stubble burning

File:Fires observed in the United States From July 2002 through July 2011.ogv

The burning of stubble has both positive and negative consequences.

• Cheaper and easier than other removal methods
• Helps to combat pests and weeds
• Can reduce nitrogen tie-up{{cite web|title=Grains and Other Crops» Crop Production» Stubble Burning |url=http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/grains-and-other-crops/crop-production/stubble-burning}}{{Not in citation|date=May 2025}}

• Loss of nutrients.
• Pollution from smoke.{{Cite journal |pmid = 21615081|year = 2011|last1 = Zhang|first1 = H.|last2 = Hu|first2 = D.|last3 = Chen|first3 = J.|last4 = Ye|first4 = X.|last5 = Wang|first5 = S. X.|last6 = Hao|first6 = J. M.|last7 = Wang|first7 = L.|last8 = Zhang|first8 = R.|last9 = An|first9 = Z.|title = Particle size distribution and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emissions from agricultural crop residue burning|journal = Environmental Science & Technology|volume = 45|issue = 13|pages = 5477–82|doi = 10.1021/es1037904|bibcode = 2011EnST...45.5477Z}} Including greenhouse gases and others that damage the ozone layer.
• Damage to electrical and electronic equipment from floating threads of conductive waste.
• Risk of fires spreading out of control.{{cite news|last=Ellison|first=Amelia|title=Stubble burns cause headache for firebrigades|url=http://www.mailtimes.com.au/story/976274/stubble-burns-cause-headaches-for-fire-brigades/|access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=The Wimmera Mail Times|date=24 August 2013}}
• Additionally, prolonged stubble burning kills beneficial microflora and fauna in soil which reduces organic matter and destroys the carbon-nitrogen equilibrium.{{Cite journal |last1=Bhuvaneshwari |first1=S. |last2=Hettiarachchi |first2=Hiroshan |last3=Meegoda |first3=Jay N. |date= 2019|title=Crop Residue Burning in India: Policy Challenges and Potential Solutions |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |language=en |volume=16 |issue=5 |pages=832 |doi=10.3390/ijerph16050832 |issn=1660-4601 |pmc=6427124 |pmid=30866483 |doi-access=free }}

A wide array of health disorders are associated with the stubble burning emission releases which have caused people to develop lung cancer and respiratory infections. The emissions also threaten the health of children who tend to have weaker organs.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Not only that but the smog from the stubble burning also severely affects people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder as it worsens their health conditions.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} India also has the highest number of blind people in the world and if the smog gets in your eyes you are more likely to develop cataracts.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Additionally, people who have been exposed to smog can develop eye irritation, eye-watering, and conjunctival hyperemia symptoms.{{Cite web |title=Farmers cite lack of options as stubble burning turns air toxic in northern India |website=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/india/farmers-cite-lack-options-stubble-burning-turns-air-toxic-northern-india-2022-11-08/ |access-date=2024-04-05}} In order to reduce pollution there needs to be severe attention to the issue involved with effective sustainable management practices enforced by the government. The Indian government has been receiving intense backlash for not reacting quickly enough to the health emergency, especially amongst the green revolution that is bringing attention to climate change concerns.

The solutions to reduce the pollution from stubble burning involve mitigating crop farming, adhering to diversification of agriculture, adopting the paddy straw farming technique, and making biomass pellets.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

Agriculture residues can have other uses, such as in particle board{{cite journal |last1=Ferrandez-Garcia |last2=García-Ortuño |last3=Ferrández García |last4=Ferrández-Villena |last5=Ferrandez-Garcia |title=Fire-resistance, physical, and mechanical characterization of binderless rice straw particleboards |journal=BioResources |date=28 September 2017 |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=8539–8549 |doi=10.15376/biores.12.4.8539-8549 |url=https://bioresources.cnr.ncsu.edu/resources/fire-resistance-physical-and-mechanical-characterization-of-binderless-rice-straw-particleboards/ |access-date=1 December 2020|doi-access=free }} and biofuel,{{Cite web|last=Andrews|first=Susan S.|date=February 22, 2006|title=Crop Residue Removal for Biomass Energy Production: Effects on Soils and Recommendations|url=https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/16/nrcs143_019400.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2021|website=Natural Resources Conservation Service|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}} though these uses can still cause problems like erosion and nutrient loss.

