Why stubble 'management' matters Incentivisin'g alternative uses of stubble and promoting technologital solutions to recycle it can help check pollution SURESHBABU 'D ' , elhi's air 'pollution is not only a problem of , political will, but also a multidisciplinary prob· lem where solutions lie in provid· ing the right incentives to stake· holders.These incentives can help in mitigating the long·term con· sequences of the toxic air North India is breathing and addressing , the underlying 'structural deficiencies. . Stubble burning by fa rmers In neighbouring Punjab and Hary· ana along with 'construction' dusts 'and high traffic has aggrav· ated air pollution in Delhi and surrourid ing cities. This coincides , almost each year with the onsetof foggy winters in North India, Stubble burning is not new to North 'India, despite' it being banned by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, But as with most other policies and ,laws that fail notwithstand· ing'the lack of enforcement, the huge savings - financial and time ,,--- that accrueto the farmers froin; violating the stubble burning qa.'ri far outweigh any intended bene· fits from its outlawing. Instead, the right mix of technological and economic incentives can create economic opportunities incentiv· ising farmers and other stake· holders to, come together to stop the practice of stubble burning. ' He • ., them sell it North.lndia could take a leaf out of South's experience, following its,lead on 'stubble manil-gemeht'. In most rice growing regions of Andhra, Tamil Nadu " and Karnataka; farmers get economic value for paddystraw by selling it as cattle feed - income from paddy straw sales could signific- antly boost farmer's total income. In certain cases, farmers grow low·yield varieti es of paddy ex· clusively for' cattle feed. Both Punjab and Gujarat 'are, home to sizeable dairy co·operat· i ves , and there is a huge agri·busi· ness opp'ortunity for the farmers in the region '- partnering with these cooperatives, trading nutri· , tion·rich stubble for livestock and unlocking a potential value·ad- dedchain, Punjab and Haryana have long taken the easy path of turning a blind eye towards this issue, but an investment by State govern:· ments' in ramping up mechanisa· tiori with built·in incentives for farmers will help generate addi· tional income for farmers in the, region, Creating additional em· ployment opportunities. In much of the US and Europe, crop stubble ' is cut into bales; and is a much ' ' sought after by mushroom grow. ers, livestock owne rs, and for pulp. , Crop stubble can be repur· posed to create another valve chain , around low·cos t, eco· friendly wood products, and this is where,the private sector and its, expertise can be roped in to create necessary', infrastructure and trans port links to connect the' farms to retail markets, Farmers in North India need to be sensitised on better managing post-halVeststlibble AfP Punjab is home to some of the biggest names in farm and farm equipment industry with an exist· ' ing dealer network across the ago riculturalNorth India and a lead· irig agricultural university, which create ripe conditions for public·, private partrierships to -not only educate 'the farmers but also provide solutions through tech· nological and economic incent· ives: Innovative solutions According to media reports, Pun· jab Agricultural University's SUo ' per·Straw Management System (SSMS), an eqUipment that can be fit on a combine harvester and to· gether costs nearly $31,000 (over no lakh), works to cut, take out stubble, drill wheat seeds, and evenly deposit any loose crop residue over the farm. From soil management per· spective too, using modern tech· nology is beneficial for improving soil quality, SSMS deposits crop residue dver the farm, adding or- ganic matter over time, retaining nutrients, water and replenishing soil structure. The university re- ported highersales of the equip· ment, and lower incidents of crop burning compared to the previ· ous year, which indicates a will- ingness on part of farmers to ad· opt a mutually beneficial modern technology. ' However, it would ,still requi rea massive thrust from the central , and State gove rn· ments, working out a,n incentive ' structure thac considerably , brings down the adoption costs, getting the much·needed buy-in from farmers, ' With nearly 120·130 million people affected in North India due to air pollution, the Government can no longer afford to ,overlcok another disaster in the making: the burden of rising health costs associated with a public health crisis,which is already exacting a heavy toll on India's young and elderly, the two most vulnerable demographitgroups. Studies have well·documented t he ad· verse impact of air pollution on physical health, however, there are mental health costs to pay as welL Recent IFPRI research shows air pollution causes depressive symptoms, and can affect cognit· ive development in the long run. Wider angle , For India, tackling air pollution is not orily a domestic policy issue, but a globillone as well. India is signatory, to the Paris Accord on climate change,and has commit· ted , itself to ' starting mitigation ac'tivities immediately as well as developing a five·year plan for mitigation activities. ' While the problem may not be political, but implementation of solutions lies in political will and consensus. In his first speech 'from the Red Fdrt on Independ- ence Day in2014, PrimeMinister Natendra ' Modi laid grein em· phasis, and rightly so, on cleanli· ness invoking Mahatma Gandhi, and announcing the "Clean India" campaign, calling it a cause close to his heart, with immense poten· tial to create wealth through tour· ism. To be sure, stubble burning is not the only ca use of the high levels of smog faced by Northern Indian cities. Efforts are needed to check and mitigate high levels of air pollution ' triggered by the dusts from the construction sites and the high volume of road traffic. Yet, the media coverage of Del· hi's air pollution internationally has brought it onthe global radar, and the world is now looking at whether the lndian technocrats and policy makers wOik together to lift the smog from the capital city and the surrounding areas. Undoubtedly, it will reqUire a sustained collaboration between the central and State govern· ments, but also the right mix of technical, economic and.policy in· centives to make it an attractive proposition for farmers to switch from stubble burning to 'stubble management: The writer is a senior research feliow and head of capacity strengtheni(ig with the International Food policy ' Research Institute - t: (3 .. :; -< =' b '('l 0,;> en,;> "I:"' m _. !:' :l ;u ::3 N S i
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Why stubble 'management' matters Incentivisin'g alternative uses of stubble and promoting technologital solutions to recycle it can help check pollution
SURESHBABU
'D' , elhi's air 'pollution is not only a problem of
, political will, but also a multidisciplinary prob·
lem where solutions lie in provid· ing the right incentives to stake· holders.These incentives can help in mitigating the long·term con· sequences of the toxic air North India is breathing and addressing
, the underlying 'structural deficiencies. .
