Winter Smog: A Symptom of Deeper Crisis

Each winter, northern India is shrouded in a thick blanket of smog, driven by low temperatures, stagnant winds, and widespread stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. This seasonal phenomenon results in hazardous Air Quality Index (AQI) levels, impairing public health, visibility, and regional economic activity. However, stubble burning is merely a symptom of a deeper ecological and policy crisis—one that links soil degradation, groundwater depletion, and chemical contamination, all rooted in unsustainable agricultural practices.

At the core of this crisis lies a structural disconnect between India’s agricultural and environmental law–policy frameworks, which have evolved in isolation from one another.

Historical Roots: The Productivity Paradigm

Food Security as the Foundational Goal

• • Post-Independence India grappled with famine and chronic food shortages.
  • The Green Revolution (1960s–70s) prioritized productivity through:
    • High-Yield Variety (HYV) seeds
    • Intensive irrigation
    • Chemical fertilizers and pesticides
    • Double cropping and mechanisation

Achievements of the Green Revolution

• • Shifted India from a food-deficit to a food-surplus nation.
  • Established food self-sufficiency and reduced reliance on imports.
  • Boosted rural incomes, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh.

The Productivity Hangover

• • Even post-liberalisation (1990s), agricultural policies remained focused on yield maximisation over sustainability.
  • Example: NITI Aayog’s report on pulses emphasizes productivity with limited attention to ecological concerns.
  • Subsidies for fertilizers, power, and irrigation continue to incentivize resource-intensive cultivation, ignoring environmental costs.

Interdependence Between Agriculture and Environment

Mutual Dependence

• • Agriculture relies on soil fertility, water availability, biodiversity, and climate stability.
  • Unsustainable practices degrade these systems, creating a vicious feedback loop.

Global and Indian Context

• • IPCC (2019) reports agriculture contributes:
    • 13% of global CO₂ emissions
    • 44% of CH₄ emissions
    • 81% of N₂O emissions
  • Agriculture consumes ~70% of global freshwater; in India, it accounts for 91%.
  • Over-reliance on water-intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane is depleting aquifers in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Deccan Plateau.

Environmental Impacts

• • Soil degradation: Monocropping, excessive fertilizer use, and residue burning reduce organic matter.
  • Water contamination: Pesticide and nitrate runoff pollutes surface and groundwater.
  • Air pollution: Stubble burning contributes 30–40% of winter PM2.5 levels in North India.
  • Loss of biodiversity: HYV seeds have displaced traditional, climate-resilient varieties.

Legal Disconnect: Agriculture vs Environment

Industrial Bias in Environmental Laws

• • Key laws — Water Act (1974), Air Act (1981), Environment Protection Act (1986) — were designed to regulate industrial pollution, not agriculture.

Gaps in Legal Definitions

• • EPA broadly defines “environment” and “pollution” but omits agricultural pollutants like fertilizer runoff or livestock methane.
  • The EIA Notification (2006) excludes agricultural activities from mandatory assessments.

Policy Incoherence

• • Environmental laws focus on pollution control; agricultural policies prioritize production.
  • This disconnect leaves agricultural pollution largely unregulated.

Need for Integration

• • Agriculture must be treated as a regulated sector under environmental governance.
  • Cross-cutting frameworks should link soil, water, air, and biodiversity conservation with farming policies.

Government Initiatives for Sustainable Agriculture

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA)

• • Part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
  • Focus areas: agroforestry, rainfed development, soil and water health, climate adaptation.
  • Budget allocation remains minimal—just 0.8% of the Agriculture Ministry’s total.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)

• • Promotes “Per Drop More Crop” via micro-irrigation and water-use efficiency.

Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP)

• • Encourages rainwater harvesting and community-level watershed conservation.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)

• • Supports organic farming clusters and certification.

Soil Health Card Scheme

• • Aims to monitor and improve soil nutrient balance.

Implementation Challenges

• • Inadequate funding
  • Limited farmer awareness and technical capacity
  • No safety net for yield loss
  • Underdeveloped markets for sustainable produce

Barriers to Sustainable Transition

• • Psychological and Economic Fears: Farmers fear reduced yields; policymakers fear food shortages.
  • Knowledge Gaps: Weak extension services; limited awareness of sustainable practices like zero-tillage and crop diversification.
  • Lack of Incentives: No compensation for ecosystem services; poor access to technology, credit, and markets.
  • Governance Fragmentation: Agriculture, water, and environment ministries operate in silos.

Way Forward

Policy Integration

• • Align agricultural goals with environmental objectives.
  • Introduce EIAs for large-scale farming and link to state climate action plans.

Economic Incentives

• • Redirect subsidies to climate-smart technologies.
  • Reward farmers via Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES).

Institutional Coordination

• • Create an Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Sustainable Agriculture.

Technological Innovation

• • Promote bio-fertilizers, precision farming, and digital soil-health tools.
  • Encourage crop diversification toward millets, pulses, and oilseeds.

Farmer Education and Social Change

• • Embed sustainability in KVKs and agricultural universities.
  • Launch public campaigns on eco-friendly farming benefits.

Regional Cooperation

• • Joint state action plans for stubble burning.
  • Promote Happy Seeders, bio-decomposers, and shared equipment banks.

Strengthening Local Governance

• • Empower PRIs and FPOs to manage soil and water resources sustainably.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• • Use satellite and AI tools to track pollution, cropping patterns, and groundwater.
  • Develop public dashboards linking farm performance to environmental outcomes.

India’s agricultural future must be rooted in sustainability, not just productivity. Integrating environmental and agricultural frameworks, empowering farmers with technology and incentives, and enacting a unified “Sustainable Agriculture Mission” are essential to achieving food security and ecological balance. This transition is not just necessary—it is urgent, inevitable, and foundational to India’s long-term climate and development goals.