NO TILLING and CROP BURNING
Hot Press — Govt proposes to give farmers free access to Turbo Happy Seeders (which chop closely and zero till). Zero tilling does away with burning and improves yields. Even if burning happens little smoke is possible. Cost of distributing 3 per panchayats (Rs2,000cr) can be recovered by taxing urban centres like Delhi. 150MT of recovered residue also has a value. Govt has asked NTPC to buy all the rice stubble at good rates. Biofuel refineries will also buy stubble to convert to liquid fuel or gas. System for collection will be in place for next year. NTPC can burn percent mix of stubble with conventional fuel without modification.
My comment (months ago):
What's in it for the farmers or the neighbouring states? And if there is cooperation, then what must be done? Creating a smoke free zone is the obvious solution. In Delhi it means banning burning of any kind , like rubbish, wood fuel and generator diesel. It means providing alternatives like rubbish collections, cooking gas and good quality 24/7 power. Farmers in neighbouring states should have economically viable alternatives.
SAGUNA RICE TECHNIQUE: no tilling is a grand idea
❡— Tilling and crop burning destroys nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus & potash) and organic matter, which must be re-applied for the next crop❡—
Maharashtra government has been using Bhadsavle’s expertise to boost farmers’ income and also stop forest fires. SRT farming (or Saguna Rice Technique) is where tillage is not done. Instead crop stubble or residue is disintegrated into the soil with help of earthworms, weedicides and microbial cultures. Experts agree with the notion of preserving soil fertility but add it must be scaled up. In fact, 2500 cotton farmers from drought-prone Vidarbha have been trailing this approach for last 2 years, and feedback is remarkable.
-- My cotton production has almost doubled, input costs halved and my savings have grown appreciably. I believe my crops are more resilient to insect-pests and climate change.
-- I have used SRT for 2 years. Rice production is up by 50%, and so is my income.
ZERO TILLING: ideal for the Northern belt
Decomposition may take too long for multi-cropping areas like Punjab. Zero Tilling (see below) can be done straight after close cropping. Modified happy harvester manages twin roles at the same time. Zero tilling also preserves water, making it ideal for sowing without water. In many water-stressed or hilly areas, it is possible to grow a second crop of water-resistant mustard or pulses.
ZERO TILLING and DSR
Experts are advising farmers to switch to zero tilling and direct seeded rice. Zero tilling is a low cost method of planting or rather "drilling" seeds into the stubble 2 to 3 inches below ground. Zero tilling saves on water, nutrients and organic content—which it gets from the stubble—and gives higher wheat yields. In direct seeded rice, rice is planted straight into moistened wheat-stubbled ground, along with some pesticide. No transplanting is required. DSR saves on labour, water and electricity, and improves yield.
CROP BURNING PROBLEM
In India, 550 million tonnes of crop residue is left on fields, after harvesting and straw removal. Air pollutants and air quality can be measured for a given area of the city. Satellite imagery, like from Nasa's FIRM web fire mapper, can show fire spots (fire burning clusters). Comparison with previous years is done as a monitoring tool. However, air quality measures can be affected by weather, other incidents and changes in cropping pattern.
RESEARCH
Adesh institute (AIMSR) found smoke impacted farmers health and quality of life. 85% in all age categories suffered in some respects. Study shows paddy burning is more widespread; smoke lingers in winter air and drifts further out of the area. Rice and wheat accounted for 85% of cases but sugarcane in Maharashtra also featured. 1/3 of residue globally was burned. Experts suggested that residue should be collected and used as fodder, fuel, ethanol or incorporated back into soil.
Crop burning is a quick economical method of clearing field for a new crop. When States fixed a fine based on farm-acreage, most fines were collected from farms under 5 acres. Heavy-handed approach had failed to convince, but awareness had made a difference.
STATE GOVT LEGAL EFFORTS
Rewards, threats and even registration of cases -- nothing seems to work. Reaction from farmers has been to protest, defy, threaten to escalate and demand unreasonable gratification.
Punjab will use satellite technology to monitor and pin-point incidents and farm holdings. Special Task force is being raised to identify culprits, register cases and prosecute. The firm action has reduced fire spots on satellite imagery and better air quality is seen in Delhi. Experts have advised caution into reading too much!!
