Stop blaming farmers for stubble burning, start supporting them

EVERY winter, a thick cloud of smoke settles over northern India, turning skies grey and choking lungs. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) often crosses 400 — reaching "hazardous" levels. Much of the blame is placed on stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, even though it causes less than 30 per cent of Delhi's pollution. But blaming farmers oversimplifies a complex problem rooted in policy, economics and planning.Rather than treating straw as a pollutant, we could see it as a resource. We should reframe the "stubble problem" as "stubble potential" — with meaningful support and incentives that can help farmers transition to sustainable solutions.Why do farmers burn their crop residue? The Green Revolution transformed Indian agriculture by encouraging high-yield varieties of wheat and paddy that require significant amounts of fertiliser and water. But this success came at a cost — almost 20 million tons of straw annually in Punjab alone. The farmers needed to remove this in a matter of days to prepare the fields for the next sowing.Like many farmers, I've done the same. After graduating with a degree in agriculture, I burned straw on my own fields in Australia. Farmers in Punjab do the same today — not out of laziness or disregard for the environment, but because they simply don't have the time or tools to do otherwise.Burning straw is the most visible symptom of a deeper crisis. Punjab's soils are showing signs of fatigue: organic matter is declining, water tables are depleting and micronutrient imbalances are rising.The solution lies in retaining or incorporating the straw to rebuild soil health, increase moisture retention and reduce input costs. Fortunately, both the Central and state governments have taken various measures to tackle the issue. Two machines — seeders and no-till planters — were developed by the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) in collaboration with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) around 2006.The Happy Seeder is towed behind a tractor that sows seeds directly into the soil without removing the residue and without any prior seed bed preparation. It also has a straw chopping blade that deposits the residue as mulch.The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR, Division of Microbiology) has developed the "Pusa Decomposer" which is a liquid mixture of fungal strains that accelerates the decomposition of crop residues. It can decompose paddy straw into compost within 25 days.The Central government has given over Rs 1,000 crore to Punjab (most of which is reputed to be unspent) and the Punjab Government is giving a subsidy of 50 per cent to individual farmers and 80 per cent to groups and societies for the purchase of crop residue management machines. Punjab has made it mandatory and offered compensation to farmers for adopting paddy straw management practices to prevent the burning of straw.Have these measures been successful? Based on ISRO and NASA's VIIRS satellite data, the number of fires in Punjab has reduced from 81,000 in the peak year of 2016 to 36,600 in 2023, a net reduction of 55 per cent. At best, it's a mixed success.What are the reasons for this partial failure? The main reason is that most solutions have not been designed around farmers' practical needs. Machinery is expensive. Enforcement without alternatives only creates resentment. Moreover, farming is a high-risk occupation — you only get one chance per year to succeed. Farmers cannot afford to experiment if it puts their crop or income at risk.To break the cycle of burning, we must focus on enabling, not penalising. Here are five practical solutions for the way forward:1. Farmer-led demonstration farms: Set up demonstration plots operated by progressive farmers, supported by local agronomists, to showcase regenerative practices like straw mulching, zero tillage and composting. Seeing success firsthand builds trust faster than instructions from distant offices,as I saw during my work on several farms in North Africa.2. Incentives, not penalties: Offer a per-acre bonus for farmers who avoid burning and manage stubble sustainably. This has worked in parts of the European Union, where farmers receive up to 250 euros per hectare for residue retention.3. Risk coverage for transitioning farmers: A government-backed guarantee or insurance should be provided in the first couple of years to reduce fear and promote the adoption of new techniques.4. Expand farmer-to-farmer training: Create a cadre of trained farmer-advisers who can guide others through the transition. No formal degrees are required but their field experience is invaluable. I've seen this model work in Libya, where expert farmers became the backbone of national training efforts.5. Invest in adapted machinery: Subsidise or lease existing tools like Happy Seeders, mulchers and rotavators. Often, it's not the lack of technology but the lack of access that prevents adoption. Cooperative-based machinery banks can solve this.In parts of Italy, where I now farm, we've seen what happens when organic matter is removed and never replaced: soil turns to dust, requiring enormous energy and cost to till. Punjab's soils are headed in the same direction unless we act now.It is essential to rethink crop cycles and soil health. Beyond stubble, there's a deeper lesson: Punjab and India's agricultural systems need a shift towards regenerative farming — crop diversification, cover cropping and soil-building practices that reduce the very need for burning in the first place.It is equally important to reframe the narrative. The current discourse often paints farmers as the problem. But they can — and must — be a part of the solution. No farmer wants to breathe in smoke or poison his own soil.Let us invest in that transformation — from straw as waste to straw as wealth — not just to reduce Delhi's winter smog but also to build a resilient, profitable and sustainable farming system for generations to come.Brian Chatterton is a farmer & former Agriculture Minister of Australia.

Stop blaming farmers for stubble burning, start supporting them

No farmer wants to breathe in smoke or poison his own soil. They burn straw because they have no better option.

Brian Chatterton

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