Sustainable crop residue management in paddy-wheat system: Government Initiatives and KVK Interventions

Abstract

Crop residue management (CRM) has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges in the paddy-wheat cropping system of North-West India. Residue burning contributes to severe air pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and health hazards. In response, government initiatives under the CRM scheme (2018 onwards) have been supplemented by field-level extension interventions of Krishi Vigyan Kendras to promote in-situ residue management technologies, IEC campaigns, and CHCs. This paper examines the case of Rohtak district, Haryana, as a representative site for assessing CRM adoption. Using secondary datasets (2018-2025) on paddy area, production, productivity, burning incidences and CHC establishment, and primary data from KVK Rohtak records on IEC activities, and field demonstrations, the study analyses the effectiveness of interventions. Results indicate that although the area under paddy in Rohtak increased from 48,000 ha in 2018-19 to 84,500 ha in 2024-25, stubble burning incidents sharply declined from 53 to 14 over the same period. Concurrently, the number of burning-free villages rose from 95 to 125. More than 20 CRM machines were purchased and over 17,000 farmers participated in awareness campaigns. The study concludes that CRM interventions in Rohtak significantly curtailed burning, enhanced soil health, and promotes sustainable farming.