Encouraging alternatives to stubble burning in Punjab (2020-ongoing)
Stubble burning in Punjab is an aggravator of poor air quality in several parts of the Indo-Gangetic plain. During the burning period from October to November, cities in the region experience harsh pollution, often recording AQI readings between 470 and 490.
A-PAG’s stubble burning intervention in Punjab is among our earliest projects. Each harvest season beginning in 2020, A-PAG has worked collaboratively with the Punjab Agriculture Department to mitigate this problem.
Our focus is on in-situ solutions – we are working on the adoption of alternative crop residue management (CRM) technologies among farmers. These include the Happy Seeder and Super Seeder machines. Our aim is to facilitate the adoption of over 93,000 such machines available on-ground in the state.
Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaign
Despite the benefits of this technology, barriers to the adoption of machines persist among farmers. To address these, we developed a multi-media campaign across TV, radio, and print, which is supported by the state government.
Happy Seeder and Super Seeder print ads
Another element of our IEC campaign is our bank of FAQ videos. Farmers have doubts about the usage of machines. Our FAQ videos feature experts from Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), Ludhiana, aiming to address farmer concerns and highlight the correct package of practices.
We also created success story videos featuring farmers who have had positive experiences with Happy Seeders and Super Seeders. These videos have since garnered over 70,000 views.
This content is delivered to farmers through our WhatsApp chatbot, which sustains a sizable 3,000 users. Our second mobile-based solution is mSamvaad, which simulates live classroom sessions with PAU experts, wherein farmers are engaged in conversation to clarify their questions.
All of this is managed through our Project Management Units (PMUs) which directly support district administrations in Chandigarh and in 9 high-burn districts.
Our Punjab intervention has successfully been launched in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.