Why do farmers burn rice residue? Examining farmers’ choices in Punjab, Pakistan

Ahmed, Tanvir; Ahmad, Bashir; Ahmad, Waseem

doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.05.004

Cited by 66 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The rate of deforestation reached up to 2% per annum in 2000–2010 and the annual forest cover also changed during that period and declined to –2.2 in 2000–2010 . Pakistan has an agrarian economy so the higher demand for agricultural land is rising, which is causing deforestation . Deforestation is also caused by multiple environmental factors such as geology, topography, soil quality and drought .…”

Section: Overview Of Sectorial Ghg Emissions In Pakistanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…107 Pakistan has an agrarian economy so the higher demand for agricultural land is rising, which is causing deforestation. 108 Deforestation is also caused by multiple environmental factors such as geology, topography, soil quality and drought. 109,110 Unplanned urbanization is also an important issue that affects the forests as well as ecological systems in Pakistan.…”

Section: Ghg Emission From Luc and Deforestationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comprehensive review of sectorial contribution towards greenhouse gas emissions and progress in carbon capture and storage in Pakistan

et al. 2019

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The extreme amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) being released into the atmosphere has proved to be a globally challenging phenomenon that leads to changes in the climate and global warming. The amount of GHGs in the atmosphere has escalated immensely, with a substantial growth of 5.8% in 2010; a similar increase was observed in Pakistan as well. In Pakistan, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions stand at 54% of total GHG emissions whereas methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic carbon contribute to emissions at 36%, 9%, 0.75% and 0.3%, respectively. One of the key reasons for climatic changes is GHG emission generation from human interventions and activities related to transportation, urban development, industrialization, energy sources, farming and agriculture, waste's improper management, land use and forestry. In 2011, Pakistan's entire GHG emissions were a whopping 347 Mt of CO2‐eq, and by 2050, they are estimated to reach 4621 Mt CO2‐eq. This review evaluates and assesses GHG emissions generating from various sectors in Pakistan, in a socio‐scientific prospect that is caused by human activities and interventions in different economic sectors in Pakistan, endangering the environment across the country. Additionally, the review examines the current level of GHG emissions while accounting for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor–based emissions, abatement strategies including development of a state‐of‐the‐art technique for carbon capture and storage/utilization technologies in Pakistan. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Overview Of Sectorial Ghg Emissions In Pakistanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Ghg Emission From Luc and Deforestationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive review of sectorial contribution towards greenhouse gas emissions and progress in carbon capture and storage in Pakistan

et al. 2019

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“…The majority of farmers in the Indo-Gangetic plains, and other South Asian countries used to remove a portion of crop residues for animal feed or household fuel and also burn the surplus crop residues for preparing fields for the succeeding wheat crop (Kharol et al, 2012;Sarkar et al, 2018;Jayaraman, 2018). Other farmers also incorporate the residues into the soil (Ahmed et al, 2015) (Figure 5a). Each residue management practice has different cost implications.…”

Section: Challenges: Determinants Of the Widespread Practice Of Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

No-Till Farming and Conservation Agriculture in South Asia – Issues, Challenges, Prospects and Benefits

