The North Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh suffer from rampant air pollution, emission of GHG, respiratory issues, and increased soil temperature every o due to widespread burning of the paddy straw in the harvest season in winter. Amongst them, Haryana ranks second highest in terms of the amount of stubble burnt (1.6MT) and number of occurrences of fire incidents (6987) in the year 2021.

The FDI (Foundation for Development Initiatives) partnered with Deloitte in spearheading a Crop Residue Management (CRM) to make a significant impact in the agricultural landscape of Haryana, specifically in the 24 red villages and 72 yellow villages in Jind, as well as the 36 red villages and 107 yellow villages in Kaithal.

Addressing the critical issue of stubble burning, the initiative aimed to combat air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and respiratory challenges prevalent in North Indian states during the winter harvest season. In 2023, recognizing challenges such as limited awareness, lack of affordable CRM machines, and the absence of a formalized marketplace, Deloitte and FDI adopted a three-pronged strategy across district, block, and village levels:

  • IEC Awareness Program: An innovative Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaign designed and executed to raise awareness among farmers. It involved stakeholder engagement, government collaboration, and the dissemination of awareness through various means, including collateral distribution and social media outreach adopting the help of the fiction character ‘Parivartan Prakash’, which aims to weave narratives that inspire positive change, foster awareness, and spark meaningful conversations around our initiatives.
  • Krishi Yantra Saathi (KYS) App: A multi-lingual mobile application, KYS, was introduced, enabling farmers to access services and assistance from equipment owners seamlessly – from promoting awareness to conducting app-based surveys and ensuring efficient coordination among stakeholders. The Demand-Supply ecosystem for paddy stubble is orchestrated by identifying operators, assessing markets, and maintaining real-time updates on the KYS app. Additionally, a meticulous Result Monitoring and feedback Collection system is integrated, encompassing data collection, status reporting, and stakeholder feedback, contributing to a comprehensive and dynamic framework for successful project execution.

The implemented interventions yielded remarkable results in mitigating Active Fire Locations (AFLs) in Haryana’s Jind and Kaithal districts. In 2023, the AFLs witnessed a substantial decline, reaching 335 in Jind from 505 in 2022 and reaching 270 from 668 in 2022 in Kaithal.

POSTED BY admin | Feb, 13, 2024 |