Spraying an enzyme, which decomposes the stubble into useful fertiliser, improves the soil, avoids air pollution and prevents carbon dioxide emissions.{{Cite web|last=Kamali Dehghan|first=Saeed|date=2021-12-10|title=Burning issue: how enzymes could end India's problem with stubble|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/dec/10/burning-issue-how-enzymes-could-end-indias-problem-with-stubble|access-date=2021-12-11|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

Several companies worldwide use leftover agricultural waste to make new products. Agricultural waste can serve as raw materials for new applications, such as paper and board,{{Cite web |title=Innovation: paper made from agricultural waste up to 100% |url=https://paperwise.eu/en/innovation/ |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=PaperWise}} bio-based oils,{{Cite web |title=Our Technology |url=https://vertoro.com/technology/ |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=Vertoro}} leather,{{Cite web |title=Introduction |url=https://fruitleather.nl/introduction-2/ |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=Fruitleather Rotterdam}} catering disposables,{{Cite web |title=Wheat Straw Clamshells |url=https://www.ecoproducts.com/wheat-straw-clamshells.html |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=Eco Products}} fuel{{Cite web |title=Valio and St1 joint venture, Suomen Lantakaasu Oy, ready to increase domestic biogas production |url=https://www.valio.com/news/valio-and-st1-joint-venture-suomen-lantakaasu-oy-ready-to-increase-domestic-biogas-production/ |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=Valio}} and plastic.{{Cite web |date=13 May 2022 |title=Technology |url=https://plasticfri.com/technology/ |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=PlasticFri}} Another important way to manage the agricultural waste from stubble burning would be to detoxify the soil after it has been burned and using aerobic and anaerobic techniques that recycle organic matter.{{cite journal | doi=10.3390/ijerph16050832 | doi-access=free | title=Crop Residue Burning in India: Policy Challenges and Potential Solutions | date=2019 | last1=Bhuvaneshwari | first1=S. | last2=Hettiarachchi | first2=Hiroshan | last3=Meegoda | first3=Jay | journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health | volume=16 | issue=5 | page=832 | pmid=30866483 | pmc=6427124 }}

Another way to reduce particulate matter pollution entails the requirement of bringing severe attention to the issue in accordance with effective sustainable management practices and government support. Active stakeholder acknowledgment by the farm owners that are producing the products that are used in stubble burning will need to form agreements with the government too. Unfortunately, many of the farmers that contribute to the pollution are unaware of the implications of how harmful stubble burning is for the earth especially as to how it depletes soil of nutrients and contaminates the air. Empowering farmers and educating them about the harmful consequences that stubble burning causes to the atmosphere is also necessary for stubble burning pollution reduction.

{{multiple image|align=right|direction=vertical|width=200

|image1=Stubble burning australia.jpg|caption1=Burning of wheat stubble, near Barraport, Victoria, Australia

|image2=No Burning Stubble Sign in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 20250517.jpg|caption2=A sign in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China telling people not to burn stubble , the sign says "禁烧秸秆，人人有责"({{lit|It's everyone's responsibility to refrain from burning stubble.}}).

