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Reducing stubble burning practices to manage crop residue

Jack Harris
Design Thinking
Published in
12 min readJun 16, 2022

Authors: Jack Harris, Amrinder Singh, Kyle Gronning, Priya Kapoor, and Benett Kary

Design thinking is an approach to problem-solving that deliberately takes people with different perspectives, knowledge, skills, and experience to work together to create a practical solution for a real-world problem. By using a process-based approach to solve problems, we can determine the best path moving forward to reach our ultimate goal.

Our group project is centered around “How we can regulate and control stubble burning to reduce pollution”. Stubble burning is the practice of reducing crop residues from the field by setting the residue on fire, so that the proceeding crops can be planted. Stubble burning becomes crucial in the fields that use combines to harvest the crop, since the combine cannot harvest low enough to the ground, resulting in residual crop residue. Combines are machines that are utilized to harvest crops, particularly cereals. The combine cuts, thrashes, and process’s the crop to create a final product where the grain or seed is separated from the rest of the plant to create a marketable product. Due to the low value of the residue and lack of market to sell to means that dealing with the residue is a burden that is placed on the growers. Since there is no reward in removing the stubble, growers have resulted to burning since it is easy and cost effective. As per the data by Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, around 40,000 stubble burning incidents reported in Punjab this year (2020).

Exploring the problem

· Stubble burning in Punjab is the utmost problem for affecting air quality in Delhi during the onset of winter.

·Burning of crop residues emits traces of carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulates that affect human health at a considerable cost.

· Stubble burning leads to the loss of organic material for soil and depletes its quality.

Human Centered Design

Since the practice of stubble burning is the largest contributor of pollution in Punjab, it is obvious that the situation is not limited to the scope of the farmers, but the entire region as a whole. As a group we have identified two general demographics who are at polar ends of the situation. First, we looked at the farmers and asked what they thought, say, and feel about stubble burning as well as what they currently do. The farmers will be the center of our problem, since they are the root cause and the ones who are most involved. Our second identified demographic is the civilian population of Punjab, who live with the pollution caused by stubble burning. The civilian population although not responsible, are forced to deal with the health and environmental risks associated with stubble burning.

Below we have provided what each demographic had to offer on the situation

Based on what we heard from both sides, we came to the realization that a major limiting factor a to why farmers don’t quite burning stubble is because of the economics. The farmers concerns are that any alternative method would require more labor, involve equipment they do not have, and if they were to try to do it with what they already have, they would not be able to plant their proceeding crops in time. All of these would result in a loss of money according to the farmers. On the other hand the civilian population is tired of the problem, and their biggest concern is their health. But they to are concerned about their own economics and are not willing to support subsides or pay extra for produce to support the farmers to make changes.

Another problem we came across by looking at our human center design is that the culture is not changing, so individuals do not feel the need to change their own practices. The farmers see an increase in stubble burning and cannot justify stopping their own practices, when that would result in negatively impacting their business, especially when no one else is making the change. As for the civilians in the city, they do not think that they have the ability to change farming practices, but they continue to support the farms by continually buying their products. They too are not willing to change their cultural habits due to either a increase in costs for alternative products, or a lack of confidence that they as individuals can promote change.

Why stubble burning in Punjab has been intensified in the last ten years?

Stubble burning in Punjab is linked to three unlikely factors:

·The relatively large size of landholdings of farmers

· The high level of mechanization

· Water conservation law

Why has burning stubble become a common practice?

There are two main reasons for crop residue burning. The first reason is that there is a short time gap between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat, at the end of the Kharif season. Secondly, the removal of the paddy stalk that remains on the field is a labor-intensive process. With labor being unavailable and the time between the harvesting of paddy and sowing of wheat being short, the only easy option that the farmer has is to burn the residue right on the field. Most other processes at this point in time would be to costly in time or money to be feasible.

Problem statements

We used the “how might we” process to get a better understanding of what our user problems were and what steps we could take to come up with solutions.

