Crop Residue Management: Impacts and Learnings from the Field

The Crop Residue Management interventions under CII Cleaner Air Better Life (CII CABL), which are evaluated in this
study, involved three years of extensive work in crop residue burning hotspots of Punjab & Haryana where rice is a dominant crop grown on 97% of the agricultural area. Recognised by UNDP SDG Action Award and Global Development Network, the CII CABL programme has created successful model for community-scale and sustained adoption (more than 80% farmers adopting burning-free methods) of sustainable agricultural practices across 7 districts of two agrarian states.

Intervened farmers were provided all the know-how, technical training from PAU Scientists, farm advisory support by team of field staff and needed farm equipment at tool banks managed by the farmer groups. Farmers used multiple tool combinations on ground to tackle crop residue and these combinations are evolving with introduction of various new tools in the market which are essentially upgradation to existing tools for managing crop residue more effectively.

Three major techniques including- mulching, straw incorporation and baling/collection are evaluated in this report with twelve major tool combinations or sub-methods which are classified under three board methods as adopted by farmers under this programme- 1. Mulching 2. Straw incorporation 3. Baling.