This post is created by The Better India and sponsored by Wingify Earth.

“We confirm that Bajra has successfully managed its stubble, and no fires were reported,” says an agriculture department official in Jalandhar.

Situated 11 km from Jalandhar, the village of Bajra has been 100 per cent free of #stubbleburning for over 5 years. At a time when farm fires are a cause of concern for most of northern India, Bajra is turning out to be a model for neighbouring villages.

To clear their fields, farmers here prefer alternative methods in the limited time between growing two crops.

They use a super seeder to plough the stubble back into the soil. Since the setup costs lakhs, smaller farmers rent the machine every season. Another popular method is baling – making stacks or ‘bales’ out of stubble using a baler machine. The bales are then used as fodder by cattle bearers at the cost of labour and diesel.

“We use all our force to not let anyone use fire to burn stubble. Farmers have to work more and spend more money, but the stubble management has to be done,” says Bajra’s sarpanch Avinash Kumar, to The Print

 

#WingifyEarth encourages such proactive initiatives.

#WingifyEarth in partnership with 'The Better India'