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Stubble burning has been a huge problem in north-western India. Crop harvesting has been mechanized in the last decade and combine harvesting is a technology which is commonly practiced, which leaves the crop residue unevenly spread and stubble standing in the field. Punjab annually produces 19.7 MT tonnes of straw and paddy straw management becomes very crucial as stubble burning leads to negative impact on environment as well as human health. In-situ and ex-situ biomass management practices (short term approaches) can help in curbing this issue by either incorporating or mulching the straw back to the soil or by using this potential resource as biofuels. The paddy straw opens various options for its versatile usage if proper collection and management takes place. Sustainable agricultural practices and crop diversification are the long-term approaches that can help to erase this issue completely. Cost-effective as well as proper supply demand matching of straw used outside the field can help farmers to adopt these various other technologies for straw management. Also, understanding the farmer’s perspective can help in designing a more efficient model for straw management. Specific challenges related to technological, social, financial and environmental aspects need to be addressed, which will help in tackling area specific issues. Multiple stakeholders’ approach can help in solving this burning issue of stubble burning. There is an urgent need to create awareness among all farming communities, for them to understand the importance of agricultural residue; its adverse impact on environment, and the resilience and sustainability of Indian agriculture. This study tries to bring the problem of stubble burning at the forefront and give an understanding of straw management, its challenges and farmer’s perspective towards stubble burning. Two techniques of biomass management in-situ and ex-situ options are discussed based on the field results from Ludhiana and Patiala. A fire severity map is also being developed to understand the severity of the fire incidents during the months of September and October
Keywords- Punjab, Stubble Burning, In-situ Straw Management, Ex-situ Straw Management, Sustainable Agriculture,
