-The Nature Conservancy India Program, Institute on the Environment (University of Minnesota), Borlaug Institute for South Asia & International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Air pollution is a major cause of premature mortality globally and the problem is particularly acute in rapidly developing countries like India. Crop residue burning contributes substantially to this problem. Currently, 80 percent of agriculture in Northwest India uses a rice-wheat production system dependent on burning rice residue. New crop residue management systems are needed to drive a profitable, no-burn agricultural system of the future. One exists, in the form of the “Happy Seeder” technology, a tractor mounted implement that allows no-till and no-burn planting of wheat into fields mulched with rice crop residue. Although a crop residue burning ban is in place, and the Happy Seeder technology is tested, profitable and subsidized, it is not yet widely adopted. Through two stakeholder dialogues and a Wicked Econ workshop, we identified six recommendations we believe can lead to a no-burn agricultural system for Northwest India in the next five years, setting a precedent for Asian agriculture and beyond.
This report is the result of a workshop held in Jaipur, India on November 6-7, 2017.
Please click here to access the report.