‘Crop diversification solution to stubble burning’

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 8

Agricultural scientists and stakeholders from different departments held prolonged deliberations to contain stubble burning menace that has affected the air quality levels in the region during a meeting in Bathinda.

The discussions were centered on ‘Promoting Alternatives to Burning as a Rice Straw Management Practice in Punjab through Behaviour Change Interventions’.

During the meeting, members from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, Hyderabad, and Kheti Virasat Mission conceded that breaking the typical paddy-wheat crop cycle could play a pivotal role in containing the stubble burning menace to a large extent.

They added that crop diversification was the need of the hour but for that the government needed to take other crops (apart from paddy and wheat) in the ambit of MSP (minimum support price). However, lack of political will has acted as a hindrance on that front, they said.

Commercialisation of the farm sector has triggered farmers to switch to crops (from cotton), which could ensure rich dividends for them that may come at the expense of the environment, the experts said.

Max Friedrich, a researcher from Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG), led the discussion and said before drafting a roadmap to curb the stubble burning menace, behavioural intervention of the farming community was a must.

He said, “We will visit different areas in the state as part of the study and interact with farmers to know why they opted for burning stubble while others have chosen to stay away from it.”

The study will be conducted using RANAS (risks, attitudes, norms, abilities, and self-regulation) approach to understand behaviour regarding stubble burning in the state.

Max has been working for the environmental and health psychology group for the past five years and has headed projects to understand motivations for safe drinking water consumption in Vietnam and hand hygiene in Zimbabwe.

Umendra Dutt, executive director, KVM, said, “Farm mechanisation is also a solution to many problems related to the farming community, but again the affordability factor is a major concern.”

Mulching, soil incorporation and composting animal fodder/bedding were explained as possible alternatives to stubble burning.

Dutt added that these techniques of utilising stubble for other purposes actually assisted in maintaining the soil health, right temperature, accurate moisture content and keeping essential micro-organisms alive (elements required for fertility).

Apart from air pollution, the stakeholders from agriculture, health, NABARD, PPCB, PAU and KVM among other departments discussed water pollution, environment protection and toxicity of groundwater in the region.