Stubble Burning In India

Stubble burning is the process of removing paddy crop residues from the field to sow the next crop. Stubble burning plays an important role where combine harvesting is applied because combine harvester leaves crop residues behind. Stubble burning is one of the significant contributions to atmospheric pollution in the World releasing impurities and gaseous pollutants that have significant effects on health.  

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Define Stubble Burning

Stubble burning meaning can be defined as an intended burning of stubbles by farmers after crop harvesting. Stubbles are the cut branches left on the field after the grains of cereal plants and sugarcane stems are harvested.

What are the Main Causes of Stubble Burning in India?

The main cause of stubble burning in India is the immense use of big combine harvesters in the large areas of Punjab, Haryana, & Western U.P. as the labor cost of manual harvesting is comparatively high. Although farmers save a lot in terms of labor cost and time due to the big combined harvesters as these harvesters cut the plant and harvest the grain from the top part of the plant, hence leaving behind the much larger stem part of the plant that remains standing on the ground. On the other hand, in traditional manual harvesting by sickle, the plant is cut off from the bottom, hence leaving only a very small root part of the plant below the underground.

The farmers in other parts of the country who are adopting manual harvesting to prepare the fields for the next Rabi crops, simply plow the field after harvesting and fill the field with water for a few days. At this stage, the roots of the plant decompose and refine the soil which increases its fertility.  On the other hand, in Northern Parts of India, harvesting is done by combine harvesters due to which large size stubbles are left behind these machines, as this stubble can't mix well with the soil and gets decomposed, Hence fertile soil is available for a limited period for Rabi and Kharif crops.

According to a recent study, the productivity of wheat which is sown after paddy is harvested, declines immensely with late sowing, hence farmers are always in a hurry to get their field clear quickly. In such a case, the farmers who are keen to clear this field speedily for the next Rabi crops burn the field itself as it is inefficient for them to get the stubble removed manually.

This situation leads to a nightmare. On one side, precious biomass is getting wasted by burning the crop residue which can be used either as a cattle field or fuel. On the other hand, we are turning the country into a prison camp by creating environmental pollutants such as smog. 

What are the Solutions of Stubble Burning Problems In India?

• Encourage farmers to adopt early padding as this gives farmers sufficient time to harvest and subsequently prepare fields for the next Rabi crops.

• The industries that took the responsibility of converting this crop residue into wealth in the form of cattle feed should be adequately subsidized and encouraged.

• It is important to motivate and educate farmers that they should grow alternate fruit and vegetable crops rather than paddy as it not only consumes less water but also provides better economic returns. It is not desirable to grow crops like paddy in water-scarce areas.

• Farmers should be encouraged not to burn the stubble. This can be done by providing economic gain to crop residue or subtle, which may be converted into either cattle feed or fuel. The government should take initiative to set up “Agri Waste Collection Centre” and “Paddy Waste Centre” by selling their agricultural waste at a minimum price and earning some additional income. Farmer Producer Organizations and Farmer Cooperative Societies may support farmers by purchasing this Agri waste or crop residue from the farmers and later selling it to the industries that convert it into cattle feed.

• Farmers should not be blamed for stubble burning as they are not simply the sufferers of default modern technologies that are available to them by the manufacturer of machines. Therefore, instead of penalizing and blaming the farmers, our attention should be on developing and enhancing the design of combined harvesters that do not leave the stubble behind. 

What Are The Harmful Effects of Stubble Burning?

Following are the harmful effects of stubble burning:

• Loss of Nutrients

• Pollution due to smoke including greenhouse gases and other damage to the ozone layer.

• Risk of spreading beyond control.

• Electronic equipment gets damaged from the floating thread of conductive waste.

• Degrade soil fertility

• A large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur gets destroyed every year due to stubble burning. These are generally used to make organic manure. This will also minimize the dependency and use of chemical fertilizers.

• Stubble burning can also lead to enemy pests as many micrograms are killed during stubble burning. This loss of organisms leads to an increase in pests, hence, in turn, increasing disease in crops.