Smart seeds, smarter machines: A dual approach to ending stubble burning, restoring soil health

A farmer burns stubble in a crop field at Mansa in the state of Punjab, India
| Photo Credit:
BHAWIKA CHHABRA

In a village near Karnal, Haryana, farmer Surender Singh faced a common problem: after harvesting his paddy crop in late October, his field was full of stubble and he had only a few days to prepare for wheat sowing in early November. Labour was costly, and machines like the Happy Seeder were too expensive for his 3-acre farm, making stubble burning seem inevitable. This year, however, he used a small stubble shaver that chopped and mulched the residue into the soil within hours, saving time, avoiding burning, and improving soil moisture for the next crop.

Surender’s story is not an exception; it’s a working example of how simple, small-scale mechanization can prevent stubble burning without burdening the farmer. Across India, we need thousands of such solutions deployed at scale.

Stubble burning persists due to several systemic issues. Farmers face intense time pressure between the kharif harvest and rabi sowing, while labour is scarce and costly. Large machines are often unaffordable or inaccessible, and most solutions overlook small landholdings common in rural India. As a result, burning remains the fastest and cheapest option, despite its severe impact on soil health and air quality—especially in northern States where rabi cultivation is crucial.

Promoting sustainable farming

There is a strong need to shift focus toward smaller, affordable, and more accessible mechanisation for farmers. Machines like stubble shavers are already proving effective in several regions. They are lightweight, low-cost, and can be operated by a single person, making them ideal for small farms. These machines enable farmers to manage crop residue efficiently without investing in large tractors or expensive equipment. More importantly, they promote sustainable farming by minimising stubble burning, retaining soil moisture, and preserving essential microbes and soil integrity.

Stubble burning harms both the environment and long-term soil health. It depletes organic carbon, destroys beneficial microbes, and increases fertiliser dependence. ICAR reports that repeated burning can cut soil nitrogen by up to 25 per cent and organic carbon by 60 per cent. The resulting pollution affects not only Delhi’s air but also rural communities across Punjab,

Haryana, and western UP. In contrast, mulching crop residue back into the soil improves moisture retention, restores organic matter, and supports better germination for future crops.

However, beyond machinery, solving stubble burning requires addressing its root cause—the short gap between paddy harvest and rabi sowing. Adopting Dry Direct Seeded Rice (Dry DSR) can ease this pressure by enabling earlier sowing and shortening the crop cycle by 7–10 days, giving farmers more time to prepare for the next crop.

Low adoption

Despite the proven benefits of residue management, adoption among small and marginal farmers remains low. One major reason is the current policy design. Most government subsidies under schemes like the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) favour large-scale machines which are often prohibitively expensive for smallholders. According to NABARD’s 2019 survey, less than 15 per cent of small farmers have access to mechanisation.

For real change, policies must explicitly support small-scale machineries like stubble shavers that are better suited to small farms. Inclusion of these machines in subsidy frameworks, and targeted awareness programmes in local languages can drive adoption. Additionally, access to affordable financing, through banks, cooperatives, or NBFCs needs to align with the income cycles of small farmers.

Seed innovation must go hand-in-hand with mechanisation. Direct Dry Seeded Rice (DDSR) reduces water use, labour needs, and harvest time, allowing better field preparation without burning. When paired with short-duration rice varieties, it offers greater flexibility for rabi sowing and lowers the environmental impact of traditional rice farming. Awareness alone cannot end stubble burning—farmers need practical, affordable, and localised solutions. Pilot projects in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh show that small-scale machines reduce burning while improving soil health and farm profitability. Similarly, DDSR demonstrations, such as the recent “Low Methane Rice” initiative in Uttar Pradesh, prove that combining improved seed technology with timely mechanization can transform rice cultivation.

The challenge now is scale. Stubble burning is not just an environmental issue; it’s a mechanisation, access and policy issue. Addressing it requires interventions and solutions that actually work for the 86 per cent of Indian farmers who cultivate on less than 5 acres.

Solving this problem will not only reduce pollution but also unlock more resilient, productive, and sustainable agriculture for the future, through the right mix of compact machines, better seed choices, and farmer-centric policies.

The author is Chairman, KisanKraft

Published on November 15, 2025