We familiarize Earth with shades of green and blue, yet the city looks gray. Sustainability is the concept of working in the environment and for the environment with a precise aim of utilizing resources in a shared manner without compromising the needs of the future generation. For sustainability to become a concept engraved in the lifestyle, certain issues, like air pollution, must be challenged with viable solutions.
Air pollution is one of the most urgent environmental issues. The burning of paddy straw in Punjab and Haryana is seen as a significant contributor to the rise in pollution levels in Delhi during October and November each year. The primary reason for stubble burning is the limited time available between rice harvesting and wheat planting, as delaying wheat sowing can negatively impact the crop. Farmers are left with only a two-to-three-week window between harvesting the paddy crop and sowing the next one. To prepare the land for the next cultivation, farmers burn the crop residue, which includes straw left in the field after harvesting. This method is considered one of the most cost-effective ways to clear the fields post-harvest.
S M Sehgal Foundation’s Sustainable Approach
A sustainable approach to crop residue management improves soil structure and organic content, protecting nutrient losses due to burning. This increases the potential for long-term agricultural productivity, enhances food security, and improves air quality, reducing health risks from post-stubble burning air pollution.
S M Sehgal Foundation initiated a CSR-supported project in 2021 to address crop residue burning in northern India, aiming to develop a replicable and scalable holistic model and build the capacities of small and marginal farmers across rural India. Activities include sensitizing farmers about soil health and organic content through demonstrations and regular capacity-building sessions, establishing Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Women Leadership Schools (WLS), and promoting the use of super seeder machines for effective paddy residue management.
The Results
In the last two years, over 30,000 acres have been managed without crop burning, with significant improvements in crop residue management practices in Haryana’s Kaithal and Kurukshetra districts. The project showed a 9.35 percent yield increase and promoted short-duration paddy varieties to more than 900 farmers, enhancing yields and productivity by allowing multiple cropping cycles within a year.
Karam Singh, a farmer from the village of Bhor Saidan in Kurukshetra, owns eight acres of fertile land. Traditionally, he adhered to the rice-wheat cropping cycle, a common practice in the region. However, in a meeting with the S M Sehgal Foundation team, he learned about the harmful effects of crop residue burning, which moved him to make a change. He acquired a super seeder machine, investing INR 90,000 of his own money, with the remaining cost covered by the foundation’s CSR-supported crop-residue management project. The super seeder brought about significant improvements. Not only did Karam stopp crop burning on his own land, but he also extended this benefit to another 140 acres by renting out the machine to fellow farmers at a rate of INR 2,000 per acre. This initiative helped prevent environmental damage and proved to be financially rewarding for Karam. He earned INR 2,80,000 from the rentals, netting a profit of INR 1,00,000. Moreover, integrating crop stubble into the soil and sowing wheat with a super seeder, coupled with appropriate fertilization, resulted in a yield increase from 22 quintals to 26 quintals per acre. This enhanced productivity translated into higher income, thus substantiating the dual benefits of environmentally friendly agricultural practices and improved output.
Mandeep from Barna village in Kurukshetra, Haryana, has been practicing agriculture for ten years on his 20 acres of land, following the rice-wheat cropping system. He shares, “Crop residue burning is a big challenge amongst farmers as most of us have resorted to crop residue burning at some point. Super seeder machines addressed this challenge, helping in the incorporation of crop residues into the soil. With timely sowing of wheat, the germination of the crop, moisture holding capacity of the soil, and organic content are now better. I have also got additional income from renting the machine to other farmers, increasing the area under no crop burning, thereby reducing pollution.”
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