BROADER STATE RESPONSE
State pollution control board, agriculture department and the districts are keeping a watch over burning of straw through remote sensing. They have imposed fines on culprits. They have asked farmers to suggest alternatives and offered subsidy. Centre was asked to assist in raising farmers' awareness. All states petitioned Centre to do much more, by way of subsidy and facilitate procurement of modern residual management machines.
Devinder Sharma, an independent analyst, doesn't see any need for a central subsidy for such steps. "The only solution is that combine harvester manufacturers should make farm machines which enable chopping the plant stem from the base, and bundle the straw like a bailer does."
Punjab govt is to bring 50,000 hectares under summer moong dal, a 60-65 day crop, to sow on wheat residue. The low cut residue (3-4 inch) acts like a mulch and helps in early germination. Wheat residue can make fodder but paddy residue lacks fodder value and is problematic to cut. One demonstration to Punjab agency had straw compressed anaerobically and converted into bio-char, soil nutrient pellets. Experts are advising planting early maturing (less water guzzling) rice varieties as they leave less residue and give higher incomes.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100789863972538583352/posts/dU2NRzqzV5C
Hot Press — Govt proposes to give farmers free access to Turbo Happy Seeders (which chop closely and zero till). Zero tilling does away with burning and improves yields. Even if burning happens little smoke is possible. Cost of distributing 3 per panchayats (Rs2,000cr) can be recovered by taxing urban centres like Delhi. 150MT of recovered residue also has a value. Govt has asked NTPC to buy all the rice stubble at good rates. Biofuel refineries will also buy stubble to convert to liquid fuel or gas. System for collection will be in place for next year. NTPC can burn percent mix of stubble with conventional fuel without modification.
My comment (months ago):
What's in it for the farmers or the neighbouring states? And if there is cooperation, then what must be done? Creating a smoke free zone is the obvious solution. In Delhi it means banning burning of any kind , like rubbish, wood fuel and generator diesel. It means providing alternatives like rubbish collections, cooking gas and good quality 24/7 power. Farmers in neighbouring states should have economically viable alternatives.
SAGUNA RICE TECHNIQUE: no tilling is a grand idea
❡— Tilling and crop burning destroys nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus & potash) and organic matter, which must be re-applied for the next crop❡—
Maharashtra government has been using Bhadsavle’s expertise to boost farmers’ income and also stop forest fires. SRT farming (or Saguna Rice Technique) is where tillage is not done. Instead crop stubble or residue is disintegrated into the soil with help of earthworms, weedicides and microbial cultures. Experts agree with the notion of preserving soil fertility but add it must be scaled up. In fact, 2500 cotton farmers from drought-prone Vidarbha have been trailing this approach for last 2 years, and feedback is remarkable.
-- My cotton production has almost doubled, input costs halved and my savings have grown appreciably. I believe my crops are more resilient to insect-pests and climate change.
-- I have used SRT for 2 years. Rice production is up by 50%, and so is my income.
ZERO TILLING: ideal for the Northern belt
Decomposition may take too long for multi-cropping areas like Punjab. Zero Tilling (see below) can be done straight after close cropping. Modified happy harvester manages twin roles at the same time. Zero tilling also preserves water, making it ideal for sowing without water. In many water-stressed or hilly areas, it is possible to grow a second crop of water-resistant mustard or pulses.
ZERO TILLING and DSR
Experts are advising farmers to switch to zero tilling and direct seeded rice. Zero tilling is a low cost method of planting or rather "drilling" seeds into the stubble 2 to 3 inches below ground. Zero tilling saves on water, nutrients and organic content—which it gets from the stubble—and gives higher wheat yields. In direct seeded rice, rice is planted straight into moistened wheat-stubbled ground, along with some pesticide. No transplanting is required. DSR saves on labour, water and electricity, and improves yield.
CROP BURNING PROBLEM
In India, 550 million tonnes of crop residue is left on fields, after harvesting and straw removal. Air pollutants and air quality can be measured for a given area of the city. Satellite imagery, like from Nasa's FIRM web fire mapper, can show fire spots (fire burning clusters). Comparison with previous years is done as a monitoring tool. However, air quality measures can be affected by weather, other incidents and changes in cropping pattern.
RESEARCH
Adesh institute (AIMSR) found smoke impacted farmers health and quality of life. 85% in all age categories suffered in some respects. Study shows paddy burning is more widespread; smoke lingers in winter air and drifts further out of the area. Rice and wheat accounted for 85% of cases but sugarcane in Maharashtra also featured. 1/3 of residue globally was burned. Experts suggested that residue should be collected and used as fodder, fuel, ethanol or incorporated back into soil.
