Title: CROP RESIDUE BURNING: FARMERS' PERCEPTIONS AND ASSOCIATED FARMER CHARACTERISTICS

Authors: Shivendra Singh, Seema Naberia and Abhilash Dangi

Publisher: The President, Society of Extension Education Gujarat

Keywords: crop residue burning, farmers' perception, sustainable residue management, rice-wheat system

Volume: 41

Issue: 2

Year: June 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56572/gjoee.2026.41.2.0012

Abstract: Crop residue burning (CRB) or stubble burning is a persistent environmental and agronomic challenge in India, particularly within the rice-wheat system, where farmers rely on it as the quickest means of disposal despite its harmful impacts. This study was conducted in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh, one of the state's highest CRB-affected regions, to evaluate farmers' perceptions of residue burning and analyse how their personal, socio-economic, communicational, and psychological profiles influence these perceptions. A total of 120 farmers from six villages in Patan block were selected using multistage purposive-random sampling. Primary data were collected through structured interviews and analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation. Findings revealed that most farmers (69.17%) had medium-level perceptions, indicating awareness of the adverse effects of CRB such as soil nutrient loss, air pollution, and microbial degradation, but limited motivation or resources to adopt alternatives. Only 15 per cent demonstrated high perception, while 15.83 per cent showed low perception. Strong consensus was noted on the harmful impacts on soil health (85.33%) and the potential of eco-friendly options like biofuel plants and baling, yet traditional beliefs regarding pest and weed control persisted. Correlation analysis highlighted ecological consciousness (r = 0.348, p < 0.01), education (r = 0.321, p < 0.01), mass media exposure (r = 0.284, p < 0.01), economic motivation (r = 0.275, p < 0.01) and landholding size (r = 0.253, p < 0.01) as significant predictors of perception, whereas age (r = 0.058) and family size (r = 0.041) had negligible influence. The study concludes that enhancing awareness, providing affordable technologies, and creating economic incentives are crucial to reducing CRB and promoting sustainable residue management.