Stubble burning by farmers In neighbouring Punjab and Hary· ana a long with 'construction ' dusts 'and high traffic has aggrav· ated air pollution in Delhi and surrouriding cities. This coincides
, almost each year with the onsetof foggy winters in North India, Stubble burning is not new to North ' India, despite' it being banned by the Punjab Pollution Control Board,
But as with most other policies and ,laws that fail notwithstand· ing' the lack of enforcement, the huge savings - financial and time
,,--- that accrueto the farmers froin; violating the stubble burning qa.'ri far outweigh any intended bene· fits from its outlawing. Instead, the right mix of technological and economic incentives can create economic opportunities incentiv· ising farmers and other stake· holders to, come together to stop the practice of stubble burning. '
He • ., them sell it North.lndia could take a leaf out of South's experience, following its ,lead on 'stubble manil-gemeht'. In most rice growing regions of Andhra, Tamil Nadu " and Karnataka; farmers get economic value for paddystraw by selling it as cattle feed - income from paddy straw sales could significantly boost farmer's total income. In certain cases, farmers grow low·yield varieties of paddy ex· clusively for' cattle feed.
Both Punjab and Gujarat 'are , home to sizeable dairy co·operat· ives , and there is a huge agri·busi·
ness opp'ortunity for the farmers in the region '- partnering with these cooperatives, trading nutri· , tion·rich stubble for livestock and unlocking a potential value·addedchain,
Punjab and Haryana have long taken the easy path of turning a blind eye towards this issue, but an investment by State govern:· ments' in ramping up mechanisa· tiori with built·in incentives for farmers will help generate addi· tional income for farmers in the, region, Creating additional em· ployment opportunities. In much of the US and Europe, crop stubble ' is cut into bales; and is a much ' ' sought after by mushroom grow. ers, livestock owners, and for pulp. ,
Crop stubble can be repur· posed to create another valve chain , around low·cost, eco· friendly wood products, and this is where, the private sector and its, expertise can be roped in to create necessary', infrastructure and transport links to connect the' farms to retail markets,
fllj[m~~~i~'lG!!e Farmers in North India need to be sensitised on better managing post-halVeststlibble AfP
Punjab is home to some of the biggest names in farm and farm equipment industry with an exist· ' ing dealer network across the ago riculturalNorth India and a lead· irig agricultural university, which create ripe conditions for public· , private partrierships to -not only educate ' the farmers but also provide solutions through tech· nological and economic incent· ives:
Innovative solutions According to media reports, Pun· jab Agricultural University's SUo ' per·Straw Management System (SSMS), an eqUipment that can be fit on a combine harvester and to· gether costs nearly $31,000 (over no lakh), works to cut, take out stubble, drill wheat seeds, and evenly deposit any loose crop residue over the farm.
From soil management per· spective too, using modern tech· nology is beneficial for improving soil quality, SSMS deposits crop
residue dver the farm, adding organic matter over time, retaining nutrients, water and replenishing soil structure. The university reported highersales of the equip· ment, and lower incidents of crop burning compared to the previ· ous year, which indicates a willingness on part of farmers to ad· opt a mutually beneficia l modern technology. ' However, it would
,still requirea massive thrust from the central , and State govern· ments, working out a,n incentive
' structure thac considerably , brings down the adoption costs,
getting the much·needed buy-in from farmers, '
With nearly 120·130 million people affected in North India due to air pollution, the Government can no longer afford to , overlcok another disaster in the making: the burden of rising health costs associated with a public health crisis,which is already exacting a heavy toll on India's young and elderly, the two most vulnerable demographitgroups. Studies have well·documented the ad· verse impact of air pollution on
physical health, however, there are mental health costs to pay as welL Recent IFPRI research shows air pollution causes depressive symptoms, and can affect cognit· ive development in the long run.
Wider angle , For India, tackling air pollution is
not orily a domestic policy issue, but a globillone as well. India is signatory, to the Paris Accord on climate change,and has commit· ted , itself to ' starting mitigation ac'tivities immediately as well as developing a five·year plan for mitigation activities. '
While the problem may not be political, but implementation of solutions lies in political will and consensus. In his first speech
' from the Red Fdrt on Independence Day in2014, PrimeMinister Natendra ' Modi laid grein em· phasis, and rightly so, on cleanli· ness invoking Mahatma Gandhi, and announcing the "Clean India" campaign, calling it a cause close to his heart, with immense poten· tial to create wealth thro ugh tour· ism.
To be sure, stubble burning is not the only ca use of the high levels of smog faced by Northern Indian cities. Efforts are needed to check and mitigate high levels of air pollution ' triggered by the dusts from the construction sites and the high volume of road traffic.
Yet, the media coverage of Del· hi's air pollution internationally has brought it onthe global radar, and the world is now looking at whether the lndian technocrats and policy makers wOik together to lift the smog from the capital city and the surrounding areas.
Undoubtedly, it will reqUire a sustained collaboration between the central and State govern· ments, but also the right mix of technical, economic and.policy in· centives to make it an attractive proposition for farmers to switch from stubble burning to 'stubble management:
The writer is a senior research feliow and head of capacity strengtheni(ig with the International Food policy ' Research Institute
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