Unlocking the unsustainable rice-wheat system of Indian Punjab: Assessing alternatives to crop-residue burning from a systems perspective

Downing, Andrea S.; Kumar, Manish; Andersson, August; Causevic, Amar; Gustafsson, Örjan; Joshi, Niraj U.; Krishnamurthy, Chandra Kiran B.; Scholtens, Bert; Crona, Beatrice

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107364

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) are conceptual representations of systems, that are generally created to understand the multiple driving forces and cascading effects of a characteristic system process: for instance the connected drivers and impacts of fishing and eutrophication in Lake Victoria [5] ; drivers and cascading effects of crop residue burning in the Indian State of Punjab [6] ; distal and diverse cascading effects of Chinese demand for traded commodities [7] . A CLD is comprised of elements (e.g.…”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The choice will lead to consistent changes throughout the CLD(compare C and C´). Figure drawn from [6] . …”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be especially true for low-resolution CLDs, where an interaction representing a broad process can be captured by several references. For a concrete example of this documentation, see appendix B in supplementary materials of [6] . Arrow # Source element Sink element sign Interpretation of interaction reference quote note 1 Element from which causal arrow leaves Element to which arrow points (+);(-); (+/-); ?…”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CLD4SDGs: Integrated assessment of progress and impacts on Sustainable Development Goals using Causal Loop Diagrams

Downing

2022

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Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The choice will lead to consistent changes throughout the CLD(compare C and C´). Figure drawn from [6] . …”

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methods Detailsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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CLD4SDGs: Integrated assessment of progress and impacts on Sustainable Development Goals using Causal Loop Diagrams

Downing

2022

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“…The Bihar State government is aware of the risks associated with increasing agricultural burning, but the current extent of the practice and plausible scenarios of change have not yet fully informed state policies (Raj, 2018). The emergence of burning as a 'locked-in' problem without simple solutions in the Northwest IGP highlights the importance of preventative action aimed at avoiding burning in the Eastern IGP rather than attempting to reverse the practice only after it is broadly adopted (Downing et al, 2022). Technological lock-in is present in many economic sectors, including agricultural (Magrini, Béfort, & Nieddu, 2018), and is perpetuated by a series of dependency factors that make the technology difficult to disentangle from other dimensions of the system (Geels, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rice residue burning trajectories in Eastern India: Current realities, scenarios of change, and implications for air quality

Urban¹,

Hamilton²,

Rossiter³

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In 2019, the Government of India launched the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) to address the pervasive problem of poor air quality and the burdens it creates for public health, particularly in the 122 non-attainment cities that exceed national air quality standards. In much of Northern India, achieving and sustaining air quality improvements requires coordinated efforts to prevent agricultural burning of crop residues. Historically, rice residue burning has been most prevalent in Northwestern IGP (Indo-Gangetic Plain) but the practice is rapidly expanding into the populous Eastern IGP states, including Bihar, with uncertain consequences for regional air quality. This research has three objectives: (1) characterize historical rice residue burning trends since 2002 over space and time in Bihar State, (2) project future burning trajectories to 2050 under ‘business as usual’ and alternative scenarios of change, and (3) simulate air quality outcomes under each scenario to estimate public health burdens. Historical trends were modelled and extended to mid-century burning projections, which were coupled with the Community Earth System Model (CESM v2.1.0) to characterize air quality impacts under each scenario. These analyses suggest that contemporary Bihar State burning levels contribute a small daily average proportion (8.1%) of the fine particle pollution load (i.e. PM2.5, particles < = 2.5 μm) during the burning months, but up to as much as 62% on the worst of winter days in Bihar’s capital region. With a projected 142% ‘business as usual’ increase in burning prevalence anticipated for 2050, Bihar’s capital region may experience the equivalent of 30 PM2.5 additional exceedance days, according to the WHO standard, due to rice residue burning alone in the October to December period. If historical burning trends intensify and Bihar resembles the Northwest States of Punjab and Haryana by 2050, 46 days would exceed the WHO standard for PM2.5 in Bihar’s capital region.

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“…In India and globally, much of this resource is burned, creating adverse effects for humans, animals and the environment (Abdurrahman et al, 2020;Parihar et al, 2023). A novel circular process that makes use of leftover materials as input to industrial applicationssuch as producing textile fibres from agricultural residueshas the potential to enhance both social and ecological systems in the forms of new income opportunities for the producers of new raw materials, reduced need for virgin raw materials and decreased pollution (Athira et al, 2019;Charis et al, 2018;Chauhan et al, 2022;Downing et al, 2022;Singh & Arya, 2021). At the same time, however, inclusion in circular supply chains may not always result in positive socio-ecological outcomes or be desirable for all stakeholders (Fayet & Vermeulen, 2014;Hospes & Clancy, 2012;Ros-Tonen et al, 2019;Schoneveld, 2020;Tobin et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How can we build inclusive circular supply chains? Examining the case of agricultural residue usage in India

2023

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Circular economies can, at best, contribute to sustainable development. Nevertheless, the realisation of positive social and environmental impacts depends partially on the dynamics of actors' inclusion in circular processes. We identify factors affecting the inclusion of farmers in agricultural residue supply chains in India and the socio‐ecological impacts thereof. We also introduce a framework for designing inclusive and just circular practices. Information, resources, co‐operation, and co‐design act as mediators to socio‐ecological impacts. The failure to consider these aspects may lead to unintended negative consequences, such as declined soil health or delays in other operations. The positive outcomes of selling the residue are linked to improved livelihood opportunities, local development and health. Selling is only a partial solution, and other straw management methods, such as incorporation, should also be applied.

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Unlocking the unsustainable rice-wheat system of Indian Punjab: Assessing alternatives to crop-residue burning from a systems perspective

Cited by 25 publications

References 38 publications

CLD4SDGs: Integrated assessment of progress and impacts on Sustainable Development Goals using Causal Loop Diagrams

CLD4SDGs: Integrated assessment of progress and impacts on Sustainable Development Goals using Causal Loop Diagrams

Rice residue burning trajectories in Eastern India: Current realities, scenarios of change, and implications for air quality

How can we build inclusive circular supply chains? Examining the case of agricultural residue usage in India

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