Based on the “how might we questions” that our group came up with, we could identify 3 specific categories to group our questions in. Most questions fell into the category of “reducing costs and increasing efficiency”, which would make sense based on what we heard from the farmers, the main demographic involved, which said time and money were the leading reasons to burn stubble. The second most populated category was “How can we change cultural attitudes”. Looking at the culture that has been adopted and the systemic problem it has led to, we assume that an effective way to tackle the problem would be to try and change the region as a whole, rather than the individual to promote change on a wider scale. Our final category looks at how we can “add value” to the growers’ operations to increase the likely hood of adopting alternative practices to stubble burning.

Our three areas of focus

How can we Change the culture?

  • How might regulations restrict burning?
  • How might we increase positive cultural practices?
  • How might we identify the worst contributor?
  • How might we ensure that farmers are not economically harmed?
  • How might we prevent farmers from burning?

Reducing costs and increasing efficiency

  • How might we make alternative incorporation methods affordable?
  • How might we get around leaving residue in the field?
  • How might we grow crops that are easier to incorporate?
  • How might we restrict the need to burn?
  • How might we get soil to break down residue more quickly?
  • How might we obtain the raw material from crop residue
  • How might we remove crop residue more quickly

Adding value to operations

  • How might we share the cost of implementing alternatives
  • How might we repurpose crop residue

· Use crop residues as Fodder for animals.

· Use crop residue in Bio Thermal Power Plants.

· Use crop residue as Bedding Material for Cattle.

· Use crop residues in Paper Production.

· Use crop residues for Making Bio Gas.

· Production of Bio-oil from crop residue

· Production of Bio-Char which would help in reducing the environmental pollution up to a great extent and would also contribute to increasing the fertility of the soil.

· Use crop residue for Mushroom Cultivation.

Prevalent Environment:

By going through the “what is your problem chart” we gained a better perspective on what is happening, who is involved, what the current environment looks like, and what the overall problem is. Isolating these areas helped narrow our perspective on the problem we are dealing with, which we will use to ensure that the rest of our process deals with these identified areas, without straying from the main problem. A keynote we discovered was from our chart was that the size of the farm had a large impact on whether they utilized stubble burning.

Ideation

We worked our ideas for the solution around the three areas of focus that were identified in from our how might we statements.

How can we add value to the operation?

We identified the lack of value in the stubble as one of the main contributing factors as to why farmers avoided investing the time and money to remove it from the field. As part of our solution, we would help farmers identify in what ways we can add value to their crops. By increasing the monetary value of the stubble, we expect to see a decrease in stubble burning and an increase of the adoption to alternative removal methods. If the stubble can be sold for a profit it will also limit the need for subsidies, which will provide the government the ability to work on the problem more constructively, rather than paying farmers to take a hit on their finances to properly manage the stubble. We have identified multiple strategies to add value to stubble including the use as fodder for animals, use in bio thermal power plants, as bedding for livestock, paper production, the making of bio gas and oil, or for use in other crop production such as mushrooms, that use the stubble as a source of nutrition.

How can we reduce costs and increase efficiencies in farms?

One of the best solutions to this problem would be to use a Happy Seeder. The Happy Seeder is a tractor mounted machine that cuts and lifts the rice straw, sows the wheat, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch. According to a Science Magazine study, utilizing a Happy Seeder has the potential to generate 6,000–11,500 Indian rupees more per hectare for the average farmer, as well as a greenhouse gas reduction of more than 78% per hectare compared to burning options. Through thousands of validation trials, the efforts have resulted in an additional direct farmer benefit of US$131 million. I order to fully utilize the benefits of the Happy Seeder, lack of knowledge about the machine and its benefits as well as skepticism of new technology will need to be overcome. Constraints in the supply chain and rental markets also provide a challenge to the widespread acceptance of the Happy Seeder. Campaigns to educate the farming community on the benefits of the Happy Seeder would greatly increase the adoption of the practice which would result in more money and efficiency for the farmer, and less pollution.