Crop burning is a quick economical method of clearing field for a new crop. When States fixed a fine based on farm-acreage, most fines were collected from farms under 5 acres. Heavy-handed approach had failed to convince, but awareness had made a difference.
STATE GOVT LEGAL EFFORTS
Rewards, threats and even registration of cases -- nothing seems to work. Reaction from farmers has been to protest, defy, threaten to escalate and demand unreasonable gratification.
Punjab will use satellite technology to monitor and pin-point incidents and farm holdings. Special Task force is being raised to identify culprits, register cases and prosecute. The firm action has reduced fire spots on satellite imagery and better air quality is seen in Delhi. Experts have advised caution into reading too much!!
BROADER STATE RESPONSE
State pollution control board, agriculture department and the districts are keeping a watch over burning of straw through remote sensing. They have imposed fines on culprits. They have asked farmers to suggest alternatives and offered subsidy. Centre was asked to assist in raising farmers' awareness. All states petitioned Centre to do much more, by way of subsidy and facilitate procurement of modern residual management machines.
Devinder Sharma, an independent analyst, doesn't see any need for a central subsidy for such steps. "The only solution is that combine harvester manufacturers should make farm machines which enable chopping the plant stem from the base, and bundle the straw like a bailer does."
Punjab govt is to bring 50,000 hectares under summer moong dal, a 60-65 day crop, to sow on wheat residue. The low cut residue (3-4 inch) acts like a mulch and helps in early germination. Wheat residue can make fodder but paddy residue lacks fodder value and is problematic to cut. One demonstration to Punjab agency had straw compressed anaerobically and converted into bio-char, soil nutrient pellets. Experts are advising planting early maturing (less water guzzling) rice varieties as they leave less residue and give higher incomes.
https://plus.google.com/u/0/100789863972538583352/posts/dU2NRzqzV5C
4
Shared publicly
- Crop stubble burnings - story so far & ideas to stop the practice
REPLY Nov 10, 2017 - Economic solution to crop burning was proposed to SC.
My comment (months ago):
What's in it for the farmers or the neighbouring states? And if there is cooperation, then what must be done? Creating a smoke free zone in Delhi is the obvious solution. It means banning burning of any kind , like rubbish, wood fuel and generator diesel; and providing alternatives like rubbish collections, cooking gas and good quality 24/7 power. Farmers in neighbouring states should have economically viable alternatives.
REPLY Dec 4, 2017 - Solutions That Will Clear Delhi’s Smog and Enrich Farmers as Well
The problem has been exacerbated by the arrival of dust-laden air from the Middle East and Afghanistan which created a temperature inversion (cold air on top while hot air is near the ground). This did not allow the smog and dust to disperse into the higher atmosphere, thereby creating gas chamber-like conditions on the ground.
Dust storms and other atmospheric phenomena have existed for millions of years, but the humanmade conditions of stubble burning and vehicular pollution are recent phenomena and hence the choking conditions.
There are enough existing solutions to alleviate the air pollution. However, there is a need to have political and administrative will to implement them. This article will try to show how it can be done.
Power from agricultural residues
India produces anywhere from 600-800 million tons of agricultural residues per year. After harvesting crops, whatever is left behind are the residues. As farmers want their land to be ready for the next crop, they have to dispose of these residues. The fastest way to do this is to burn them in the fields – leading to air pollution that we see all over the country.
In the early 1990s, an NGO called Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Western Maharashtra had pioneered the concept of using these residues for power generation and thus reducing air pollution. Their work showed that every Taluka had enough agricultural residues to meet all the electricity demands of that Taluka. This work led to a national policy on Taluka energy self-sufficiency in 1996 which was managed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
Thus 600-800 million tons/year of agricultural residues can theoretically produce about 80,000 MW of electricity. Besides generating power, the selling of residues to power plants can provide extra income to the farmers. Presently farmers do not make any money from the residues. For the country as a whole, this additional income for farmers can amount to about Rs three lakh crore and can create substantial wealth in rural areas.
In 1995 NARI also developed the world’s first loose biomass gasifier running on agricultural residues like sugarcane trash, wheat straw and those from other crops. The gas from the 500 kW (thermal) gasifier was shown to be useful for producing excellent heat for community kitchens. The gasification process produces syngas ( a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) – which could be used for creating methanol – a useful liquid fuel for transportation.
