With the increasing focus on the poor air quality level in National Capital Region of India, this concept paper explores opportunities for businesses to invest their CSR budgets into projects that can help reduce pollution from one specific source of pollution - field burning - while also tapping into the revenue and employment generation potential of these opportunities. A win-win scenario for all stakeholders through sustainable development.

1. Viable opportunities in the
fight against pollution
Abstract
Over the past few years, the national capital region has gained notoriety for having hazardous air
quality, especially at the onset of winter. Several measures have been taken to mitigate this annual
phenomenon, including the transformation of the entire public transport system to run solely on
CNG; measures to encourage use of public transport through vehicle rationing & increasing parking
rates; banning of sale of fire-crackers as well as banning of construction & industrial activity.
Despite these measures, on 8 November 2017, Delhi lived up to its billing of most polluted city
on the planeti when pollution surged so high that some monitoring stations reported an Air
Is this the air we want
our loved ones to
breathe?

2. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution Abstract
2
Quality Index of 999, way above the upper limit of the worst category, Hazardous. That is because
the real problem comes not from within, but beyond the territory being affected – the farms in
neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh ii. While the north-westerly
winds spread the smog from field burning, the topography of the Indo-Gangetic belt acts as a
basin that traps pollution, with the Himalayan range bordering the plains in the north, acting as a
barrier preventing the particulate pollution from being flushed out of the region.
In 2015, The National Green Tribunal banned crop burning. However, for farmers, a ban on crop
burning is an additional cost imposed on them, with the alternatives to burning being
expensive.
Given that the affected region involves three states, none of the governments cutting across political
parties have been able to address this. “Politicians are wary of trying to prevent crop burning lest
they antagonize the powerful farm lobby, lose electoral support and set off political turmoil
among regional and ethnic interests.”iii
In this stalemate, the end sufferers are citizens – that’s ~ 48 million of us in Delhi NCRiv.
We believe there is a solution out of this stalemate.
And it cannot wait for bureaucracy.
We also believe that there is an opportunity for a sustainable
economic model that can be a win-win situation for everyone.
This concept paper proposes some ideas and concepts to help tackle the root of
the problem. With the financial support and efficiency of corporate project
management, we can help ensure we never ever have toxic fog gain in
our lives.

3. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution
3
Table of Contents
The root cause: economics behind the burning ................................................ 4
One land, two crops ................................................................................................. 4
Higher yield = more straw ....................................................................................... 4
Side-effects of mechanisation .................................................................................. 4
The economics of rice straw......................................................................................5
A few solutions: making rice straw profitable .................................................. 6
Manure .................................................................................................................... 6
Cultivation of Mushrooms ........................................................................................7
Paper ....................................................................................................................... 8
Art ........................................................................................................................... 9
Furniture ................................................................................................................10
The target audience......................................................................................... 11
The authors.....................................................................................................12
Contact ................................................................................................................... 12
Sources ...........................................................................................................13

4. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution The root cause: economics behind the burning
4
The root cause: economics behind the burning
One land, two crops
Extensive development of irrigation, assured price (minimum support price) and secured market
(government procurement) have induced farmers to grow paddy and expand the area of cultivation
considerably over time. Consequently, farmers in the traditionally wheat-growing belt of Haryana
and Punjab started cultivating rice and wheat in rotation year after year.
After the harvest of the paddy crop the field needs to be cleared quickly (in less than 10 days) so the
next crop (wheat) can be sown.
Higher yield = more straw
Almost all farmers in Punjab and Haryana grow high-yield varieties of rice and wheat. A rough
estimate based on the grain to straw ratio showed that Punjab with an average rice production of
11.1 million tonnes during 2011-13 generated about 16.6 million tonnes of paddy straw.
Similarly, in Haryana, the average rice output was 1.3 lakh tonnes and it produced about 1.9 lakh
tonnes of straw.v
Side-effects of mechanisation
These States have also experienced a high level of mechanisation of agricultural operations
including harvesting. Combine harvesters have been extensively used for harvesting of paddy and
wheat due to non-availability of labour at the time of harvesting and increase in labour cost.
The combine harvester cuts the crop well above the ground, leaving behind substantial amount of
stubble on the field.
The machine leaves the residues in such a state that it is difficult to
collect them manually.
Farmers have found ways to collect the wheat residue (bhusa) as it is a highly valuable animal feed
and is even traded across districts. Given its economic use, the farmers run a chaff combine (reaper)
after combine harvesting to collect straws, cut stubbles and make into chaff for feeding to animals
directly or mixed with green fodder. So, the burning of wheat residue is not necessary for the
farmers because of the availability of technology and its higher economic value as dry fodder.

5. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution The root cause: economics behind the burning
5
The economics of rice straw
Rice straw is not used as fodder as it is found to be non-palatable to animals, due to its high silica
content. With a majority of the farmers falling under the small and marginal class – as high as 65%
in Punjabvi, and already reeling under debts – the farmers’ problems are two-fold:
• Collecting and packaging rice straw for storage is expensive.
• The land holdings are too small, making storage of straw unviable.
Because of its little economic value as animal feed and other general uses, farmers are prompted to
burn it on the field instead of incurring a high cost on collecting it,
In fact, field studies show that even though farmers are aware that
the burning of straw is harmful to health, they do not have
alternatives for utilising them effectively. v

6. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution A few solutions: making rice straw profitable
6
A few solutions: making rice straw profitable
Tackling the problem of collecting rice straw requires a one-time investment in equipment that
ranges from Rs 1 lakh per unit to Rs 4.5 lakh per unit. These units could be a shared resource
between multiple villages and leased out as services.
Storage is the major problem of the rice straw especially if we look at the sheer quantity of straw. To
solve this, it would be better to solve it at the village level instead of looking at it in the aggregate. A
small tract of land would be required at village level, where this straw can be accumulated and
stored.
The following sections present viable solutions for using rice straw, thus incentivising farmers to
invest in the collection and storage of rice straw.
Manure
With the same land being cultivated for multiple crops, there is no time for the land to self-replenish
natural nutrients. As a result, farmers tend to use more of artificial, chemical based fertilizers,
resulting in land fatigue. Rice straw, when reused in the fields will help restore the land’s fertility
and reduce the requirement for fertilizers.
Case study:
Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA), has been practising it for the past five years. It is called
conservation agriculture. Under this practice, wheat is sown in straw-covered fields. The straw acts

7. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution A few solutions: making rice straw profitable
7
as mulch; it conserves moisture and suppresses weeds. Over time the straw degrades and enriches
the soil with organic carbon.
This practice requires modified machines. Conventional combines cut paddy and after separating
the grains, leave trails of piled-up straw in fields. But with a shredder-cum-spreader fitted to the
straw-ejection vent, straw is evenly dispersed. A device called “happy seeder” hitched to a high
horsepower tractor cuts narrow slits of 4-5 cm in the straw-covered fields. Wheat is sown in them
along with fertilizer. With happy seeding, fields do not have to be ploughed and planed. That is a
saving of about Rs 3,000 per acre. vii
Inhibiting factors for implementation:
High initial cost of investment, lack of outreach, poor government assistance
How corporates can help:
1. Sensitisation & outreach: educating farmers of the benefits, cost savings and long-run
land sustainability.
2. Sponsoring initial investments: procuring machines on behalf of farmers; purchasing
machines and leasing them at subsidised rates.
Cultivation of Mushrooms
Rice straw can be used as the basic material for mushroom cultivation. Mushrooms are capable of
breaking down organic material that other microorganisms cannot decompose. The paddy straw
mushroom grows well on rice straw (hence the name!). Cold weather with lot of humidity are ideal
situations for mushrooms to grow. A small quantity of spawn when planted in suitable growing
medium can, within almost six weeks, grow into a highly profitable crop inside a room, where no
other crop would grow.viii Being a high margin product, mushrooms can serve as an additional
revenue stream for farmers.
Case study:
Small farmers in Nagpur have successfully begun growing and profiting from cultivation of
mushrooms. With just Rs10/kg of investment as seed in addition to the straw the farmers sell the
mushrooms at about Rs250/kg.ix

8. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution A few solutions: making rice straw profitable
8
Inhibiting factors for implementation:
Lack of outreach
How corporates can help:
1. Sensitisation & outreach: educating farmers of the revenue potential, training in
mushroom spawning.
2. Creation of market: facilitating creation of market through fairs, support through
purchase of produce in the initial phase, marketing
Paper
The art of making handmade paper from rice straw has been in practice since ancient times,
perfected by the Chinese. With applications of recycled paper spanning multiple industries including
consumer apparel companies, super markets and just about anyone who packs stuff, this is a market
that is current facing shortage of raw material. While paper industries are typically associated with
their own polluting practices, there are cleaner and environmentally friendly ways of manufacturing
paper.x The conversion of rice straw to pulp also feeds into the papier mâché, providing new sources
of employment and boosting tourism – creating the potential for another channel of employment
and revenue.
Inhibiting factors for implementation:
High initial cost of investment (a bundler for packaging rice straw), costs of transportation
How corporates can help:
1. Purchase of rice straw: paper manufacturers can purchase the rice straw and use it as
raw material.
2. Training: training in the art of papier mâché.
3. Creation of market: facilitating creation of market through fairs, support through
purchase of handmade paper & handicrafts (for corporate gifting etc.) in the initial phase,
marketing

9. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution A few solutions: making rice straw profitable
9
A sample of rice straw art (available on etsy)
Art
Rice straw has been used as-is by skilled artisans to create beautiful commercial art.
Case study:
Straw art involves creating paintings by pasting pieces of straw on paper. This is popular in several
parts of the country. A popular cottage industry in Kerala, straw pictures can be found on products
ranging from greeting cards to huge two-dimensional wall hangings. These finely crafted works of
art, the elegant and innovative straw pictures, are promoted as souvenirs by Kerala’ government and
are available throughout the year in handicraft emporia all over the State. xi

10. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution
10
The straw can be packaged into art kits for children, as is being done by some toy manufacturers as
well. xii
Inhibiting factors for implementation:
High initial cost of investment (a bundler for packaging rice straw), costs of transportation
How corporates can help:
1. Purchase of rice straw: toy manufacturers can purchase the rice straw and use it as raw
material.
2. Training: training in rice straw art & marketing
3. Creation of market: facilitating creation of market through fairs, support through
purchase of art (for corporate gifting etc.) in the initial phase, marketing
Furniture
Case study:
Several companies are now looking at agricultural waste and by-products as construction material.
A California-based company has successfully created particle boards using straw. These materials
have an aesthetic appeal and have been bought by customers globally including Starbucks,
McDonald's, Hilton and Google.xiii
Inhibiting factors for implementation:
High initial cost of investment (a bundler for packaging rice straw), costs of transportation, R&D in
technology for manufacturing
How corporates can help:
1. Purchase of rice straw: companies that manufacture particle boards & MDF can
purchase the rice straw and use it as raw material.
2. Creation of market: support through purchase of furniture (for office interiors etc.) in the
initial phase, marketing

11. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution The target audience
11
The target audience
The target audience for mushroom cultivation, handmade paper, handicrafts and art, are mainly
women in the village. With the number of educated women in the villages on the rise, this workforce
presents a huge potential waiting to be tapped.
Companies in the manufacturing sector, specifically paper and wood based articles can explore rice
straw as a raw material as a replacement for wood, that is cheaper, abundantly available, and
environmentally more sustainable.

12. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution The authors
12
The authors
R. Karthik, Senior Research Analyst, Photographer
R. Kasturika, Design Consultant, Storyteller
This concept paper was born out of frustration and as a labour of love for our city and planet (and
our lives!).
As we have seen, fining farmers is not helping. Waiting for politicians to solve the problem – be it at
the centre or the state – may take way too long and we may not have that much of time. Leaving the
country is not going to solve this problem of pollution. Getting an air purifier will only get temporary
relief inside your house but it is not going to solve this problem.
Just hoping the problem will be solved by the government would be taking a very big chance. There
are too many moving parts and vested interests that things may not move fast enough and time is
one thing which is not on our side.
If you are someone who knows anyone who is below the age of 10 or over the
age of 50, this problem affects you.
We can't solve this problem alone. We need your help and you can
help. Please take this document to your CSR, your legislator, court,
anyone who you think can help.
For those who like to get their hands dirty and do something, run
with the ideas. Even if you stop one village from burning fields you
have made a difference.
Contact
9717045170

13. Viable opportunities in the fight against pollution Sources
13
Sources
i Vox | How Delhi became the most polluted city on Earth
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/11/22/16666808/india-air-pollution-new-delhi
ii Hindustan Times | Nasa images show crop burning surged before toxic smog hit Delhi-NCR
http://www.hindustantimes.com/environment/crop-burning-surged-before-pollution-peaked-in-delhi-
ncr-experts/story-J8mwdFWf9CEOF7MvvPcAyN.html
iii Washington Post | Delhi is blanketed with toxic smog. This is why.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/11/11/delhis-been-hit-with-toxic-smog-
why-its-political/?utm_term=.4f380f5c4f72
iv National Capital Region Planning Board
http://ncrpb.nic.in/pdf_files/Annual%20Report%202014-15.pdf
v The Hindu | Straws in the wind
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Straws-in-the-wind/article16441019.ece
vi The Hindu | The flaming fields of Punjab
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/the-flaming-fields-of-
punjab/article19934276.ece
vii Your Story | How the govt and agri scientists in Punjab are showing little enthusiasm for this
pollution-averting practice https://yourstory.com/2016/11/punjab-agriculture-pollution/
viii Krishisewa | Technology for Mushroom Cultivation
http://www.krishisewa.com/articles/production-technology/46-technology-for-mushroom-
cultivation.html
ix The Times of India | Mushrooming innovation
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Mushrooming-innovation/articleshow/54383451.cms
x National Center for Biotechnology Information | Prospects of rice straw as a raw material for paper
making https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27543175
xi Kerala Tourism | Souvenirs
https://www.keralatourism.org/shopping-options/shop-hay-art-kerala/29
xii Indiamart | Paddy Straw Art
https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/paddy-straw-art-5001549573.html
xiii Rice, straw and coconut the new alternatives to wood
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-13299292