Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Far removed from the agricultural fire “hotspots” of Northwestern India, rice residue burning is on the rise in Eastern India with implications for regional air quality and agricultural sustainability. The underlying drivers contributing to the increase in burning have been linked to the adoption of mechanized (combine) harvesting but, in general, are inadequately understood. We hypothesize that the adoption of burning as a management practice results from a set of socio-technical interactions rather than emerging from a single factor. Using a mixed methods approach, a household survey (n = 475) provided quantitative insights into landscape and farm-scale drivers of burning and was complemented by an in-depth qualitative survey (n = 36) to characterize decision processes and to verify causal inferences derived from the broader survey. For communities where the combine harvester is present, our results show that rice residue burning is not inevitable. The decision to burn appears to emerge from a cascading sequence of events, starting with the following: (1) decreasing household labor, leading to (2) decreasing household livestock holdings, resulting in (3) reduced demands for residue fodder, incentivizing (4) adoption of labor-efficient combine harvesting and subsequent burning of loose residues that are both difficult to collect and of lower feeding value than manually harvested straw. Local demand for crop residues for livestock feeding plays a central role mediating transitions to burning. Consequently, policy response options that only consider the role of the combine harvester are likely to be ineffective. Innovative strategies such as the creation of decentralized commercial models for dairy value chains may bolster local residue demand by addressing household-scale labor bottlenecks to maintaining livestock. Secondary issues, such as timely rice planting, merit consideration as part of holistic responses to “bend” agricultural burning trajectories in Eastern India towards more sustainable practices.
Institutions: Cornell University, International Rice Research Institute, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, Bihar Agricultural University, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz Y Trigo, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,890
Awards: G1938770602, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo - to support outputs from interdisciplinary research on rice, wheat and maize cropping systems, which will be delivered through public-private partne..., Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo - to build a regional agronomy research alliance towards improving the productivity and profitability of crops, increasing climate resilience, and re...
OpenAlex ID: W4404138532