Similarly, pyrolysis (one step before gasification) of agricultural residues could efficiently produce pyrolysis oil which is a medium calorific value (CV) fuel with a CV of 17 MJ/Kg or nearly 1/3rd that of diesel. This oil can be used as a cooking fuel in suitably designed cookstoves. Thus both gasification and pyrolysis oil production can supply clean energy for cooking.
All these technologies show that agricultural residues could easily be converted into useful products (electricity and liquid fuels) and in the process reduce air pollution.
No-till agriculture and perennial crops
However for improving the soil so that agricultural productivity increases, it is necessary that most of these residues should be ploughed back into the field. No-till agriculture (NTA) allows the incorporation of these residues into the soil while minimally disturbing it.
For planting crops, holes are drilled into the soil in which seed can be planted and then covered up. This is done by specially designed planters. This way the soil surface remains undisturbed along with the residues from the previous crop. For weed control, suitable weedicides or natural control methods such as multi-cropping or use of allelopathic species as cover crops can be utilized.
NTA not only improves the soil but soil erosion is reduced drastically. Since the stubble is not burned, NTA is also one of the best mechanism to reduce air pollution.
No-till agriculture is practised extensively in western countries with a total area of about 160 million hectares planted every year. Most of it is in Latin America, North America and Australia/New Zealand. Around 11% of worlds total cropland is under NTA. Farmers are finding no-till very remunerative since the area is increasing at the rate of 10 million hectares per year. In India, only in last 6-7 years has NTA caught up and it is being practised mostly in North India with estimates of about 1.5 million hectares under it.
The reasons for such low-level penetration are the non-availability of economically priced planters, not enough publicity regarding advantages of no-till and non-availability of low-cost weedicides.
Major industrial players are producing agricultural machinery in India, but somehow no-till machinery is not in their vision. The government of India should encourage NTA by providing economic incentives to both farmers and agricultural machinery makers.
Another method to reduce production of agricultural residues is to have perennial crops. It is like growing wheat, rice and oilseed crops on trees! Year after year the fruit (grains and oilseeds) can be harvested while the root structure (stubble) keeps on re-sprouting. This drastically reduces the energy in growing and harvesting crops and hence increases the remuneration to farmers. This is not science fiction or far-fetched idea.
Very extensive work is being done in the US on perennial crops, and there are good indications that shortly perennial wheat, sorghum and oilseed crops like Sunflower, Canola etc. can be developed.
In India, there is a need to set up a national technology mission for perennial crops so that extensive R&D can be done on them.
Transportation
One of the major causes of air pollution in cities is vehicular traffic. With the increase in diesel vehicles in India, this pollution has increased manifold. No matter how good the engine is, the stop-start and traffic jam conditions on Indian roads makes it run very inefficiently and hence produces increased pollution.
One of the best solutions for city air pollution is to have electric vehicles. Electric cars and buses are becoming very common in Western countries. In fact, all major car companies of the world have electric vehicles in the pipeline. Electric vehicles reduce not only air pollution but also noise pollution since they are incredibly silent. For inner cities, noise pollution is also a major consideration in vehicular use. Having extensive electric public transport systems in cities will greatly reduce vehicular pollution.
For a fair weather country like India, electric motorcycles are a sensible solution.
NARI, in the early 2000s, was the first institute in the world to develop electric rickshaws. Because of the lack of vision of the powers-to-be, this innovation did not become popular. Now 17 years later there are lakhs of electric rickshaws all over the country with Chinese motors, batteries and controllers. We lost time and opportunity to develop an electric vehicle ecosystem in the country.
Tremendous achievements in battery technologies, motors and controllers have made electric vehicles comparable in range and power to fossil fueled vehicles. In India, we need to introduce electric cars, especially electric motorcycles, in a big way.
There is no single solution to reduce air pollution in Indian cities, but all those outlined in this article can help to alleviate it. What is needed is the political will to identify innovative solutions in India and implement them.
REPLY Dec 11, 2017 - Why stubble management matters
Delhi’s air pollution is not only a problem of political will, but also a multidisciplinary problem where solutions lie in providing the right incentives to stakeholders. These incentives can help in mitigating the long-term consequences of the toxic air North India is breathing and addressing the underlying structural deficiencies.
Stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana along with construction dusts and high traffic has aggravated air pollution in Delhi and surrounding cities. This coincides almost each year with the onset of foggy winters in North India. Stubble burning is not new to North India, despite it being banned by the Punjab Pollution Control Board.
But as with most other policies and laws that fail notwithstanding the lack of enforcement, the huge savings — financial and time — that accrue to the farmers from violating the stubble burning ban far outweigh any intended benefits from its outlawing. Instead, the right mix of technological and economic incentives can create economic opportunities incentivising farmers and other stakeholders to come together to stop the practice of stubble burning.
HELP THEM SELL IT
North India could take a leaf out of South’s experience, following its lead on ‘stubble management’. In most rice growing regions of Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, farmers get economic value for paddy straw by selling it as cattle feed — income from paddy straw sales could significantly boost farmer’s total income. In certain cases, farmers grow low-yield varieties of paddy exclusively for cattle feed.
Both Punjab and Gujarat are home to sizeable dairy co-operatives, and there is a huge agri-business opportunity for the farmers in the region — partnering with these cooperatives, trading nutrition-rich stubble for livestock and unlocking a potential value-added chain.
Punjab and Haryana have long taken the easy path of turning a blind eye towards this issue, but an investment by State governments’ in ramping up mechanisation with built-in incentives for farmers will help generate additional income for farmers in the region, creating additional employment opportunities. In much of the US and Europe, crop stubble is cut into bales, and is a much sought after by mushroom growers, livestock owners, and for pulp.
Crop stubble can be repurposed to create another value chain around low-cost, eco-friendly wood products, and this is where the private sector and its expertise can be roped in to create necessary infrastructure and transport links to connect the farms to retail markets.
Punjab is home to some of the biggest names in farm and farm equipment industry with an existing dealer network across the agricultural North India and a leading agricultural university, which create ripe conditions for public-private partnerships to not only educate the farmers but also provide solutions through technological and economic incentives.
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
According to media reports, Punjab Agricultural University’s Super-Straw Management System (SSMS), an equipment that can be fit on a combine harvester and together costs nearly $31,000 (over ₹20 lakh), works to cut, take out stubble, drill wheat seeds, and evenly deposit any loose crop residue over the farm.
From soil management perspective too, using modern technology is beneficial for improving soil quality. SSMS deposits crop residue over the farm, adding organic matter over time, retaining nutrients, water and replenishing soil structure. The university reported higher sales of the equipment, and lower incidents of crop burning compared to the previous year, which indicates a willingness on part of farmers to adopt a mutually beneficial modern technology. However, it would still require a massive thrust from the central and State governments, working out an incentive structure that considerably brings down the adoption costs, getting the much-needed buy-in from farmers.
With nearly 120-130 million people affected in North India due to air pollution, the Government can no longer afford to overlook another disaster in the making: the burden of rising health costs associated with a public health crisis, which is already exacting a heavy toll on India’s young and elderly, the two most vulnerable demographic groups. Studies have well-documented the adverse impact of air pollution on physical health, however, there are mental health costs to pay as well. Recent IFPRI research shows air pollution causes depressive symptoms, and can affect cognitive development in the long run.
WIDER ANGLE
For India, tackling air pollution is not only a domestic policy issue, but a global one as well. India is signatory to the Paris Accord on climate change, and has committed itself to starting mitigation activities immediately as well as developing a five-year plan for mitigation activities.
While the problem may not be political, but implementation of solutions lies in political will and consensus. In his first speech from the Red Fort on Independence Day in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid great emphasis, and rightly so, on cleanliness invoking Mahatma Gandhi, and announcing the “Clean India” campaign, calling it a cause close to his heart, with immense potential to create wealth through tourism.
To be sure, stubble burning is not the only cause of the high levels of smog faced by Northern Indian cities. Efforts are needed to check and mitigate high levels of air pollution triggered by the dusts from the construction sites and the high volume of road traffic.
Yet, the media coverage of Delhi’s air pollution internationally has brought it on the global radar, and the world is now looking at whether the Indian technocrats and policy makers work together to lift the smog from the capital city and the surrounding areas.
Undoubtedly, it will require a sustained collaboration between the central and State governments, but also the right mix of technical, economic and policy incentives to make it an attractive proposition for farmers to switch from stubble burning to ‘stubble management.’
REPLY Dec 21, 2017
Add a comment...
No comments:
Post a Comment