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Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative?

Publication ,  Journal Article
Keil, A; Krishnapriya, PP; Mitra, A; Jat, ML; Sidhu, HS; Krishna, VV; Shyamsundar, P
Published in: International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability
January 1, 2021

Every year after the rice harvest, some 2.5 million farmers in northwest India burn the remaining stubble to prepare their fields for the subsequent wheat crop. Crop residue burning causes massive air pollution affecting millions of people across the Indo-Gangetic Plains. We examine different tillage practices to provide urgently needed empirical evidence on how profitable it is for farmers to adopt no-burn technologies, especially the ‘Happy Seeder’ (HS) which is capable of sowing wheat directly into large amounts of crop residue. Apart from analysing the cost of rice residue management and wheat sowing under conventional-tillage and zero-tillage, we identify factors influencing the adoption of the HS and quantify its impact on wheat yields and –production costs. While we do not find any evidence of a yield penalty, our analysis reveals significant savings in wheat production costs, amounting to 136 USD ha–1. In addition, our analysis shows that the HS saves water and facilitates timely wheat sowing. We conclude that the private benefits of HS use combined with its societal benefits of reducing air pollution and enhancing agricultural sustainability justify particular policy support for its large-scale diffusion, to be supplemented by a stricter enforcement of the ban on residue burning.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

DOI

EISSN

1747-762X

ISSN

1473-5903

Publication Date

January 1, 2021

Volume

19

Issue

2

Start / End Page

128 / 151

Related Subject Headings

  • 3004 Crop and pasture production
  • 0703 Crop and Pasture Production
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Keil, A., Krishnapriya, P. P., Mitra, A., Jat, M. L., Sidhu, H. S., Krishna, V. V., & Shyamsundar, P. (2021). Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative? International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 19(2), 128–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1834277
Keil, A., P. P. Krishnapriya, A. Mitra, M. L. Jat, H. S. Sidhu, V. V. Krishna, and P. Shyamsundar. “Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative?International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 19, no. 2 (January 1, 2021): 128–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2020.1834277.
Keil A, Krishnapriya PP, Mitra A, Jat ML, Sidhu HS, Krishna VV, et al. Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative? International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. 2021 Jan 1;19(2):128–51.
Keil, A., et al. “Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative?International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, vol. 19, no. 2, Jan. 2021, pp. 128–51. Scopus, doi:10.1080/14735903.2020.1834277.
Keil A, Krishnapriya PP, Mitra A, Jat ML, Sidhu HS, Krishna VV, Shyamsundar P. Changing agricultural stubble burning practices in the Indo-Gangetic plains: is the Happy Seeder a profitable alternative? International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. 2021 Jan 1;19(2):128–151.

Published In

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability

DOI

EISSN

1747-762X

ISSN

1473-5903

Publication Date

January 1, 2021

Volume

19

Issue

2

Start / End Page

128 / 151

Related Subject Headings

  • 3004 Crop and pasture production
  • 0703 Crop and Pasture Production