Although the happy seeder seems to be the best single solution to implement, we found that multiple solutions would offer more opportunities, increasing the chances of farmers changing their practices. One identified solution we considered was implementing high speed tillage equipment to better manage to residue. with faster incorporation the crop residue would break down more quickly, decreasing the time needed in-between crops. The use of desiccants with the added use of air seeders was also considered. this method would break down stubble and allow farmers to plant preceding crops without having to incorporate or remove stubble. This method has be used for years on large scale grain farms all throughout North America with generally good success.

How can we change cultural attitudes?

We found that changing cultural ideas was heavily tied to how well our other two areas could be implemented. As we saw in our human centered design, framers were not will to make change primarily due to cost. To change their way of thinking we would plan to show the value that can come from alternative methods of controlling stubble. We would than use a program where farmers willing to make changes would gain government support to reward good practices. We would than suggest that the worst offenders and larger land holders be fined when regulations around burning are broken. This method of positive reinforcement on those who adopt, mixed with the deterrent method for those who oppose the change, would hopefully sway a majority of the farming population to reconsider their burning practices

Prototype

Our overall solution will utilize our areas of focus to create an action plan where farmers will be educated on their options to finance equipment, how they can use that equipment to increase profit, and help farmers expand the understanding of the land and how to implement practices that do not only increase profit but help develop suitability. Our plan will be a mix of meetings based around model explain steps necessary to take for success.

Farmers with low to moderate income will be our priority since the are the most likely to not make changes.

We plan to promote programs for those farmers with lower equity levels, where farmers can come together to share specialty pieces of equipment. This would lessen the burden of purchasing the equipment and still allow farmers to sustainably manage their stubble

To help promote sustainable practices we would urge civilians to use their buying power to deter farmers who continue to use stubble burning as a method to deal with stubble.

It will primarily be up to the government to manage and monitor the situation. as new programs are implemented such as the sharing of equipment and possible subsides to farmers, it will l be their responsibility to identify who is qualified. It will also be the governments responsibility to monitor those who break regulations and hand out finds.

Annual reports of burning as well as measured levels of pollution will have to be tracked and compared to previous years to see whether the solution to make cultural change is having any impact

Conclusion

As the problem of burning crop stubble in Punjab is prevalent there are amicable solutions. Due to a shortened growing season and/or the possibility of downed crops, a method of crop burning is implemented, in Punjab, to allow planting in the subsequent season.

It is evident that the pollution that accompanies the crop burning is the most pressing issue as it affects more people than just the individual farmers. Utilizing modern method’s, we can convey solutions to contest the harmful issues with this practice This includes solutions such as regulating burn days to moderate the amount of daily or weekly pollution. Other solutions include using the crop material cross-agriculturally, such as bedding for animals, feed for animals, converting it to insulating materials, or turning it into a biproduct ie. paper. Another solution is allowing the farmer to work the crop cover into the land, this will enhance the soil and allow for better top-soil protection, at the same time it would combat wind and moisture erosion associated with soil. A farm implement that can cut up the cover crop into smaller sizes or spread it around the surface would be a capable method of speeding up this process. This process can also be accompanied by soil enzymes that can enhance the soil microbiome which will help organically break down the surface materials.

Albeit these are all relevant solutions, the best solution would provide the farmer with an additional revenue stream. This would encompass solutions such as using the raw material in bio-synthesis which could create a biofuel source. It would also be advantageous to turn the material into biochar by utilizing pyrolysis, a method of heating up a material to cause chemical degradation of its contents. This new material can then be used as a fertilizing agent which can replace traditional fertilizers, allowing the farmer to benefit by being able to use the product themselves or sell it into the market.

Regardless if a single solution is chosen or a combination, we are confident there is a practical beneficial solution for the farmer and the civilians. Through analytical problem solving, data interpretation and social considerations we can solve this problem through education and implementation to alleviate a cultural issue that fosters economic and environmental progression for everyone.

Reference:

Design Thinking
Agriculture
Punjab
Creative Problem Solving
Problem Solving

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Jack Harris
Design Thinking

Written by Jack Harris

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