While conservation agriculture (CA) provides public benefits, farmers adopting CA do not usually reap immediate private benefits. Since it takes time for organic matter to build up in the soil, productivity gains are not immediately realised. Farmers adopting CA, therefore, typically face an immediate cost for a potentially uncertain future benefit; hence, adoption rates in Africa have been low.Gi...

The “uneven ground” alluded to in the title of this synthesis report is where the majority of rural people are increasingly finding themselves. They are the focus of this report and of the work of the International Land Coalition. Smallholders and family farms, indigenous peoples, rural women, youth, and landless rural communities are being squeezed into smaller parcels of land or forced off the l...

Biomass-derived energy is poised to play a pivotal role in the ongoing energy transition. According to IRENA’s 1.5°C Scenario outlined in the World Energy Transitions Outlook, bioenergy is projected to constitute 22% of the total primary energy supply by 2050 (IRENA, 2023). This ambitious goal will necessitate a substantial increase in primary biomass resources, requiring up to 135 exajoules (EJ) ...

The ICFA report identifies several key findings: India generates roughly 500 million tonnes of crop residue annually, with rice, wheat, and sugarcane contributing about 82 percent of the burning problem. Open-field burning emits vast amounts of pollutants — especially carbon monoxide, black carbon, and volatile organic compounds — underscoring its environmental and public-health severity. Moreover...

ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), Ludhiana and Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of Punjab, took residue burning as a challenge and a concept of ‘Innovation Hub’ was introduced with sole objective of making it as the torch bearer in the technology diffusion process. Dissemination of crop residue management technologies was planned in such a way that the Innovation Hub...

Crop residue burning (CRB) is a leading cause of high air pollution in developing countries. Authors examine the effectiveness of India’s largest ban on CRB using a difference-indifferences strategy that exploits its implementation in select states. They find that fire counts declined by 30% relative to the pre-ban mean, though this effect diminished to near zero within 2–3 years of the ban’s impl...

The Crop Residue Management interventions under CII Cleaner Air Better Life (CII CABL), which are evaluated in thisstudy, involved three years of extensive work in crop residue burning hotspots of Punjab & Haryana where rice is a dominant crop grown on 97% of the agricultural area. Recognised by UNDP SDG Action Award and Global Development Network, the CII CABL programme has created successful...

The Taskforce Toolkit is a practical guide to help APS taskforces through every stage of the taskforce lifecycle, whether you’re setting up, mid-operation, or winding down your taskforce.Scope: Understand the problem your taskforce has been set up to address and identify key deliverables.Governance: Keep the taskforce on track through clear and effective governance arrangements.Staffing and leader...

In recent years, northern Thailand has faced an alarming rise in forest fires, driven by slash-and-burn agriculture, prolonged dry seasons, and climate change. Chiang Mai was recently ranked as the world’s most polluted city for seven days straight, with an average of 1.7 million people being affected by poor air quality and smoke between February and May every year. It is estimated that Northern ...

Transitioning from subsistence agriculture to commercial growing can come at a high cost to the environment. Mechanized rice paddy harvesting has increased farmer profits in India but also led to widespread burning of crop residue (stubble) to clear fields after harvest, creating massive air quality problems across northern India. Addressing stubble burning is a high-priority item on India’s centr...