}}

• Stubble burning has been effectively prohibited since 1993 in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1993/1366/contents/made|title=The Crop Residues (Burning) Regulations 1993|website=www.legislation.gov.uk}} A perceived increase in blackgrass, and particularly herbicide resistant blackgrass, led to a campaign by some arable farmers for its return.{{cite web|last=Tasker|first=Johann|title=Farmers step up stubble burning campaign|url=http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/30/07/2012/134162/farmers-step-up-stubble-burning-campaign.htm|access-date=24 August 2013|date=30 May 2012}}
• In Australia stubble burning is "not the preferred option for the majority of farmers" but is permitted and recommended in some circumstances. Farmers are advised to rake and burn windrows, and leave a fire break of 3 metres around any burn off.
• In the United States, fires are fairly common in mid-western states, but some states such as Oregon and Idaho regulate the practice.{{cite web|url=https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=2754|title=Oregon Secretary of State Division Rules, Chapter 603, Division 77, "Field Burning Rules"|access-date=4 November 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://deq.idaho.gov/air-quality/burning/crop-residue-burning/|title=Crop Residue Burning|author=Idaho Department of Environmental Quality|access-date=4 November 2019}}
• In the European Union, the Common Agricultural Policy strongly discourages stubble burning.{{Cite web|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013R1306&from=en|title=REGULATION (EU) No 1306/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL}}
• In China, there is a government ban on stubble burning; however the practice remains fairly common.{{cite news|title=Farmers burn wheat stubble despite ban|url=http://english.people.com.cn/90882/8285589.html|access-date=24 August 2013|newspaper=Peoples Daily|date=15 June 2013}}
• In northern India, despite a ban by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, stubble burning is still practiced since the 1980s. Authorities are starting to enforce this ban more proactively, and to research alternatives.{{cite news|title=Paddy stubble burning: Two farmers booked in Sangrur|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/patiala/paddy-stubble-burning-two-farmers-booked-in-sangrur/article1-1281168.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102070311/http://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/patiala/paddy-stubble-burning-two-farmers-booked-in-sangrur/article1-1281168.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 November 2014|access-date=23 November 2014|work=Hindustan Times|date=31 October 2014}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/india-is-trying-to-prevent-apocalyptic-air-pollution-step-1-stop-farmers-from-burning-their-fields/2018/10/15/79d3fd52-cb20-11e8-ad0a-0e01efba3cc1_story.html|title=India is trying to prevent apocalyptic air pollution. Step 1: Stop farmers from burning their fields.|last=Slater|first=Joanna|date=15 October 2018|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=17 October 2018}}
• Stubble burning is allowed by permit in some Canadian provinces, including Manitoba where 5% of farmers were estimated to do it in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/smoke-from-stubble-fires-engulfs-winnipeg-1.678678|title=Smoke from stubble fires engulfs Winnipeg|date=6 September 2007|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation}}

File:NP India burning 48 (6315309342).jpg, Punjab, India]]

Stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in north India has been cited as a major cause of air pollution in Delhi since 1980.Geeta Anand, [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/03/world/asia/farmers-unchecked-crop-burning-fuels-indias-air-pollution.html "Farmers’ Unchecked Crop Burning Fuels India's Air Pollution"], The New York Times, 2 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2017. Consequently, the government is considering implementation of the 1,600 km long and 5 km wide Great Green Wall of Aravalli.[https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/want-govt-to-build-1600-km-green-wall-along-aravalli-says-activist-vijaypal-baghel-6182069/ Want govt to build 1600 km green wall along Aravalli], Indian Express, 24 December 2019. The smog that arises from the burning contributes fine black and brown carbon into the atmosphere which affects light absorption. As the weather is cooler in November in India, the stubble burning generates a thick haze of fog, dust, and industrial pollution. From April to May and October to November each year, farmers mainly in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh burn an estimated 35 million tonsJoydeep Thakur, [http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/delhi-s-pollution-nightmare-crop-burning-in-nearby-states-begins/story-djXJY8W0Ugzm8dgsxmbN0K.html Brace for air pollution in Delhi as crop burning starts in neighbouring states]: Agricultural stubble running into millions of tonnes is burnt by farmers in northern India twice every year. An estimated 35 million tonnes are set afire in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh alone. Hindustan Times, 28 September 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017. of crop waste from their wheat and paddy fields after harvesting as a low-cost straw-disposal practice to reduce the turnaround time between harvesting and sowing for the first (summer) crop and the second (winter) crop.Sowmiya Ashok, [http://indianexpress.com/article/india/stubble-burning-punjab-farmers-amarinder-singh-ngt-air-pollution-4897240/ "Agricultural pollution: The fields are still burning"], The Indian Express, 19 October 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017. Smoke from this burning produces a cloud of particulates visible from spaceNASA, [https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=82409 "Stubble Burning in Northern India"], Earth Observatory. Retrieved 9 November 2017. and has produced what has been described as a "toxic cloud" in New Delhi, resulting in declarations of an air-pollution emergency.Sanjeev Miglani and Aditya Kalra, [https://www.reuters.com/article/india-pollution-delhi/new-delhi-declares-emergency-as-toxic-smog-thickens-by-the-hour-idINKBN1D90LM "New Delhi declares emergency as toxic smog thickens by the hour"], Reuters, 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017. For this, the NGT (National Green Tribunal) instituted a fine of ₹2 lakh on the Delhi Government for failing to file an action plan providing incentives and infrastructural assistance to farmers to stop them from burning crop residue to prevent air pollution.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/crop-burning-ngt-slaps-rs-2-lakh-as-costs-on-delhi-govt-for-not-filing-action-plan/story-IxLjRrWXOhSAYYcG1NaCKJ.html|title=Crop burning: NGT slaps Rs 2 lakh as costs on Delhi govt for not filing action plan|date=3 April 2018|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=26 June 2018|language=en}}

