How India can eliminate the burning of crop waste

It is unrealistic to expect farmers to forego income for the sake of the environment. However, if they see economic gains in switching to alternative crops and patterns, they will come forward. There is a successful example of triggering fundamental transformation in farm practices. The ITC, known for its e-choupal initiative, ran a Baareh Mahine Hariyali (greenery for the whole year) programme in four districts of Uttar Pradesh last year. It saw the doubling of incomes among farmers who adopted the full programme. Farmers who adopted the programme partially saw incomes going up from between 30% to 70%. This led to a public-private partnership between ITC and Niti Aayog to take the programme to 27 districts in eight states.