New Delhi: The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research (ICAR-NIAP) today co-hosted a workshop on ‘Strategies for Crop Residue Management in India’ as part of the CGIAR Initiative on Transforming Agri-Food Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA). The event brought together policymakers, researchers, development practitioners, and farmers to discuss actionable solutions for sustainable crop residue management.
Crop residue burning, especially rice stubble burning, has emerged as a critical agricultural and environmental issue in India’s northwestern states of Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. Despite various policy interventions, technological solutions, and incentive-based approaches, the practice remains widespread, contributing significantly to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil degradation.
The workshop emphasized the urgent need to align farmer incentives with market mechanisms and policy frameworks to address the issue effectively. Recent research findings from Punjab and Haryana were presented, shedding light on the impact of crop residue management practices and potential solutions for widespread adoption.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Alok Sikka, Country Representative of IWMI, India and Bangladesh, highlighted, “Sustainable crop residue management is not just an agricultural necessity but an environmental and public health imperative. Retaining organic matter improves soil fertility, reduces harmful air pollution caused by stubble burning, and mitigates the adverse health effects linked to poor air quality. By adopting conservation agriculture and both in-situ and ex-situ methods of residue management, we can create scalable and sustainable solutions to this pressing challenge, particularly in the northwestern region of India.”
Dr. Pratap Singh Birthal, Principal Scientist at the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research said, “Crop residue management is a systems issue and it cannot be addressed in siloed manner.”
The workshop concluded with a call for stronger collaboration among stakeholders and the integration of innovative approaches to address this pressing issue. The outcomes of the event will inform future strategies to ensure that sustainable crop residue management becomes an integral part of India’s agricultural landscape.
Crop residue burning, especially rice stubble burning, has emerged as a critical agricultural and environmental issue in India’s northwestern states of Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. Despite various policy interventions, technological solutions, and incentive-based approaches, the practice remains widespread, contributing significantly to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil degradation.
The workshop emphasized the urgent need to align farmer incentives with market mechanisms and policy frameworks to address the issue effectively. Recent research findings from Punjab and Haryana were presented, shedding light on the impact of crop residue management practices and potential solutions for widespread adoption.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Alok Sikka, Country Representative of IWMI, India and Bangladesh, highlighted, “Sustainable crop residue management is not just an agricultural necessity but an environmental and public health imperative. Retaining organic matter improves soil fertility, reduces harmful air pollution caused by stubble burning, and mitigates the adverse health effects linked to poor air quality. By adopting conservation agriculture and both in-situ and ex-situ methods of residue management, we can create scalable and sustainable solutions to this pressing challenge, particularly in the northwestern region of India.”
Dr. Pratap Singh Birthal, Principal Scientist at the ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research said, “Crop residue management is a systems issue and it cannot be addressed in siloed manner.”
The workshop concluded with a call for stronger collaboration among stakeholders and the integration of innovative approaches to address this pressing issue. The outcomes of the event will inform future strategies to ensure that sustainable crop residue management becomes an integral part of India’s agricultural landscape.