts of available food which rodents have access to. Rodent outbreaks
have been categorized as being cyclical or evolutional, climatic, or anthropogenic (Singleton et
al 2010b).
Rodent outbreaks which occur due to natural cycles include the masting or flowering of plants
such as bamboo. In 2007, many poor rural communities in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and
Laos PDR were affected by such events and required food aid.
Unusual climatic events such as heavy rainfall early in the wet season or flashfloods and
cyclones can cause rodent outbreaks. Heavy rainfall before the beginning of the crop season, for
instance, can allow the rodents breeding season to begin earlier due to better than usual food
supply therefore the breeding season is extended which increases rodent numbers in the rice
fields.
1

Adam John

Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies

2013

The third cause of rodent outbreaks is due to the management of cropping systems whereby there
is an anthropogenic response to an extreme climatic event or market forces. The expansion of
cropping areas and the intensification of cropping systems increasing the number of crop seasons
per year are seen as major inducers of anthropogenic rodent outbreaks.
Problems with typical rodent control methods
Throughout South and Southeast Asia studies have shown that rice farmers perceive rodents to
be their number one pest or the pest which causes the most damage to their yield. Farmers set
traps up themselves or use professional rat catchers, however perhaps the most common
technique is the use of rodenticides. This is despite the fact that farmers are concerned that
rodenticides may have adverse effects on their own health. There are also concerns, albeit not
from most farmers, that rodenticides threaten non-target rodent species which are not pests and
in fact provide important ecosystem services to the area.
Farmers also tend to wait until they notice damage caused by rodents which is usually in the later
stages of the rice cycle, and which is often too late to avoid yield losses. Researchers argue that
failing to control rodents early on in the season leads to an explosion of rodent numbers later on
at the time of harvest.
Rodent control practices are usually undertaken individually by farmers rather than collectively.
This practice has been criticized by researchers who argue that collective action is needed. This
is because the rodents habitats can span many farms as the typical size of rice farms in Asia is
no more than 2 hectares while rodents can have a home range of 10-15 hectares (Brown et al
2001).

Rattus Argentiventer, more commonly known as the rice field rat is the major rodent pest in much of
Southeast Asia
2

Adam John

Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies

2013

Ecologically-based rodent management systems

Much of the research which aims to tackle rodent outbreaks focuses on reducing yield damage in
a way which does not harm non-targeted rodent species and is referred to as ecologically-based
rodent management (EBRM). There tends to be a mixture of methods used in EBRM which
includes arranging collective rat hunting campaigns in the early stages of the crop cycle, getting
neighboring farmers to synchronize their crop seasons and constructing trap-barrier systems
(TBS).
TBS is a fenced off area within the rice field where an early crop is planted several weeks before
the main crop. The entrances to the TBS contain traps so the rodents are trapped as they try to get
to the early crop inside. Studies have shown EBRM as being effective in reducing rodent damage
as well as reducing farmers use of rodenticides. TBS alone has been shown to increase rice
yields 10-25% (Singleton et al, 2003).
Despite the positive findings of EBRM, its practice by rice farmers is still low which is believed
to be because of, among other things, cultural constraints such as an absence of cooperation
amongst farmers. A lack of understanding of rodents ecology is seen as another constraint to
EBRM application as well as the fact that many rice farmers are living close to the poverty line
and are unwilling or unable to invest in new rodent control practices.

The picture shows a trap-barrier system (TBS). An early crop has been planted within the TBS to attract
rodents who can pick up the smell of the crop. The rodents are then caught in traps as they go through the
entrance of the TBS.

Adam John

Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies

2013

Risk of more frequent rodent outbreaks in the future

Cyclical outbreaks are even more destructive to many poor farmers livelihoods than first
believed as it is now acknowledged that these events such as the flowering of bamboo do not
happen simultaneously but can instead take 2-3 years to complete (Singleton et al, 2010b). This
only prolongs the availability of food and therefore lengthens the breeding season of the rodents.
Climate change and extreme climatic events, such as an increased variation in mean precipitation
are expected to change the length of breeding seasons (Stenseth et al, 2003; Singleton et al,
2010a) and therefore the ecology of rodents is likely to become more unpredictable given its
adaptability which suggests rodents may become even harder to control.
Perhaps the greatest impact will come from anthropogenic responses to climatic conditions and
market forces. A common worry by researchers has been the intensification of many countries
expanding agricultural areas and increasing the number of crop seasons per year which reduces
fallow periods and therefore extends the supply of food for rodents which prolongs their
breeding season. Ironically, food security puts pressure on countries to intensify cropping
systems; however these steps are only likely to increase the severity of rodent outbreaks to food
losses.
The pictures were taken by Dr Grant Singleton from the International Rice Research Institute
(IRRI).
References
Brown, P. R., Singleton, G. R., Sudarmaji. (2001). Habitat use and movements of the rice-field rat, Rattus
argentiveneter, in West Java, Indonesia. Mammalia. 65. pp151-166.
Meerburg, B. G., Singleton, G. R., Leirs, H. (2009). The year of the rat ends time to fight hunger. Pest
Management Science. 65. pp 351-352.
Singleton, G. R. (2003). Impacts of rodents on rice production in Asia. IRRI Discussion Paper Series No
45. Los Banos, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute.
Singleton, G. R., Belmain, S. R., Brown, P. R., Hardy, B. (2010a). Rodent outbreaks: ecology and
impacts. Los Banos (Philippines): International Rice Research Institute. p289.
Singleton, G. R., Htwe, N, M., Brown, P. R., Belmain, S. R. (2010b). Rodent outbreaks in Asia in 200709: Rats! What do we do next? Presented at the 28th International Rice Research Conference, 8-12
November 2010, Hanoi, Vietnam. OP09: Pest Disease, and Weed Management.
Stenseth, N. C., Leirs, H., Skonhoft, A., Davis, S. A., Pech, R. P., Andreassen, H, P., Singleton, G. R.,
Lima, M., Machangu, R. S., Makundi, R. H., Zhang, Z., Brown, P. R., Shi, D., Wan, X. (2003).
Mice, rats, and people: The bio-economics of agricultural rodent pests. Frontiers in Ecology and
the Environment. 1(7). pp367-375.