Somasundaram

Sinha

Dalal

et al. 2020

Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences

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Of late, intensive farming for higher food production is often associated with many negative implications for soil systems, such as decline of soil organic matter (SOM), increase in risks of soil erosion by wind and/or water, decline in soil biological diversity, increase in degradation of soil physical quality, lower nutrient-use efficiency, high risks of groundwater pollution, falling water tables, increasing salinization and waterlogging, in-field burning of crop residues, pollution of air and emission of greenhouse gases (GHG), leading to global warming, and decline in factor productivity. These negative implications necessitate an objective review of strategies to develop sustainable management practices, which could not only sustain soil health and ensure food security, but also enhance carbon sequestration, decrease GHG emissions, and offer clean and better ecosystem services. Conservation agriculture (CA), that includes reduced or no-till practices along with crop residue retention and mixed crop rotations, offers multiple benefits. Adoption of a system-based CA conserves water, improves and creates more efficient use of natural resources through the integrated management of available soil nutrients, water, and biological resources, and enhances use efficiency of external inputs. Due to apparent benefits of CA, it is increasingly being adopted and now covers about 180 million hectares (Mha) worldwide. However, in South Asia its spread is low (<5 Mha), mostly concentrated in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). In this region, one of the serious issues is "residue burning" with severe environmental impacts. A huge amount of crop residue left over after the combine harvest of rice has forced farmers to practice widespread residue burning ($140 M tonnes) to cope with excessive stubble and also for timely planting/sowing of succeeding crops. In rice-wheat cropping systems, which cover more than 10 Mha in the IGP, CA practices are relatively more accepted by farmers. In these systems, any delay in sowing leads to yield penalty of 1-1.5% per day after the optimum sowing date of wheat. The strong adoption of CA practices in IGP is mainly to overcome delayed sowing due to the field preparation and control of weeds, timely planting, and also escape from terminal heat during the grain-filling stage. Major challenges to CA adoption in South Asia are small land holdings (<1 ha), low technological reach to farmers, nonavailability of suitable farm implements for small farm holders, and the staunch conventional farming mind-set. South Asia region consists of many countries of diverse agro-ecologies with contrasting farming systems and management. This region, recently known for rapid economic growth and increasing population, necessitates higher food production and also hot-spots for adoption of CA technologies. Therefore, in this review critically explores the possibility, extent of area, prospects, challenges, and benefits of CA in South Asia. HIGHLIGHTS Conservation agriculture (CA), consisting of reduced or no-tillage a...

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“…The issue of rice crop residue burning has been addressed in the study of Ahmad and Ahmad (2013). The authors report the factors because of which farmers are forced to burn rice residue in the Punjab province, Pakistan.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wheat is the major crop during the Rabi season (November to April) and rice is the major crop during Kharif season (May to October). Total cropped area and area under rice and wheat is the highest in Gujranwala district followed by district Sialkot among various districts following RWCS (Ahmad & Ahmad, 2013). The major soil types are coarse loamy soils, coarse loamy and fine loamy associations (Soil and water testing lab, Gujranwala).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Determinants of the Crop Residue Management in Pakistan: An Environmental Appraisal

Rafiq¹,

Ahmad²,

Atiq³

2019

BER

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This study highlights an important environmental problem of crop residue burning in open fields and investigates the main 'cost-push' factors of rice and wheat crop residue management in the district Gujranwala of Punjab, Pakistan. Burning of residue, is the second largest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, and it disturbs the key components of the agricultural ecosystem. Burning of residue is a quick way of clearing the field for the next crop. It also aids in controlling various pests, weeds, and diseases. The majority of the farmers are inclined to burn residue completely, followed by its complete removal in the study region because of the aforementioned benefits. This paper is based on a survey of 200 farmers interviewed from 28 villages of four Tehsils of the district Gujranwala, with a maximum number of 7 farmers from each village. A multinomial logit model technique is adopted to analyze the problem. Size of farm, length of straw, cattle ownership, avoiding late plantation of next crop and distance of the field from farmers' homes were found significantly affecting farmers' decision of following a particular residue management practice for rice crop. The use of wheat chopper machine, reading habits of agricultural publications and combine harvester were found main determinants for wheat residue management practices. Based on the results, we suggest a compensation mechanism to the farmers, similar to Payment for Ecosystem (PES) for the complete removal or incorporation of residue as it is an expensive solution. We also recommend an awareness-raising campaign regarding the use of wheat chopper machine and Kubota harvester to reduce open field burning of residue and the use of crop residue for bio-energy consumption.

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Why do farmers burn rice residue? Examining farmers’ choices in Punjab, Pakistan

Cited by 66 publications

References 24 publications

A comprehensive review of sectorial contribution towards greenhouse gas emissions and progress in carbon capture and storage in Pakistan

A comprehensive review of sectorial contribution towards greenhouse gas emissions and progress in carbon capture and storage in Pakistan

No-Till Farming and Conservation Agriculture in South Asia – Issues, Challenges, Prospects and Benefits

The Determinants of the Crop Residue Management in Pakistan: An Environmental Appraisal

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