Although harvesters such as the Indian-manufactured "Happy Seeder" that shred the crop residues into small pieces and uniformly spread them across the field are available as an alternative to burning stubble, and crops such as millets and maize can be grown as a sustainable alternative to rice and wheat in order to conserve water, some farmers complain that the cost of these machines is a significant financial burden, with the crops not incurred under MSP prices when compared to burning the fields and purchasing crops that are produced under MSP prices.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute, developed an enzyme bio-decomposer solution, that can be sprayed after the harvest, to increase organic carbon in the soil and maintain overall soil health. In 2021, they began licensing its use to various companies.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220405-the-fungi-cleaning-new-delhis-air|title=The world's most polluted capital city|work=www.bbc.com|first=Kamala|last=Thiagarajan|date=April 4, 2022|accessdate=April 10, 2022}}

In May 2022, the Government of Punjab announced they will purchase maize, bajra, sunflower and moong crops at MSP, encouraging farmers to adopt less water consuming options as a sustainable alternative to paddy and wheat in the wake of fast-depleting groundwater.Harmandeep Singh, [https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/punjab-govt-will-purchase-maize-bajra-other-crops-at-msp-cm-bhagwant-mann-101651606909451.html "Punjab govt will purchase maize, bajra, other crops at MSP: CM Bhagwant Mann"], Hindustan Times, 4 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.

A recent study in 2020 showed that the country created 600-700 million tonnes of crop residue and is choking cities.{{cite journal | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep37963.3 | title=Stubble burning—a serious issue in Northwest India | last1=Trivedi | first1=Vinay | journal=Agro-Residue for Power | date=14 January 2024 | pages=7–8 }} People in India are awaiting sustainable management to reduce the pollution. The areas that are largely contributing to the stubble burning pollutants are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} and Haryana which is spreading to the border of Uttarakhand. The unsustainable use of alternating wheat-rice cropping patterns{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.envadv.2020.100011 | title=Stubble burning: Effects on health & environment, regulations and management practices | date=2020 | last1=Abdurrahman | first1=Muhammad Isa | last2=Chaki | first2=Sukalpaa | last3=Saini | first3=Gaurav | journal=Environmental Advances | volume=2 | doi-access=free | bibcode=2020EnvAd...200011A }} is exhausting natural resources like water, soil, and forest areas.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} In one year the emissions from the crop burning can be 17 times the total annual particulate pollution and the crop residue carbon dioxide submissions are 64 times the element emissions in Delhi. The crops that are typically burned include rice, wheat, maize, millet, and sugarcane,{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} all of which have large investment returns and also leave a residue on the field after being cut. After 1 tonne of crop residue is burnt in a field there is a release of 1,400 kg of carbon dioxide (CO₂), 58 kg of Carbon Monoxide (CO), 11 kg of particulate matter, 4.9 kg of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and 1.2 kg of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Stubble burning also depletes groundwater and the lack of attention to the issue has led Indian civilians to feel hopeless for effective government interventional responses.Kataria, Sunil, and Tanvi Mehta. “Farmers Cite Lack of Options as Stubble Burning Turns Air Toxic in Northern India.” Reuters, November 9, 2022.

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