Happy Seeder machines help reduce air pollution, more profitable for farmers: Research

Crop residue burning in northern India has contributed significantly to air pollution in the national capital region. To stop this practice, researchers have found a non-burning alternative for farmers called Happy Seeders.

Happy Seeder is a tractor-mounted machine that cuts and lifts rice straw, sows wheat into the soil, and deposits the straw over the sown area as mulch.

A research paper 'Fields on fire: Alternatives to crop residue burning in India' has found that these machines can reduce air pollution and green house gas emissions per hectare land by more than 78 per cent.

The paper has been authored by 29 Indian and international researchers from the Centre's Indian Council of Agricultural Research, global conservation body The Nature Conservancy and several other organisations.

"The Happy Seeder-based systems emerge as the most profitable and scalable residue management practice as they are, on average, 10-20 per cent more profitable than burning.

"This option also has the largest potential to reduce the environmental footprint of on-farm activities, as it would eliminate air pollution and would reduce greenhouse gas emissions per hectare by more than 78 per cent, relative to all burning options," the research said.

Every year, some 23 million tonnes of rice residue is burnt in Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh, contributing significantly to air pollution and short-lived climate pollutants, it said.

"In Delhi-NCR, about half the air pollution on some winter days can be attributed to agricultural fires, when air quality level is 20 times higher than the safe threshold defined by WHO. Residue burning has enormous impacts on human health, soil health, the economy and climate change," the paper said.

Priya Shyamsundar, lead economist at The Nature Conservancy and one of the authors of the paper, said Happy Seeder is a profitable solution to the farmers and using this technology to manage rice residue has the potential of generating Rs 6,000-Rs 11,500 more profits per hectare for the average farmer.

"Despite its drawbacks, a key reason why burning continues in northwest India, is the perception that profitable alternatives do not exist. Our analysis demonstrates that the Happy Seeder is a profitable solution that could be scaled up for adoption among the 2.5 million farmers involved in the rice-wheat cropping cycle in northwest India, thereby completely eliminating the need to burn," she said.

Another author Seema Paul added that it addresses the urgent problem of air pollution by eliminating burning practice.

"Through coordinated public and private actions, India has an opportunity to eliminate burning, increase farmer income and transition to more sustainable agriculture, while also addressing the urgent problem of seasonal air pollution. India's efforts can provide lessons for other countries facing similar challenges," Paul said.